Kathleen Botsford

Sticky Fingers

Sometimes I sit down to write

and nothing much seems to happen.

I sit and wait

and maybe daydream a bit....

and still nothing.

I have a diversion that may be good for my soul

but not much help for my

resolution to write everyday.

I grab a glue stick and a box of scrap papers and bits

and spend my "writing" time

playing as I imagine I did in kindergarten.

Sticky fingers full of paint and glue.

Happily lost in a haze of pure fun

for no reason at all.

 Accomplishing nothing

and at the same time,

everything.

 

A Living Part of the Infinite Story

 

It seems life has become a constant

struggle of to-do lists and schedules

swallowing our waking hours

and haunting our

dream times.

As if a great bookeeper in the sky

is keeping track of our days

and judging them with constant busy-ness

the holy goal.

 

What if we set out every morning with curiosity,

with the intention to notice

as many opportunities as possible?

Would it not be like reading the world

as a holy book~a Lectio Divina of sorts,

that ancient practice of spiritual reading?

Every day we could be pouring over

the unfolding of new and possible worlds.

 

There are innumerable, small opportunities

to be helpful, attentive or kind.

Taking up these opportunities,

would we not come to know that we are

a living part of the infinite story?

Gunilla Norris

 

 

Love Thee Notre Dame

Victoria has spent this summer in LA

working for one of her dream companies.

As she returns this week to the midwest

and begins packing for her senior year at ND

there will be tears.....

many tears.

We are so very lucky when our children love their

lives and choices so much that the thought of it ending

is bittersweet and sad.

We are not allowed to talk about

Tori's senior year or graduation.

Maybe if we stay very, very vigilant

and focused in each and every moment,

we can capture a bit of the magic

and keep it with us

close to our hearts.

And our hearts forever

Love thee Notre Dame

 

 

 

Good Friday

Over the course of the years

I have moved from an obsessive church lady

to a more contemplative loner.

On Good Friday

I spend time alone listening to

 Jesus Christ Superstar

It never fails to bring me to tears.

 

 

Postcards from Home

 

 

   

I collect bits and pieces of paper

and scraps.

Nothing is out of bounds.

If I cannot get the whole label

off a wine bottle ~

just a scraped off bit will do.

 

I have had lots of fun

decorating envelopes

and postcards to send to

Victoria in London

and Alex in Chicago.

 

It's a fun way to share some of

my favorite quotes

and they enjoy receiving

my art postcards and each uniquely

designed envelope.

Lots of fun!

 

 

 

Happy 25th Birthday Stevie

 

 

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with Kings ~ nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And ~ which is more ~ you'll be a Man, my son!

~Rudyard Kipling

Rhythm of the Universe

 

While I truly understand

resisting the rhythm of the Universe

is indeed foolish and fruitless....

I am hoping today

for a visit from spring......

really soon.

In the meantime....

 

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

 

Victoria

*Looking through a few journals this morning I came across this piece. 

Now that she is a junior in college

and studying this semester in London, it made me miss her that much more....

Victoria sinks into her cuddly bed,

filled with soft cushy pillows and more

down comforters than any one 17 year old girl needs for a lifetime.

Her long hair sweeps softly about her round flushed cheeks

in silky cascades and tangles too.

Her room is barely bigger than her bed, now her throne as her favorite stuffed animals

and dolls gather at her royal feet.

The walls are filled with theatre posters of the many shows she has seen with

a special section reserved for her Broadway adventures.

The worn rug lying beside her bed can easily trip the unaware; rags and pieces

of garments long gone,

tied together with the loving hands and nimble fingers of a grandmother.

The sharp edges of her desk protect her personal papers and high school secrets from intruders of all sizes.

The room smells of little girls; sweet perfumes and scented candles.

Move in a little farther I snuggle my toes into soft flannel jammies;

lying right where they were taken off, still warm....

New Year Resolution

I am trying a "new" kind of resolution this year. 

It's not about doing or losing

Not about accomplishing or goals.

 

It is about gently cultivating tenderness,

Within and for myself as well as for others.

It is about seeing with reverence,

eyes soft and non-judging.

"When you regain a sense of your life as a journey

of discovery,

you return to rhythm within yourself.

When you take the time to travel with reverence
a richer life unfolds before you.

Moments of beauty begin to braid your days.

 

When your mind becomes more acquainted with reverence,

the light, grace and elegance of beauty

find you more frequently."

John O'Donohue

Happy New Year to us all.

 

 

 

 

Hearts Filled with Thanksgiving

A week full of emotions,

much elation and excitement

sprinkled with bittersweet

endings and goodbyes.

The Student Athlete Bill

was signed and brought to the House floor.

Stevie's passion and eloquence

took center stage

as he wrote and championed

a cause so close his heart.

Alex brought her boss

and his family to South Bend

for the final home game of the season.

The Kool-aid may have been

a bit frozen and another trip necessary.

Now the bittersweet 

as we say goodbye to young men

who have become family.

Our last Thursday night dinner....

Their last time running out of the tunnel....

Their last game in Notre Dame Stadium.....

We will see them often

but this magical time at Notre Dame

has bound our hearts

and lives together....

always and forever.

Wishing you all a

Thanksgiving filled with

love and family.