A Time of Peace and Beauty and Hope: Christmas 2010

"Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone-- we find it with another." -Thomas Merton, American Monk, Kentucky, USA, 1915-1968

As another year comes to a close, and the beauty and peace and hope brought by the meaning of Christmas fills the air, I enjoy reflecting on the year that has passed while looking ahead at the year to come.

Continuing from last week's post, I am using the Reverb10 prompts from the site at Reverb10. Click here to see their excellent site, motto Reflect On This Year & Manifest What's Next.

December 9 – Party. What social gathering rocked your socks off in 2010? Describe.

My main man, husband, Brian--so grateful for him

I laugh at this question because we've had so many fun occasions with friends in 2010, but I have to pick my birthday. With four other couples, we spent a long evening at SaSaZu, a hip Asian fusion restaurant in Prague. Lots of fun, lots of food, and lots of great friends. One of the best memories of Party ever. Grateful.

December 10 – Wisdom. What was the wisest decision you made this year, and how did it play out?
Hmm. Isn't this a stumper. I'll have to say taking my literary agent's suggestion to heart and attending the great ACFW conference. Great time to refresh and renew, learn from and meet other writers.

December 11 – 11 Things: What are 11 things your life doesn’t need in 2011? How will you go about eliminating them? How will getting rid of these 11 things change your life?
Again, these questions aren't easy. Eleven things: so I ask my boys, who are sitting beside me right now ... they say (because they are arguing right now...) 1) Arguing, 2) Criticizing, 3) Complaining, 4) Making fun of people ... etc. You get the picture. I'll wrap up 11 things by adding, saying only things that encourage or help lift another higher. Life is hard enough as it is.

December 12 – Body Integration: This year, when did you feel the most integrated with your body? Did you have a moment where there wasn’t mind and body, but simply a cohesive YOU, alive and present?
For me, this happens when I am writing. I lose all track of time, and become immersed in story. Also, skiing, biking, tennis-- playing, in essence.

December 13 – Action: When it comes to aspirations, it’s not about ideas. It’s about making ideas happen. What’s your next step?
Writing my next book. Working at the story until it sings, and gets sold to a publisher ...

December 14 – Appreciate: What’s the one thing you have come to appreciate most in the past year? How do you express gratitude for it?
I appreciate four things most in life: my family, my friends, my health, and my ability to use the gifts which I've been given. Expressing gratitude becomes a natural extension of every moment, in recognition of the Giver of all good things in life.

December 15 – 5 Minutes: Imagine you will completely lose your memory of 2010 in five minutes. Set an alarm for five minutes and capture the things you most want to remember about 2010.
Back to the quote at the top, the time and experiences I have been given with my family and friends. So grateful.

December 16 – Friendship: How has a friend changed you or your perspective on the world this year? Was this change gradual, or a sudden burst?
The friendships we have here in Prague have been rich, filling our lives with more than companionship, but also laughter and new insights into worlds and cultures vastly different than ours. Our lives will never be the same for the depth of the friendships we have enjoyed especially over the last year. Certainly, they have changed our perspective on the world while stretching, challenging, and bringing our lives much joy.

December 17 – Lesson Learned: What was the best thing you learned about yourself this past year? And how will you apply that lesson going forward?
The lesson learned most: rich relationships with family and friends will always be the thing that matters most, makes life vibrant, and fills my heart with overflowing warmth. Time spent with others will always be the thing that makes me tick. Thank you to all the cherished who make my life so very rich and full. Looking forward to 2011!

Staring the conversation: What about you? How have friends helped 2010 be a great year for you?

The Gift of Meeting Face-to-Face

"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, 'What! You too? I thought I was the only one ..." 

- C.S. Lewis, British Scholar and Novelist 1898-1963

Photo of me and my great literary agent, Chip MacGregor, at ACFW. Thanks to Susan Meissner for the photo!

Last week, I had the amazing privilege of attending the ACFW conference in Indianapolis. On so many levels, I loved being there, with 650 other great people in the world of writing fiction. Somehow, in the combination of writers and editors and agents and publishers all gathered in one location, synergy happened. And the resulting energy was contagious. There, together, over coffees and classes and sunshine and meals, meaningful conversations happened about books and the words that define them like theme and voice and dialogue and character. 

There aren't many ways for this writer to say how wonderful it was to be there, but it was an incredible experience. Now, back in Prague as I unpack and allow conversations and new friends to seep into my thoughts, I return to the great gift in being with like-minded people. We meet, and click, and our lives are changed for the better. A gift.

Though the internet is a powerful force in connecting people, meeting in person allows the live energy between people to flow, for those present to shine and show their depth and colors, and to truly connect. Again, a gift.

So, as I reflect on my writer's conference experience, I want to thank all the people who made the time possible for me, to thank my family for their unending support. And to the many friends who made the time in the USA a rich experience full of laughter and stories -- thank you! All gift. 

Truly, time face-to-face with dear friends is one of the greatest gifts in life. I'm so very grateful.

Starting the conversation: When are times you feel the richest? Time with friends and family? 

Sunshine, Freedom, and a Little Bit of Friends

Posted on July 27, 2010 

“Just living is not enough,” said the butterfly, “one must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower.” ~Hans Christian Anderson

A Swallowtail, on our backyard lavender in Prague

This week, a gorgeous visitor surprised me at our home, cloaked in delicate colors and fluttering about on the breeze. At our home in the US, we would have Swallowtails and other large butterflies dancing about our large gardens on every sunny summer day. But here, in Prague, where our yard is significantly smaller and the flowers fewer, I was shocked to discover this beautiful Swallowtail flitting about the lavenders. To be honest, I forgot how much I missed them — butterflies and flowers and all gifts of the natural world that keep our minds remembering that a screen and a bleeping cursor is not all there is.


