Constrained and Free

 Found this on a blog tonight and thought I would give it a try:

Write whatever is happening around you WHILE you are writing (sometimes that’s the very best) OR whatever DETAILS you remember about your day or a specific experience.

Next, try not to clarify or explain what you want to speak through your post too much. (Try not to force a theme or message.) Just write your experiences.  What did it make you think?

Then watch how your ordinary and extraordinary experiences speak all on their own.

So here goes:

 I am sitting with Elise on my bed.  I am reading a blog post that is so beautiful it breaks my heart.  Like hearing the first giggle from your baby.  Like a moment you wish could be suspended in time.

She is wearing an I "heart" NY shirt.  A classic.  A sentiment I share.  I love when any of my kids wears that shirt as we have many floating around the house, worn thin and passed from sibling to sibling as they are outgrown.  First worn too big as pajamas.  Then just worn and worn.  She has a silver tinsel halo on her head.  She is waving a plastic pink scepter.  It is perfectly topped with a dollop of marabou, so soft and fluffy.  As she waves her scepter she is weaving words into poems and songs.  They are silly.  They are serious.  They makes us giggle.  I am struck by how free she is.  Not constrained by conventions of language or dress.  Paying no attention to what makes sense.  Playing with words like notes on a piano keyboard.  Striking them just to see how they sound.  "Feathers float to the ground as cows begin to nibble them.  And then you be and then you do.  And that's how it go-ed."

Oh to be that free.  To be oblivious to the rules.  I am always glancing at the person next to me, wondering if I am getting it right.  Mostly measured, usually constrained.  It can be tiring.  There are moments of breaking free and finding the real, true me.  The whole me.  Not a portion that has been checked against all the rules and deemed okay.  Just me floating to the ground, light as a feather for one breathtaking flash of light then I am nibbled away by that pesky cow.

And then I be and then I do and that's how it goes!
Dina

Love Song for my City

Last night Mark and I went to a wedding in the French Quarter.  The Mass was at St. Louis Cathedral,  a magnificent setting for a wedding.  Trumpet sounding, crystal chandeliers sparkling, Latin phrases in gold proclaiming the glory of God all enhanced the event.
After the ceremony it was a short walk next door to the Cabildo.  As we left the Cathedral, bells began to  peal proclaiming the happy event.  The large group of wedding guests attracted the attention of tourists wandering the area and I felt like we were in a scene from The Princess and the Frog.  At that moment, I felt blessed to be living in New Orleans.  There are many moments like that for me.

When my family is together on the parade route, a band marching by, drum beat pounding in my heart, I feel blessed.
In Audubon Park with a live band playing surrounded by friends all dancing, eating, drinking and taking time to enjoy life, I feel blessed.
When I see tourists gazing with awe at stately homes on Saint Charles Avenue as they enjoy a streetcar ride, I feel blessed.
Looking out at the Mighty Mississippi from the view afforded by the Aquarium of the Americas, I feel blessed.

Living in New Orleans is living a life enhanced.  It's as if someone slipped a stained glass window before your eyes, changing your view of everything for the better.  Colorful, vibrant- that's life in the Crescent City.  Strange, exotic- that's life in the Big Easy.  Dazzling, breathtaking- that's life in New Orleans.   

I could go on and on about my beloved city but I will have to leave it as a snippet for now.

If you are living here, take a moment to think of your reason to be thankful.  If you live away, come visit and see life from a new perspective.

One last thought- if New Orleans was a taste there are tons I could offer but I think it can be summed up nicely by the appetizer we were offered upon entering the wedding reception:

ARTICHOKE BEIGNETS

Wow!  Life in New Orleans is delicious.

Happy Sunday from my beautiful city,
Dina

Things I know (but don't always put into practice)

1.  The day is always better when I begin with writing.
2.  The day is always better when I end with reading.
3.  I am NOT marrying the coffee creamer so I shouldn't spend so much time choosing it.
4.  Slow and steady wins the race.  Also known as ...A little bit is better than all or nothing!
5.  Comparing myself to others is not helpful in any way.
6.  I can do what I put my mind to.
7.  It's okay to ignore the rules sometimes.

Seven is a lucky number so I will end there.  Happy Friday!
Dina

Back in the Saddle

 My daughter was going to a swim meet today.  Swim meets begin at God-awful times so I found myself awake in a quiet house with a little time on my hands.  Perfect time to write.

