A Blessing on All Women

I wrote this five years ago, and I haven't been able to say it better yet.  

To those women whose children are now parents and even grandparents.

To those women who carry a child and dream of being called "Mommy".

To those women who have little ones who don't sleep through the night, who climb on everything, who wear you out with chasing.

To those women who patiently practice spelling words and math facts and read aloud every night.

To those women who are puzzled by their teens and tweens and struggle to hang on to their patience.

To those women who have gently let their own children leave the nest, who are sitting back to watch them fly.

To those women who love the children of another mother and fill needs we can not.

To those women who long for children and whose heart aches each day.

To those women who have chosen not to have children, and offer their heart full of love to those who fill their lives.

To us all. To every woman.

I wish you joy. 
I wish you peace. 
I wish you wisdom.
I wish you patience. 
I wish you love abounding. 
I wish you a very happy Mother's Day.

happy weekend

There's nothing quite like a tire swing and a pile of girls.
Is there?

My wish for you this weekend is this:
May your backyard be filled with shrieks of laughter.
May you have time to laugh and play with friends.
May you hold your love.
May you have a restful, happy weekend. 

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all women.
Whether or not you've given birth,
if you are a woman, you have been a mother.

You may have mentored younger women,
or loved children, nieces and nephews,
or given care and showered love on others without expecting anything in return.

That means you have been mothering.
Maybe not in the typical way, but in the heart's way.
And, that's what matters.

So, thank you.
And, happy Mother's Day.

This Weekend I'm

wishing you...

petal strewn breakfasts,

songbirds in every tree,

and roses in all your cupboards.

We're so tickled here at Casa Lawson that we're practically giddy. We have friends from Oregon visiting this weekend. We're planning to spend it talking, eating, exploring, shopping, and going on mini-adventures. All of it wrapped up in lots of laughter and storytelling. It's such a blessing to share time with friends isn't it? And these are the best kinds of friends. The kind you can be apart from for two years and pick up the conversation without a pause or a stumble. We just hug, exclaim, and starting talking. That's us. So, I'll be back Monday or Tuesday.

Happy weekend, dear friends. Won't you tell me what delights you have planned for this weekend?



All images scanned for greeting cards, photographers unknown.

This Is Just To Say

This is Just to Say

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold

~ William Carlos Williams

May your weekend be full of beautiful autumn treats.
Perhaps even a perfect plum for breakfast.
Happy October!

The photo was taken by Borealnz. You might enjoy a visit to the wonderful foodie blog, La Tartine Gourmande. It is full of inspiring recipes and images.

Hello, Young Lovers

Hello young lovers, whoever you are,
I hope your troubles are few.
All my good wishes go with you tonight,
I've been in love like you.

Be brave, young lovers, and follow your star,
Be brave and faithful and true,
Cling very close to each other tonight.
I've been in love like you.

I know how it feels to have wings on your heels,
And to fly down the street in a trance.
You fly down a street on the chance that you meet,
And you meet -- not really by chance.

~ Rogers & Hammerstein

Happy weekend, my friends.

We'll Always Have Paris photographed by Doc Tony.

Picture yourself in a boat on a river,

With tangerine trees and marmalade skies

Somebody calls you,

you answer quite slowly,

A girl with kaleidoscope eyes.

~ Beatles- 'Lucy in the sky with diamonds'

Whether or not your weekend includes a boat on a river, may it be filled with dreams of tangerine trees, marmalade skies, and girls with kaleidoscope eyes. May you experience a weekend full of wild imaginings and peaceful sleep.


Happy weekend, dear ones.

This is especially for Jaime with special thanks to Jeffrey. The two images above were created by antpix. You can see many more kaleidoscope images here.

Squirming, Fleeting Moments

I have learned how to grab these blessings

and hold them squirming

before kissing them goodbye.

~ Madelyn Mulvaney

May the blessings of this weekend bring you laughter. May you enjoy the squirming, fleeting moments. May you kiss them goodbye with much gratitude. May you start the new week refreshed. Happy weekend, my friends.








Visit Madelyn's blog to discover lovely images and poetic thoughts. Visit ucumari's flickrstream for more wonderful wildlife photos.

“I was never sad in the morning,” she said, “and every day was a fresh day for me. I remember the taste of milk and bread and the sound of the grandfather clock ticking slowly…”

~ Jean Rhys, Wide Sargasso Sea

May time tick slowly for you this summer.

May you have the time to savor summer delights and simple pleasures.

May you never be sad in the mornings.

Happy weekend, my friends.

The amazing pictures above came from here and newyorkshirepudding's blog in 2007, now no longer available. You can check out Wide Sargasso Sea here.

My Weekend Wish For You Is...

That's all. Just lots and lots of love.

Happy weekend, my friends.

The photograph, Shoe Loves Me? is by Boopsie Daisy.

Double Rainbow

"A happy childhood can't be cured.
Mine'll hang around my neck like a rainbow,
that's all,
instead of a noose."

~ Hortense Calisher

May all your todays be filled with joy.

May your life be full of rainbows.

