Branching Out

It is said that we are all one; a part of one another; unique, individual yet the same; like limbs of a tree.

Pondering this thought over the years has taken many twists and turns as with each life experience, I’ve faced gnarls and windbends, whorls and snapping breaks of the branches of my own tree.

It never ceases to amaze me how varied human leaves look, sound, act, react or cease in the storms that this tree of life weathers.

Bending in sweetness to birdsong as a winged one alights in softness on a sturdy shoulder; swinging low with bountiful harvest of luscious ripening of the seasons, holding fast in the face of fierce storms, arms held akimbo reaching for light in the darkness and growing into fantastical shapes with aching, arching of years of survival in all life’s gales and gasps show the simplicity and intricacy of patterning on which one comes to depend for framework. A how-the-world-should-look-and-be in what is named normalcy.

Yet where one might suspect sapling flexibility there may arise oaken solidity unbending; fertile fruit bearing females may fail, male monoliths may moss, and where willows weeping-wend low they may wildly wail warning and warring while weathering the world.

How can it be that if we are all indeed one, there is such diversity, intensity and perversity on the tree of life?

One is tempted to be lulled into a false sense of illusion that leads to expectations of drops of kindness falling gently on leaves being met with kindness of receiving; joy shining in sunshine returning bright, reflective joy; compassion greeted green with whispering breezes empathetically enfolding and satin sadness shaded by the underside of understanding of silver soft leaves.

It is not always so, this vision of how things which seem to have always been will always be.

Therefore questions crop up as behaviors metamorphosis in conditions of global warming, economic explosions and scorched earth wars wreak havoc on the roots of our foresty home.

Chaos of color collapses into challenge to change beyond accustomed seasonal sensations.

Where green at its worst, was envy, it is now greed. Riotous Autumnal ruby reds are flames of fury; buttery yellows of golden years turn into fears for future and burnt browns and siennas represent shades of balefulness.

How can our roots hold fast while limbs have been arched in agony, twisted beyond recognition and broken in breach of faith while the trunk of our tree of life is interminably tested?

Can we, arms of this essential elm, embrace each other and weave together a tapestry of stronger support so that we all may live long and well enough to see other bebranched beeches benefit; palms together play; willows whisper wonder and gingkos give the gold of memory for hickory heirs yet to spring forth?

Will we want to wake up enough to branch out in saner directions; to bring our best to the borrowed time in which we’ find our firred and furrowed forest and are we willing to look deeply inside the bark of ourselves to become aware of and acknowledge our shortcomings and see the lunatic in limbs gone gaga?

Can we manifest peace and perfection without courage for a good look at our family tree and, in the middle of madness all around us, when found to be outrageously out of control; whacked out in our own wilder-ness, can we honestly own our own behavior, see our common roots in "out of my tree' behaviors and answer, without shame or blame, with perhaps a shower of light, the tree trimming question, “From what branch of the Crazy Tree did you fall?”

Quote For The Day

"Life is sometimes like the card game, Uno. You have to lose all to win."
Florence Ondré

The Gratitude Pool

Oh Spring breezes with out sneezes

Tulips growing

Colors showing

Sunshine glowing

On every living thing

Walking or on wing

Life is on the thrive

It’s good to be alive!

Life Backwards

This just sent to me by my sister-in-law, Marilyn. Don’t know the author but whoever you are, thanks for the laugh. It’s winter doldrum time and I needed that. Thought I’d put it out here for anyone else who might need a chuckle for the day.

In Light & Love, Florence

*************

Sitting here retired, I finally observed what life is:

I want to live my next life backwards.

You start out dead… and get that out of the way.
Then you wake up in an old age home feeling better every day.
Then you get kicked out… for being too healthy.
Enjoy your retirement … and collect your pension.
Then when you start work…, you get a gold watch on your first day, or in my case a check.
You work 40 years… until you’re too young to work.
You get ready for High School…. drink alcohol, party, and you’re
generally promiscuous.
Then you go to primary school, you become a kid, you play, and you
have no responsibilities.
Then you become a baby, and then…
You spend your last 9 months floating peacefully in luxury, in
spa-like conditions - central heating, room service on tap, and then…
You finish off as an orgasm.
I rest my case.

“Sliding Home...Woo Hoo! What a Ride!...”

