Today commemorates the Battle of Bunker Hill, which was fought in 1775 on Breed's Hill during the early part of the American Revolutionary War. While the battle turned into a victory for the British, it demonstrated that the heart of the Colonial forces was strong, that these largely inexperienced men were willing to go to battle for what they believed in and even present a challenging fight. The British may have claimed victory in this battle, but they also suffered the greatest losses on this day than on any other during the whole of the Revolutionary War. (info . from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunker_Hill_Day#Commemorations)
Being from the greater Boston area, I've always felt proud of my roots. It's a cool thing to walk around the city, following the Freedom Trail and imagining the thundering of Paul Revere's heart as he tore through the streets of the town during his famous "midnight ride" to warn John Hancock and Samuel Adams of the British Army's approach. It's inspiring to wander through Faneuil Hall Market Place; one can almost hear the rumbling of the revolutionaries who refused to tolerate political oppression and were willing to sacrifice their very lives in the cause of freedom. While Florida has its own history, it's a different history. Boston's history feels like my own, somehow. I connect with it.
On this day, I'm inspired by the idea that no matter how insignificant someone might seem to be, no matter how insignificant I myself sometimes feel, we can all make a positive difference in the life or lives of others. Likewise, today reminds me that we should never allow fear to prevent us from following our dreams and hearts.
May you be fearless today!!!!
As some of you know, Litha is coming up. This holiday is otherwise known as midsummer or the summer solstice-the date on the calendar when the sun is in the sky the longest and the night is the shortest. It's a good time for celebrating the warmth and strength of summer, as well as acknowledging that nothing on this earth lasts forever and that change is always imminent. Some people like to take time during this season to clean out their closets, to give away old clothing no longer worn that someone else might like and/or need. I think that, in celebrating Midsummer, we might come to understand that while not all change is easy, it's not necessarily a bad thing either. Once, a few years ago, I was in a relationship that I thought was "the one". Suddenly, the relationship was ended and I was left devastated. Because I had a belief that the universe has some sort of order and the Goddess has a plan for me, I muddled through this difficult time (with lots of help from friends and family). I even traveled to visit friends in Colorado and was helped in my healing by the nurturing energy of the western mountains (one of my favorite places in the United States). Now, six years later, I'm married to a man who is a much better partner for me and we have a beautiful little girl. Today I can see how that major shift in my life was really for the better, even though it was a painful time.
As one of our Midsummer crafts, we are making a fairie garden. Using Crayola clay I purchased at a local craft store, we fashioned mushrooms, a sun, and a moon. The sun and moon were kind of afterthoughts. It was so much fun mushing around with the clay that we didn't want to stop when we had enough mushrooms to make the garden! I poked little holes in the tops of the sun and moon so they can be hung up someplace as ornaments. Due to the high humidity here in Florida, it took a couple of days before the pieces were dry enough to paint; yesterday we brought out the paints and got busy decorating our clay pieces. We began by carefully selecting colors, applying the paint, and making little dots and flowers on the mushrooms. At the end, when my daughter's attention was beginning to wane, we scooped the paint up with our fingers and finger painted the last mushroom. The effect was pretty, swirled colors. Rachel also painted a miniature watering can made out of terra cotta. I think she did a fabulous job with the whole shebang! Today or tomorrow we'll put the garden together. We might not get to the project today, as we have a doggie appointment at the vet this morning, some errands to run, and ballet later in the afternoon. But, I'm happy with how the garden is coming out so far, and we're having lots of fun making it!
I saw the above saying on a bumper sticker recently and thought it was cute, and so true. Dogs love us unconditionally, deeply, truly, sweetly. Our little guy is a typical shepherd puppy, crazy one minute, nipping at exposed fingers and toes, and calm the next, sidling up for a hug and a kiss. This is not the best picture of him, but I snapped it yesterday morning in the midst of a romp around the dining room. He does not like to stay still for long, so taking pictures of him can be difficult! Hubby and I attempted to find a swing set at one of the local stores yesterday, but had no luck. One store had a beautiful swing set but they wanted over $800.00-a bit more than our budget allows. Another store had a more reasonable but very nice model advertised, but didn't have it in stock. Frustrated, we came home and I perused the internet, hoping to find a better deal and more variety to choose from. I did find many different models, but most were very expensive. In the end, we tentatively decided on a wooden structure from Walmart which has lots to play on at a fairly reasonable price. Unless we find something else, we will probably go with that; I'm not sure when we'll be able to buy it, as it was a bit more pricey than what we'd expected, but I know that our little one will glean lots of enjoyment from it. It will be nice to have a swingset in our yard, for those times when there isn't quite enough time to take a trip to the park or we need to do some work in the yard. She enjoys gardening, but her attention span is limited; she needs other play activities to do while we're watering flowers, planting, mowing, etc. I have a tentative goal list created for today, to include painting clay mushrooms we made a few days ago for our fairie garden, and finishing the garden, as well as painting the little clay sun and moon we made. Due to the high humidity in Florida, it took a few days for the clay to dry out enough to paint. This is one of the crafts we are doing in celebration of the Summer Solstice/Litha. Have a beautiful Monday!
