angelbirdflies

Bodhi and I had a wonderful surprise visit from Auntie Chelle and the gang. We enjoyed a spontaneous tea party complete with black cherries, roasted cashews, dates and even a tea leaf reading. Next we ate goober-burgers (Take two slices of your favorite bread, toasted, and lathered with peanut butter, sliced tomatoes, onion, sprouts, veggie burger and ketchup) and enjoyed miles of conversation, while Bodhi pirouetted across tile, table and chair. To wind it up, we all played the poetry game , while Bodhi's wild-child energy reached a hurricane magnitude of enthusiasm. Now, friends have gone home, Bodhi sleeps quietly in our room and I reflect on the good fortune that smiles in and on my life right now. These are the little moments, like pearls, which string together into a beautiful strand of memories, each one precious, each one lovely, each one lived.

Grandma Mojo- Ms. Magic- Swung by for a visit during one of her many tours of the local social life and read her adoring Grandson one of his favorite books. How marvelous to have such a magical woman in our lives. She always amazes me, with her childlike sense of wonder and no-holds-barred sense of adventure. We sure are so lucky to have her sprinkling her pixie dust on the path ahead.

Aging is an interesting thing. I see my Grande outliving her desire to be here. I watch her as her body becomes frail, halting and withered. She laughs and tells me, "Getting old is a bitch". She is ready to leave, but can't quite find the exit. I watch my once spry Mama creak and crack as she slowly rises from bed, taking longer than usual to make it to her once impressive stature. I watch time change her face and hands. I look into the mirror and see the furrowing of lines across my forehead and the crinkled edges of my eyes. Aging is an interesting thing. You can watch it happening and still feel so disconnected from the whole process. I see women rage against time with undaunted gusto... botox, implants, lifts, tucks, peels and products. Groping desperately for a face remembered in the mirror of an eighteen-year-old many years ago...And yet, age is also beautiful in the same way that a canyon worn from years of trickling streams is beautiful, in the way that ...

Last night, I hosted my first pARTy. A gathering dedicated to and for making art. It was a ton of fun. Truthfully, I love creating with others. It feeds and nourishes a fathomless place in me that might otherwise go hungry. Social situations can sometimes terrify me, but when there are good friends and art supplies, who could be anything but thrilled. I posted the individual pieces here .

What does the LION say? ROOOOAAARRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!! Paloma wandered through the zoo, reading each sign and reciting more zoological facts than I thought possible. I LOVED it! A girl after my own heart. Estrella beamed, played and cajoled her way through the day, occasionally chasing after the wild child Bodhi, who was threatening to escape at every turn. Bodhi is positively wild. I swear, I used to look at parents who used those kid leashes with absolute disgust and revulsion. I am beginning to change my tune. Bodhi runs hellmell into throngs of people, out doors, over bridges, toward roads- without any apparent concern for the consequences. Either he trusts me implicitly or he gives new meaning to the phrase, "throwing caution to the wind". These little penguins are too adorable for words. I always feel a pull of sadness to see wild things caged or penned, but these little creatures seem to be making the best of it.

Prayer to the Bodhisattva by Rabindranath Tagore Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers but to be fearless in facing them. Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain but for the heart to conquer it. Let me not look for allies in life's battlefield but to my own strength. Let me not crave in anxious fear to be saved but hope for patience to win my freedom.

I have hit a wall of missing him. I am ready for him to be home now. I wake up sometimes in the middle of the night and peer in his room expecting to see the rise and fall of his sleeping tide, only to find the bed neatly made and a room too tidy to be his. I miss the constant cadence of his voice trailing off in a persistent reverie. I miss his spinning form, wearing bare the grassy yard with constant footfalls. I even miss his little-big guy attitude. Two more weeks.

So I forgot to post my Thoughtful Friday reflection this week so here is a delinquent reverie: "At each shift of the paradigm, the IMPOSSIBLE presents its impeccable credentials, is overruled, and the unthinkable becomes the norm." - Michael Berg

It looks like fun but really I am trying to fend off Junior Jaws... A short pause in jumping on mom's belly trampoline... Round 417 of "Chase me around the tree Oni".

Well, you see Oni... Hmm, interesting point, but... Gotcha.... I bet you can't do this... Oh yea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

An afternoon at one of my favorite Denver hangouts with my Mum, my Bodhi and wonder around every corner. Lotus blooming on a pond. Bodhi in splendor against an azure sky. Beauty. Children never cease to amaze me. The way the world unfolds in front of them, filled with wonder and possibility. We were walking along and Bodhi discovered this grate and the way it sings when you step on it, a metallic "ting". Next he tried the stone walkway, "thud", and the soft carpet of plants, "crunch". Soon he was creating a symphony of sounds, shoes dancing across the path and grinning with enthusiasm. I paused, enraptured by the beauty, the wonder, the magic. Thanks Bodhi.

Bodhi's newest mama creation- madras overalls Yeah, yea I know, they're fabulous.... well at least the model is. Oni, my beautiful mama visits and promptly shoves a cereal box on Bodhi's head... HE LOVED IT. Here he is, Mr. Box Head himself, complete with a splint for his freshly broken wrist. Our sunshine boy with his new purple cast.

What a wonderful day! I can't believe how magical this summer has been. Exhausting and replenishing in the same breath. Bodhi is a constant stream of smiles and laughter, peppered with occasional mishaps and minor tragedies. He helped me make strawberry milk: Throw some ice cubes, fresh strawberries, milk and agave nectar into a blender, your mouth and on the floor, blend to smooth and enjoy. While he napped I finished a few of my apron creations: When Bodhi roused from slumber we set up the swimming pool and played outside. He discovered a fantastic trick of dipping roses in the water and sucking all the petals off. When I asked how it tastes, he promptly shoved it in my mouth. If you are interested, it tastes alot like pool water, rose and Bodhi slobber. We wrapped things up with a Shabbat dinner on the Patio. Bodhi helped me sing the Hebrew blessing and we ate supper in slapstick fashion. Bodhi particularly enjoyed the part where I began unceremoniously slapping myself ...

Here is a series of photos taken this morning while Bodhi got his groove on to the nifty tunes on this blog. His favorites are the Ziggy songs but he dances enthusiastically to them all.

Poised in eternity. A choice, Inhale, live, celebrate, or Shaking, Fear the fall.