Friday and Heading into the Weekend....

This morning I sat outside on our dock, a cool breeze blowing across the lake, reading my morning books.  I don't always sit out there (sometimes the dock is cluttered with fishing poles, tackle boxes, and remnants from the previous day's play activities) but this morning I really wanted to immerse myself in the quiet that I always find when I sit out there.  It's funny that the dock isn't that far from our garden patio (it's not like we live in Maine, on a huge lake-this is a South Florida neighborhood and what we have is more a pond than a lake, truthfully, but it's still pretty and very serene) but the vibe is completely different.  Sitting on those wooden planks, the water element is close, and it's the perfect area of the yard to wake up in.

Alternately, I'll sit at the patio table, an old battered number scavenged from our across the way neighbor's rejected furniture pile on the sidewalk.

I have several different morning meditation-type books, but my favorite is Patricia Monaghan's "The Goddess Companion".  Each day offers insights inspired by a different Goddess; the author offers us glimpses of the feminine spirit from many different traditions; I credit her for helping me to realize that I could gain a lot by not just dismissing a particular religion simply because I couldn't subscribe to all of its tenets. I can learn something from the roots I grow from while still following the wonderful path I've discovered.  Yesterday's reading was about Judith.

 
I love that I can offer our daughter such powerful images of women and incorporate them into our spiritual path.  Also, I'm intrigued by the idea of a connection between Goddess worship and the Hebrews-makes me feel like my Judaism and my Paganism can reside together somewhat.  Of course, I'm mostly Irish with a bit of Welsh mixed in and there's a liberal amount of Catholicism in our family as well, so the Irish Goddesses hugely appeal to me, as well as other things Celtic and/or Irish.

Tomorrow, my girl has her last Pee Wee class-the year and a day ceremony which closes the school year of this beautiful youth group which has meant so much to Sparkle Fairy.  The women who started and who facilitate the classes are amazing, dedicated people who are very active in the local community.  The kids participated in lots of classes this year which included arts and crafts, drumming, exploring nature, and child centered rituals.  I'm very proud of all of the kids for staying dedicated and being a part of the group.  Lucky for me, the women who are responsible for the group are also founding members of the Sisterhood to which I belong, so I will have the opportunity to enjoy their company over the summer.   

I hope ya'll have a great weekend!