The Great Peacemaker

  In my lifetime, I shall step out into the sunshine, walk with firm feet. 

 

Man's goodness is flame that can be hidden but never extinguished. 

As I have said, the first thing is to be honest with yourself.  You can never have an impact on society if you have not changed yourself... Great peacemakers are all people of integrity, of honesty, and humility. 

Our human compassion binds us the one to the other -- not in pity or patronizingly, but as human beings who have learnt how to turn our common suffering into hope for the future.

I always knew that deep down in every human heart, there is mercy and generosity.  No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion.  People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than the opposite.

Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity  it is an act of justice. Poverty is not an accident.  Like slavery and apartheid, it is man-made and can be removed by the actions of human beings.

I have walked that long road to freedom.  I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way.  But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.  I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come.  But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not ended. 

I am not an optimist, but a great believer of hope.

Farewell, Madiba.  And thank you. 

Perfect Little Combinations

              

These are the perfect little combinations that are currently making my November/Thanksgiving holiday/pre Christmas season just my very own little piece of perfect.

• My boy, a glass of Bailey's, and building a coffee table.
• A Thanksgiving playlist.
• Nighttime snow walks. 
• Gluten free Pumpkin Sage Mac 'n Cheese
• New lippy & nail colour
• New art for my house, two made drawn by my 6 year old nephew
• Non stop dancing to this song in our house
• Wool socks that don't itch
• Planning secrets for hubby's birthday (birthdays are 1000x more fun when you're celebrating your hunky best friend)

 My heart is brimming; I have much to be thankful for.

2013 Thanksgiving Playlist

I've been diving deep into these :

The Civil Wars - by the Civil Wars (2013 album)
Paradise Valley - by John Mayer
All the Little Lights -  Passenger
Heartbeats EP - by Johnnyswim
Bon Iver -  by Bon Iver

Be A Kind Human

I walked her back and showed her the chair to sit in.  She wheezed and puffed, pulling along an oxygen tank.  Her teeth were mostly rotten, saliva collected in the corners of rashy lips.  She showed me her hurting tooth and breathed heavily in my face.  I listened, holding my breath behind a smile.
I sat behind her wishing for fresh air, wishing she would leave.

You say you love the broken and dirty, then why are you getting so uncomfortable? 

In that moment I failed to be the person I want to be and choose to be.
Even if you never knew it, Darlene, I'm sorry for being so unkind.

{Handmade print by Clementine & Fig}

Taking Stock

 

Making : a thick, bubbly knitted scarf for my husband. (it's his first Alaskan winter) my dad saw it and asked if I was making a horse blanket (it's a large scarf).
Cooking : gluten free pumpkin sage mac & cheese twice in one week.  it's dangerously tasty.
Drinking : Jasmine Green Tea
Reading: a whole stack of books at once, but two I'm reading with the hubs- Roald Dahl's The Twits and Into 
Thin Air 
Wanting: a massage
Looking: at the mix of shadow and light on the objects around me.  it's hard to photograph them properly.
Playing: air guitar in the car to my hubs. we rock out hard.
Wasting: asparagus.  somehow if it's not cooked within two days of buying it, it feels forgotten and dies a horrid, stinky death.
Sewing: pillows for my sofa out of bright, interesting fabrics
Wishing: I worked from home or in my own studio.
Enjoying: Take Care by Beach House
Liking: my husband. no one could ever love me better or make life as fun.
Wondering: why I can't have a freakishly fast metabolism like David
Loving: the word 'nidulation' (meaning: nesting or nest making)
Marvelling: at how quickly time goes.  it's true what they say about growing up and wishing you could enjoy what was once routine...   man, I miss those mandatory afternoon naps.
Needing: more creativity in my life.
Smelling: my favourite candle, Osaka cherry blossom.  it was the only candle we ever had in our first house and will forever be the scent of 'home'.
Wearing: sweats and a tshirt.  love when best friends come over for dinner and it's ok to entertain wearing sweats and a tshirt. best friends are so comfortable.
Noticing: that my eyes tear up when ever I compliment someone else.  how ridiculous is that?!
Knowing: that I am an awkward person and learning that it is okay.
Bookmarking: cameras and camera equipment in hopes that he'll take a hint, somehow inherit some money, and buy it all up for me
Opening: 3 bottles of 3 different types of wine.  my friend is learning all about wines and is teaching us how to be more sophisticated and wine savvy.  we had one before dinner, one with dinner, and one after dinner... you can't get any classier than that.
Giggling: at my husband who is currently sitting on one end of the sofa speaking in a shockingly excellent Gollum voice. 'Stupid fat hobbitses.'
Feeling: content, sleepy, and quite blessed

Taking Stock post idea was taken from Pip's blog.

The Collection