Trails of ANGELS

“I believe in Angels” - a popular song around 1970.

-Do you believe in physical angels from the kingdom of heaven – sent by God?

-Do you think they are an energetic manifestation of optimal good energy?

-Do you simply embrace the lovely idea that such ethereal creatures take care of us when we are in need?

Whatever your personal belief, Angels are revered and cherished world-wide. They are a soothing incantation; or maybe a true representation of the “good” in life. They harm no-one or nothing. 

They soothe our hearts when we are sad and lost. They fill our souls with wonder and hope. 

Angels are part of NATURE, part of the beings that we are...even...if only in our fruitful imagination.

Abba did a lovely rendition; enjoy!

I have a dream, a song to sing
To help me cope with anything
If you see the wonder of a fairy tale
You can take the future even if you fail
I believe in angels
Something good in everything I see
I believe in angels
When I know the time is right for me
I'll cross the stream, I have a dream

I have a dream, a fantasy
To help me through reality
And my destination makes it worth the while
Pushing through the darkness still another mile
I believe in angels
Something good in everything I see
I believe in angels
When I know the time is right for me
I'll cross the stream, I have a dream
I'll cross the stream, I have a dream

I have a dream, a song to sing
To help me cope with anything
If you see the wonder of a fairy tale
You can take the future even if you fail
I believe in angels
Something good in everything I see
I believe in angels
When I know the time is right for me
I'll cross the stream, I have a dream
I'll cross the stream, I have a dream

As always...NATURE PREVAILS!

TRUST; a tricky trail

22 August, 2018 (REVISED 2/8/2019)

I read a sad essay online today...a former friend talking at length about trust and friends and the boundaries between reaching out and protecting – in. She touched on many vital "friend" issues, stones...sometimes BOULDERS we must traverse to continue relationships.

Sometimes...it is easier to lash out,  go away from the pain endured from climbing those 'boulders', from the struggle to UNDERSTAND the differences between our own pain...and that of others. Our "egos"...a constant war within.  In our everyday lives, we so often rely on gossip and judgements - opinions that can get in the way - blind us from the REAL truth of who we all/each of us - REALLY are. It is SAFER to be a part of the opinion of the TRIBE; to 'gang up'...join the crowd...instead of seeking truth by relating to each other each day, and ACCEPTING each other as we REALLY ARE - IN THAT MOMENT....at any given moment. 

We all have the human ability to grow and evolve and be a NEW MOMENT - at any given time, while we breathe and live.  Gossip - hides our NEW TRUTHS from view.  Our daily reality...becomes mute, unseen.  INDIVIDUAL REALITY dies, replaced by  STORIES/OTHER DIGESTED VIEWPOINTS OF WHO WE REALLY ARE.

---FORGIVENESS...a bridge. 

---"I AM SORRY"....a sacred phrase....

Transactional analysis is one of many 'maps' out there for us to use to guide our relationships, our unsure paths as we wander about this life journey trying to 'find our way'. Do we function from our Adult ego-state, our Parent ego-state or our Child ego-state?

The literature generally states that we ought to have a strong Adult ego-state that directs our Parent and Child to come into play AS NEEDED.  So much easier said, than done!  The literature explains that EMOTION lives within the CHILD and PARENT ego-states of mind, wheras the ADULT is always a mixture of calm, intelligence, and a guidance system for the other two ego states-in-residence. 

Trust is not easy - it is tough; not for the faint of heart. Especially as we age.

Friends come through our lives for varying periods of time. We learn lessons; we treasure the shared Love and Learning. We store away – the laughter, the smiles, the joy.. and go on. Sometimes these fabrics prevail...sometimes, not so much.

Nothing is forever; ALL is a JOURNEY.

As I passed our mirror by the front door the other day, I literally snapped back to the reflection ….and cried; my Mother was looking back at me! Her nose, her eyes, the tired look I used to see as she slipped into her 70's, the frustration...before she passed. Let me tell you – that was a freeze-frame moment I will take to my grave!  I am NOT 36 any more - at least, not in the mirror.

A friend once told me...”I pulled my Grandfather's hand out of my pocket yesterday...”. Indeed!

Trust; a tough subject.

NATURE...prevails.

FABRIC TRAILS: Napkins, napkins, napkins...

Okay – it is just a napkin; square or round or rectangular, it functions simply to clean contain/catch/absorb/gather... your 'trails' of crumbs, drippy chin – you understand the simple process. But consider life in their absence... Exactly!

I've seen expensive 'suits' decorated with the proverbial napkin gingerly tucked into the throat area above the tie-knot. Lovely gowns with a large, delicate napkin 'properly' draped across the lap, lest a minute piece of 'yummy' dare stray from it's designated path...dish to mouth. Oh yes....the excruciating manners involved...

Is the lowly napkin relegated to muslin fabrics? Or those horrid colors at the local pub? Some poor dears are so heavy they tire your lap before the main course! And some are so small, there needs to be an orchestrated rescue operation co-ordinated from a command center...to get their job done!

But in 2018...NATURE PREVAILS...in the 'napkin world'. Napkins now present in laps with as many choices as do the eclectic range of current garments – a myriad of colors, fabrics, sizes, weights, etc.

