Photo by Dinah (c) I heard her read… The more stuff you love, the happier you’ll be! That sentence gripped me at the heart. The truth of it sunk deeply into my body. Brilliant, I thought! So simple and yet so deeply true. My brain immediately started to list the things that I love… Morning …
Author: dinah
Welcome! I’m Dinah. My blog is an ever evolving haven to gather, chat and explore the musings du jour. My thoughts are usually all over the place so that’ll probably be true there too.
It’s Time To Bring Back Dysfunctional Family Bingo
It’s officially holiday season! That means it’s time to revisit the delightful diversion known as Dysfunctional Family Bingo created by author Martha Beck. If I’d known about this gem when my family of origin was still in tact, I would have had tons more fun…and I would have had a good chance of winning every …
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A Big Life
When I was young… I was sure that I was going to lead a big life and change the world. I was sure that I was here to do something big, something important. I kept waiting for my mission to show itself. Until it did, I just focused on living… But my life seemed relatively …
Finding Balance
To be kindWithout being a doormatTo be generousWithout being ridiculous To walk the line betweenAssertiveness and aggression To be creativeWithout being redundant I feel the wobble and the trip and sometimes the fall as I try to navigate these in-between places It feels like the pavement has become a friend because we have met so …
Happy Birthday Don!
Once again, it’s time to celebrate! Today is the anniversary of the world being gifted with the presence of this very good man. It’s been a tough year. He endured more than most…surgeries, complications, a 23 hour stint in ER prior to being admitted, hospitalization, medication reactions and chronic pain that is not well controlled…it’s …
Being Human
Being human So many worlds collide in order to create each human life. The coming together of two people, two bodies, at least two cultures and families and on and on. We start this journey by being taught, being molded, being corrected and trying and trying and trying. So much learning. So much striving. …
Extremes
Extremes. Extremes exist within, and without. This seems to be the way of the human condition. If we’re lucky, if we’re awake, we learn to make space for all of it. If we can do this… Make space for the extremes… We might be fortunate enough to live in the middle. I want to be …
Change Happens 
Swings and shifts happen…whether I’m aware of it or not. I should be aware because I’m riding the movement and holding on for dear life! I forget that the changing wind transports me from one extreme to the other and then back again… How can I be on such a wild ride and not be …
Beginning Again and Again and Again…..
Sunrise through the car window  November is, of course, blogging month. So I felt like maybe it was time to return again to the blog and try to breathe some life back into it. I am once again part of the Nanopoblano blogging community. I won’t be doing the 30 posts in 30 days …
My Friend Died Last Night
It’s Thanksgiving Day and I’m in shock. My friend died unexpectedly last night. We had an hour long conversation in the afternoon and we talked about the next time we would get together. At 10:30 PM our mutual friend called to tell me that my dear sister-friend had died at 7:30….just a few hours after …
Going With The Flow….Day 27/30
We’re flexing. We’re rolling with the punches. This Thanksgiving holiday had 3-4 potential scenarios. I’m the one that communicates and coordinates. That’s what I did. And each scenario seemed possible….until it wasn’t. Then one of the scenarios fell into place. The time was set. The menu was planned. The food was purchased. And then it …
Healed By A Song…Day 26/30
Today, a piece of my heart was healed by a song. I’ve always stood in the margins, wondering why I was there. The fringe didn’t seem like a choice. It’s simply where I was. Was it because of my biology? After all, I wasn’t really his daughter. But I have clear memories of him demonstrating …
Ode To My Brother….Day 25/30
Photo by Dinah 💜 Another family story…. November has always been birthday month. My husband, several friends, my mom and my brother John are/were all November babies. My brother John was 6 years older and the closest to me in age. My other 2 brothers were 8 and 10 years older. In 2007, John was …
Running on Empty….Day 24/30
Photo by Dinah (c) Hello friends! I’m going to be honest with you. I feel like I’m running out of words this month. There’s only a week left in Nanopoblano and I’m not sure if I’ll make it. I’ve been wondering about this lack of inspiration for days…and I think I just figured out a …
Pics…Day 23/30
Photo by Dinah (c) Words escape me today. But I’m trying to keep my commitment of a post every day in November. So, rather than bore you with drivel, I’ll let nature do the talking…. Thanks for visiting. Wishing you peace. I’m glad you’re here 💜 This post is part of the month long blogging …
Dinah’s Coffee Chat…Day 22/30
Hello and thanks for stopping by. These virtual coffee chats are a nice way to check in. How are you? If you’re in the US, are you planning to do anything for Thanksgiving next week? Holidays can be such a mixed bag of emotions and expectations. I can say that, for me, the holiday that …
Saying YES…Day 21/30
Photo by Don (c) Meeting new people and developing new friendships is challenging as we age…or at least as I age. Most of the people in my life are friends that I’ve known and loved for years. And I feel lucky to have them! But I’m always open to adding to the list of people …
Dysfunctional Family Bingo Revisited…Day 20/30
Photo by Don (c) I wanted to get this into your hands early so that you have time to plan to use it this gathering season… The holidays are upon us. Whether you love them or whether you hate them… They come with their own special brand of stress. So this post is designed to …
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Musings…Day 19/30
Today was a challenging day. Fear gripped me by the throat and wouldn’t let go.… At least for a while. Fear is not a place that I visit often. I’m usually pretty grounded and pretty levelheaded. If I’m fearful about something, I’m usually able to figure out what I need to do and the fear …
