Family

The annual Dropkick Murphy's concert was a week or two ago. This year we rented a limo so we could have a "good time" in a reponsible way. It was loads of childish, wild fun.

At one point my cousin's wife made a comment about making this a family tradition and looking around the limo we realized that for us family has a wide definition and certainly isn't limited to blood relation: in the limo was my cousin Ben who is adopted, his wife Joyce, my husband, me, my other cousin Matt who is technically a "step-cousin" and his soon-to-be affianced.

All those extra words and technicalities made not a lick of difference. We're family. That's just how it goes these days and I suspect that's how its always gone.

The heart wants what it wants.

Who makes up your family (however you choose to define it)?

St. Patties Day 2009

A little fun for one of my favorite holidays:

Ode To a Kilt
A Scotsman clad in his many patterned kilt left the bar one evening fair,
one could tell by the way he walked that he had drunk more than his fair share.
He wandered round and round till he could no longer keep his feet,
then he stumbled off into the grass to sleep beside the street.

About this time two young and lovely girls just happened to pass by,
One said to the other with a twinkle in her eye,
"see yon sleeping Scotsman so strong and handsome built,
I wonder if it's true what they don't wear beneath their kilt?"

They crept up on that sleeping Scot as quiet as quiet could be,
then they lifted up this bonnie kilt about an inch so they could see.
And there behold for them to view beneath his Scottish skirt
twas nothing more than god had graced him with upon his birth.

They marveled for a moment then one said "we must be gone,
lets leave a little present for our friend before we move along."
As a gift they left a blue silk ribbon tied up in a bow,
around the bonnie sight the Scottish skirt to them did show.

Now the Scotsman woke to nature's call and stumbled toward the trees,
behind the bush he lifts his kilt and gawks at what he sees,
Then in a startled voice he says to what's before his eyes.
"Och laddie I don't know where you've been but I see you won first prize!"

What's your favorite folk song or drinking song?

Re-Learning

the angel on my current set of Story-Beads - thanks Caroline for letting me steal it! Love you!

One of the things that came out of the retreat that I did last month was this feeling that I have forgotten everything I know, as far as spirituality and spiritual practices go. I have not been following any of the usual practices that I find comfort in: journaling has been stale, collage work never seems to find space, even setting intentions and having goals and focuses has felt like too much work.

It's very exciting for me to come to a place where I have to relearn everything I know. I mean, I get to rediscover all the excellent things I know and see how my growth over the last few months of hibernation has changed and deepened all that's come before! I get a little race of excitement through my body whenever I think of it.

• I get to re-articulate to myself and others why I love the practice of Story-Beads.
• I get to navigate through all I know about story and discover again why it's important to the world and to myself.
• I get to reintroduce myself to myself and others.
• I get to reorganize what is important to me, and to my business and calling, and uncover new ways to see that information and get it out to people.
• I get to come back to the practices that I know and love, that comfort me and sustain me.

how cool is that? I'm really jazzed at the prospect but I'm taking it slow. Heck, I still haven't picked up my journal and begun writing, inspite of repeated affirmations that "I am a writer."
(that affirmation would be the symbol of the key on my current set of Story-Beads.) I know I will, and I thrill at the prospect of it (and I am not usually one to experience "thrill" I can tell you!)

What have you forgotten that you could enjoy relearning?

Tweet? Honk!

Where do people weigh in on Twitter?

Sure, it has the possibility of being a cool marketing tool, and yes, I've written before about liking the idea of catching little slices of people's everyday pies, but.

But.

I won't even go into how abysmally some Republicans are using the site, nor do I need to mention that it really does take away from being present in the current moment (like, oh, I don't know - the President's speech last week! John Stewart at the Daily Show said it best: "There's a reason they don't allow cell phones in 7th grade math!")

Author Christina Baldwin, in her CD series Lifelines, talks about the danger we face in moving away from story and into a soundbite culture. There's too much room for spin and not nearly enough care taken in listening and understanding the whole, complex story that is the bigger reality. It's something to keep in mind as we read other people's "tweets."

What's the story, morning glory?