.....I need to give you these!

....I need to send you flowers today. I know how much I love flowers...especially roses, so I thought I would send you a beautiful bunch of roses to make you smile, to make you happy, to cheer up your day and add some beauty to your surroundings.....and aren't these just gorgeous?

If you are like me, then this quote says it all.....

"I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck."
Emma Goldman

Kathi

....give thanks!

"He who thanks but with the lips, thanks but in part;
The full, the true Thanksgiving comes from the heart."

We don't celebrate Thanksgiving here, but that doesn't mean that I can't spend some time today paying a little more attention to some of the many, many things that I am truly thankful for.

I am truly thankful for............ my special gifts
I am truly thankful for............ my happy disposition
I am truly thankful for............ my forgiving heart
I am truly thankful for............ my loving manner
I am truly thankful for............ my caring soul
I am truly thankful for............ my helpful hands
I am truly thankful for............ my inquisitive mind
I am truly thankful for............. my ready smile
I am truly thankful for............. my joyful laugh
I am truly thankful for............. my wise words
I am truly thankful for............. my creative streak
I am truly thankful for............. my patient demeanour
I am truly thankful for............. my easy-going nature

........but most of all....I am truly, truly grateful for the family, friends, authors, lyricists, lovers, intellectuals, strangers and angels who have touched my life and made me the person I am today......and because of that.....my life is full of the most incredible friends.....like you!

Thank you
Kathi

.....hoofbeats in heaven!

Somewhere...somewhere in time's own space
There must be some sweet pastured place
Where creeks sing on and tall trees grow
Some Paradise where horses go.
For by the love that guides my pen
I know great horses live again.

Stanley Harrison

Today my precious horses went to heaven. My heart is aching, but it had to be done....I knew it had to be done and I thank my sister-in-law with all my heart for having the strength to be there with them at the time.

I will embrace my precious memories and I know that I will ultimately, find peace in truly knowing that my horses live on as long as I carry them in my heart.

No matter what our individual idea of heaven may be, I know that my horses' spirit will never die. Every time I listen to my heart - there it will be - that sound that keeps my horses close and can bring peace to my soul - that glorious sound of hoofbeats in heaven!!

Kathi

....aaaah my angels!

“When angels visit us, we do not hear the rustle of wings, nor feel the feathery touch of the breast of a dove; but we know their presence by the love they create in our hearts.”

I had an amazing day today! I spent some special time with an old friend....it was the anniversary of her husband's death and she lit a candle and we sat quietly and chatted over tea. Our conversation flowed along and ever so gently turned to heavenly things...before I knew it, she fetched her 'Angel' cards and decided to do a reading for me.

Some of the themes that clearly emerged were love and passion, soulmates, learning and teaching, financial freedom and miracles about to occur. Such wonderful, positive blessings from my angels....a clear path showing direction, so much good to look forward to.

Thank you my angels....

.....the butterfly effect!

...it has been said that something as small as the flutter of a butterfly's wing can ultimately cause a typhoon halfway around the world. This idea that as a result of something somewhat small and meaningless, chaos ensues, is not new. The ripple effect of someone's senseless action has been amazing to watch. The lives that have been changed, hurt, thrown off course and dramatically affected forever are numerous. I wonder if she would ever have done what she did if she had known the consequences......but she did! I am sad, so sad for my family especially and if I can be so selfish as to say this...I am sad for me, because my life has changed along with theirs too.
I hope soon to see the 'yes in this mess' but I so wish that that butterfly had never flapped its wings!

Kathi

.....love?

......yes, that's so true. Scientific research has proved what we always suspected about the amazing, misunderstood, euphoric effects of love.

Here is an extract from Paulo Coelho's blog:

"In the year 2000, researchers Andreas Bartels and Semir Zeki, of University College in London, located the areas of the brain activated by romantic love by using a series of students who claimed to be madly in love. In the first place, they concluded that the zones affected by the sentiment are far smaller than they had imagined, and are the same as those activated by stimuli of euphoria, such as in using cocaine, for example. Which led the authors to conclude that love is similar to the manifestation of physical dependence provoked by drugs.
Also using the same system of scanning the brain, scientist Helen Fisher, of Rutgers University, concludes that three characteristics of love (sex, romanticism and mutual dependence) stimulate different areas of the cortex, and further conclude that we can be in love with one person, want to make love to another, and live with a third."

So I am in love with love...