Remembering…Day 18/30
Photo by Dinah (c) Remembering I’ve spent a good deal of my life, choosing to forget, to release to move on Remembering was unproductive at best… Damaging at worst. But remembering has once again become important, a necessity now So I’m choosing to remember… who I was before I became who I am I’m recalling …
Changing Seasons…Day 17/30
Photo by Dinah (c) The trees are almost bare here. And our garden has been cut down and put to bed. The almost monochromatic landscape has a unique beauty. We had a gorgeous fall this year. Here are some moments of fall Enjoy. Photo by Don (c) I’m glad you’re here. 💜 This post is …
Sisters…Day 16/30
I was the youngest of fourI had three older brothersI always wanted a sisterFamily was always a challenging subject for meI was the one that didn’t fitEver We were the proverbial rock and hard place meeting and refusing to yield As strange as it may sound….I'm actually proud of thatI didn’t compromise myself to gain …
Dinah’s Coffee Chat…Day 15/30
Photo by Dinah Hello Thanks for stopping by for our Friday coffee chat. If we were having coffee, I would be so very happy to spend time with you. I would want to hear how your life is going and what you’re looking forward to. I would want to know what’s making you happy these …
Things That Make Me Smile….Day 14/30
From Facebook Well… I started a blog post at noon and then got several phone calls and never got back to it. It’s waiting for me and will hopefully become a post in the next couple of days. It’s pretty late….for me anyway… So I’m not coming up with much to say. Consequently… I decided …
Happy Birthday Don…Day 13/30
The tree he planted 20 years ago has This is the 4thu year of my blog and of my involvement in Nanopoblano. So it’s also the 4th year of me doing a Happy Birthday post for my husband, Don. Today is his birthday, an opportunity to celebrate him! Don is…. -A strong, quiet presence that …
Lake Michigan….Day 12/30
Photo by Dinah (c) I have always lived near big water… Either the Great Lakes or the ocean. I feel like that has been a huge gift throughout my life. I’m not at all inclined to be on or in the water. But I do love being near it, seeing it, and feeling its soothing …
Life…Day 11/30
Photo by Dinah (c) Life is getting ahead of me.I’m woefully behind in everything…You name it…I’m behind in it And I’m realizing that, before I was behind, I was numbAnd before I was numb, I was overwhelmedAnd before I was overwhelmed, I was hurt, deeply hurt Hurt was never valid in my family of origin. …
Surrender….Day 10/30
Photo by Dinah (c) Surrender can mean many different things. When I was a child, watching TV, surrender was something that every bad guy had to do by the end of the show. Back then, it meant that good had triumphed. As an young adult, it meant something deeper. I listened to Sarah McLachlan singing …
Emphatic Connection ….Day 9/30
Photo by Dinah (c) Being connected to people and animals and places has always been immediate and imperative. But the word by itself is inadequate. It’s actually more than just an awareness of the other being or place. It’s a deeply rooted feeling, a knowing that is undeniable. For as long as I can …
Time to Heal…Day 8/30
Photo by Dinah (c) "This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal. I know the world is bruised and bleeding, and though it …
Celebrating….Day 7/30
Photo by Dinah (c) I want to learn to celebrateTo celebrate everythingThe way the birds celebrate the morningThe way the sun celebrates every day by rising and going strong I want to learn to appreciateTo appreciate even the hard thingsBecause it’s the hard things that taught me more about who I am and who I …
Spirals….Day 6/30
Photo by Dinah (c) joy and sorrow are absolutely connected and must always be sorrow is constriction, a folding into self joy is expansion, an open embrace I must unfold those places within myself that were so immediately creased as a protection from early pain. those lines of my protected self are so deep that …
DNA/NPE Realities…Day 5/30
Photo by Dinah(c) I never met her. Didn’t even know she existed until six years ago. But Kelly, the DNA Search Angel, found an old newspaper article about her. She was widowed young and raised three kids on her own by managing the local hardware store that she owned. The article said she raised money …
Mornings…Day 4/30
I remember when I was young, I was thrilled by every single morning. I always woke up, excited and hungry! I would get out of bed and go from one family member to another, trying to wake them… at whatever ungodly hour it was. No one shared my enthusiasm or my need for food! They …
Soul Speak….Day 3/30
Photo by Dinah (c) When I ask my soul what it wants to say, I sense depth and awareness that render language almost useless The message of the soul seems less about words and more about knowing. It starts first with the knowing of who I am…who I have always been… Through every iteration, every …
I Am Love…Day 2/30
Photo by Dinah (c) Life…We all know the truth….its beautiful and heartbreaking and thrilling and terrifying. And sometimes it’s all of that at once. So we all find ways to cope. Some people stay busy. Others stay still. Some read or watch tv or do yoga and some ride their bike until they’re ready to …
And so it begins….Day 1/30
Photo by Dinah (c) Hello and welcome to my blog. You’ve stopped by at the right time. I seem to neglect this space for most of the year. But then rediscover it every year for the Nanopoblano writing challenge. I just passed my 4th year “blog-aversary” which, like any anniversary, is causing me to think …
Dinah’s Coffee Chat & Invitation
Hello my friends! It’s been quite a while since I have visited and participated in the coffee chat. I hope all is well with you and yours. I had been trying to keep my blog somewhat active this spring. But then my husband and I both got Covid at the same time and writing just …
This Isn’t True, But It Could Be
This isn’t true but it could be In high school, I had a wonderful friend named Sue. We used to explore the woods together several times each week. Sue was an Appaloosa and we lost touch when I left for college. Now she visits me in my dreams and we ride again… We become light …
Covid Found Us!
