Unveiling the Magic of Everyday Rituals… ✨

I ordered another book last night (shhh, don’t tell Ron!)
In case you didn’t know, I love words, I love reading
and I love writing to you.

Other things I love? You might be surprised… 😉

I love a real straw broom. 
It feels good in the hand and has its own unique voice when brushed across worn sidewalk or the freshly painted wood of my old back porch.
Mostly it speaks of simpler times which likely accounts for my affection.

I love a good day at the easel.
When the colors come out, life in all its complicated forms recedes.
A shape, a line, a flick of the brush, and it’s as if I am in the middle of a story that is somehow new and old and wonderful, all at once.

I love the ritual of putting the studio to bed.
Restoring everything back to order for another day of play has its own rhythm that feels good. Brush cleaning, paints covered, trash collected, supplies neatened—this ritual carries with it its own importance that I find grounding. It settles my soul.

I love a cup of hot tea in a hand-thrown mug.  The loading of the tea into its infuser, the timing of how long it’s steeped, and then that first sip. Tiny luxuries for sure, but in truth, that is what surrounds us if we think about it. The real pleasure comes from what is most available, which, more often than not, are the simple things.

I love a walk at day’s end—it seems almost too perfect. There’s a quietness that settles in. Sometimes, the moon shows up early and accompanies me. Gratitude plants itself front and center. And if it’s late evening, well, Emerson said it best:

If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how would men believe and adore…..But every night come out these envoys of beauty, and light the universe with their admonishing smile.

Blessings are everywhere I look, and most always, as I mentioned earlier…in the simplest of things.

Rain, growth, roses, tea, breeze, color, ritual, movement, starlight, moon glow, corn brooms with wooden handles, and us— plunked here right in the middle of all these simple, priceless gifts.

Nature in a thousand costumes, asking us to just be and revel in the divine beauty that was here before we arrived and will long endure once we are gone.

These spring days…cool air, lush green all around, birds sparking and building nests, bees gathering nectar from lavender cat mint blooms, gentle rains that refresh…it’s as if Spring is an angel who has come to visit and renew life within each of us.

My little thrift store garden angel above…she has a clapper inside and a bird in her hands and is made of clay ❤️.

More words below, again from Emerson. Hand painted on my wall at the cottage, they serve to remind of the abundance of everyday magic.

Write it on your heart that today is the best day ever.

This cottage, so fresh with this spring— even though she is well past her 100th birthday.
Days with her feel idyllic—so much so that it feels like it’s meant to be shared….

A little journaling in the presence of the rose…

Rosie and I taking in the quiet beauty…

Color, a never-ending joy….

I’m off to the cottage now to do more of what I love, but want to leave you with one last thought on the things we love, the things that inspire us…

Whatever inspires you (its purpose if you will) is in service to you.

Our loves, our rituals, our moments of awe open the door to our hearts and with tentative steps, we find ourselves, again and again.

Inspired by what you see someone else doing, being, becoming? Grab hold of inspiration and drink of it because it is here to serve .

It is here that to help me become more me.
It is here to help you become more you.

Love you so much my friend!

It is Well with My Soul
8 x 16in, oil

P.S. If you’ve been craving a creative nudge—whether you’re starting fresh or finding your way back—Flow, my monthly creative membership, is a gentle place to land.

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Flow’s open when you are—begin with a month and see what unfolds!

Take a peek: www.flowmembership.com ❤️