Merry Christmas 2013

It is early Christmas morning. The house is still, dark and quiet. I appreciate these times. My son is nearly 18, there is no more rushing downstairs first thing in the morning to tear open packages. The season has changed.

So as I type in my darkened room, I am reflecting on the high and lows, sadness and joys, traditions and changes of 2013.

Have you ever played the high/low game? It is often played around the family dinner table. Each member takes a turn sharing the high and the low of that day.
The exercise fosters great discussions, creates meaningful connections and allows parents to keep their finger on the heartbeat of their children.

Let's play! Here are my highs and lows of 2013. Starting with my lows because I like ending on a high note, no pun intended lol!

Lows:
1. Experienced some moments early in the year where I felt a sense of loss and disconnection mainly from myself. 
2. I worried a lot about how this bill would get paid or that need would get met?
3. I held a grudge for several weeks that strained some very important friendships

Highs:
1. Started the year full of expectant hope and I am ending it that same way
2. Committed to exercising regularly. I chose dance as my form of physical activity
3. Read books and started a soul searching book club.
4. Traveled to Louisiana and witnessed a big beautiful Creole wedding
5. Drank good wine while partying with great friends or was that great wine with good friends?
6. Listened to live music including Amazing Grace sung in Choctaw
7. Surrounded myself with brilliantly bright souls who inspire me
8. Laughed...a lot,  and cried some (I love a good cry)
9. Captured sunrises and sunsets, trees and oceans
10. Celebrated births
11. Coordinated a family trip to Vegas
12. Sipped tea
13. Brewed pots of fresh coffee nearly everyday week day for my coworkers
14. Made new friends including one I have enjoyed dating
15. Learned to make my Nana's bread pudding
16. Hosted tea parties for my nieces
17. Lost weight (speaking of which, I need to watch these holiday cookies and get back to dance)
18. Developed a new appreciation for my natural curls
19. Hosted dinner parties
20. Thanked God every time a bill was paid and the needs were met.
21. Experienced a deeper level of joy and contentment in my life once I decided that self-love rather than self-criticism would be my lens
22. Forgave others and myself so that I can live at peace
23. Began planning some 2014 getaways
24. Became active on Twitter which revolutionized my life. Even got retweeted by Oprah...twice!
And one of my greatest highs of 2013 is the decision I made just a few short weeks ago to...
25. Revamp, refresh, restart, renew my blog. I connect through words. Writing is my therapy, my outlet, my creativity, my joy and my passion!

Thankful for this year. Thankful for all of you. Looking forward to a beautifully blessed New Year!

Nachitoches, Louisiana

Merry Christmas and remember for every low, you will experience multiple highs!

J~

La Louisianne

A recent trip to Natchitoches, pronounced /na’-ka-tosh/, hurled me right back into a longing for all things Louisiana. I have come to believe that there is something in the land, the air or maybe even the water that seeps down into the blood stream and no matter how far away one moves, it pulls you back. My family's roots run deep in that land just like the trees lurking down in the Bayou. I am a Cali girl by birth but a Louisianan at heart.

I met new people during that trip. We chit chatted a bit about surnames, parishes and gumbo. Maybe we were just making small talk, you know the way strangers sort of feel each other out. I'd like to think we were similar to artisans at a loom weaving our stories like threads of a tapestry. Somewhere in our intersecting it was suggested we all (mostly unrelated women) take a leap of faith and mass migrate to Louisiana. What? Seriously?

My sister and I returned home excited to present this idea to our parents. We conjured up all the pros we could to convince them to run with the dream. They listened intently with a smiles and said "what about flooding, hurricanes and the humidity?". Our Dad was born in NOLA so we did not feel qualified as Los Angelinas to argue against him. Heck, who doesn't remember the horrors of Katrina? In spite of the fear, the dream remains.

I am a researcher. I love learning, seeking, asking. So I did. I set aside some one on one time with my favorite search engine just to see what's out there. I came across homes that spoke to my soul, sparked creativity and whispered softly of good times to come. I shared my treasures with my family uncertain if the architecture that makes me swoon would even peak their interest. I prepared them by laying out my disclaimer "It's pricey but, this is what I love". My dad's face lit up when he saw the Creole Cottages. What came out of my father's mouth next inspired me in ways I have kept secret until now.

"We can sing one song to pay for that", he exclaimed! I dared not ruin his excitement by responding with some silly remark about how I can't, don't or won't sing. Instead, I thought, what is my song? Or rather, how do I express creativity? He is a musician, that is his talent, so naturally he thinks in melody. The scripture Proverbs 18:16 "Your gift will make room for you. It will bring you before great people" landed gently on my heart. Wow, what a sweet revelation! It is our right, our responsibility to cultivate our gifts. We are all blessed with some ability that we are to generously share with the world. We tend to put down the thing that was designed to create our way and pick up those things that burden our back. It is time for us to take inspiration, motivation and determination by the hand and allow them to lead the way into our bright beautiful futures.

"The caged bird sings with a fearful trill
of things unknown but longed for still
and his tune is heard on the distant hill
for the caged bird sings of freedom.” 

~Maya Angelou

There is an audience for every gift,

J~