For those of you who haven't met my creative assistant, this is Kitty Cleo. We are spending quality time this morning as I expand on my journal practice by putting the pen down for a moment and listening to the experience of others who are light years ahead of me. Although I have very specific reasons that I journal, it is always insightful to listen to what others have to offer. After all, we are all in this to help one another, right? RIGHT? Friday mornings are precious. Time is what I spend on me. Growing, learning, stretching my mind, and connecting with others (Like you, for example) for the purpose of renewal after the work week. Cleo joined me this morning, as she often does, as if to spend the time, on purpose. I Love That about her. The gratitude in this furry little feline face is not lost on me. I hope it is a reflection of what she sees and feels.  I feel her draw it out of me. She knows when I seem to need her and appreciate her the most. 

Her assistance only lasted a few precious minutes. My off day equals 'porch-outside day' for her. The minute the sun came up she got quite persistant about the sliding glass door being open. I find I am more creative when I spend my time being thankful. Helping me in that way, her kittly creative assistance is priceless. Her mission accomplished.

I snapped this photo in the beginning preparations of our hot air balloon ride. As I was downloading it this morning, it looked very similar to the appearance at the end as we packed up the balloon for it's next flight. I have this flood of thoughts about how many things begin and end almost the same. What changes is what happens between them. Very much like the story of the Dash, that small punctuation symbol between the year you born and the year life .... Here is where my perspective is challenged. Now that I have gone up in the basket, blown by the fields, trees, homes and scenery, and safely returned to terra firma, I have personal knowledge of the experience. Checked off my bucket list. Next!
Wait just a minute. Thank you Tom and Jessica from American Balloon Rides in Land O'Lakes, who run an amazing company that provides such a great experience. Thank you Casey the great balloon catcher, who, as a crew member, gave me every confidence that all was well. Thank you, Lord, for the beautiful weather that allowed us to get up, up, and away. Thank you for the fellow rider who represented commitment; who flew on the 21st time that he had reserved. The previous 20 had to be cancelled due to uncooperative weather. Thank you to the young parachute/sky dive enthusiast who demonstrated passion to the point I have no doubt he will be certified to fly a balloon one day.Thank you for new friends. Thank you for a day I will not forget.
Ok. Check.

I took this photo of the towel elephant from our recent cruise. I can't decide if it is coming or going. I have seen this before, but this one is a bit unusual. As a hospitality professional, I expect we are either amazed (as I am!) or are unimpressed. For all of the many details that I know the room attendants are responsible for, they SLOW DOWN and create something beautiful JUST FOR YOU. It begs me to mention that we should SLOW DOWN and notice the things that people do JUST FOR YOU!

And the coming or going aspect of this elephant is not lost on me either. That's what we do when we cruise. This morning, it occurs to me that this is just life, in general. Yesterday, I didn't notice that is was all a matter of 'comings' and 'goings'. Cruising has 'approach and arrival' down to a serious art form. I just found out there is a movie by the same name. There is a definition for this in an online dictionary.

Who Knew? I am thankful for this terry pachyderm. A softer version that allows tender reference to the many details of life lived in such a often hurried and often too stressful existence. SLOW DOWN!

On a recent trip to Grand Cayman, I took this photo at the San Gervasio Ruins. After returning home and doing some research, I discovered that the Mayan people would make a yearly pilgrimage to this place to pray to a God of Fertility, Ixchel. In a similiar way many devotees make their yearly pilgrimages these days to various places all over the globe; the core of the concept continues to go to a specific place where you believe your prayers and sacrifice are to be offered, according to your faith and what you know to be true in your heart. I have come to sense that fertility was not restricted to child bearing, but the proliferaction of the many things that sustain us in life. Not a new concept, I know. I am a farmer and rancher's daughter, and probably have a keen sense for these matters. What lays on my heart this morning is that I could pay more attention, be more aware of the fertility around me. It's the increases, the abundances and the thriving that can go un-noticed, without the occasional, or regular scheduled visit to that special place. For me, that place is prayer. I am in the most prolific state of my being when I am in prayer. It is where much of my growing and fertilization occurs. It is where I go intentionally, to sacrifice time and attention. It is where I go to pray. I am inspired to share this with you, in the event there are days when you need guidance with prayer once you get to your place.
http://remote-media.hutchcraft.com/free-downloads/Seven_Ways_to_Pray_in_Times_Like_These.pdf
Thanks to Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc for providing this resouce.

Every morning while I was on vacation, I was able to catch the sunrise after we finished working out and were taking laps around the ship. I love the time of day when the sun is rising. It is such a fleeting moment in time. Each day as I watched it, my spirit danced in the joy of being able to see and enjoy those precious moments of each new morning sunrise. As I post this picture, I am reminded of specifically thinking, "I want to remember this one, too."

In those few precious moments every morning, we can acknowledge and guide the thoughts of our day. Feeling blessed from the beginning is a special treasure, that I can usually return to at some point in my day, if my circumstances seem to be taking control and going in a direction that is not feeling right, producing the undesirable results, or changing to a worldly course that is not in my spiritual view. Key word, usually. Easily, not always. And that's ok. I was listening to my 'Speaker Sister' Nikki Greene Mayer last night as she spoke on the Pete O'Shea WTIS 1110 Radio Show about how "it's not always going to be easy." It was the first thing I thought of this morning, again recalling Nikki's words. It's in the 'not so easy' zone where we have the chance to learn something. I spent some time in that zone recently, and at each 'squeeze point' I would ask, "what is it I am supposed to learn from this not-so-easy part today?" Instead of the crying and whining, why is this happening to me question, the awareness that a lesson is there to be learned, can be the treasure. It is a habit that saves me tons of time in a 'not-good-for -me' place. Even in the pre-dawn hour of this day, I can easily acknowledge the treasure of that sunrise. In all that may take a turn today, I am the one at the helm. I am the captain on the bridge. I chose joy. I set my intended course on being positive and showing love to everyone I meet today. As the sun rises today, another promise is kept.

Sun-bow or halo (as I found when I searched the internet this morning), seeing something with my own eyes that I had never before seen. This rainbow that went all the way around the sun was magnificent (and almost fightful)! We were ashore after our guided tour to 'Hell' and back (if you have been to Grand Cayman, you know about 'Hell'--the place), and we noticed people beginning to look up. The locals were coming out of their shops, pointing sky-ward. It was hard to look at and hard not to look at the same time. Someone mentioned 'aliens' and the hair on my neck prickled. It was not raining. It was high 80's for temperature, so it wasn't the same phenomenon as the ones seen in the cold weather. It lingered more than an hour. People on the ship were talking about it when we returned. We all seemed to share a sense of wonder about the experience. I only heard the comments from the folks who had not seen anything like it before. There was a sense of peace when it dissipated.  I was thankful to see it and grateful when it was gone. I remember from my childhood that when we saw 'sun dogs' it meant there would be a change in the weather. We enjoyed such beautiful weather on the cruise. The next day the weather was just as nice, minus the magnificence. I am certain there are 'old wives tales' and "Farmer's Almanac" predictions for what this means. I am content to have seen it at least once in my life, on a vacation where I saw many things for the first time.