I had started the month of April fully intending to try and join the Poem a Day for 30 Days Challenge. I made it one week and then caught a pretty nasty cold that lasted 2 weeks. I was just starting to feel like I was on the other side of it when my husband …
Ask The Questions
Photo by Dinah (c) When I was five, I wanted a pet lion. My mom told me lions were not legal pets. I wanted her to call the police and ask.My dad traveled often. When I was 6, I asked him to take a vacuum cleaner on the plane and suck up a cloud and …
The Cold Caught Me
* Photo of a blue footed booby from Facebook because I absolutely love this picture! Like almost every day I begin with a shower I blow dry my bangs And slide into jeans and tennis shoes… Shoes are important when balance is bad I’m determined A normal routine will mean a normal day I’m sure of …
Lemons and Mom
Photo from Unsplash Lemons They remind me of my mom… There are reminders that are concrete… like a Post-it note on the refrigerator…. and there are reminders that are less tangible, more ethereal…. like a cobweb that just barely grazes your hand. Lemons have that wispy, fairy wing kind of feeling for me. I can …
Infinity
Love and light Live in the body But are never limited by it Love moves past form Light carries it to infinity Infinity is who we are Form is just a resting place . . . I’m glad you’re here💜 April is National Poetry Writing Month. Check out my friends’ posts Here
Being
So many worlds collide in order to create each human life. The coming together of two people, two bodies, at least two cultures and families and on and on.We start this journey, being taught, being molded, being corrected and trying and trying and trying. So much learning. So much striving. We feel lucky if we …
Dinah’s Holiday Hello
Hello my friend!So….the holidays have arrived. They tend to do this every year whether we’re ready or not. This year I feel acutely aware of the vast differences in where we all are emotionally during this time that Hallmark has branded as joyous and magical. And, for some people, it really is wonderful….to those folks, …
Dinah’s Coffee Share/Update
Photo by Dinah (c) Well…. The Nanopoblano blogging challenge is over. Strange that I can manage to write every day for the month of November… But then hardly ever write the rest of the year. Sigh! I guess I like writing in community! Every year I say that I’m going to do better… So I …
Nanopoblano23 is in the Books! -Day 30/30
And just like that…the November challenge is done. And once again, I’m so glad I said yes! I said yes to writing in community…to writing with this wonderful group of people who genuinely care about each other. I feel so lucky to have found Ra Avis and her group of Cheerpepper bright lights! Writing is …
Disability -Day 29/30
Photo by Dinah (c) Disability means something different to everyone. For some, disability means “those people”. For me, disability means an ever-changing me….and it seems to be swallowing up more of me every year. As a child, disability meant that I didn’t walk well…that was the biggest thing. There was more but I chose to …
Another Day -Day 28/30
Photo by Dinah (c) I believe it was Maya Angelou, who said… This is a wonderful day! I haven’t seen this one before! Today was another day of Adulting… The doctor was seen. Paperwork was done… Possibly not on time. But that’s another story… My family member was contacted to be sure that all …
Surviving Winter -Day 27/30
Photo by Dinah (c) Much to my chagrin, it appears as though winter has arrived. This may be good news for some. But not for me. Winter has always been challenging for me…ALWAYS! Many people that live in tundra-adjacent climates like me, say that there is no bad weather. There’s only poor clothing choices. Of …
Silent Sunday-Day 26/30
Ralph Waldo Emerson said…..The earth laughs in flowers. Sharing some laughter from our garden…. I’m glad you’re here💜 This post is part of the November Nanopoblano challenge. A group of us committed to writing a blog post every day for the month of November. Please visit the blogs of my other Nanopoblano cheer pepper friends …
Flute Music-Day 25/30
Today has been a good day, a busy day…and I’m tired. But I’m committed to posting every day this month. So, I’ll share with you what I shared with our granddaughter. She plays flute in the school band. I’ve always loved flute music! Of course, when considering good flute music, you MUST discuss Locomotive Breath …
Dinah’s Chat About Continued Gratitude -Day 24/30
Photo by Dinah It’s the day after Thanksgiving and I’m still grateful. I’m grateful that our day was quiet and drama-free. This wasn’t always the case. I’m grateful for peace. My friends have become my family. They support me and challenge me. They help me to keep trying to be a better person. I’m grateful …
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Happy Thanksgiving -Day 23/30
It’s Thanksgiving here in the US. That means different things for different people. For some people… It’s a welcomed chance to get together with family from near and far. It’s an opportunity to continue family tradition.For others…. It’s a reminder of family dynamics that didn’t/don’t work or of family lost… Either physically or to dysfunction…or …
Writing -Day 22/30
Remember that feeling? The pressure you felt as a school kid when a big test was on the horizon or an assignment was coming due? The feeling of “should” was always just below the surface. “I SHOULD be preparing for this!”That same vague pressure seems to skulk around my adult life right around tax time. …
Alchemy- Day 21/30
Photo by Dinah (c) I’m sharing this for all of us. I’m sharing it for myself because I want to internalize it. I want it to move from my head to my heart to my bones so that it’s not just a memory. I want it to become a knowing, a truth that my body …
Miracles -Day 20/30
Photo by Dinah (c) I’m looking forward to miracles the same way a child looks forward to Saturday morning. When teachers and schoolwork choreograph most of every week, there’s a kind of deliciousness in reclaiming the openness of the weekend…an excitement that comes when you can make time your own. That’s what I’m looking forward …
Silent Sunday-Day 19/30
