"Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee." -Isaiah 60:1

Dear Friends,

These sunflowers seem to be obeying Isaiah's words, do they not? There is something delightful about the face of a sunflower, and their smell is of earthy chocolate (especially the dark brown ones). They speak of joy and hope, and we always have planted them, since we were first married (and have measured our children's growth by them). Whenever we're driving around town and see a few sunflowers in a yard, we feel that we have found a kindred spirit, and are happier for it.

(Senora thinks that sunflowers make great playthings, too!)

My wonderful mother surprised us by sending rhubarb from our old home~
" Hey, bambina! Vieni ad aiutarmi buccia di questo rabarbaro!"

We found this nest on the ground while going for a walk~ It's perfect and petite, and we think it might belong to a cardinal.

One thing's for sure; this baby bird didn't hatch out in it!

Love,

Marqueta

“Where you are is who you are. The further inside you the place moves, the more your identity is intertwined with it. Never casual, the choice of place is the choice of something you crave.”
― Frances Mayes, Under the Tuscan Sun

Begin the New Year on a Positive Note (With Random Chicken Photos)~

Hello, dear friends!

We hope that you had a very happy Christmas, and that you have created wonderful memories to treasure for years to come. We're still gathering all the Christmas cards and paper bits that tell the story of this Christmas, and pasting them into a scrapbook, along with things we did and said, and learned.

We have been lately reading several books on the power of words and thinking to affect our lives for good or bad, and would like to issue a challenge for you. Let's do it as a group "New Year's Resolution," and make the world a better place!

You see, our bodies and minds "believe" the words we say, and respond with something akin to those words in a physical or emotional way. Beyond our own bodies, are those of all those with whom we interact each day.

There are so many phrases that are commonly used which do not serve our highest good, so let's start to cut them out and see what difference it makes for us (Believe me, this is a much easier exercise if you have children who can catch you when you forget!)

We're going to replace any negative words that we may have used in the past that do not serve us anymore, such as:

"I hate. . . "

"What a pain!"

"I can't stand. . ."

"I'm so sick and tired. . . "

"I can't wait. . ."

"Over my dead body (ouch)!"

Let's be especially careful when beginning a phrase with "I am," as this is summoning creation in our lives (e.g. "I'm sick", "I'm poor", "I'm so dumb", "I'm hopeless", etc.).

Not only do we speak these words, but we constantly have a dialog with ourselves running through our mind. This is where what I call "The Opposite Game" comes in especially handy, replacing thoughts like "I don't know what I'm going to do" with "I know exactly what I'm going to do!" It truly takes a lot of reminders and written notes (at least for me) to remember to do this, but I've been doing it for about six months now, and I have seen a great difference in how I feel about myself and my life situation. I still have moments when I flounder, but they are less frequent than they used to be.

So here's to a happy, positive New Year's, my friends! Let's do it both for ourselves and for those around us.

Love,

Marqueta

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"Work joyfully and peacefully, knowing that right thoughts and right efforts will inevitably bring about right results."  

~James Allen