All things perfect

Strolling in the gardens

with my beautiful friend 

 

as we appreciate

each other

and the vast beauty

surrounding us.

The air

so perfect

more spring-like 

today

than summer-like 

gently

kissing our skin 

as it breezes by

shades of  green,  purple, red, orange and yellow

paint the canvas

as the palate of pigments  

blend into

the  panoramic view

as it awaits us.

Ginko leaves

water lilies 

lotus bliss

smile back at us

as if

we are merely spectators

delighting 

in their innate wisdom

as we become

drunk with inspiration 

opening to their healing

energies

as the birds sing

songs of wisdom

and butterflies dance

in delight.

We ask the buds

“What will become of you?”

as they gently

remind us 

of our uniqueness 

endurance

and beauty

as we unfold 

and emerge

all within perfect time.

What will become of you, my dear friend?

from here to there and back again

Slowly unwinding,

unraveling,

unpacking,

2,800 miles

from here

to there

and back again

ignoring

 scattered laundry
wondering if

it will
 make its way 

to where

it belongs

not thinking

about the mail

that waits

to be opened

noticing

the quiet

as it sets in 

so much

to myself

So much

to show you

So much

to tell you

Thoughts 

new projects

inspired by

crossing the bridges

peaking into back roads

gazing into unknown eyes

smiling back

letting go

trusting

the miles

not sure

where

they will take us

Always

knowing

we will

find our way

back home

again.

a letter to my daughter

5th grade Graduation Party
June 7, 2011

My Dear Sage, 

My wish for you is to know how to always follow your heart and listen to the quiet voice within, and know that your life is filled with possibilities.

 My wish for you is to know how to attract and develop a circle of friends who will fuel your passion, be worthy of your trust, and supportive of your dreams.

My wish for you is to know that it’s not the make-up and/or clothes you choose to wear that makes you who you are. It’s the light that shines through you that reveals your authenticity, What matters, is how you show the world your soul, your spirit, your light, and all the goodness that is within you.

My wish for you is to know that you will always have options ~~ to know that it’s OK to make mistakes ~~ to know there are solutions to every situation.

My wish for you is to know how to have the courage to be vulnerable, and to honor your imperfections.  These traits will cultivate courage, compassion, and connection to others, and will enhance and elevate your sense of” self-worthyness”.

My wish for you is to know how to move away from what does not feel good, and to move towards what brings you JOY.

My wish for you is to be grounded in your power and to know how to say “YES” when you want to and “NO" when you mean to,  ~ and ~ to know that you do not need to explain yourself.

My wish for you is to accept who you are ~ and to never, ever make excuses for your self  ~~ to anyone.

My wish for you is to know that you are unique, caring, expressive, beautiful, grounded, creative, brave, smart. ~~ and so LOVED!

My wish for you is to always know  ~ YOU ARE ENOUGH  ~

We all desire to hear these words,
so please share this letter with
all the beautiful girls in your life.

Thank you for stopping by
 and inspiring me with your loving comments. 

 Much love and Light to all of the beautiful girls and women in our lives. 

 xoxo.

Eydie

strength and flexibility

The wind gently whispers 

as the iris reminds me
 to unfold
 and bloom
 larger than before

while the stillness of the bamboo

anchors me with its

strength and flexibility

Happy Mother’s Day

10 year, 50, year and 70 year  ~Birthday Celebrations ~ 2010

So grateful for all that I’ve shared 

and continue to share with my mom.

She is so special to me, and 

I’m so fortunate to have her in my life.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you beautiful mamas out there.

The gift of another year

My husband gave me this beautiful journal, a year ago today, on my 50th birthday.

When I read the first several pages that were filled with his words, my jaw almost dropped to the floor when I came to the part about his plan to fly me out to Esalen in Big Sur; to attend a workshop, bathe in the hot tubs, eat amazing food, be one with nature, and to reconnect with myself. 

As I read deeper into the journal, becoming more and more touched by my husband’s words, I found a card that he inserted in the journal.

