A few weeks ago, my sister treated me to tickets for the Dixie Chicks, at the Minnesota State Fair. I heard recently that the music we listen to when we are 19 and 20 is the music that resonates most deeply with our souls. “Goodbye …
In addition to my writing here, I periodically share my thoughts on The Salt Collective, a great online magazine edited by my friend Nathan Roberts. The Salt Collective features some incredible writers exploring faith, politics, and culture. Explore it. Last month, I published an open letter to …
I have been so fortunate in my life to have seen some BEAUTIFUL places.
I have toured several chateaux along the Loire Valley; had a snowball fight in July in the French Alps; seen the Mona Lisa at the Louvre and several Van Goghs at the Musée d’Orsay.
I have hiked the Kalalau trail, melted the bottoms of my sneakers at Volcanoes National Park and snorkeled in Hanauma bay.
I have swum in the Caribbean along the seven miles of white sand beach in Negril; bird watched in the mountain rain forest of Trinidad where humming birds were as common as sparrows in Minnesota, climbed the walls of El Morro in Old San Juan.
Here in Minnesota I’ve canoed pristine waters of north woods Lakes; marveled at the handiwork of a Blue Ribbon quilt in the creative activities building at the Minnesota State Fair and sat around the bonfire on the edge of Lake Superior.
I am so grateful for the ways that travel and events have given me opportunities to experience beauty. I wish that I could travel more. There is so much of the planet that I have not seen yet.
Throughout my recovery, I have been listening to the Audio Books of the Anne of Green Gables series. Lucy Maude Montgomery creates these incredibly beautiful images of Prince Edward Island in different seasons. Half-way through the second book, I found myself growing discouraged that we did not have the funds or the time, and I did not have the health, to travel to Prince Edward Island.
Then I remembered one of Gretchen Ruben’s tips from her “Happier” podcast. “Be a tourist in your own hometown.” I may not be able to travel to Prince Edward Island, but I can notice the same sort of details that the character Anne, and the author Montgomery noticed. I could delight in the beauty of my own place. Which is a big part of what the Daley Blooms story is about.
On Friday Night, Richard and I tried a new restaurant, PinKU Japanese Street Food. So good! I could wax poetic about their pot stickers, shrimp and ahi pok, but I will just say, “go, it’s yummy.”
After dinner I looked across the street. Surdyk’s Cheese and Wine shop had some really pretty landscaping in their parking lot. I asked Richard if we could go take some pictures.
Right. I spent part of our “date night,” taking pictures in a parking lot of a wine store. (He loves me.)
There is beauty in the parking lot.
I have a theory that if you don’t appreciate what is beautiful around you in the ordinary, it is easier to miss the beautiful in the extraordinary. Noticing the beauty at home not only helps you to be happier at home, but trains you to notice the beauty when you travel.
I would still love to take a trip to Prince Edward Island. (And South Africa, Croatia, Barbados, Alaska, Spain, Sweden, Norway, England, Italy, Bahamas, Ghana, and about 100 other places I haven’t been to yet).
But I will also delight in the beauty in the parking lot.
I wrote this in 2009 after visiting my friend Rosita in Baltimore. I love that city and am praying for the shalom the total well-being of charm city this week. I would write this post differently today, but regardless, here is what I wrote/thought in …
My Aunty Nancy posted this letter this morning and encouraged others to share. Dear College and University faculty, I am writing to ask you to save the lives of my grandchildren. Their names are Florence and Jack. They are not my only grandchildren. I …
The Poem, “Living Wide Open” by Dawna Markova has been my mantra for the past few months. I painted this picture in honor of the poem.
I’m hardly the first person to post about the Fiftieth Anniversary of the March on Washington or Dr. King’s famous speech today. It’s late in the evening on August 28, 2013 as I sit and draft this post and I am sure that thousands of …
Last weekend Richard and I were able to see the second year performance from the Penumbra Summer Institute. I love living so close to Penumbra, we have seen great shows there. Here’s how the program is described on Penumbra’s page: Summer Institute is a three …
A short post today, to share a fun event that happened at church last week. The Central Identity Project is a collaboration between artist Greta McLain and Minneapolis Community Education, throughout the summer they’ve been taking the mural to different spots within the Central Neighborhood to engage residents and stakeholders to participate in the actual painting of the mural. The mural will go on the side of Green Central School.
I’m oddly short on words to describe it, so I’ll let the photos and video talk for me.
STEM education has arisen as a national priority in the U.S., as it has become increasingly apparent that U.S. students are not advancing in math and science at the same pace as in other countries. In fact, recent studies show that: In the 2006 Programme …