By Florence Ondré


A friend sent this to me for New Year's:

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the
intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well
preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways,
chocolate in one hand, champagne in the other, body
thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming
"WOO HOO what a ride!"

Upon reading this, I felt joyful. The smile spread across my face like a flash flood of happy.

"Yeah! That's it!" I thought, "Let me slide into home plate out of breath from exhileration."

I wanted to immediately share these words with all my friends; make it a New Year's Day first e-mail.

I got the gist of the little piece; felt the uplifting spirit of jumping into life with arms outstretched; the joi de vivre of way-to-go woo hoo!

Then I thought of my own philosophy and state of health of myself and others, which has been fragile and consuming of care.

Several of our nearest and dearest have endured numerous, serious health challenges. My love and I don't drink alcohol. He keeps chocolate to a minimum because it plays not so funny games with his heartrate and, since experiencing a couple of accidents, both of us have had to focus on tending the earthsuit repair and maintenance far more than we'd like, with actual journeying out into the world being curtailed.

'Hmmm. Wait a min,' I thought. 'I don't want to advocate throwing self care all to hell. I can hear all my vegetarian, sober, wholistic health buddies round the planet who do amazing work in body, mine and spirit, bristle and yet I get the gist of the little piece totally in the energy field without leaving the chair in front of my computer.

This paragraph isn't saying: 'Chuck it all and get drunk and clog your arteries with the cacao sugar and fat.' That line is a metaphor for dare to risk enjoying life while you're here on Earth!

Don't fret about every line on your face and be totally consumed with what you look like. (The word 'totally'being the look-at-me word here. Please do drag a comb through your hair occasionally and take a bath or shower...I insist.)

I don't care much anymore if you color co-ordinate or have make-up on and hair styles have gotten really fantastik in the creativity department. So what the heck do I know looks any better than the purple, green and screaming yellow, foot high spikes coming up out of your head like plastered points. I admire the free spiritedness. I find the free-to-be-ness fabulously enjoyable.

I'm simply saying, maybe it's time to give the nip and tuck docs and your already beautiful Earthsuit a rest so you can have more time to enjoy life while you're here.

Get dirty on the trails of Mother Nature. Allow the wind to wreak whatever havoc it can with your tresses. Leave off worries about your eyeliner running while you poke your head into the wildness of a waterfall's mist and roar. Let your self go all to your old standards wrack and ruin by not holding back laughter and smiles which might keep your face from looking continuously 20.

I'm not knocking science which can greatly benefit those who need. I'm basically saying most of us look OK and asking, tic-tic-tic folks, how do you really want to spend those fleeting minutes on this fabulous planet?

You probably don't need another 'make-over. This is coming from a former skinny model who wouldn’t leave the house if a hair was out of place and is now pleasantly plump and happily hairspray free. So, you can take that to the bank. We all look pretty good; hype and commercialism to the contrary.

I remember one time when I was recovering from a fractured sternum which was so painful that I couldn't wear a bra. A city chic girlfriend of mine, whom I hadn't seen in a while, came to spend the day with me at my beach side home and upon seeing me in my comfy oversized sweats remarked, "That's not a good look for you, dear."

Another standout teaching moment in this category was when I was able to get together with friends after a long and arduous recovery from debilitating spine injury and one just couldn't keep from sharing her thoughts upon seeing me at long last, "You need a haircut. You look like Hell."

I felt the initial shock, sadness and sting of those comments and wondered, 'Why aren't they just happy I'm alive and able to show up? Why can't they simply be glad for my company?'

And then my spirit kicked back with the humor of how funny it was that, in the face of near death and never seeing me walk in a room again, these two pals, who do care about me, were only worrying about what I looked like when I finally got there!

Actually the first friend announced to me that her intention in this life was to do anything it took to walk through those pearly gates looking good! Like there might be assigned sections in Heaven labeled “Beautiful People; svelte and unlined” and “The Rest Of You;” with the choicest celestial perks going only to those who didn’t get their Birthday suit smudged, stretched out or wrinkled.

Reading that little piece my friend sent me to start off the new year, gave me pause for thought and question. What would be in my hands as I slid home?

