Reminiscing/feeling sorry for ourselves: last year, we were lucky enough to be all together through the holidays; New Year's Eve found us in Leavenworth, a first for all of us. Leavenworth is surely a special place, but I think the magic is always found in being with loved ones, no matter where you are.
Beautiful drive over.
Waiting in line.
Waiting in line some more.
Trying to keep up with Josh.
The Olders.
The Seconds--
Second Sister, Second Brother, Second Daughter.
Oldest Daughter, Oldest Niece, Baby Niece.
The Twins.
Girls getting ready for the dance competition.
Yes--there is video.
The video has mysteriously disappeared; I can only imagine Kale must have paid somebody off to get rid of it--there was some good stuff on there. :-D Hope your holiday season has been filled with love, laughter, and yummy stuff to eat; looking ahead to another great year.
And yet another one from the Drafts Folder. This was a post I wrote as my sister turned 30; she has since celebrated another birthday. (Do you see how ridiculous I am?!) Still, I wanted to share, because truth is timeless, and...well, because I love her. :)
Today, my
sister joins me in the business of being thirty-something.As per her usual modus operandi, she took 4 years and 11 months to join me in this; her husband
will be quick to remind me that she is {always}
worth the wait.
Of this
fact, I am well aware. I've heard often the story of the 4-year-old version of
myself bursting through the door of our Ala Kapuna Place apartment on the day
she came home from the hospital, flinging my backpack (and all niceties) to the
floor, and tossing a token "Hi, Mom!" over my shoulder as I raced
to the bedroom where she lay: my future playmate, sparring partner,
secret-sharer, and accomplice in a very few, veryminor crimes--I am, in fact, a quite boring and rule-abiding
older sister.(And I also would give much to
hear our mom tell this story again.)
Physically, we are nothing alike, aside from the identical subtle (and finely-tuned) expressions used to remind our husbands who is {really} in charge (lest they forget). Discreet death stares aside, my sister and I are opposites: I am the adorable and slightly squishy sister; she is the charming, beautiful runner whose mere presence can command a room--sometimes intentionally, sometimes not. She has both the honor and the burden of bearing a beautiful resemblance to Mom; when I look at her, I catch glimpses of our mother that make me both smile and fight back tears at the same time.
Growing up, she quickly established herself as the child with a mind of her own, not easily swayed by the preferences and opinions of any who would care to divulge such things; this was sort of cute when she was 2 years old, and became slightly less charming as she got older. Sometimes, it was downright scary, and there is a thankfulness for the grace and protection that has been hers through these experiences. To this day, she continues to do as she sees fit, but has called to service the ability to listen more closely to that voice that comes from both above and within; her example has reminded me to do the same.
I talked to her this morning; she recounted how she had fallen asleep on the couch last night, and when Terry woke her to go to bed sometime after midnight, even in her fog, she remembers realizing, "I'm 30 years old now!" Funny; turning 30 did seem to be one of those things that was both everything and nothing at all, at the same time, in my memory.
I never could quite figure out how to finish this post; it's often the hardest part for me when I write of my loved ones, trying to summarize the depth of emotion that runs through this short little body o' mine. So I'll just close this today with a picture of us; love you, Keala.
(Another "Drafty." I get it: I'm a month late--did you expect anything less? No, you didn't. Enjoy this picture of a picture; my sister-in-law is still in process of creating her pièce de résistance from this beautiful wedding, so you'll just have to wait for the real deal. :D)
Another one from the drafts folder. It seems timely, as so many at this time of year are either looking for fresh workout routines to support New Year's resolutions, or maybe just looking for more ways to "bring it" to the dance floor during their next New Year's Eve party; this video can help you do both! :D (This post has been sitting for so long and embedding has since been disabled for the video; you'll have to click through to watch it on YouTube.)
Looking for something? You may find it here. (Then again, you may not.)
Thought for Today
“Your children are not your children. They are sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself. They come through you but not from you. And though they are with you yet they belong not to you. You may give them your love but not your thoughts, For they have their own thoughts. You may house their bodies but not their souls, For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams. You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you. For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday. You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth. The archer sees the make upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far. Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness. For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He also loves the bow that is stable.”
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
Marianne Williamson, "A Return to Love"
Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant with the weak and the wrong. Sometime in life you will have been all of these.
