Day 27: A Book that Changed My Life

To be honest, reading changed my life more so that one book. And yet when pushed to decide I can come up with one novel and one non-fiction that had a profound impact on me.

Priscilla Warner's Learning to Breathe - taught me about being still, meditating and finding peace in the quiet moments. I seem to pick it up every year or so just to remind me of her journey. I've exchanged emails with her to thank her what she's taught me, and that was a wonderfully powerful experience too!

The other book that impacted me was a novel by Richard Russo - who's originally from a small town very close to where I grew up.

Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo

Here's my favorite quote from the book - that still resonates today as I read it.

"The line of gray along the horizon is brighter now, and with the coming light I feel a certainty: that there is, despite our wild imaginings, only one life. The ghostly others, no matter how real they seem, no matter how badly we need them, are phantoms. The one life we're left with is sufficient to fill and refill our imperfect hearts with joy, and then to shatter them. And it never, ever lets up.

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Month of Miracles

photo credit: http://marcestes.com/2011/02/11/miracles-the-need-for-the-hour/ In the tradition of continuing the commitment to writing each day, I am beginning the month of December as I have for many years…. with a passage from Simple Abundance about December. "December's gifts - custom, ceremony, celebration, consecration - come to us wrapped up, not in tissue and ribbons, but in cherished memories. This is the month of miracles. The oil that burns for eight days, the royal son born in a stable, the inexplicable return of Light on the longest, darkest night of the year. Where there is Love, there are always miracles. And where there are miracles, there is great joy. Gratefully, we weave the golden thread of .. joy in our tapestry of contentment. At last we embrace the miracle of authenticity, changing forever how we view ourselves. Our daily round. Our dreams. Our destinies. Days we once called common, we now call hol...

Day 5: Share your favorite recipe

Today's blog for the Blogember challenge is a favorite recipe. This one we saw on the Food Network being made by Giada DeLaurentis. It's absolutely delicious. And for me the very best part is this is one of 3 dishes that my husband considers 'his' and will make it on a weekend for us to enjoy! I just love that! Linguine with Shrimp and Lemon Oil Ingredients For the lemon oil: 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 lemon, zested For the pasta: 1 pound linguine pasta 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 shallots, diced 2 garlic cloves, minced 16 ounces frozen shrimp 1/4 cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons) 1 lemon, zested 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 3 ounces arugula (about 3 packed cups) 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley Directions For the lemon oil: Combine the olive oil and the lemon zest in a small bowl and reserve. For the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm...

Day 18: Happiest Moment of my Life

For Day 18 of the Blogember challenge to blog each day during the month of November, today's topic is the Happiest Moment of my Life. Hmmm. … this could get interesting! I believe that life is an array of moments strung together creating who we are and what we stand for. And during those moments we encounter joy, pain, disappointment, sorrow, glee and a miriad of emotions and experiences along the way. Certainly the ones that stand out for me are the moment my daughter was born. She was truly a gift from God - a miracle - a blessing - and long-awaited at that! She's the life that my husband and I created from the love that we share. And along that same vane, when I married my husband was an incredibly happy moment as well. We didn't marry until age 35, each bringing our histories and patterns into the life we chose to share together. It was a long road up until then, and now it's a shared one! Other happiest moments: * Climbing...

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