Monday Mindfulness ~ love and be loved

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn
Is just to love and be loved in return."
— Eden Ahbez, "Nature Boy" (1947 song)

Sunday Salon ~ new baby, quilt, and books

Now I have a photo of Shelby, my newest great-granddaughter, who was born December 13th.  I told you about her last week in my double birthday post.

And her big brother Jaxon, age three, is ready for Christmas.

Raegan, my four-year-old great-granddaughter, was in a children's Christmas program this week.  She's third from the right, the one in pink.  (Click to enlarge any of these photos.)

QUILT

I already got a Christmas gift.  On Wednesday evening, my daughter Sandra made potato soup for us and gave me something very special.  Here I am holding it.

In the second photo, I'm showing the backing with the label Sandra added:

"Coming Full Circle"

Made for my mom, Bonnie Jacobs,

while remembering the quilt she gave to me

at my high school graduation in 1978,

by Sandra H____

Merry Christmas 2013

The quilt I gave her 35 years ago is still on her bed, still being used.

BOOKS

I've completed one book for my reading challenge:  Evolving in Monkey Town: How a Girl Who Knew All the Answers Learned to Ask the Questions is a memoir by Rachel Held Evans (2010).  I rate it 9 of 10, an excellent book.  You can see the thoughts my online book club has had about the book, as we discussed it during November and December.

Currently reading:  Whistling in the Dark: A Doubter's Dictionary by Frederick Buechner (1993).

P.S.

Today is my maternal grandmother's birthday.  Inez Geneva Underwood Reynolds (1880-1943) was born 133 years ago on this day.

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Twinkle tree

This is a mystery worthy of a Christmas book or something.  Yesterday, Helen @ Helen's Book Blog posted about the holiday things she's doing and included this photo of their tree.  It twinkles!  She has no idea why, so I decided to try it myself.  Yup, it is still twinkling, even after its virtual trip through the ether from California to Tennessee.  Christmas is a magical time of year.  Enjoy Helen's tree, and notice the reflection is also twinkling.

Speaking of Christmas — am I reading a Christmas book?  No, are you?

Monday Mindfulness ~ breathe in, breathe out

When we take the time to pay attention to our breath, we are alive in the moment.  So take a deep breath, and begin.

exhale ~ worry
inhale ~ peace
exhale ~ release tension
inhale ~ accept tranquility
exhale ~ fear
inhale ~ courage
exhale ~ anger
inhale ~ love
exhale ~ sadness
inhale ~ joy

Now think of exhaling as releasing negative things, and inhaling as receiving and accepting positive things.  Take in the good, and release what harms you.  Goodbye ... worry, tension, fear, anger, sadness.  Hello ... peace, tranquility, courage, love, joy.

Sunday Salon ~ double birthday edition

BIRTHDAY(S)

Friday the 13th was my great-grandson Jaxon's third birthday, and his folks had a party scheduled for him at 5:00 pm.   Early in the day, his mom suggested they party NOW.  Good idea, since Jaxon's baby sister was born at 4:41 pm, weighing in at 6 pounds and 18.5 inches long.  The siblings now share a birthday.  This is the only photo I have, so far, of Shelby Leonora.  It was taken four months ago.  Can you tell that I'm grinning?

BOOKISH STUFF

Book I want to buy

What Changes Everything ~ by Masha Hamilton, 2013, fiction (Afghanistan)

A Brooklyn street artist, an Ohio bookstore owner, a Houston nurse, a New York scholar:  Masha Hamilton braids together stories of Americans far from the front line whose lives are irretrievably changed by our country’s longest-running conflict and explores the grace of human connections in a world often too harsh and dangerous to face alone.

Just finished

The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls ~ by Anton Disclafani, 2013, fiction (North Carolina), 6/10
"Just a girl on a horse, like so many other girls" (p. 388, closing lines).

Reading challenge

I chose seven books to read by January 31st when I joined the New Year's Resolution Reading Challenge 2014.  See the list of books here.

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New Year's Resolution Reading Challenge 2014

Joy Weese Moll @ Joy's Book Blog has a new reading challenge.

THE RULES

What do you want to accomplish in the New Year?  Will reading a book help you reach your goal, keep your resolution, or complete your project?  The New Year’s Resolution Reading Challenge starts now and goes through the end of January.  Start the year off right by reading books that support your goals, resolutions, and projects.

Whether you want to write a novel, start a new career, or be happier, there are books to aid you in your quest.  The New Year’s Resolution Reading Challenge is to read one to four books that will stimulate action on your goals.  Here are the levels:

Resolved:  1 book
Determined:  2 books
Committed:  3 books
Passionate:  4 books

The books can all support the same resolution — you could read four books on getting organized, for example.  Or, read four books to help with four different projects — one book on moving to a foreign country, one book on health and fitness, one book on small business, and one book on knitting (on your way to becoming a healthy expat entrepreneur with great scarves). Stay tuned for information on upcoming Twitter chats and our New Year Read-Along book. This link is for sign-ups only.  Each Wednesday through January, there will be a link list for posts about your New Year Reading and your book reviews.

MY GOALS

This year, I'm working on several things, so I have lots of books that would fit this challenge.  Between now and the end of January, there are exactly seven weeks.  So my goal is to go beyond resolved, determined, committed, and passionate, all the way to "ridiculously addicted."  I want to read five to seven books, seven being — of course — the number I hope to achieve.  Here are my book choices (which may change) and the resolution each supports.  When I finish a book, I'll come back here and link the title to my review on this blog.

Resolved:  1st book (Dec. 14-20)

Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth ~ by Reza Aslan, 2013, biography.

Why?  Because I'll be teaching a class that's studying this book, I need to read it.  This is probably the book I'll start with.

Determined:  2nd book (Dec. 21-27)

Knocking on Heaven's Door: The Path to a Better Way of Death ~ by Katy Butler, 2013, memoir, 9/10

Why?  One of my dearest friends is dying.  She is not expected to live to the end of this month.  I'm reading this one for me, as I sort out feelings about death and dying.

Committed:  3rd book (Dec. 28-Jan. 3)

Evolving in Monkey Town: How a Girl Who Knew All the Answers Learned to Ask the Questions ~ by Rachel Held Evans, 2010, memoir, 9/10

Why?  I'm hosting an online book club at Book Buddies, and this is the book we are currently discussing.

Passionate:  4th book (Jan. 4-10)

Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers ~ by Anne Lamott, 2012, religion.

Why?  I'm writing a book on prayer, and I want to see what Anne Lamott considers the three essential prayers.

Ardent:  5th book (Jan. 11-17)

Whistling in the Dark: A Doubter's Dictionary ~ by Frederick Buechner, 1993, religion, 8/10

Why?  I have a word blog, and this is a different kind of dictionary.  I expect to find words that are interesting enough to write about.  One word I noticed is "funeral," which is on my mind right now (see 2nd book).

Fervent:  6th book (Jan. 18-24)

America's Women: Four Hundred Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates, and Heroines ~ by Gail Collins, 2003, history.

Why?  I'm also writing a book about Women Unbound, and this book covers 400 years in America.

Ridiculously addicted:  7th book  (Jan. 25-31)

Embracing the Human Jesus: A Wisdom Path for Contemporary Christianity ~ by David Galston, 2012, religion.

Why?  This is the book my face-to-face group will be studying next.  There are so few of us that each of us must read and take notes to keep our discussion going.

Consider this ~ meditate on it

"My finger points to the moon,

but my finger is not the moon."

— the Buddha