Sursum corda. Lift up your heart.




This, and many more amazing photos were taken by Nicolas Valentin.

This Is What I Saw

Spring

This is what I saw – old snow on the ground,
Three blackbirds preening themselves,
And my neighbor stepping out in her nightdress
To hang her husband’s shirts on the line.

The morning wind made them hard to pin.
It swept the dress so high above her knees,
She had to stop what she was doing
And have a good laugh, while covering herself.

~ Charles Simic





Isn't it good to be able to laugh at yourself? Much better than being embarrassed.


Happy, happy weekend to you and yours.


Sursum corda. Lift up your heart.









I love laundry hanging on the line. This perfect photo was taken by Sarah Huntington.

& Run Towards It

Get quiet

& listen

to what is most

important

to you

& run towards it

with an open

heart.

~ Kay Foley

Wishing that you will find some time this weekend to be quiet and to listen.

Wishing you the courage to run.

Sursum corda! Lift up your heart.

The photos above were taken by my very talented sister-in-law, Lucy Lawson. You really should click on it and view it larger. The beach scene was taken at Honeyman State Park in Oregon. The other two were taken at Crater Lake, Oregon. Lucy gave these photos to me as a gift and I created the collage. She is a terrific photographer, isn't she? Crater Lake is a magical place, and my favorite place on earth. You know how God created the earth in six days, and on the seventh day, He rested? Well, Crater Lake is where He went to rest. It's that beautiful. An unknown wonder of the world.

Rainy Saturdays

One day
she vowed to
become proficient at
croquet and to
spend rainy
Saturdays drinking
cups of tea and
reading British
mystery novels.
"Ah yes," she said.
"A civilized life
at last."

~ Kay Foley

Wishing your a lovely afternoon of tea and British mystery novels.
Or, if that doesn't delight you, wishing you time to enjoy whatever does.
Sursum corda!

The photo is from Sherlock77 on Flickr. The words are by collage artist and author, Kay Foley. She has recently published a book of her tiny, dreamy stories called Merrythoughts. You can purchase it here. Speaking of British mystery novels, if you haven't read the Maisie Dobbs series, you really should. I am not a mystery reader, but I fell completely in love with Maisie and the world the author evokes. Jacqueline Winspear creates a strong sense of place and history. Here characters and stories are compelling - perfect for a rainy Saturday. 

When You're Smiling...

... the whole world smiles with you.

In case Spring hasn't quite sprung or the weather isn't reason enough where you are, here are a few more reasons to smile.

** it will be strawberry season soon **

** the way yawning is contagious **

** the cockscomb of hair the wind creates on the most
coiffed of heads **

** Mother's Day is just around the corner **

** all the newly manicured piggies peeking out from
sweet colorful sandals **

** Netflix **

** feeling tickled pink **

May this weekend bring you many more reasons to smile.

This delightful smile was found here along with some wonderful tips on getting your children to smile for the camera.

What's So Great About Being Dry?

"I hate the rain!"

As I wait for the bus home,
I huddle under my umbrella.
But, Sophie turns hers upside down.

"You're all wet!" I say.

"What's so great about being dry?"
~ Margaret Park Bridges

May this weekend find you enjoying all the beauty our changing weather brings. Stormy weather or bright, sunshine or rain; I hope you spend some time outside. What's so great about being dry anyway?

The quote above comes from the wonderful, whimsical book I Love the Rain by Margaret Park Bridges, which you can preview or buy here. The image is from the National Geographic photograph series I mentioned here.

Carry It With You

"Though we travel the world over

to find the beautiful,

we must carry it with us or we find it not."

~ Ralph Waldon Emerson

Wishing you a weekend full of beautiful journeys; by train, by plane, or in a book. Carry your beauty with you as you go.



Sursum corda.

This photograph was taken by Sam Abell. It was published along with other amazing photographs in National Geographic's 100 Best Pictures, which you can buy here.

Quiet and Serene

"I have seen the sea when it is stormy and wild;
when it is quiet and serene;

when it is dark and moody.
And in all these moods, I see myself."
~ Martin Buxbaum

Wishing you quiet moments this weekend. May you take the time to sit and reflect. Take the time to see your true and shining self.


Surusm corda.

The amazing photograph above is called Bow of Idem With Mooring Ball, and was taken by the amazing Michale Khan.
I find this music to be perfect for sitting and dreaming.

Cup of Blessings

"Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful;

for beauty is God's handwriting...a wayside sacrament.

Welcome it in every fair face, in every fair sky, in every fair flower,

and thank God for it as a cup of blessing."

~ Ralph Waldo Emmerson

Wishing you brimming cup-fulls of blessings this weekend. May you find beauty around every corner, and count it for the blessing it is.
Sursum corda!

The photo of Venice came from the Hotel Pronto website. One of my traveling friends told me that the photo features the Church of San Giorgio just across the lagoon from St. Marks. The architecture is Palladian, a style which influenced Jefferson when he designed Monticello.  I love this music, this composer, this song. Here is just one small, beautiful thing.