Photo by Dinah (c) In honor of my mom’s birthday…. She loved Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach…. Photo by Dinah (c) Photo by Dinah (c) Photo by Dinah (c) Photo by Dinah (c) Photo by Dinah (c) I’m glad you’re here💜 This post is part of the November Nanopoblano challenge. A group of us …
Boomerang -Day 18/30
Photo by Dinah (c) I am a boomerang I almost always come back Perhaps this is my own personal Right of Return We were young and married and forgot that love can only flourish where appreciation dwells We ended our storyAnd then returned 2 years later and rebuilt everything Starting with ourselves Boomerang I worked …
Dinah’s Chat About Dysfunctional Family Bingo -Day 17/30
Photo by Don (c) Can you feel it? It’s in the air. The HoliDAZE are coming! I decided to write about this earlier than usual because I wanted to be able to share author Martha Beck’s ingenious holiday coping game in time for Thanksgiving. And I want to be sure to stipulate that this is …
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Friendship -Day 16/30
Photo by Don (c) Photo by Don (c) I saw an old friend today Not a text Not a Zoom call Actual face to face time It was wonderful Why do we wait so long to see the people we love? We sat in a restaurant for 3 hours Talking, laughing, Our past/present/future blended into …
Picture Day – Day 15/30
Photo by Dinah (c) If a picture paints a thousand words…. My vocabulary is running low today. So I thought I’d show up with some pictures….. Photo by Dinah (c) Photo by Dinah (c) Photo by Dinah (c) Photo by Dinah (c) Wishing us all peace of mind and heart. Shalom! This post is part …
Body Talk – Day 14/30
Photo by Dinah (c) Some days I can barely stand to be in my bodyThere was no break upI don’t know why we stopped speaking My friend also has a body that plays hide and seek with her We talk about this Sometimes Our bodies pendulum Without our consent We feel the tick tock of …
Our Beginning -Day 13/30
Photo by Dinah (c) HAPPY BIRTHDAY DON!Usually, on my husband’s birthday, I write a post about some of the wonderful qualities that make him who he is. But today it’s a different kind of day so it merits a different kind of post. Today, he enters a new decade… That makes this day even more …
An Uneven Day -Day 12/30
Photo by Dinah (c) Today is an uneven kind of day The temperature is warmBut the wind is too focused on announcing winterThe wind doesn’t care about prolonging our warmthMy mind wants to be out in the sun Defying the wind would be a worthy pastime But my body is too consumed by the sleep …
Dinah’s Chat About Dad- Day 11/30
Photo by Dinah (c) I’m the keeper of our family photos and family stories. In my family, we didn’t have a lot of positive stories. Dysfunction steals the good stuff. I guess that makes the good ones even more precious. So, periodically, I’ll tell one of the few stories that I remember here. Good things …
TV Time -Day10/30)
Photo by Dinah (c) This will be a shorter post because, quite frankly, I didn’t manage my time very well today. The day kind of got away from me. We ran errands this morning. And then I felt a bit wonky this afternoon. Advil helped after a couple of hours. So during that time (waiting …
Shifting-Day 9/30
Yesterday I wrote about needing to sort things, release things, send things back out into circulation, rather than keeping them in boxes and closets and drawers.…. It made me aware that holding on is ultimately about fear… Fear of not enough, fear of not being ready, or prepared, fear of not being able to meet …
Sorting -Day 8/30
We are all such mosaics, aren’t we? Within each of us lives all of the versions of ourselves from all of the years we’ve been alive. In addition to that, we also carry pieces of all of our friends, family and even strangers who somehow impacted us significantly. As I age, I’m becoming increasingly aware …
Adulting—Day 7/30
I’m adulting…not happily, but I’m doing it. I had two medical appointments today that I wanted to blow off in the worst way…(sigh)… I kept the appointments because I’m trying to be a grown-up. I don’t really have the luxury of ignoring my health anymore. Routine visits become about more tests and more visits. My …
Biking-Day 6/30
When I was about eight or nine years old, my parents bought me a three wheel, three speed bicycle… A grandma’s bike. I was thrilled with it! Because of my disability, I couldn’t ride a two wheel bike. And I was embarrassed riding around with training wheels year after year because I didn’t have the …
Choosing Dreams-Day 5/30
Springtime, renewalThat’s where you’ll find me. Where trees are awake and showing off their new lion’s manes and flowers are swaying calling for more I want to sit there, learning their language of light and breeze and scentI want to hear their stories and feel their laughter The culture of nature, the manners of pollinators, …
What I see -Day 4/30
Photo by Dinah (c) The man leaving the gas station holds the door for the next person going in. I see small acts of kindness And the habit of mannersIt makes me smile The mom in the yard, watching the little one on the bikeI see love and fatigue in almost equal measure And the …
Exploring Procrastination-Day 3/30 (Dinah’s Wkend Chat)
Procrastination has been my companion for my entire life! We’re seemingly inseparable. The sad part though is that, even though we’re lifelong companions, we really don’t understand each other. If procrastination truly understood me, she’d realize that constantly putting things off isn’t doing me any favors. In fact, it’s actually quite anxiety provoking. Facebook Meme …
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Making Magic-Day 2/30
Photo by Don (c) “To love. To be loved. To never forget your own insignificance. To never get used to the unspeakable violence and the vulgar disparity of life around you. To seek joy in the saddest places. To pursue beauty to its lair. To never simplify what is complicated or complicate what is simple. …
And The Yearly Challenge Begins Again! Day 1/30
Photo by Dinah Welcome to Nanopoblano’23! This is a yearly blogging challenge that happens every November and is hosted by Ra Avis Please consider visiting her blog frequently. You’ll be glad you did. During this month, those of us that join the challenge, commit to blogging every day for 30 days. It’s a tall order, …
