Hello soul of Emily, and other souls who enjoy little delights,
I feel you growing within me, becoming my guide. YOU speak to me. For example yesterday, down at the lake as I sat viewing the sparkles on the water, the reflections of the sun off the surface and dappling among the reds, yellows and orange hued blobs I saw the magic of YOU and SPIRIT--EVERYWHERE THERE.
Away from rows of houses, cropped lawns, cars, manicured flowers, here is the wildness of spirit--free to spread just as it will. It feels liberating invigorating in a way suburbia stateliness cannot be for ME.
Finished my swim, resting on the rocks conveniently perched at the waters edge for me to sit and gaze, I felt a message intrude. I knew it was close to the time of Mary's call for a long awaited Skype call with my dear friend, and I should go to get dried and dressed. I wanted to linger long among this loveliness.
A message alerted me that Mary would be busy. But---I dismissed it---as unreliable. I gathered my wetsuite, heavy, water saturated, my towel, googles, two of them, one Louisa's I tried out, and her silicone grey-white head helmut, and rickety flippers--and heaped them all in my lap, then grouped them into two bags, all except the flippers in my hand and up the steep hill.
I later found out that Mary was unavailable and I could have stayed longer, as I had wanted to do. The message to me now is, Pay ATTENTION AND LISTEN WHEN YOU RECEIVE A MESSAGE.
I remember the feeling I had Friday, the day before I made the bread and potatoe dressing for Louisa and my thanksgiving dinner with a large chicken--enough for, three, because Louisa had her foreign student Sachi as well. After a month of visiting in BC with family, and friends from school, and some others collected along the way, I was now in Toronto, helping my daughter, Louisa, who had recently moved to a two bedroom condo, and was in the process of renting the one bedroom to new arrivals, a cute Lebanese couple, Jana, and Jamal, from Ottawa. There was quite a lot to purchase, such as new curtains, a few rugs to relieve the hardness of the ceramic tiles while cutting and cooking and such things. It all takes time, and shopping, and cleaning. Its nice to feel the retired, mostly Mom can lend a hand. Among all of this is the dogwalking of her very boisterous poodle who is addicted to chasing ball at top speed, rather more like a racing Whippet, than a small curly haired poodle. She likes to sleep curled up around your hips or tummy doing a comforting tucking manoeuver.
I had the feeling, "O h, I wish I could have a gluten free dessert because Louisa loves it." I just put the feeling aside, but given it was for her, and I'd heard her amazing story of the kids reaction to her leaving Ogden school at the final school assembly when her leaving was announced over the microphone--their forlorn wailing that they were losing their precious teacher, who spread goodness and joy among them so much and so often, for twelve years--I wanted her to enjoy a treat!
Apparently the feeling of wanting to have for my daughter a dessert was powerful intention---because a friend called later, Friday to say she had just such a dessert from the market where it had beckoned to her, even though she has no use of gluten free--she felt compelled to get it for someone. She felt a nudge to do so. Later, she remembered Louisa, and was dropping it off for her on her way to her vilolin rehearsal.
Jessica is part Chinese. She has a lovely moon face that lights up in the same way as does Louisa, with joy at little delights---many of them. Such a lovely visit with tea and dessert and a friend for me to meet from Louisa's choir.
