Kathleen Botsford

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

 

 

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.

 

 

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.
 

Christmas at The Capitol

Notre Dame had a bye week

so the Botsford family

spent the weekend in

Washington DC

taking our family Christmas photo.

The weather was a bit rainy

but we were able to take our photos indoors...

at the Capitol

The autumn foliage was just beginning to change.

It was my first time in the Capitol building

and the art work and architectural majesty

was magnificent and inspiring.

I could almost hear the frustrated sighs

of our Founding Fathers

as they watch us struggle with our countries seemingly

endless difficulties.

There lies before us, if we choose, continued

progress in happiness, knowledge, and wisdom.

Shall we, instead, choose death, because we cannot

forget our quarrels? 

We appeal, as human beings, to human beings;

Remember your humanity and forget the rest.

                                                                    Albert Einstein

Change is Life's Only Constant

I have been on a leave of absencse from most of my creative endeavors of late.

I needed time to re-adjust and get comfortable in my own skin again.

It seems life sails along at a speedy clip and all of a sudden I awaken to an inner chaos,

rendering me desolate and empty.

Lots of new and different changes in so many areas of my life

can leave me searching for my blankie and a dark corner to hide in.

And while change is the only constant in life, it takes me a little while to get my new sea legs

and feel some sort of balance again.

 

Rushing into action, you fail.

Trying to grasp things, you lose them.

Forcing a project to completion,

you ruin what was almost ripe.

 

Do you have the patience to wait

till your mud settles and the water is clear?

Can you remain unmoving

till the right action arises by itself?

                                                                   Tao Te Ching

                                                                    Stephen Mitchell

 

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?