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Another Liminal Thought
Intuitive Creativity Class taught by Lauren Sapala… Prompt: Choose a color. Make something beautiful using that color I’ve thought about this for 2 days and I’ve decided to write something rather to try to draw/paint/create something. Writing seems to be the only medium that sparks me these days. And, for the last 6 months, that …
Dinah’s Chat About Bocelli
Photo by Francesco Baistrocchi This will be the last official coffee chat of 2022. Our host is taking the next two weeks off. I hope to continue posting but… Just in case… I thought I would leave you with a Christmas gift of music. I’ve never had a sophisticated pallet in ANYTHING! The food I …
Dinah’s Something New Part 3
So this is part three… I’m trying something new. You can read Part one and Part two using these hyperlinks if you’re interested. Also, if you’re interested in the process, the VIDEO is easy to understand and follow. In learning how to hand crochet (no needles), I’m also getting a new appreciation for learning itself. …
Silent Sunday
Welcome to silent Sunday. Just taking a moment to share some beauty. Enjoy! Photo by Dinah (c) Photo by Dinah (c) Photo by Dinah (c) Photo by Dinah (c) Photo by Dinah (c) Wishing you peace and beauty today and every day! I’m glad you’re here💜
Life Said No
Photo by Don (c) My plans were solid, my resolve rock hard And life said no So I rewrote the script and committed to the revised plan, the direction that seemed to be the next right move And life said no I’ve lost count now. I can’t remember how many times I’ve journeyed in good …
Something New Part 2
A couple of weeks ago I wrote a blog post about trying something new. You can see that. HERE. Well… A couple of weeks later I can tell you that I am still trying! And trying is about as good as it gets right now.The day of that first post, I started it and then …
The Liminal Space
Photo by Dinah (c) Years ago two dear friends of ours owned a meditation center that was about an hour south of us. My friend facilitated a regular weekly meditation in the evening. Sometimes we’d co-facilitate those gatherings. It was fun because we were so drastically different. He was far more analytical than I and …
NanoPoblano Wrap-up–Day 30/30!!!!!!!
Photo by Dinah (c) Everyone knows that athletes and artists … (And probably a bunch of other groups that I can’t think of right now)… practice a lot. Most practice daily… For hours! And why do they do this? They do it to build muscle memory. In order to be good at what they do, …
A Poem for You-Day 29/30
Photo by Dinah (c) I’m finally admitting that I do, indeed, have a bug. It’s not serious but…ugh! However, I’m determined to keep my commitment to posting every day for the month of November. So, I give you this poem that I saw on Facebook a year or so ago. I loved the reminder that …
Confession—Day 28/30
I’m a little foggy today from the bug that I’m fighting. So I went to Promptosaur and got a prompt to help kickstart my foggy brain.You can see in the above screenshot that my prompt was to confess to something.… So here goes…I confess to being a horrible and hopeless procrastinator! It’s a personality flaw …
Today—Day 27/30
Photo by Don Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing. — Arundhati Roy Today… I’m feeling under the weather. Not sick. But not well. Today… I choose to believe in better. Feeling better. Doing better. Today… I envision better health for me, …
Scooter—Day 26/30
Photo from Unsplash It sat there for years. I refused to use it. Using it would affirm my inability to keep up; would make me different when all I wanted was sameness. It would make me look DISABLED.I chose to miss out…on a lot…rather than appear disabled. Pride! Time and disability march ever onward. My …
Dinah’s Coffee Chat—Day 25/30
Photo by Dinah (c) Hello my friend.It’s been a while since I’ve done a coffee chat. It seems like a good time to try again.So… Come on in and make yourself comfy. Let’s chat…We had the Thanksgiving holiday yesterday in the US. Whether you celebrated the holiday or not, I hope your day was lovely.Ours …
Grateful—Day 24/30
Photo by Dinah (c) The sun is out and we might hit 50 degrees today. I’m grateful. Football is on TV. My husband is grateful. There’s kibble and water in the appropriate bowls. The cats are grateful. (I think anyway) I’m also grateful for: Photo by Dinah (c) Photo by Dinah (c) Photo by Dinah …
Dysfunctional Family Bingo—Day 23/30
I must begin by giving 100% credit to author Martha Beck. She came up with this ingenious idea. I’m only sharing it with you because I think it’s so wonderful. Those of us with dysfunctional families know that holidays can be more than challenging. Some things are predictable. Some things are not. But regardless of …
Friends and Distance—Day 22/30
Photo by Dinah (c) This will be a shorter post… The day has gotten away from me a bit. However, I committed to doing a post every day. So, I’m going to do my best to do that. But I also want to respect your time and not blab on too long if I don’t …
Family Photos —Day 21/30
Photo by Dinah (c) Life’s circumstances have caused me to expand my definition of family. And this expansion has been so beneficial. My family of choice seems to grow more every year. I love that! Our immediate family is pretty small….. My husband has a very quick wit and makes us all laugh a lot! …
Big Life—Day 20/30
Photo by Dinah “Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” —-Mother Teresa My husband and I just watched the Netflix miniseries called… From Scratch. It’s a true story adapted from the memoir by the same name written by Tembi Locke. If you haven’t seen it, …
Strange Day (NPE/MPE)—Day 19/30
Photo by Don Today has been a strange day for a number of reasons. The weather has turned too cold too quickly. We’re trying to plan for some holiday stuff and personal stuff. And I just feel a bit “off" today. Then I remembered that today would have been my mom’s 87th birthday. And tomorrow …
Challah (NPE/MPE) —Day 18/30
Photo from Unsplash Several weeks ago I told my husband that I wanted to buy some challah. That’s a bigger deal than it sounds because we have to drive about 40 minutes to get it. But I really wanted it.It seemed so strange to me. For most of my life I have not allowed myself …