I think in all areas of life, we need that switch in thinking. A gust of fresh air and a burst of alluring color to remind us that where we are in life — tough times or otherwise — is not all there is.


Somehow, friends have a way of swooping in and refilling our empty sails with fresh wind to carry us further along, laughter to replenish our spirits, and a listening ear to share life’s weight.


To me, one of the best parts of life is in the sharing – to help us past just living, to inspire us to soar again with new freedom, fresh colors, and the sunshine of another friend to walk alongside us.


A BIG thank you to all my friends for all you do in lifting me past where I would be on my own. I am so grateful, and hope to pass the same along to others. For this is one of the best parts of life … sharing.


Starting the Conversation (Leave a Comment below): What brings you fresh perspective and a new burst of energy? How can you help friends and others along in their journeys this week?

Dandelions Can Be People, too

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” –John Fitzgerald Kennedy

It’s dandelion season here in Prague. Yesterday, with the help of a long metal weed-puller, I dug hundreds of the yellow, thick-rooted weeds from a tiny area of our Prague backyard. (Good therapy, sometimes.) But, when I finished, hardly any grass remained. The section had been all weeds.

I feel like I’ve been digging weeds in other areas of my life, too. Sometimes Dandelions sneak into my life and take much more than they share or give, and I find myself feeling overwhelmed and off-balance.

I think people whose focus is on what they get and believe they deserve are like the Dandelions. Dandelions may look pretty from a distance for a time. But soon, the pretty yellow flower turns into fuzz. And under the surface, their roots sap the nutrients and water from other nearby desirable plants, and are almost impossible to pull. They live to take. Like the physical weeds in the yard, some people harbor deep feelings of entitlement—that they deserve much more than they are getting, and that what they have is never enough.

Dandelions feel cheated. Often.

Surely, we all feel like dandelions sometimes—like we aren’t getting what we need or deserve. And then we begin to take. People might tolerate the taking for a short time, while the weed is small. But no one really wants a dandelion around for long.

Instead, focusing on producing something beautiful, like a grateful and kind spirit—more like the elegant Tulip, this time of year—will help our dandelion tendencies to turn around. From Taker to Giver.

Weeds take. Flowers give.

I can’t think of a more noble cause today—to give and refresh another in this already-difficult journey of life. To discover gratitude instead of resentment, and to spread joy instead of frustration. To be a flower to someone we love.

Starting the conversation: Do you often feel cheated? Do you have ways you turn a frustration into a heart-felt gratitude, and are able to live it out? Find ways this week to show gratitude...

Friendships, Tulips, and Dreams

"Throw your dreams into space like a kite, and you do not know what it will bring back, a new life, a new friend, a new love, a new country." -Anais Nin

It has almost been a year since my husband and I first visited Prague, to consider moving here with our family for a couple year expat assignment with his job. I remember those initial emotions, the excitement, the fear. What would such a giant leap bring?

We wondered how all of us would make friends. We all left friends and family and flowers (my gardens ... and hummingbirds ... and all the small things we build into our lives over time in one place).

Now, we have lived in Prague for nine months, and our lives are settled and have fallen into a rhythm. We are so grateful.

Amazingly, we have made great new friends. And family enjoys coming to visit. And several of our new friends have given us flowers--tulip bulbs from their native Holland (photographs taken here, in my Prague gardens).

Beauty and dreams and hope and the sweet things in life even come in a new country.

I'm taking notes so I can remember ...  When we toss our hopes and dreams up like a kite to Heaven, I need to remember that the fear isn't necessary-- God has much bigger plans in store than that of my small fears. Unless our dreams include a few miracles, they're just not big enough yet.
 
Starting the Conversation: What little fears hold you back from big dreams?

The Simple Joys of Summer

“Live Simply, Live Well.”

In our kitchen, we have a sign hanging above the doorway with the quote: “Live Simply, Live Well.” For some reason, those four words strike a harmonious chord down deep within me, and probably in many ways sums up the values I hold close—family, friends, love, laughter—the simple things.

Summer is the season for simplicity, I think. Sun, warmth, barbeques, pool-side conversation, splashing and playing, and, of course, garden flowers and fruits and veggies. There is nothing better than slowing down and soaking up some sun, joining friends for great food, and enjoying the simpler things. Living simply, living well …

We’ve been harvesting our best crop ever of garden raspberries. Maybe the abundant rain mixed with sunshine has done the trick, as opposed to other years with hardly any rainfall, but the boys and I have picked a couple gallons of raspberries this June (which doesn’t include the handfuls we’ve consumed right off the vine!). It’s been a sweet time, a delicious month of enjoying some of life's simpler things.

Also, since I love to photograph the living canvas of blooming art outside our back door, I’m pasting in a few shots that capture some of the beauty I’ve been enjoying.

The Back Border garden coming to life: Pandora’s Box daylilies, lithrum, Russian sage, scabiosa, Becky daisies, Greetings rose, miscansis grasses.

Lavendar Illusion daylily, one of my favorites

Heirloom Tall Garden Phlox, with a fragrance that perfumes the entire yard!

Enjoy your summer, and don’t forget to make time to savor the simplicity of the season ... :)

-Jennifer