Kathi

.....you should be here!

Kathi

.....music is what feelings sound like!

...aaah yes indeed, music IS what feelings sound like!

I was given the honour.....yes it was an honour, to choose three songs for a memorial service for a loved one next week. I had to listen through someone else's ears to find just the right three songs that would express exactly how my friend was feeling about the tragic loss of his wife.

The task was accepted by me because I knew that he did not have the time, energy or emotional strength to face this challenge....and I was so glad that I could help in this small way.

I spent hours and hours on the internet searching, listening, relistening and listening again to the tunes and words to make sure that none of them were offensive or derogatory in any way and that the songs spoke the message he wished to share.

After compiling a list of 10 songs, I then had to buy, download and search music stores for clear originals.....what a mission!

Last night I presented the songs to him to listen to and choose. So he disappeared into his private space....just him and the music.

A good while later he emerged to inform me that he no longer wanted three songs......I held my breath thinking that I had failed in my mission. No, he was going to change the service to accomodate them all!

"You see," he said, "every one of those songs you chose, exactly expressed my feelings!"

"Where words fail, music speaks" ~ Rest in peace!

Kathi

....living for the weekend

....plenty more weekends to come folks, enjoy!!!

Kathi

.....hug me!!

...we all deserve, need, want and thrive on physical attention and there's nothing better than a hug!

Do me a favour...go and give someone a great, big, warm and unconditional hug today.....even if they are prickly about it!

Kathi

.....you hoo!

Kathi

....white rabbits!!

....."White rabbits!"

One of the traditions that my mother had when I was a child was to come into our bedrooms early in the morning on the first day of a new month and shout, "WHITE RABBITS!", to which we immediately had to shout back, "WHITE RABBITS!". By it being the first words that we said on the first day of the month, it was supposed to bring us good luck! Did any of you do the same thing, or do you still?

My aunt sometimes texts me on the first day of the month with "WHITE RABBITS!" but it doesn't always get to me on time.

When I think about it now, maybe that was why I had such a happy, lucky childhood!

Try it next month and tell me if it works!

Kathi

....comes the dawn

....I found this today on an old blog post of mine and I thought it was definitely worth sharing with you all again...

Comes the dawn

After a while you learn the subtle difference
between holding a hand and chaining a soul
And you learn that love doesn't mean leaning
and company doesn't always mean security
And you begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts
and presents aren't promises
And you begin to accept your defeats
with your head up and your eyes ahead
with the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child
And you learn to build all your roads on today
because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans
and futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight.
After a while you learn that even sunshine burns
if you get too much.
So you plant your own garden and decorate your own soul
instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.
And you learn that you really can endure
that you really are strong
and you really do have worth
And you learn and you learn
with every goodbye you learn...

1971 by Veronica A. Shoffstall

Kathi

....I am only one!

....go out today and make a difference, it doesn't matter how small!

Make a call to a friend, visit someone who is lonely, send a loving text, bake a cake for your staff, buy flowers for your daughter, hug your son.....tell someone that you LOVE them.

We can't all do something that will change the world but we can do something to make someone feel loved and happy today.....that alone can change the world, it really can!!

Kathi

.....those that are far!

Don't you just love Winnie-the-Pooh? Perfect!!

Today I have a had a few calls, mails and texts from afar.....from people, friends and family that I just LOVE!
No matter how far apart we are, we are right in each other's hearts and that makes me feel so warm and comforted.
Everything in life can change in a split second......make contact with those you love today....yes, right now!!!

Keep those that are far closer....forever!

Kathi

.....take time to heal!

....there are quite a few people in my life, including myself, who need to heal after suffering huge loss. This message is for us all...... I hope it provides some strength as we go about putting the bits and pieces of our broken lives together and we slowly but surely get used to a "new normal". The key is not to rush the process....remember, little steps Kathi, little steps!

Kathi

....little moments!

....I'm a big one for little things!

A :-) text in the early hours of the morning; the right song at the right time on the radio on your daily commute; a warm cup of tea placed beside you unexpectedly; a sudden thunderstorm on a hot, dry day; an e-mail that says little but says a thousand words; a kiss on the neck from behind you as you work; a smile from a stranger in a supermarket shopping queue; an unexpected invitation to tea, a movie or a walk on the beach; a shared memory; a knowing glance......yes, it is the little things that make life worth living.

Kathi

.....in a hole?