With my love of good food, fun and exploring the world in all it's dimensions, I'm thinking I'll have both lovely chocolate in one hand and the non alcohol, fruity bubblys I enjoy and crystal clear, ice cold water from the headwaters of mountain streams in the other; with the fragrance of world class Thai, French and Italian food clinging to me; my clothes dabbed with drippings from my friend, Owen’s mom’s incredible herb roast chicken and fried fruited kugle; my buddy, Kathy’s, ballabusta Beouf Bourgignon and my chum, Charlie’s cherished chicken soup and stuffed Turk’s Turban... and pockets overflowing with photos of all the friends and family fun, great meals shared...and with smiles and songs filling my heart!

What a fat album that will be in the Akashik Records!

Of course I'll have had to fight through my own little fences of what is socially acceptable, wanting to fit in and being responsible, to get to the tasting of ripe fruit I thought beyond my reach. I'd have had to give up caring more about how I look like than what I feel.

Focus and perception.

And thankfully there are no rules or regulations. My journey is mine as yours is yours.

I've come to a place where I'm more interested in...did you show up; did you laugh; did you discover something new that made you wonder, sigh or giggle; did you notice something you'd never seen, heard or felt before; did you taste something new and relish what you liked; did you open your heart to give or receive; did you make mistakes, learn from them and discover comedy in your process; did you find peace, did you love and allow yourself to be loved; did you experience joy?

I want to know this about myself and I want to know this about you, my fellow traveler.

How do you want to arrive at the end of your Earth journey this time?

I’m waiting to hear your Woo Hoo!

Sisters

This was just sent to me from my dear friend and sister in Light, Monica, from Hawaii:

A young wife sat on a sofa on a hot humid day, drinking iced tea and visiting with her Mother. As they talked about life, about marriage, about the responsibilities of life and the obligations of adulthood, the Mother clinked the ice cubes in her glass thoughtfully and turned a clear,sober glance upon her daughter. "Don't forget your Sisters," she advised, swirling the tea leaves to the bottom of her glass. "They'll be more important as you get older. No matter how much you love your husband, no matter how much you love the children you may have, you are still going to need Sisters. Remember to go places with them now and then; do things with them. Remember that 'Sisters' means ALL the women... your girlfriends, your daughters, and all your other women relatives too. You'll need other women- Women always do."

'What a funny piece of advice!' the young woman thought. 'Haven't I just gotten married? Haven't I just joined the couple-world? I'm now a married woman, for goodness sake! A grown-up! Surely my husband and the family we may start will be all I need to make my life worthwhile!' But she listened to her Mother. She kept contact with her Sisters and made more women friends each year. As the years tumbled by, one after another, she gradually came to understand that her Mom really knew what she was talking about: As time and nature work their changes and their mysteries upon a woman, Sisters are the mainstays of her life.

After more than 70 years of living in this world, here is what I've learned:

Time passes.

Life happens.

Distance separates.

Children grow up.

Love waxes and wanes.

Men may not do what they're supposed to do.

Hearts break.

Parents die.

Colleagues forget favors.

Careers end

BUT.........

Sisters are there, no matter how much time and how many miles are between you.

A girl friend is never farther away than needing her can reach.

When you have to walk that lonesome valley and you have to walk it by yourself, the women in your life will be on the valley's rim, cheering you on, praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on your behalf, and waiting with open arms at the valley's end.

Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk beside you.

Or come in and carry you out.

Girlfriends, daughters, granddaughters, daughters-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, mothers, grandmothers, aunties, nieces, cousins, and extended family, all bless our life!

The world wouldn't be the same without women, and neither would I.

When we began this adventure called womanhood; we had no idea of the incredible joys or sorrows that lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we would need each other.

Every day, we need each other still.


