I LOVE this picture, every time I look at it I just go "ahhhhhhh" and I can feel myself wanting to lay down in my yard and let myself sink into my Mother's bosom...and right now, in the dead of a Cleveland Winter (if you live here you know it demands a capital "W")...I really could use a good Earthly Momma's Hug.
I haven't posted since my surgery in August and back then I had mentioned the roller coaster ride of Life I had been on, in fact just about everyone I know had a wild-ass ride in 2009. I've been itching to start posting again but couldn't seem to find my starter thread, then this morning I came across a comment posted way back in July by April and I was so deeply touched. Thank you April, for your comment, you have no idea how much it meant to me. You are the first stranger to post a comment and I was blown away by what you had to say. My family and friends have posted comments before and I'm touched by what they have to say, but they are my family and friends so their opinion of my postings are a tad biased, but to hear how my writing has touched a complete stranger, well, it lit a fire in my heart and I am honored to have such an effect on a person whom I have never met.
April commented on my "Like an onion" posting and wondered how things were going for me since then and it's the perfect thread and one I was trying to pull at all along to get this blog started up again.....but first, a tiny side trip....in that blog I talked about cutting my hair and letting it go gray and April wanted to know if I would post "before and after" pictures.....so here they are, along with an update on the "peeling" process.......
Me, before the "peeling" began, Fall 2008.....(sorry, couldn't find a larger pic)...
Me, last spring, after all the color and curls were cut off.....
I was so proud of myself when I cut all the color off, as you can tell by my saucy little pose above, but as time went by I realized how washed out the gray made me look, so I opted on the side of vanity and had it colored for my wedding
....(I don't regret my vain moment, love how my pictures turned out...but now we're back to the health debate, especially now in my life, over whether I should keep coloring or not.....I'm leaning, again, towards being the brave, sassy silver haired wench....)Yes, the Wedding finally happened!...Jeff and I both laugh now as we look back and agree that it seemed to take SO long to get here and now it's been 3 months already and it seems like yesterday.......the wedding was BEAUTIFUL, the day was gorgeous, it had rained ALL week and was supposed to rain that day, but the Goddess loves me, so She provided a beautiful, cool fall day for us...
We have survived this past year and all it's dramas and have come out closer and happier and more in Love with each other BECAUSE of it......
As the New Year begins I have been aching to pick up where I left off last spring with the Peeling Process...despite all the drama and detours in the last year, the Goddess is quite determined to keep me pointed in this direction and I am more than happy to follow Her lead...
In the middle of the graduation and all three weddings I became very ill, found out I had a malignant tumor in my bladder (explains three years worth of constant UTI's and lower back pain). I had it removed in August (my last post) and have come through beautifully. Because of the tumor and the subsequent post op infections I took my diet changes even further and became a Vegan...(very interesting, creative challenge in a house full of "meatatarians" who all make faces at my food...but they are being extremely supportive of my decision for ME...as long as I don't make any of them eat "that stuff"...lol)
I was DONE being sick!!!!
I am determined to purge my body of whatever junk I can, so I can know that I did MY part to cleanse my body from the inside, at least.
There are always things that happen that are beyond our control, but I am a firm believer in doing all you can on your own behalf to make things better...whether it be your health, your job, your finances, your life.....YOU are responsible for your own happiness and well being, NOBODY and NOTHING else can make you happier or healthier, if you don't start with yourself first!
For the New Year my whole being has gravitated towards the word "Simple".....I am exhausted from the past year and want to slow down my life, considerably and that is my goal for this year, my "word" for the year...I want simplify my life, less drama, less stress, less STUFF...I'm going to spend the next year simplifying, purging, cleansing, clearing, opening, renewing, re breathing, restarting the peeling process...
Last spring I invoked Oya, the Goddess of Storms....She blows Chaos into your life so that it may blow away the crap and expose the hidden garden lying underneath the dead weight in your life......and boy did she give it to me.......yep, She is a Powerful Bitch Goddess and I love her.....I am not sorry, at all, that I asked Her to work in my life....it's been quite a "storm" this past year, but now that particular "storm" is over and the sky is clearing, I'm going to go out into my Life and see what new growth has been brought into my life...Oya brought to my attention a whole lot of "dead weight" that was cluttering, choking my life and I am working at clearing away all that dead weight so that the new growth, the new things, new people, new mindsets, new opportunities will have a place to grow and flourish in my life.......
Let the Peeling Process begin....again......
Blessed Be.