....no I'm not in trouble! I just love this cartoon drawn by a special friend.....sound advice which we so often forget... and we land up getting deeper and deeper in the *&%@ !!

My hole lately has been a deep, dark sad one.....but today I stopped digging while I can still see the light!

Happy weekend everyone!

Kathi

.....how to be happy!!

....with so much sadness surrounding me at the moment, I thought it might be a good idea to look at a list of simple things that can add a little happiness to my day....and yours!

Kathi

.....without you

......I’m a space bound rocketship and your heart's the moon
And I’m aiming right at you, right at you
250 thousand miles on a clear night in June
And I’m so lost without you, without you, without you

(Eminem)

Kathi

......12 RULES TO LIVE BY

12 RULES TO LIVE BY

Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)

~ Make up your mind to be happy. Learn to find pleasure in simple things.
~ Make the best of circumstances. No one has everything and everyone has something of sorrow.
~ Don't take yourself too seriously.
~ Don't let criticism worry you. You can't please everybody.
~ Don't let your neighbors set your standards; be yourself.
~ Do things you enjoy doing but stay out of debt.
~ Don't borrow trouble. Imaginary things are harder to bear than actual ones.
~ Since hate poisons the soul, do not cherish enmities and grudges. Avoid people who make you unhappy.
~ Have many interests. If you can't travel, read about places.
~ Don't hold post-mortems or spend time brooding over sorrows and mistakes.
~ Do what you can for those less fortunate than yourself.
~ Keep busy at something. A very busy person never has time to be unhappy.

Kathi

......are you happy?

.....talk about a roller coaster.....my life has been just like one of those rides where ecstacy and fear .....and quite a large dash of heartache, alternate while journeying through the up and downs of everyday life. Despite what I have faced in the last few days, I am following the "happy" path and I am going to stick to it! No matter what life throws at me....I know I am blessed!!!

Kathi

.....I deserve this!

.....today is one of those 'kick off your shoes, relax, watch anything on TV that you damn well want to and stuff your face with junk food' days.....and I deserve it!

Tomorrow I will kick into gear and get on with my plans for an amazing week!

Enjoy your Sunday too....whatever you do!

Kathi

.....I heard the owl call her name!

....my friend made this for me. My friend Jowilna cared enough for me to make this beautiful card and post it on her blog for me....

.....you see, my longed for quiet weekend in the bush ended suddenly and sadly when my Mom passed away peacefully on Sunday evening. I wasn't there....I wasn't there, instead I was a thousand miles away sitting around a huge hardekool fire with friends, watching the flames spring high into the air....watching the sparks shoot heavenward, looking up at the stars and waiting for the moon to rise and listening to the haunting sound of the scops owl calling and calling close by.
I knew my Mom was preparing to leave, preparing to go to place where the rest and peace she deserved awaited....and when it happened, I actually knew it had happened.... the fire warmed me, my friends comforted me and the tears I shed were both of pain and joy.

Rest in peace sweet, sweet Mom

Kathi

....bushveld beauty

....it's a long weekend and I am off to the bush for a little R & R. This past week I have been very sick and very sad...but this too shall pass! My little house on the hill surrounded by unspoiled African bush is the perfect place to heal. Some wonderful friends, a few good bottles of red wine and an opportunity to cuddle our two orphaned rhino babies......and you'll see, I will be a new person next week!

If you have a long weekend too, enjoy and let me know what you are up to!

Kathi

.....procrastination!

......procrastination...oh my gosh, I am without doubt the leading contender for the "Procrastination Lifetime Achiever" award. What is it that just stops me in my tracks and prevents me from getting the things done that need to be done? I know my life would be better, run more smoothly, be less stressful if I just stopped putting off and putting off all the tasks that overwhelm me.

This year has probably been my worst year where this is concerned, and all it has done is land me in a lot of hot water!

So....I will ignore the above poster and make a list...yes, that's a good start....make a list and start ticking off...baby steps Kathi, baby steps!

Procrastination...you will be beaten!!

Kathi

....gardens are a form of autobiography ~ Sydney Eddison

....I just love this quirky, clever way of combining two of my passions.....plants and books!

I would definitely not be quite as nice a person as I think I am, if I didn't have my books to read every night (and on some lazy days) and my garden to wander through in the afternoon. One to transport me to different worlds and times, and the other to keep me grounded.

Roll on Spring, when this dusty, dry Highveld landscape can be painted with a myriad shades of green and fresh, new books can be enjoyed in the shade of the beautiful trees.

