Kathleen Botsford

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

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 ~

Breath of Kindness

Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person,

having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words,

but pouring them all out, just as they are,

chaff and grain together,

certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them,

keep what is worth keeping,

and with a breath of kindness blow the rest away.

George Elliott

 

Good Friday

I want you to be a tree of love,
Grafted into the Word who is love,
Christ crucified -
A tree with its roots in deep humility.

If you are a tree of love, sweetly rooted,
You'll find the fruit of patience and strength at the tips of your branches,
And crowned perseverance nesting within you.
You'll find peace and quiet and consolation in suffering when you see yourself conformed with Christ crucified.
And so, by enduring with Christ crucified, you'll come with joy from much war
Into much peace. Peace! Peace!
St. Catherine of Siena

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!                      

 

Change of Plans

There has been a change of plans.

Our spring break visit to London

has been cancelled due to illness.

Victoria caught some sort of bug and has been

battleing a high fever and flu symptoms since last weekend. 

Her big sister, Alex, took a limo to South Bend very late Monday evening

and drove her little sister home. 

In a snow storm.

The good news is her professors were very understanding and have allowed her

to re-schedule her mid-terms until school resumes after break.

The bad news is.... no trip to London.

In between preparing soup and crackers and trays of

ginger-ale in sippy cups with Winnie the Pooh spoons.....

 I have been playing with my camera and lighting

trying to figure things out....

It has become obvious I need to polish my computer skills

as well as my photography skills

I guess there is no time like the present.

Especially with my un-expected as well as un-welcome

present of time....