Yesterday, I attended a volunteer tea at my daughter’s elementary school. It was the last chance since she will graduate sixth grade next week. I’d been once before and skipped a few years. However, this time, I wanted to savor the last invitation. It was a journey down memory lane: a very emotional one. I knew practically none of the mothers or kids as they were  younger than I or my daughters. Even the faces of many of the teachers have changed in the nine years we’ve part of this warm and…See More

Active obedience: those were the words that latched onto my heart and brain from Sunday’s message during worship. Our minister was talking about the Quaker testimony of peace and a Revolutionary-War era Quaker who, as a merchant, received a supply of muskets with bayonets attached as payment. He removed the bayonets, stored them, and sold the guns for hunting. When asked to sell them for the war effort, he deliberated and, finally, threw them into the sea. He was called to testify as to his…See More

Last night was magical. I danced home knowing that this is where I belong, what I should be doing and who I am."I am."Understanding I am was the theme of last night's Turtlebox Stories nurture group, our last of 16 sessions which we began in October. Yet it was also a beginning; this wonderful, rich, loyal and giving group helped initiate my new space. I could not have asked for a better gift. They waited through the fits and starts of me actually getting this space to hold our last formal…See More

Bullying carries a lot of weight these days; it's weighing heavily on me. More so on my youngest. The situation is not overt, more under the radar, which makes it more difficult terrain. I keep asking myself if what she describes and I have observed firsthand is, indeed, bullying. It borders more on stalking. I am not talking violence or verbal threats, but, rather, insinuations and quiet intimidation.Several people whom I respect and have dealt with this issue suggest I start a paper trail…See More

 So, what, really, is coincidence and what is Divine intervention? I am beginning to think there is no coincidence.  As you know, I moved into my new studio last week. Thursday, to be exact. I spent the next few days settling in and getting acquainted with my new environment -- it's pretty interesting with 15 empty classrooms. I am not getting too comfortable as I expect to be moving…See More

My garage studioSo, I went out to my garage studio to see what few things I could organize to take to my new studio. It was a pretty easy decision since my permanent space won't be ready for a few weeks. Just taking the basics. I had a little picking up to do and then thought I'd sort through my pastels, box them up and pack them for the new digs. That's when it hit: the reality…See More

In some reflective journaling this morning, I came up with a new equation:ENERGY = TRUST Instantly, I sensed this also as TRUTH for me: pivotal, essential and wisdom pared to the core. Right now I'm just letting it sink in and experiencing a deep response outside of my brain. It's a cellular message. In my body, that's what I need to truly understand something, then it can trickle up to my brain. Doesn't work for me the other way around or, if it does, it takes years. This message has been…See More

Ever noticed the difference a smile or venturing to say hello can make? Plenty, in my experience. Take, for example, the Chinese woman who swims next to me Tuesdays and Thursdays. If I don’t say it first, she insists on offering a huge greeting each and every time we encounter one another. It wasn’t always so. I’d heard other swimmers complain that, when forced to share a lane with her, she created heavy waves and took up too much room. They hinted that, perhaps, she didn’t understand our rules…See More

MESS/paint and pastel on paper  WEDNESDAY: A transparent mess, that's what I told my shamanic counselor I was. He laughed, said no way, but that he liked the phrase so much he may borrow it. It's on his table and in his care that I feel that I can show up being that mess and not pretend anything else. It's as if my skin is clear, like a sausage casing, and everything inside is…See More

SORTING/Pastel on paper Listen to this post: http://www.turtleboxstories.com/audio/heartofcompassion.mp3Over the weekend,  I was clearing out my desk and preparing to move into new studio space. One of this things I can do while waiting ... for a move-in date and better insurance quotes. I was able to pitch and…See More

Listen to this post: http://www.turtleboxstories.com/audio/notbursting.mp3Yesterday's post would have been about bliss, being fully present and acutely aware of  other dimensions. Today has been overtaken by my absolutely least-favorite topic: insurance. The idea of buying something you hope you never need has always ruffled me. I had thought it would be a minor detail in renting a studio in the re-purposed school in my…See More

Listen to this post: http://www.turtleboxstories.com/audio/recentlystamped.mp3INNER CHILD/pastel & paint on paperMy memory keeps tracing and focusing on the delicate, detailed ears; miniature, but perfect, finger nails; the compact child's crouch; the huge, fluidly expressive brown eyes; doll-like diaper; and…See More

Listen to this post: http://www.turtleboxstories.com/audio/whisperingwords.mp3 "The price of recognizing Jesus is always the same: our idea of him, of the church, of the spiritual journey, of God himself has to be shattered.*" There seems to be no escaping this quote from yesterday's Thomas Keating reading. In sitting with it 24 hours, the scales are slowly falling away as some tangible comprehension becomes visible. On a…See More