Heart Matters—Day 17/30
Photo by Don (c) We saw an old friend yesterday. It was only for a minute or two. I hugged him and said… “I love you“ because it was true. Even though I have only seen him probably four times in the last 10 years, I still love him. Our families were very connected years …
Shining Light—Day 16/30
Photo by Dinah (c) “Do not be dismayed by the brokenness of the world. All things break. And all things can be mended. Not with time, as they say, but with intention. So go. Love intentionally, extravagantly, unconditionally. The broken world waits in darkness for the light that is you.” L.R. Knost (Copied from a …
Writing—Day 15/30
Writing has never been something that I loved the way that an artist probably loves to paint or sketch. Writing has always been something like a stone in my shoe. The words are there. And I can ignore them for a while. But, like the stone, they demand acknowledgment at some point.Thoughts and phrases dance …
Magic—Day 14/30
Photo from Unsplash The memory is still there. It’s still vivid. Magic was so real to me. Magic seemed as real as rain or snow or wind…. just as real and just as elusive… Like the weather, I didn’t understand where it came from… But I knew it was all around me. I knew that …
Happy Birthday—Day 13/30
A warm September day on Lake Michigan Today is an auspicious day. Today is the anniversary of the day that the world was gifted with this kind and generous Soul. And he is indeed a gift to all who are fortunate enough to know him. This last year has been unbelievably rough. I’ve said many …
Something New—Day 12/30
I’m starting something new today.New is exciting and frustrating and provocative.I want very much to love this new thing with all my heart!New makes me think about tomorrow. Will I be good at this thing that I’m trying? Can I be productive?It’s interesting how enjoyment and productivity become linked in my brain. Why is that?I’ve …
A Really Good Story About Angels—Day 11/30
Thanks for visiting. As a way of keeping us both interested in this 30 day blogging challenge, I’m going to tell you a story about something that happened last December. I really felt like it was a gift. And gifts are meant to be shared. Last Fall I was completely exhausted. Life events kept happening …
Beautiful Day—Day 10/30
Geese at sunset yesterday. I’ve resisted the urge to whine about the coming of winter. I can’t promise that it won’t happen. But for today, I’m just too busy celebrating the shockingly beautiful weather we’ve had over the last couple of days. Yesterday‘s sunset was spectacular! And today, in the north, in November… We reached …
Chameleons—Day 9/30
Chameleons…I have vague memories of one of my brothers having pet chameleons. I remember him telling me to watch them as they turned color. It was never as spectacular as my child self expected. It was more gentle, more subtle. I have vague memories of realizing that people do this also. I don’t know when …
Flowers—Day 8/30
THE EARTH LAUGHS IN FLOWERS.……Ralph Waldo Emerson Today is a big election day in the US. Many of us will be on pins and needles for the next several days awaiting the results. On days like today, laughter is truly the best medicine. I can’t tell you a joke because I can never remember them. …
Healing and Reframing the past—Day 7/30
OK… So here goes… I’ve decided to write about things that I have learned by analyzing my memories of the dynamics of my family of origin over the years. I’ve debated this for quite some time. Wondering if it’s appropriate because they’re all gone. My parents, stepmother, and three older brothers… All deceased. I …
Cobwebs—Day 6/30
Photo by Dinah (c) Here, in the US, we turned our clocks back one hour last night. Maybe that’s why I’m a bit off today. Or maybe it’s because I had lots of dreams last night and actually remembered pieces and parts when I awoke. I rarely remember my dreams but I’m actively trying to …
Two Things At Once—Day 5/30
A commentator that I like often says “Let’s remember that two things can be true at once!” I love that reminder. I am always at least two things at once, sometimes I’m way more than just two things. Today I am dreading winter and still appreciating the stark landscape that the season creates. The golds …
Dinah’s Coffee Chat About Accessibility…Day 4/30
Photo by Dinah (c) ~~This is going to be a dual post. It is part of the month long NanoPoblano blogging challenge. It is also part of the Weekend Coffee Share. Please see the last couple of paragraphs for explanations of both of these groups.~~ For those who are new to the space, I have …
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Fall Pause—-Day 3/30
Photo by Dinah (c) Time seems to be moving so quickly now. Just a few weeks ago it still felt like summer. Recently though, I started to notice all the subtle changes. The light was changing. I tried to ignore it but that really didn’t work. The sunlight hit the windows differently. The yard seemed …
We Hope….Day 2/30
Photo by Dinah (c) Today… We did a lot! We hoped… And that is big, big work! Hope is not a standalone emotion. Hope is a mixture of so many things. It is faith. It is belief. It is wonder and magic and it makes living possible! We hope, so we voted today. We know …
NanoPoblano 2022 Starts Today-Day 1/30
So here it is… November is upon us. That means that the Nanopoblano blogging challenge is up and running once again. This is a wonderful blogging challenge and community that is facilitated by the illustrious Ra Avis. You can see her blog HERE … And I highly recommend that you do. Her writing is spectacular.Ra …
Complexities
***Photo by Dinah Lately, I seem to alternate between being completely enchanted by life and then completely befuddled by it. And both of these extremes seem to deepen with every passing year. I feel like I genuinely love people more but I see them less (thanks partially to the pandemic). I care about the world …
Connections and Community
The above is a Facebook meme I’ve craved community and connection for most of my life. Some have it naturally through family. That has never been my story. College provided it for a while and I loved it. And then we scattered to find jobs and build lives. Some of us stay in touch on …
Happy 10th Anniversary To RARASAUR!
