Wishcasting Wednesday

Today Jamie Ridler asks us another of her penetrating questions:

What do you wish for the world?

There is so much strife, killing, inequality, fear and unhappiness. Every day there is news of war and riots and killing. I am always struck by the lack of respect, equality and peace around the world. Two few have too much and flaunt it. Too many have too little and suffer for it.

I would wish that those few with so much would share their millions with the poor and displaced of the world. I would wish that all people would co-exist with respect and sharing.

I would wish that there could be a transformation in how we live.

All religions have a form of the Golden Rule - do unto others as you would have them do unto you. It is time we all follow that rule!

As Jamie says:
"You can be a maker of magic and a tender of wishes. It’s easy. Answer the wish prompt above on your blog. Support wishes by visiting other participants. It’s that simple. There is great power in wishing together."

Be sure to vist other wishcasters here.

Book Monday

I am glad I signed up for the book challenges as I know that I am reading more because of them.

I have read a number of picture books the past few weeks:

"Chicken Sunday" by Patricia Polacco (I love all her books. I listened to a presentation by her last year and she was amazing. I now have several books autographed by her. )

"Amelia to Zora - 26 Woman Who Changed the World" by Cynthia Chin-Lee. An excellent abc of strong, important women role models.

I have also read a couple of young adult novels:

"Liar Liar Pants on Fire" by Gordon Korman. My class loved this as the read aloud at the end of the day. It had us all laughing!

"Things Will Never Be the Same" by Tomie de Paola. I enjoy his picture books and this was more autobiographical.

Right now I have a number of books on the go. I try to squeeze in a few minutes each day.

I am almost finished:

"The Bite of the Mango" by Mariatu Kamara. I am enjoying this book about the young woman who had her hands chopped off in the war torn Sierra Leone. She is now living in Ontario and lives an active, purposeful life. It is a very inspiring book.

I am also reading:

"The 12 Secrets of Highly Successful Women" by Gail McMeekin. I won this book before Christmas and am slowly working though it. I thoroughly enjoyed her previous 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women.

"MWF Seeking BFF" by Rachel Bertsche. I had read a review of this book a few weeks back and went out on Saturday and bought it. Her search for a best friend resonated with me. After living in one small town for almost 20 years I have found it so difficult to meet "kindred spirits". There are lots of acquaintances but not not BFFs. So thought I would read this one. I am enjoying her book.

"The Freedom Writers Diary" by Erin Gruwell . Loved the movie - wanted to read more.

Two books I will be reading next are:

"The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins (A YA novel - the novel will be coming out soon)

"A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini (For our social justice book club. His first book "The Kite Runner" was excellent.

There are so many good books to read! I hope to tackle quite a few from my shelves this year.
Any suggestions??

Sunday Weekly Wrap Up

This week's weekly wrap-up is actually for several weeks. I have been crafting and reading but have not had the energy really to do more. But I am trying to get back on track and start living my word (Carpe Diem!)

ATCs

I have finished a number of ATCs for swaps. These offer challenges in small doses. I am creating but am not overwhelmed. The bonus is that I get some beautiful artwork in return.

 

 

Mixed media mandalas

I am working on others as well for a swap that involved asking others to create a card for my 60th. I received so many lovely cards. I still have a few to make in return but here are a few samples of some I have created for these special artists.

 

To create is a blessing. Art has been a saviour many times in my life, none more so than lately. It has helped me to get back on track, to push through the shadows of pain and the blues. It feels good to be back.

Shadow Shot Sunday - Back again!

It has been a while since I participated in Shadow Shot Sunday. I still look for shadows - it is a compulsion! But I have had an extended rest from blogging. I have missed the interactions with other bloggers the most, but needed this time away. I am slowly going to return to challenges I have so enjoyed in the past.

Thought I would share first some ATCs of shadows I created last year.

Here's another shot of my darling cat Fluffy - who will be 20 in May!

Love this shot of the rowers with the shadow over them, at Tampa.

Some greenery at Cozumel, when we were there on our cruise.

Be sure to check the world of shadows here!

Wishcasting Wednesday

Trouble with my computer has limited my time online and blogging. I have missed that. After report cards are finished this weekend, we are planning to replace it! Yeah!

But the question Jamie Ridler posed today for Wishcasting Wednesday was nagging me all day. In fact, I had to get up at midnight to answer it! It is an important one, and one I plan to focus on for 2012.

What do you wish for your health & wellness?

The major wish is to lessen the pain that I experience everyday. The pain from the arthritis in my knees and hips has increased and I am limited in what medication I can take. I have names of several professionals and I have made appointments to get help.

The next wish is to lose weight. (This will help the arthritis as well.) I want to dance more regularly.

The third wish is to meditate and try yoga. Hopefully this will lower my blood pressure and stress.

As Jamie says:
"You can be a maker of magic and a tender of wishes. It’s easy. Answer the wish prompt above on your blog . Support wishes by visiting other participants. It’s that simple. There is great power in wishing together."

Book Sharing

Several weeks ago I began to follow Multitudes on Monday. Each Monday I listed 10 things I was grateful for from the previous week. Many of those things were very personal and I did not reveal some. I am choosing now to create my gratitude list in a new journal and fill it with more personal and meaningful gratitudes.

In its place I want to share my reading for the year, as I finish a book or books for the book challenges listed on my sidebar.

In the first 2 weeks of January I have already read 5 books and enjoyed all of them.

Mystery and Suspense:

I discovered Louise Penny last year when her book "Bury Your Dead" was chosen as the "One Community One Book" for Waterloo Region. I read it, loved it and then read her next one "A Trick of the Light". As I learned more about her, I realized she had 5 other books in her series about Gamanche and the town of Three Pines.

I have now read the first 3 and am thoroughly enjoying the series. Just finished "Dead Cold" and "The Cruelest Month" over the weekend. Can't wait to read the next 2!

Each book involves a mysterious death in Three Pines, Quebec, which Gamanche and his team must solve. The townspeople are interesting and each book is building the relationships and the characters of all these people.

Books to Movie/ Off the Shelf:

While away, I read "Sarah's Key". It was excellent, yet very disturbing. The other explores a very dark chapter in France's history during World War II. The author De Rosnay, uses a back and forth, present to past, technique for this book. I can't wait to see the movie.

While at the airport, I bought another book by Tatiana De Rosnay - "A Secret Kept" and enjoyed it as well.

Non-Fiction

As part of our social justice book club, the book for January is "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. I read it while away and found it an excellent read. It was an informative history of the science of growing cells.

Sunday Weekly Wrap-Up

I have taken a long two week break from blogging. I did get away for a birthday cruise

and had a lovely time.

(The beach at Roatan)

This past week was a slow return to work and responsibilities. I now feel ready to get back into posting and blogging.

Art/Life Courses

I have started 2 courses that will run the whole year. Both focus on digging deep into ourselves and using art to help in that discovery. They are both very worthy courses.

(Check my sidebar for connecting with them)

Dreamboard

This past week began with the making of January's Full Wolf Moon Dreamboard. I introduced the concept (rather than resolutions) to my third grade class and they so enjoyed creating their own dreamboards.

Jamie Ridler had us ask: "What am I hungry for?"

As I created my dreamboard words and inages were easy to find

In the month and year ahead I seek to pursue good health and to just "go for it". Art, books, and photography are necessary for me.

It is a wonderful life and I have to hold onto that.

I also have to really focus on decluttering this year.