Kathleen Botsford

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

 

 

 

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

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

 

Paris

 

We arrived in Paris just after noon.

 We strolled down de Champs-Elysees

and found an adorable FRENCH cafe.

After a tourist lunch of escargot, french onion soup,

beef tartar and red wine

we wandered the streets in a satiated fog,

soaking up the Paris atmosphere.

I had mentioned at lunch how I hoped to "stumble" upon the historic sites

the same way I had in Greece years ago.

Steve laughed and shook his head. 

When suddenly I turned  and

Voila'!

The next day we started at the famous bookstore near Notre Dame.

Steve found a cafe and a beer

as I wandered the haunt of some of the most

famous authors of our time.

A bibliophile's heaven...

We wandered back across the Seine to the doorstep of Notre Dame Cathedral.

 

I took photos and photos and photos until we needed an espresso/Heiniken break.

We returned to find the Cathedral locked down and swat teams everywhere.

No one seemed to know what was going on except the Police

and they were not sharing.

The next morning Steve was reading the paper

and we found our answer.

Stayed tuned for part 2

A little birdy told me.......

With the ancient is wisdom;

and in length of days understanding. 

                                     Job 12:12

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEVE

                  WE LOVE YOU!