Happy Tenth Birthday to Rarasaur ! This is the blog (and blogger) that launched a thousand ships or rather supports a thousand bloggers! I haven’t felt much like writing lately. But I couldn’t let today go by without a shout out and a celebration post for my friend Ra Avis. Today marks the 10 year …
Compassion for ALL….
The events of the world have been swirling around in my head. I’m sure I’m not alone in this. We seem to be living that old Chinese curse… You know the one, it says: May you always live in interesting times! My musings, however, may be a bit different than yours. Because of my physical …
Dinah’s Coffee Chat 3/3/22
Sweet Alaska—Photo by Don Hello my friend! Thanks for stopping by. This is my first connection with you in several months because… Well, life happens… If we were having coffee together I would start out by telling you that I am fine… Really, I’m doing well. But the last few months of 2021 were challenging. …
Dinah’s Coffee Chat 11/20/21
Photo taken by Dinah on the way home from Don’s outpatient surgery! Hello my friend. Thanks for stopping by for another coffee chat. How are you? How are you adapting to the changing seasons? I hope you’re taking good care.If we were having coffee… I would be having an internal debate about whether to be …
Dinah’s Coffee Chat 11/12/21
Photo by Dinah Hello my friend! Good to see you again. I hope you had a good week. I know mine flew by quickly. Come sit. Have some coffee and we can catch up. If we were having coffee… I’d tell you that this is my husband’s birthday weekend. So this is my birthday card …
Cadence
Photo by Dinah I play with words the way a potter plays with clay. I roll them over and around in my mind and then my mouth. I repeat them to see how they feel and to see how they sound. How do those words fit into the world? I look at how they apply …
Dinah’s Coffee Chat 11/5/21
Photo from Facebook Hello my friend! It’s been a while since we’ve had a coffee chat. How are you? I’m hoping you’re staying happy and healthy. Grab a cup of coffee and I’ll fill you in on life in my neck of the woods…. If we were having coffee….I’d tell you that it’s been a …
Friends and Teachers 💜
Photo by Dinah I knew Carol first. She and I had been friends for about six months before she introduced me to Sue and Benji. I met Sue when I was 16. I’m not sure how old she was. But I did know that she had a difficult past. Consequently, she was shy and a …
More on the NPE/MPE Journey
Photo by Dinah I wrote this piece originally for DNAngels blog. You can see more of their blog posts and services here https://www.dnangels.org/blog NPE/MPE = people with misattributed parentage such as… Adoptees, Donor Conceived, people who are the product of affairs, rape, or incest… There are so many uncertainties in any NPE/MPE situation. Let’s look …
Wondering…..
Photo by Dinah I used to wonder… Who would I be without their disapproval? What would I look like? What would I do differently? Now they’re gone… So who am I now? Am I the person I thought I would be back then? Or have I morphed into something completely unexpected? The answer to this …
Happy Birthday to WA&E
Birthdays are important! I like saying Happy Birthday to friends and family….even though I’m almost always late. The sentiment is real even if it isn’t timely! True to form, I’m acknowledging another birthday with sincerity but not with timeliness….. With Angels and Elephants turned one year old in October! Yay! Thanks to Ra Avis (blogger …
Dinah’s Chat About Horses
Photo courtesy of Sandy Sharkey Photography Not Your average coffee chat… Thanks for stopping by. Hold onto your hats, I’ve got a lot to say… I know that all of us are road weary. The pandemic, the political climate, the challenging news that we hear day in and day out… It’s exhausting. I get it. …
Dinah’s Coffee Chat Anniversaries….
