Kathleen Botsford

Preparing for Paris

The weekend is over.

Black tie outfits returned to closets.

Guests gone and cold finally getting better.

Time to seriously immerse myself in preparing for our trip to Paris.

It will be here before we know it and

I am promising myself I will be prepared and ready ahead of time.

I wonder if we ever really feel prepared when taking

a trip of a lifetime?

I can read and re-read novels and travel guides,

slowly page thru art and picture books,

but then it is necessary to open the door wide to serendipity.

If we do not get out of our comfort zone

what good is the journey anyway?

 

 

Everything is Simple....

 

Everything

I want to make poems that say right out, plainly,
what I mean, that don't go looking for the
laces of elaboration, puffed sleeves. I want to
keep close and use often words like
heavy, heart, joy, soon, and to cherish
the question mark and her bold sister

the dash. I want to write with quiet hands. I
want to write while crossing the fields that are
fresh with daises and everlasting and the
ordinary grass. I want to make poems while thinking of
the bread of heaven and the
cup of astonishment; let them be

songs in which nothing is neglected,
not a hope, not a promise. I want to make poems
that look into the earth and the heavens
and see the unseeable. I want them to honor
both the heart of faith, and the light of the world;
the gladness that says, without any words, everything.

~ Mary Oliver ~

A Secret Vice

"What a commentary on our civilization,

when being alone is considered suspect;

when one has to apologize for it, make excuses,

hide the fact that one practices it ~ like a secret vice."

Anne Morrow Lindbergh

 

Venice Sunrise

I was working on a project yesterday

and happened to catch "Casanova"on the television.

It is filmed in Venice and I could watch it all day long,

project or not.  Like "The Tourist" and "Summertime",

Venice becomes a visceral element of the film.

Her mystery haunts and hypnotises,

casting enchanting spells on all who wander

into her magical embrace.

I almost captured her misty colors,

shimmering across the soft waves of sunrise

our last morning in bella Venezia. 

Almost.

Childlike Excitement

Some people like to explore their hotels on line before they arrive at their destination.  I on the other hand, love to be surprised.  There aren't that many situations that can make me feel like a child again but traveling is definitely one of them.   The customs of the culture, the melody of foreign language, the idiosyncrasies of the people, the splendor of the art, the magnificence of the cathedrals, the breathtaking landscapes.  And the centuries of history, history, history.  To experience these with the eyes of childlike wonder is a gift that seems only traveling can bestow. 

This lucscious bowl of fruit greeted us upon check-in on our last Italian holiday.  I immediately snapped a photo to include in my journal.  If you look closely you can see evidence of a younger, swifter hand as my daughter immediately pounced upon the fruit bowl upon entering.  Youthful hunger does not stop for wonder of any sort.  I can hardly wait to experience what awaits us on this trip abroad.  The excitement is brewing just like memories of childhood Christmas magic.  I can hardly wait.......

 

 

A New Year Blessing

Some of my  favorite things in the world are books, old movies and solitude.  My husband has recently made it clear he would like me to clean out some of the hundreds of books I have shelved and piled upon piles in our library.   And like a good wife, I complained and whined and then started going thru the stacks to weed out the ones I could live without.  There are not alot of books I was willing to part with but enough to make said husband happy for the time being.

Nothing says "heaven" to me more than a pile of books, a candle or two or three, a crackling fire and a cold winter day.  That's exactly how I am spending my first day of the New Year.  Books and Solitude.  And a  blessing from one of my most favorite authors.  Happy New Year!

 

 

 

A Blessing of Solitude

May you recognize in your life the presence, power

and light of your soul.

May you realize that you are never alone,

that your soul in its brightness and belonging connects you

intimately with the rhythm of the universe.

May you have respect for your own individuality and difference.

May you realize that the shape of your soul is unique,

that you have a special destiny here,

that behind the facade of your life there is something

beautiful, good and eternal happening.

May you learn to see yourself with the same delight, pride,

and expectation which with God sees you in every moment.

John O'Donohue

Anam Cara

The Alphabet vs The Goddess

When I was younger, I had an incredible appetite for knowledge.  I read everything I could find on any and all subjects that caught my fancy.  If I was into trees, I had to "know" the names of each, the shape of their leaves and attributes along with their habitat and history.  When I became a jewelry designer, each stone was a new world unto itself.  I could sit for hours fondling and gazing into the depth of each new obsession.  The crystals and stones became my personal project.  I researched constantly as books have always been my mainstay in life. 

As I have grown older I have noticed I no longer have the urge to know everything about anything.   Does my knowing the name of a tree make it any more or less magnificent?  Does it matter if I hold a rose quartz in my hand or a pink opal?  Words and labels have their place indeed but of late I am animated by something deeper, more intimate.   This very sentiment jumped out of a poem this morning.

The world does not need words. It articulates itself
in sunlight, leaves, and shadows. The stones on the path
are no less real for lying uncatalogued and uncounted.
The fluent leaves speak only the dialect of pure being.
The kiss is still fully itself though no words were spoken.

Dana Gioia

Peace in the World

O Holy Virgin
When you said 'Yes'
To housing God in your womb
You asked, as its price,
For peace in the world
Redemption for all the lost
Eternal life for the dead.
May I always pray with you
That your sublime prayer be granted.

Peter Chrysostom

 

Reprinted from DailyOm 365 Days of Prayers with Andrew Harvey

Note From the Universe

What if, Kathleen, you're already doing everything right, even though you're not sure?

And the surprises along the way have only sped things up, even though it felt like they slowed you down?

And all that you want is now barreling towards you, even though you can't see it?

And when it arrives it'll exceed your every expectation, even though your dreams were huge?

Wouldn't you be making some really weird noises about now? Whoohoo'ing, howling... maybe even whoohoo-howl-barking?

Well?

    The Universe

Faith, Prayer and History

"We need to make a national examination of conscience. Why do we need a national examination of conscience?? Because suddenly we Americans seem to be panicking. It's time to stop moaning and wringing our hands. It's true; the country is in a crisis. But we have always been in a crisis. We ought to thank God we are. Because then we always have something to test us -- like a piece of steel that stays strong precisely because it is enduring great pressure."

These extremely timely words were spoken on February 7, 1968 by Sargent Shriver in a speech he gave at Notre Dame University.  With the economic situation looking bleak, mayhem and riots running rampant in other parts of the world and our own country's Occupy movement growing larger week by week, it is easy to see the glass half empty.   I don't know what the answers are.  I do know we have overcome difficult challenges in the past and we will endure many more in the future.  I take comfort in Sargent Shrivers words and trust we will rise to this test --"like a piece of steel that stays strong precisely because it is enduring great pressure."

Faith and prayer.  It may sound innocent and naive but it's all I've got at the moment.  And history.  We've got that on our side too.