Kathi

...the moon

....I am seriously in love with the moon....to be more specific, the full moon. It was full moon two nights ago and although it wasn't up when I went to bed....it was there true and steadfast, shining through my window when I woke up in the early hours of the morning!

I use full moons to count down to the annual visit of an exceptional friend and very, very special person in my life....and amazingly ....next full moon he will be here!! My heart leaps with joy at the thought. I never let a month go by without reminding him that it is full moon. It's just my special thing!

Probably the most beautiful full moons that I have experienced have been in the African bush. Often I would spend time alone at my beautiful lodge on top of a hill and I would then drag a mattress outdoors and lie on my back staring at the moon whilst listening to the incredible night sounds surrounding me. If I fell asleep there...all the better! That was my solace at an extremely difficult time in my life. If I felt betrayed and hurt...I knew the moon would always be there, full and bright, like a loyal friend, once a month and would never let me down.

What simple things in life bring you comfort and joy?

Kathi

....remember

Kathi

.....life is like riding a bicycle.

....I have always loved this quote. I especially like the way it is illustrated here too! I am going to be pedalling away today to keep my life on track and balanced.....hopefully. How about you?

Kathi

.....happiness!

......yes, the happiness you are searching for might be right there under your nose. Have a good look around today!

Kathi

....be creative!

..... I had a wonderful, unexpected gift today. My friend Di invited me to a Mandala workshop hosted by an absolutely amazing art teacher, Carolyn.

I spend a lot of my time doing creative things, but I don't often get the opportunity to be 'taught' new things and to interact with like minded, creative souls.

I arrived at Carolyn's studio knowing exactly what a Mandala was, but I had no idea about the interesting twist she was going to apply to this exercise.

For those of you who don't know,

man·dala (mun′də lə)
noun
a circular design containing concentric geometric forms, images of deities, etc. and symbolizing the universe, totality, or wholeness in Hinduism and Buddhism. Often used in therapy.
Origin: Sans maṇḍala, is a Sanskrit word that means "circle"

Over the next 4 hours we followed a carefully crafted method which led to us creating the most beautiful and intricate circular works of art........each one totally unique but clearly reflecting the personalities of the creators.

I am used to Mandalas being painted or coloured in brilliant hues, but ours remained white and the patterns we created were lovingly and patiently outlined or filled in with a varying sizes of holes pricked through the paper with pins, screws, nails, paper piercers and even screwdrivers.

The end result was a phenomenal snowflake, doily effect when held up against the light.....unexpectedly beautiful and the whole process was so very soothing for the soul.

Photo to follow

Kathi

.......what puts a smile on your face?

......I posed this question to the four classes of 7 year olds that I taught today. I had read them a simple story about a tiger who goes in search of his smile which he has lost. His journey takes him through forests and oceans and across mountains...and leads to him walking and dancing in the rain. Eventually when he sees his reflection in a puddle after a rain storm, he realises that all these wonderfully simple things in life had put a smile on his face....aaaaaw!!

The 7 year olds' answers were interesting. One group got quite stuck on the theme of PSP games, new Wii machines, presents, Christmas and all things materialistic making them happy but others shared that brothers and sisters playing with them, Dad coming home at night or after being away for a long time, baking with Mom or tickling their little baby put a smile on their faces....and that warmed my heart!

To be honest.....listening to and sharing with these delightful little human beings, certainly put a huge smile on my face today.....and it's still there.

What makes you smile?

Kathi

....if you always do what interests you

.....I think that you can tell an awful lot about a person by looking at the things that interest them. Mine are simple..........anything creative, artistic, humanitarian....anything involving words, love, the internet.....anything that my family is involved in..........nature, outdoors.......friends and loved ones, food and fun....is that enough?

I will tell you more about these as time goes on......but in the mean time let me just say...I "always do what interests" me and I am well pleased.

Kathi

.....sometimes!

....sometimes there is no next time, no time outs, no second chance. Sometimes, it's now or never ~Unknown

I came across this quote today and it was instrumental in me deciding to start blogging again.

Not blogging to inform clients about what was happening in my store or what to bring to class, or what specials were on offer, or who was guest teaching during the next month......but instead that selfish kinda, "all about me" blog.

You might think that my life isn't exciting enough to to be put out there for all to see....but I think it is.....so here goes............it's now or never.

Kathi