I sat down to read my favorite book about writing, the one that has an assignment after each chapter.  Where was that book?  Oh yeah, squirreled away in an old armoire in a pre-holiday cleaning blitz.  Now to find my glasses.  Darn!  Where have all the pens gone?  Probably another casualty of tidying the house.  Do you see a pattern here?

At this point, my mind wanders.  Well, maybe I should do something else.  Any excuse to avoid putting pen to paper.  Okay...I'll blog instead.  But blogging means running the gauntlet of distractions like e-mail and Facebook.  It was close but I avoided them both and here I am, pounded away on the keys.

It is already a daunting task, staring at a blank screen, the cursor expectantly blinking.  Over the holidays, the tiniest seed of a thought that would linger in my mind.  It would make a great subject but the thought of fully forming it stops me in my tracks.  Other times, a grand idea would sweep over me but the thought of taking a big thought and narrowing it into a blog would wear me out even before I started.

Then there is RHYTHM.  This morning when I was stopped at every turn by a new (albeit minor) hurdle- glasses, pens, book...I realized how hard it is to get back into a rhythm.  That's what the holidays do.  They interrupt our daily rhythm.  It is always a welcome break.  Day after day with no distractions get monotonous.  As a matter of fact, during Christmas the break last so long the holidays take on a rhythm of their own.  Imposed discipline from being forced to follow a schedule slips away.  Normal cycles of eating, sleeping and working all blur like the horizon when it is cloaked in fog.  I have been trying to claw my way out since January 2nd.  I always find transitions difficult.  It seems every summer I blog about struggling at the beginning.  That struggle is in letting the rhythm of the school year give way to the very different cadence of the summer.

So here I am, caught between two rhythms.  When I am thinking and writing about a subject, I love to look up quotes about it.  I read many quotes about rhythm this quiet Sunday morning.  It was frustrating because I couldn't find one that encapsulated what I was trying to express.  I think God has planted a natural rhythm deep within our being.  It is so primal, it is almost hard to separate ourselves from it and find a way to express it in words.   The best I could find was this:

Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony.
Thomas Merton


The holidays are a time of intense pleasure and temporal happiness.  Restoring the balance and order of daily life can be a challenge...

Especially when living in New Orleans with football and Mardi Gras threatening to sweep everyone into another rhythm altogether.

Oh well.  Guess I should just celebrate the fact that being being in or out of rhythm as well as the transitions does one thing...

KEEPS US ALL DANCING!

It's the start of the Carnival season.  Better go find my tap shoes.
Dina

Santa's Secret Story

The beginning of December means many things:  Christmas music piped in every store, tantalizing displays of holiday goodies, everything decked in lights and glitter.

One of my favorite things to do this time of year is get out the basket of holiday books.  There are books that I enjoyed as a child as well as new ones I have grown to love right alongside my children.  I was excited to see a children's Christmas book available for review from the Catholic Company and picked it right away.

Santa's Secret Story sounded intriguing.  I was excited about the idea of a book that would tie the Catholic celebration of Christmas together with the idea of Santa Claus.  It seems the secular world wants to claim him as their own.  This book shows the real story of Nicholas who sold his parents' possessions when they died so he could use it to help the poor.  It went on to describe how Nicholas helped a poor widower and his daughters by dropping coins down their chimney.  Nicholas became Bishop of Myra and was known for his many good works.  Rachel, a girl who is curious about Santa, discovers his story with the help of her guardian angel.

I know there are some Christians who refuse to participate in the idea of Santa, thinking this somehow diminishes the celebration of Jesus' birth.  I have never seen it this way.  I think it is easy to fit Santa in right alongside Jesus and to even illustrate the story of Jesus' birth with the love and giving of that "right jolly old elf".  In the story it is ultimately revealed that Santa's secret is he lives in heaven.  While I may read the book to an older child who is finally questioning the existence of Santa, I wouldn't blow his cover to a young child.  Give me the North Pole, eight reindeer, the elves and Santa's workshop.  I am a sucker for it all.  So, unfortunately, Santa's Secret Story will not be slipped into my basket of Christmas stories.  Perhaps I will save it for that time when my youngest are wondering out loud about the true story of Santa but until then his story will remain, well, SECRET.

Happy Advent,
Dina

*This review was written as part of the reviewer program for the Catholic Company.  They are a great source for Advent and Christmas religious items as well as books and gifts throughout the year.

Sweet Reflection

(Subscribers:  Please display images so you can see the photos.)