Napkins, it turns out, are not difficult to create at home, just between you and that lovely sewing machine that rests so patiently for SOME sort of interaction... Different type of corners seem to be the main focus, along with – of course – the gazillions of fabric choices one has (is there REALLY a day out without a visit to Hobby Lobby, Joanns fabrics or maybe Hancocks?!). There are other places to purchase the lovely stuff, too.. But I digress...

Is the process difficult? Not really – unless...you are a perfectionist (which I confess...may be a genetic trait...).

Once you get the corners down pat, mitered or squared being the big crossroad, the rest is a simple matter of how straight you - and that demon that runs down the folded edges, can co-ordinate your efforts.

Crafty Gemini makes EVERYTHING appear simple and fun!

Laura at SEW EASY makes ALL her creations look...SEW EASY!

Some folks even sell their napkins (IMAGINE THAT!).

And for those of you craft masters...complicated versions prevail;

But no matter the fabric, color, types of corners, size, etc., napkins are a mainstay of life. They adorn meals from the simple picnic gathering....to the Waldorf Astoria dining room in New York City.

They are purposeful – without which our clothes might be forever ruined from remains of any manner of yummies consumed.

If you are a beginning sewer, napkins might serve your 'practice sessions' to better encourage your crafty prowess at the sewing machine. Even a simple needle and thread in hand could create your perfect set of napkins.

For the experienced sewer, the gamete of creative choices can entertain your imagination for months.

If you are only looking to buy napkins, your choices may rest at your local consignment store or any other place where such lovely creations are marketed.

As always...NATURE PREVAILS! Especially at the fabric stores; cottons, cottons and more...

CREATIVE TRAILS: Blackberry Bramble Basket

My Son, the NATURE GUY...connects more with NATURE than anyone I know in my life.

Yesterday - as he rode his beloved bicycle along his favorite Oregon trail, he found his lunch; free, healthy - a GIFT revealed to him from his knowledge base.  KNOWLEDGE AND INFORMATION empower us.  He writes me:

"Today's catch on Larison rock. Chanterelles, Yellowfoot (a type of Chanterelle) and Hedgehogs (toothed mushrooms which probably have nerve healing aspects)."     Enjoy, Son!

This video I found SO reminds me of his NATURAL nature that blends and CO-exists with the awesome NATURE with which Mother Earth has blessed us.  I too,  could have lived in a TEE-PEE in my 'many-moons-ago' age.  But....I digress.

This video I found reminds me of the NATURAL ways that our fore-founders CONNECTED and LIVED with Nature; took care of her; pruned her prolific growth to enhance our ability to function ECOLOGICALLY with our Earth Mother.

As I ponder this planet...and it's possibilities, it occurs to me that with proper CARE and NURTURING, everything we humans need....is available---for the "taking".....provided we CO-exist with our Natural GIFTS....

Enjoy!




As always....NATURE PREVAILS.

WRITING TRAILS: One Cottonwood Lane

ONE COTTONWOOD LANE

The noise embraced her entire space – vibration resonating in her bones. Any moment she resigned in her thinking, she would be flying through the air; the pain would be unthinkable. It was time, ran through her mind...

An eternity, it seemed. Banging and sharp cracks..thuds. And always – the deafening noise, like a train going over and through her. So large a reality that there was no room - even for fear. Only being, enduring. Time now - an enemy, pulling every iota of participation from her. She belonged to a reality that was not hers; yet it was. A surreal reality, not imaginable in her longest, deepest nightmares.

Then the eternity slowly abated, the noise lessened, the stinging against her skin slowed, and then stopped.. She ran her fingers gingerly over her eyelids, raking off a layer of dust and mud. She lifted herself from the barrow ditch and gazed upon a world she did not recognize. 

In the distance the tornado slowly worked itself back into the clouds. Interesting, how it was not as huge as she had imagined while she had waited through the eternity of its destruction over her property.

Today – was a good day to die, she recalled WARF saying so many times on Star trek. But today...was not her day.

She embraced the deafening quiet...

Danielle Simone
16 January, 2018
Hasty, Colorado

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I so enjoy writing - both fiction and Non.  My first story, a western, written in high school.

Yet - as with so many events in my life, they lay unfinished, partially created, lying in wait for their birthing.  It IS frustrating and bores deep into my psyche if/when I succumb to the 'editor's' charm!

But thanks to my Mother's enduring genetics, my courage kicks in. I hug myself and thank my Divine inner self for it's MANY blessings I possess...and go on.  THE CIRCLE OF LIFE, and all that tommy-rot.  (Which isn't such 'tommyrot', of course!)

One of my many short-lived 'events' are scenes from story embryos...partial 'realities' that pop up in my mind and then - disappear just as quickly as they appeared.  Over the years, there must have been over 50 or more.

An elderly friend once told me when I was in my early 30's (many, many moons ago...) that I should write a book about IDEAS.  How wise he was; how 'usual me' was I.

If you are a writer, take heed!  Persevere; grab your tenacity; knock that eternal EDITOR off your shoulder and kick it TO THE CURB!  Forever!

Trust in your Divine inner self to guide you, to take you to those 'story places' that lay somewhere in that GREAT BEYOND of our psyche's.

Trust that......Nature WILL PREVAIL.