My 2014 Memoir

As I mature--a nice word for this stage of life--I take on projects, events, volunteer work, and fun that keep my mind working and my heart pumping.  Here's what works for me:

1.  A friend and I organized a Book Club in January.  The only requirement is that the books must contain beautiful sentences.  So far our selections have met that goal:  The Paris Wife by Paula McLain; Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda; River of Doubt by Candice Millard; The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot; and Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese.  I'd recommend all of these!

2.  A trip to Palm Springs in March--the priorities being sunglasses, sunscreen and loads of laughter with friends.  Again in September, I joined this same group for our annual trip to Lake Pend Oreille.

3.  More time away in June--this time to Colorado Springs--to attend the Open House of Kathy's new studio for Sip and Splatter--Social Artworking with a Heart.  That and a bit of retail therapy kept mother and daughter quite happy indeed!

4.  My Portland family now has TWO teenagers--a really busy time for this group!

5.  Jen started a business--DearGirlJewelry--Jewelry with Intention.   Her beautiful creations can be found on Etsy!

6.  I still volunteer for the Citizen's Review Board.  I feel privileged to work in a community that has many excellent resources for families who need help, and I hope it's a way of giving back.

7.  Plays and musicals are a big part of my entertainment--Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Cabaret--amazing productions!

8.  My love for English/Scottish Dance continues.  Great exercise and a fun way of making friends!

9.  Yoga is still an important part of my weekly routine--the movements invite every part of my body toward pain free-ness.

10.  As I write, Gilly lays at my side--actually ON my side.  Our daily walks about the neighborhood keep my joints oiled and his territory marked.

11.  My grandchildren continue to bring me loads of fun--and hugs and intelligence and perfection...yeah, yeah, I know you stopped reading after hugs...

12.  I've finished one year as a blogger.  An excellent outlet for likes, dislikes, memories, gratitude, etc.:  maryjsaltmarsh.blogspot.com

My year has been good.  My intention:  To be physically, emotionally and spiritually healthy--a good way to keep the mind working and the heart pumping.

Dance.  Smile.  Giggle.  Marvel.

TRUST. HOPE. LOVE. WISH. BELIEVE.

Most of all, enjoy every moment of the journey,

and appreciate where you are at this moment

instead of always focusing on how far you have to go.

              ---Mandy Hale

May you all have a lovely Holiday Season!

 

Christmases Past...

We all have memories of Christmases past--childhood, teenage, young-poverty-stricken adults...  Perhaps I'm more aware of childhood recollections now that Mother is gone.  She was raised in an orphanage where few gifts were received by children.  I think Mother vicariously celebrated her losses from childhood through her efforts into birthday and Christmas celebrations for my brother and me.  When layaway plans at department stores were popular--do they even exist now?--Mother would begin her Christmas shopping in July.  Layaway not only provided for easier payment, but a storage place where nosy kids could not enter.

Yet with all Mother's pretense at secrecy, her "hints" when we asked her what are you getting me? were SUCH give-aways!!  We almost always knew the contents before unwrapping each package.  However, because she wanted to make these occasions so special, the gifts were almost always just what we'd asked for. 

One year I got a Mary Maher doll--so named after my favorite aunt.  I loved and played with that doll for several years until my brother--four years my junior--broke her fragile body into several unfix-able pieces.  On my age-14 Christmas I received six pieces of fabric--soon made into six new school outfits!  

The Christmas I was 10, my grandparents gave me a ring.  Last spring, going through my old jewelry box--which my grandparents also gave me--I found the ring--the stone no longer in its place--and took it to a jeweler.  Now, polished and with stone replaced, I wear it and think of lovely childhood memories. 

Don't you wish you could take a single childhood memory 

and blow it up into a bubble and live inside it forever?

                                     ―  Sarah Addison Allen