Thanksgiving creativity 🙂
It is the first day of Reverb13.   
This is a yearly blogging project that my friend Ruth Schowalter invited me to join along with other friends in the Daily Creative Practice. 
Darlene and Ruth and I all did the Blogtoberfest (the month long project in Oct) and it was terrific so I’m excited about today and a new blogging beginning.  Project Reverb is a great way to reflect on 2013 and project on 2014!  I LOVE this whole concept 🙂
Here is the daily prompt:

How do you feel, on this first day, in your mind? In your body? In your heart? In your soul?
How do I feel in my mind?
This first one made me giggle.  Today my mind is all over the map.  We arrived home yesterday at 11:30 pm after a 13+ hour road trip home from Texas.  It was a brutal end to a wonderful Thanksgiving trip.  We like to get home and give ourselves the extra day to relax, prep for the week, do fun stuff like blogging, etc.  So after a wonderful night’s sleep in my own bed I woke up with my mind buzzing like a bee from flower to flower.  What do I do today? Decorate for Christmas? Rest? Prepare for the week? Catch up with friends? Exercise? Absolutely nothing? 
I started with a nice cup of tea and the dog in my lap (he’s so thankful we are home) after a load of laundry was started.  
I bet the day turns out to be a combination of all of the above ideas with a lot of self care and resting interspersed within.  
My mind always tends to be filled with tasks so today I will take a moment to write them all down and find out a way to spread them out for the week 🙂
In regards to 2013 it has been a busy year – as one of my friends recently said, “you always have a busy schedule so when YOU say it is busy it’s over the top!”
Things that I know – Flylady is one of  the systems that keeps me sane and it is a daily practice that is good for me and my family 🙂  Daily writing/blogging is a great way for me to stay on track with my creativity and inner work.  Yoga is my friend 🙂 and I always have “work” to do inner and outer but when I start with my gratitudes and love anything is possible!
The new yarn I bought and scarf I completed on the road trip home!

How do I feel in my body?

At this moment I am tired but feel good.  
I did well this week sticking to the eating plan my body loves.  I feel good about the choices I made and especially with the temptations of Thanksgiving and family I am proud of myself and my choices. 
Since March (I think)  I am down 4 sizes and about 40 pounds and my body is happy, happy, happy with that!  I’m sleeping through the night, getting great rest, fun exercise and having lots of energy to spare – so excited to have a plan that works great for my body!!
Joe and I were able to get in one 5k run the morning of Thanksgiving and a fun but intense football game on Friday.  Didn’t get in my Yoga and daily workouts due to travel so my body is for sure looking forward to the “normal” routine that starts tomorrow 🙂
2013 has brought me more in touch with my body with the Paleo lifestyle and with Interplay which is such a fun and incredible way to unlock the wisdom of our bodies and the wisdom in our communities.
Joe at an old border marker as we crossed into Texas on the way to my Nanny’s house 🙂
How do I feel in my heart?
Today my heart has the quiet contentment feeling of fullness.  On this road trip we were able to see my paternal grandmother (86), my spiritual grandmother/teacher, a couple of dear friends (would have loved to have time for more) almost all my aunts and uncles, lots of cousins, Joe’s mom and family, my parents and my sister too!  It was nice to  catch up with everyone, give hugs and hang out.  I also have that wonderful feeling of loving my life.  I am happy with where we live and I have that intense feeling of gratitude you get when you’ve been away and it’s so delightful to come home and bask in your surroundings (of course this may just be me and my “Cancer” nature – you know us crabs we love our homes 🙂 ).
    
As I feel how 2013 was for my heart there where some hard times.  Some friendships that faltered and some relationships that are needing some loving attention.  Yet on the flip side my heart was happy with several new relationships blooming and growing.

Also as my children enter new and challenging situations my heart has been tender for them and with them.

It is a practice I believe to lead with an open heart and let love guide us even when it is tempting to retreat and guard against hurt. Brene Brown has some amazing stuff including her latest book Daring Greatly that reminds me how important this is.
How do I feel in my soul?
Content.  Happy. Loved.
It has been such a full fall.  Between the Interplay Secrets weekend, The “It is possible” women’s retreat and the Thanksgiving road trip my cup is overflowing with goodness.   

The retreats this fall brought clarity and I am grateful.

I am thankful for this time to reflect and make conscious decisions as the new year approaches including who and what will get my time and attention.  

Things I have remembered this year include:
How important daily creativity and writing are to my soul.
That I am called to facilitate women’s retreats and I love them!
Coaching/facilitating dreams in others is one of my higher purposes.
I have wonderful friends and family and am so lucky to be loved so well.
 
  

Who can resist a studly man in an apron who’s doing the dishes?  Not me!!!
Sammie as Minerva the Sassy Cook in the production of “Murder in the Heir” she performed the two days before we left for Texas

The youngest cousin!
Cousins Alex and Candace having a blast together!!1