Thanks, Monica, and thanks to the one who wrote this in the first place.
Though I may have read or heard this before, it struck me today that this is a truth worth the reminding. I stopped and thought of all the women in my life who have touched me in profound ways and how whether they are here next to me right now or not, they are still as important to me as the day we met.
I just had the joy of hosting an engagement party for my son, Ron, and his lovely wife to be, Christine, and the families of every side were gathered from all corners of time. Though my own sister, Dorothy, was not able to be present physically, she was well represented by her daughter, my beautiful niece, Stephanie. Present were my current women friends from my writers' circle, from my theatre friends; women from families of past marriages, from new young women circles of my wonderful, loving daughters-in-law and the accompanying sweet blessings of mothers, aunts, nieces, in-laws and sisters who come to grace my life through their families.
To introduce Marilyn, my sister-in-law from my first marriage who I hadn't seen in years, as simply 'my sister-in-law' was as natural as breathing and though time had passed and we'd both raised our respective families apart, the current of connectedness; positive energy flowed as strongly and unitedly as if we'd never been apart. No title of 'former sister in law was needed.' Divorce had not diminished sisterhood. I knew my current friends and long time friends would like her and she them. I saw them all as getting along in a tapestry of fine, silken threads weaving even stronger in the fabric of Sisters.
And so it is with the women, sisters, friends from all parts of my life. No matter how far apart we may be in geographics and time, we are always close in heart.
We meet, call or e-mail and pick up as if there were never a skip in the long playing record of our togetherness. We remember the good, the strong suits, the getting through, and the survival of the essence of us all; love. Appreciation seems to take on a deeper lustre in the knowledge that there is this harmonious unity woven into our very genes. We do cross the boundaries to go into the fire for each other in more ways than we can think of; sometimes with a shout of defiance and sometimes in the whisper of a prayer. It is in the remembrance of the heart where we are etched forever for each other.
I know I am the better for every touch and the circle which has room for all is without end.

"Illusion At The Helm"

by
Florence Ondré

I’m organized, I’ve rarely failed
In challenges I have prevailed
And though I’ve sometimes griped and railed
I’ve rarely ever whined or wailed
It’s more my style to be detailed
And grasp the facts that life’s entailed
To bring conclusions unassailed
And whether hardy, honed or hailed
To each task I’ve never paled
Yet now my road is hill and daled
All my efforts cut, curtailed
Highest sight is lowly brailled
Former days all story taled
For presently I find I’m veiled
Not much left to be regaled
Ah, pure past, iced image ailed
When accomplishment was availed
Years are vanished, in minutes frailed
That shiny ship has swiftly sailed!

The Gratitude Pool: Ship of Friends

For those Angels who come into human form to stand by our side in our finest hours, help heal our hearts when hurt and laugh with us at human foibles and life's absurdities; these yacht's of yeomen strong on the living seas; these dorys of doers in the daily doldrums; these boats of brave souls bailing life's leaks; these luxury liners who lift us when we're down, I give thanks for you all who make up the beams of that most cherished of all cruise carriers...Friendship!

Quote For The Day

"Remember, we all stumble, every one of us. That's why it's a comfort to go hand in hand."
Emily Kimbrough, author and broadcaster (1899-1989)

Quote For The Day

"A mature person is one who does not think only in absolutes, who is able to be objective even when deeply stirred emotionally, who has learned that there is both good and bad in all people and in all things, and who walks humbly and deals charitably with the circumstances of life, knowing that in this world no one is all knowing and therefore all of us need both love and charity."

-Eleanor Roosevelt, diplomat and writer (1884-1962)

Life's A Banquet... and So Am I

by Florence-excerpted from "Prize Roses"

If it is true that I am what I eat,
Then I am a banquet of many fine treats
The sweetness of chocolate, cinnamon spice
Passion fruit, rainbows of tropical ice
Food of all nations where I love to travel
Tasty sensations whose mysteries unravel
Fromage redolent of apples, paté foi gras
Golden raisin couscous from a Turkish bazaar
Mangos, plums, peaches picked straight off world trees
Delectable fishes from Hawaiian seas
Thai food, Italian, high teas, shepherd’s pie
Remembering where I enjoyed them makes my heart sigh
A pot roast, pastrami, a wurst, a knish
A riot of garlic in each hearty dish
Sauces piccata, madeleine and béarnaise
On medallions of chicken, veal, beef so amaze
To perk up and comfort; creating sheer smiles
Do not underestimate food's winning wiles
Mousse chocolåt or a creamy bruleé
could just set the stage for a romantic day
Or evening where truffles pile up like boulders
And ripe, ruby raspberries are nibbled off shoulders
A great pizza burger with chocolate egg cream
Makes lunch with my friends a most treasured, fun scene
I'm all that I've eaten, the bitter, the sweet
Each lesson I've learned is a perfect pomme frite
The fizz and the fizzle; the courage to sample
The known and unusual in portions quit ample
With a wealth of diversity still waiting to taste
There isn't a moment or morsel to waste
For food I've consumed from a bountiful earth
Gives way to gratitude and immeasurable worth
Of lush life represented; emotions full state
One may find these riches paralleled on your plate!