It has been a while since I last wrote as Q on the muse but then I’ve been keeping my new website and blog going - dancestones.org and dancestones.wordpress.com - where stones of comfort have consumed my energy and attention.  Since visiting Queen Mab’s Muse last many Maine stones have been sent around the country giving comfort to those struggling with loss or illness, those reaching out to friends, and others simply wishing to send their heart felt love to people they care deeply for…

I’ve changed my header to send a message of concern to all who visit my blog…in searching for a sign that what I was doing truly offered the help and support I wished to give I came across this large stone in a sideways cross position as if Jesus had left it that way signifying the ultimate sacrifice of love.  Whether or not it was my “message” it made me feel my prayers were being spoken to and besides it makes a great story. 

To all those searching to live their passion, don’t give up!  Happy End of March, 2008!

…won’t fix my father’s health.  How ironic that a man dedicated to daily workouts, cuisine lean and devoid of sugar or fat, and rigorous activity should be aflicted with an intestinal blockage.  His recovery from the colon surgery, of course, was phenomenal because of his outstanding physical condition however the problem was more than a constricted bowel .  Despite all the “clean” living and obsessive exercise, my dad was diagnosed with cancer.  Had he followed Katie Couric’s advice and had a regular colonoscopy, the cancer might have been detected much earlier preventing its spread to his liver.  His invincible spirit instantly felled with his physical health.  Dad’s greatest fear is that he won’t be able to work and to participate in life with clarity and energy.

Suddenly all that seemed important before is put into perspective. 

Stepping into the kitchen late last night I discovered a wonderous sight, a male Luna Moth was clinging to our screen door and seemed to glow lit only by the back porch light.  The luminesence of his bright green color, irmen fur coat surrounding his body, mauve legs, and delicate wings decorated with intricately designed eyespots took my breath away.  I’m a bit of a nature ”luna - tic” anyway since I will get up in the wee hours of the morning (3:00am) and stare out at full moons, slivers of moon shimmering in winter forests, and clear warm nights of millions of stars regularly from my bathroom window.  The Luna Moth was a new and unexpected sight for me leaving me in awe again and counting my blessings yet again for making this difficult trek east for a family life adventure.   

The morning is just stunning.  Sun streaming through the windows, a light breeze feathering through the trees lush branches of green leaves, the early summer air clear and smelling of that green, a new day, new world, another chance to begin and live.

Buzz told me spring in Maine is spectacular and was made even more so after the barren winter.  I couldn’t believe of such an impact because I thought winter in Maine was “stunning” and also a reawkening to what life could hold.  But then came spring and  all God’s glory is visible and renewed daily.  A different bloom pops up week to week keeping the beauty constantly at the oohing and ahhing stage.  I’ve been reduced to childlike responses and vocabulary because the gratitude I feel and joy is gutfelt euphoria. 

I love Maine, my new life, my family and all those that inspired me to reach down, take control of who I was to be in the second half of my existence.  When fifty comes in two years, who I have become will reflect the tough beauty that is this enigma, Maine.

“To thine ownself be true.” William Shakespeare

Thank you Buzz.

May 21, 2007

Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward. — Kurt Vonnegut

I am so disgusted I had to blog my feelings.  Everyone is talking about the beating of a 91 year old gentleman and, of course, sensationalizing the video clip by showing it over and over again.  But my disgust was gut felt when I realized a whole group of people watched and didn’t even lift a finger to call for help, let alone intervene.  What would it take to be a human or show a glimmer of intelligence?  These individuals displayed a whole new level of low life.  It’s off the charts scummy.  There is no question this man is in desperate need so not wanting to get involved, or even more deplorable, not caring is evil.  As Elie Wiesel said,

“Of course, indifference can be tempting — more than that, seductive. It is so much easier to look away from victims. It is so much easier to avoid such rude interruptions to our work, our dreams, our hopes. It is, after all, awkward, troublesome, to be involved in another person’s pain and despair. Yet, for the person who is indifferent, his or her neighbor are of no consequence. And, therefore, their lives are meaningless. Their hidden or even visible anguish is of no interest. Indifference reduces the other to an abstraction.”… ”The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference.

To all of the people responding to the video with racial slurs - you have merely placed yourself next to those who are indifferent by using such a hideous crime to vent your narrow minds equipped singularly with ignorance.  This situation is about people…if you hold such great hate that race defines your life’s confines, you are a lost soul and need to search your own heart to find the strength to realize your dreams and desires.  No one is to blame for your situation in life but you. 

Seems a little deja vu for me in some ways.  Check it out and see what you think.

http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/climate_change/article2539349.ece

in honor of Mother  Poem A Day: from Poets.org

Academy of American Poets <poetnews@poets.org>

I found the poem to at first turn me off, not what I expected to something truly thought provoking and intriguing.  I love the last stanza especially.Mother
by Herman de Coninck
translated by Kurt Brown & Laure-Anne Bosselaar

What you do with time
is what a grandmother clock
does with it: strike twelve
and take its time doing it.
You’re the clock: time passes,
you remain. And wait.

Waiting is what happens to
a snow-covered garden,
a trunk under moss,
hope for better times
in the nineteenth century,
or words in a poem.

For poetry is about letting things
grow moldy together, like grapes
turning into wine, reality into preserves,
and hoarding words
in the cellar of yourself.

…as I was reading John Connolly’s, Dark Hollow:

“An Old Man walks through the lush August grass with wood in his arms, brushing away loose bark with a gloved hand; an old man, tall unbowed, with a halo of white hair like an ancient angel, a dog stepping slowly beside him, older, in its way, than the man himself, its grey-beard muzzle flecked with foam, its tongue lolling, its tail swinging gently through the warm evening air.  The first patches of red are showing in the trees, and the clamor of the insects has begun to subside.  The ash trees, the last to unfurl their leaves in spring, are now the first to let them fall to the ground.  Pine needles decay on the forest floor and the black berries are ripe and dense as the old man passes by , at one with the rhythms of the world around him…” 

The next paragraph describing the ax in his hands, splitting wood, and I was there wishing for when that rhythm will resonate with us as people from away learning to be of Maine.

…the need for fewer clothes covering the body.  Having already begun the cleaving of pounds process, I needed to address my body image.  Most of the time I hide in large sizes thinking I look better than exposing my curves to the general public.  Wrong…I watch the shows that give women makeovers, the Oprah shows on looking your best no matter what your size, etc.  I now only own one or two black outfits and have fallen in love with scarves, 3/4 sleeves (oldie but a goody), and bright colors in flattering solids or ”non-expanding” designs.  I’m willing to stop wearing tents but polka dots and horizontal lines are for more slender people, they do nothing but make me look larger.  Jackets, jean or otherwise, with curve appeal - not boxy and square but slightly fitted, are my saving grace.  I can wear something sleeveless but don’t feel undressed or exposed and my lumps are covered but my curves are accentuated.

To top it all off, I started my own Arbonne business.  A few weeks ago I blogged about my friend’s business and how wonderful the Arbonne skin care system felt.  It was so good I had to join her team and spread the word.  Since it is more beneficial than any product I  ever tried in my life, and that’s a lot, I felt a desire to be a part of the company.  In a sense the Arbonne opportunity was presented to me at a time when it was actually an answer to my prayers.  How lucky I am to not only begin getting younger looking skin but to be making money helping others do the same as well!

There are baby/children and mens products that I have just begun to use from Arbonne as well as a weight loss system that I thought I’d try with a before and after picture of myself.

 If you’d like a sample and want more information, check out suissebeaute.myarbonne.com

Email - SwissSkye@myarbonne.com