Today Mark came home with 

some treats for me in this lovely box.

It contained these little beauties.

In our break-neck speed, never stop to appreciate much, quick and convenient world, this box of treats made me sigh.  And pause.  And reflect.  I imagined a young woman lining the box with waxed tissue paper then inserting the plastic bed.  Next she tucked in my eight treasures, covered them carefully and even tied the box with a lavender, grosgrain ribbon.

Sucre is aptly described as a "sweet boutique".  It is a favorite spot for me and Mark to grab a cup of coffee (me) and a cup of tea (him) as well as a delicious morsel then sit back and chat without interruption (all FIVE of them).  It is one of my favorite places because I literally feel myself relax when I walk in the door.  The window displays are always delightful and the colors inside are those sweet, pastel shades displayed on the box above.  The walls are minty green.  Everywhere you look there is a feast for the eyes, whether it be the case of gelato, the luxurious chocolates with exotic fillings or the stunning macaroon topiaries.

This box contained sixteen puffy pillows sandwiched together by a smooth cream called mousseline.  There are many flavors but mine included chocolate, hazelnut, almond, pistachio, bananas foster, strawberry, pecan and salted caramel.  Yes, they are fabulous.  Yes, they melt in your mouth.  Yes, they are coming out with Candy Cane macaroons for the holidays.  Want to drool some more?  Wish you could window shop at this heavenly, sugar rush of a store?  You can.  Check it out here.

The insert listing the flavors also said, "Our macaroons are best enjoyed within 7 days."  I chuckled as I bit into number three.  Maybe they can last until Thursday.  MAYBE!

Dina

Book Review

 Recently, I had the chance to read my first book as part of the reviewer program for  The Catholic Company.  It was titled Mother Teresa and Me: Ten Years of Friendship.

When I was in high school, I remember Mother Teresa visiting New Orleans.  I cannot remember the reason for her visit but I will never forget one thing she chose to do during her time here.  She wanted to address the youth of our city.  Free tickets were given to all the Catholic high school students and we dutifully filled the college arena.  It was the same arena where we saw the latest, popular singing groups and rock stars of the time.  Now here we were to see this diminutive lady in her cotton sari, a far cry from the glitz and glamor of 80's pop stars.  I can't remember anything in particular she said but I can vividly remember her tiny frame which seemed almost to shrink before us against the enormity of the venue.  She was quiet, calm and spoke in her familiar thickly accented English.  I also clearly recall the hushed awe that fell across our normally rambunctious crowd as she walked out to address us.  We all knew what an honor it was to be in her presence.

Donna-Marie Cooper Boyle was very fortunate to have met Mother Teresa and further blessed by ten years of personal letters and other encounters with the lady we now call Blessed.  We have the opportunity to see Mother Teresa through the eyes of someone who had a relationship with her.  I liked that Donna-Marie put photographs of the actual letters she received at the start of each chapter.  It was lovely to see the old typewriter print as well as Mother Teresa's signature at the bottom.

Through the course of the book, you follow the friendship of Donna-Marie and Mother Teresa while learning about what was going on in the author's life at the time as well as gaining a closer look at the spirituality of Mother Teresa.  Most of us know something about this world famous missionary but we can all benefit from a closer look.  Donna-Marie makes the message of Mother Teresa quite clear and shows how each of us can put her lessons into work in our own lives.  We are not all called to minister to the poor and dying in the slums of Calcutta but we are called to minister to those around us.  Mother Teresa herself said,  "There is Calcutta all over the world for those who have eyes to see."

I enjoyed learning about what and how Mother Teresa taught her nuns.  It is wonderful to know that the powerful love she showed will continue after her death through the Missionaries of Charity all around the world.  Lessons in simplicity, the power of love and the value of taking time to silence ourselves are all lessons we can use right away to live a better life and begin to build God's kingdom on earth.  In writing this book, Donna-Marie lets you into her life for a closer look at Mother Teresa who in turns gives you a closer look at Jesus.  You will see those around you in a new light and will be armed with tools for loving Jesus Himself in those around you.  Mother Teresa said,  "Holiness does not consist in doing extraordinary things.  It consists in accepting with a smile what Jesus sends us.  It consists in accepting and following the will of God."

I highly recommend Mother Teresa and Me: Ten Years of Friendship for Catholics and non-Catholics alike.  I also recommend The Catholic Company as a great resource for Catholic books and gift items.

Dina