Anniversaries……Welcome back my friend! It’s been a while since we’ve connected. And hello to any new friends that stop by.So let’s start by addressing the elephant in the room… At least the elephant for me… I clearly blew it with the July blogging challenge. I did pretty well for about a week. And then we …
9 Favorite Things ….#10minchallenge Day 7
Photo by Don (c) Prompt: 9 Favorite Things….. Nine of my favorite things in no particular order: 1-Grace—Grace, to me, is synonymous with kindness, gentleness, forgiveness…I’m always grateful when grace is visited upon me…whether through serendipity or through the openheartedness of a friend or stranger, grace helps me to believe in tomorrow. 2-Serendipity and synchronicity …
The truth is….#10minchallenge Day 6
Prompt: The truth is…. The truth is….that we’re all just finding our way. I used to believe that there was a kind of clarity that people reached at a certain point. And I was sure that I would find it too. For a while I think I confused consistency with clarity. But they’re not the …
#10minchallenge Day 5
Today’s writing prompt just didn’t resonate with me. And I’m feeling quite uninspired. So, instead of boring you with BS, I’ll wow you with garden pictures taken over the last 2 years. Flowers are always welcome and uplifting. Thanks for visiting. Enjoy your day and we’ll try again tomorrow. I’m glad you’re here 💜
Mom (NPE/MPE)…#10minchallenge Day 4
Photo be Dinah (c) Prompt- What remains of my mom in me…. I was thinking about my mom today even before I received the daily challenge prompt. I don’t think I’ve ever written about her. I guess it’s time…. My mom died when I was 31. But I had lost her to alcoholism long before…probably …
Right Now…#10minchallenge Day 3
Prompt-Right now…. Right now…. I’m a mixture, a muddle of wonder tinted by cynicism, gratitude sprinkled with irritation, gregariousness mottled by introversion so that it has the look of Swiss cheese….making it hard to tell if I’m more hole or substance. Right now….I bless the long summer days while simultaneously resenting the 86 degree heat. …
Dinah’s Coffee Chat & #10minchallenge Day 2
Prompt: What was fun in childhood? Hello my friend! So glad you could stop by for coffee. It’s always so nice to connect. Once again, grab a glass or a cup of some thing you love and let’s chat… If we were having coffee…. I would start by telling you that I have entered into …
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#10minchallenge Day 1
Photo by Don Prompt: One man’s trash…. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m very much into metaphysics and all things “woo-woo.” It’s what feeds my soul. When I was just discovering the various avenues leading to metaphysics, my friend showed me a new quartz crystal that she’d bought at a stand in the mall. …
Dinah’s Weekend CoffeeShare 6/26/21
Photo by Don (c) Hello my friend! Believe it or not, I’m actually showing up for our coffee share 2 weeks in a row! Shocking for me too! How are you this week? Did you do anything fun? I’d love to hear about it! If we were having coffee….I’d tell you that this week flew by …
Dinah’s Weekend Coffee Chat 6/18/21
Photo by Dinah (c) Hello my friend….It’s been a while since we’ve gotten together for coffee. How are you? I hope life is treating you well!Grab a cup of something you love and let’s chat…If we were having coffee… I would of course, tell you that I’m thrilled to see you. It’s good to connect …
The big “IT”
Photo by Dinah (c) It sits there, like the face of someone I should know but can’t quite place. It sits there like a name or a word…on the tip of my tongue but just out of reach. It sits there like something I should know or like something I’ve forgotten and shouldn’t have. It …
Another “Awareness” Month
Photo courtesy of DNAngels (This post was written for DNAngels and can also be seen on their blog at http://www.dnangels.org) We all know that every month is an awareness month for something. There is Alzheimer’s awareness month, cancer awareness month, disability awareness month… And so on. And let’s face it… For most of these things, …
An Update 💜
Photo by Dinah (c) The latest...When I started my blog, I thought that I SHOULD try to keep it upbeat and inspirational. And, to some degree, I still do. But, here’s the thing...life happens. And as it happens, it’s tough and complicated and exhausting and messy. So I haven’t been writing much because I've been …
Dinah’s Coffee Chat… 5/9/21
Good morning and happy Sunday… And Happy Mother’s Day. Today’s coffee visit doesn’t contain a lot of words. This one is all about pictures of the things I’m looking forward to this summer. I hope you’ll join me in looking forward to beautiful weather and wonderful days ahead… Our daisy bushes Don caught this visit! …
Dinah’s Coffee Chat 4/30/21 SPRING!
This is what our crab apple tree will look like in a few weeks 💜 If we were having coffee....... If we were having coffee....I’d be so happy to see you! It’s a sunny Spring day and, to me anyway, everything is better in Spring! Welcome! Grab your favorite cup of whatever makes you happy …
Dinah’s Weekend Coffee Chat 4/23/21
Photo by Don (c) If we were having coffee..... Oh so lovely to see you, my friend! I’ve been MIA for several weeks. Life was challenging and I was a bit depleted....still am, but I’m improving. And you? How are you? If we were having coffee...I’d tell you that we had to move my brain …
Wisdom Wednesday 4/21/21 Hope
Photo by Dinah (c) “The very least you can do in your life is figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it from a distance but live right in it, under its roof.” – Barbara Kingsolver Today, I’m thinking about hope. It’s been …
Wisdom Wednesday 4/14/21 Activism!
Photo and information by Sandy Sharkey Today’s Wisdom Wednesday is about activism. I believe that we must take care of each other. And we must be a voice for the voiceless. I happened upon a Facebook post that has disturbed me all day. I called the number listed and it’s all true! Wild horses are …
Wisdom Wednesday 4/7/21–Rumi
Photo by Dinah heading south on the freeway. The sky was stunning! “Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing,there is a field. I’ll meet you there.When the soul lies down in that grass,the world is too full to talk about.Ideas, language, even the phrase “each other”doesn’t make any sense.The breeze at dawn has secrets to …
Wisdom Wednesday 3/31/21 Friendship!
Taken from Elizabeth Gilbert’s Facebook page Elizabeth Gilbert posted this on her Facebook page some time ago. She said that she saw it on a friend’s wall and she believes that it is a Druid friendship greeting. In case the above is difficult to read, here’s what it says: I honor you are gods.I drink …
Wisdom Wednesday-The Invitation
Photo by Don I’ve been dealing with the declining health of a family member for the last 4 months. But things have ramped up and demanded much more of my attention over the last 3 weeks. So I don’t currently have the required brain power to write something worthy of your time. So instead, I …
Wisdom Wednesday 3/17/21 Desiderata
Image taken from Facebook Hello My Friends I haven’t forgotten about Wisdom Wednesday. However, it’s been one of those days! It’s the kind of day where, no matter what I did to be proactive, it wasn’t enough. Several things went haywire anyway. Consequently, I’m going to leave you with one of my favorite poems. That …
With Angels and Elephants 