Me and my brother, Pripo, at  Esalen, 2010

It was from my brother (who I adore), explaining that he will be joining me (my husband was to stay home to take care of our daughter) on this amazing adventure.  My heart opened even wider to all the love I was receiving.  What a perfect gift my husband and brother had planned for me as I began to journey into my 50s.

I was exploding with love and anticipation.  I had been to Easlen years ago, when my brother lived there, so I know of the magic and possibilities that grow from the experience of being there.  My excitement elevated and took flight as I continued to read the details. 

View from our workshop

When I found out it was a writing workshop, I was surprised to feel butterflies in my stomach, resistance in my throat, and uncertainty in my head.

It’s my dream to write … to be a writer.  I have so much to write about.

But, the truth is, it scares me.  It’s not so much about exposing my feelings, emotions, dreams, lists, or even my past. For me, the vulnerability, self-doubt and judgment, lack of courage, and apprehension, come not so much from the words on the page, but more so, from what’s in between the words.  

You see, I have an uncertain relationship with commas and semicolons and all those other little dents, dings and slashes on the page.  They can send me into a panic, stiffening and paralyzing my fingers, and tangling my thoughts like spaghetti being twirled up onto a fork.

It’s been a year since my adventure at Easlen (which was amazing). The experience gave me confidence, confirmed my dreams, and  opened up possibilities for me. Since then, I’ve started my blog for friends, family and even for people whom I may never meet, to read. I’ve woven words into my art, and started to write the book that has been floating around in my head for several years.  

It’s my birthday again, today.   Another year of my life will be revealed. 

My big wish for this year is to…

…  rewrite my story by simply releasing outdated and self-limiting patterns and beliefs that no longer serve me.

…  shift my negative beliefs into positive ones; swim out of the shallow, mucky, waters, navigate past the waves of fear and self-doubt, and go deep into the clear sparkles of my authentic self.

…  excavate myself out from being stuck in the observer and judgment mode, take action, and morph into the role of an active participant.

And then, just then, I can unleash myself from whatever inhibits me and soar towards my greatness, towards my light, towards my brilliance. 

My wish is to be as brave as I can be, so that I can soar higher than I’ve ever soared before.

Mystical

    Artwork by my beautiful soul-sister, 

       Julia Fehrenbacher  

“Beginnings”

It’s the mystical time of day

when others are still rolling over

far away in dream land

with hands not ready to dance
with the snooze button.

when voices, beeps, drips, or 

creaking of the house,

are not heard

only the stillness within me is.

when the first bird serenades
me with joy and hope

as the darkness of the sky turns 

into beautiful hues of brilliant blue

 melting onto the sides of the houses

 and into the streets

becoming more and more distilled

 eventually becoming a full palette of color

as the sky cracks open

and illuminates  into a new day.

Write from the Heart

~~ Workshops and Gatherings ~~
retreat, explore, breathe, connect, and be present 

Dear Friends,

Join us for an evening of self-exploration, discovery, and connection. There are a few spaces still available for my workshop, "Write from the Heart” which will take place at "The Present Moment” on Wednesday, April 27th from 7:00-9:00. pm.

'Write from the Heart' 

is an invitation to pause in your life and connect with other women in a safe and intimate space to develop clarity and insight, create abundance and joy, and heighten your sense of what it means to be present.

During this journey of self-discovery, you will be guided through a process of meditation, reflection, the power of the pen, and optional sharing.

Each and every element that makes up your life experience is drawn to you by the thoughts you think and the stories you tell.   You can create positive change in your life by simply recreating “your story”.

Please bring a favorite pen and notebook, a sense of fun and adventure, and willingness to listen to the quiet voice of your heart.  

As you “Write from the Heart”, you may reconnect with a lost part of yourself or a self you have been longing to encounter.

To register, please call

The Present Moment

521 North Milwaukee Avenue  Libertyville, IL
(847) 367-1581

$25.00

I'd be delighted to hear from you regarding questions, workshop locations, inquires about where you can find my art, or just to say Hi.

Feel free to share this with friends whom you think may be interested.

Here's where you can reach me:
Eydie@whatwecreate.net

I look forward to connecting with you.
In JOY and Light,
Eydie 

writing our stories

"I am what I am. I accept myself as I am. I don't need to please other people by pretending to be what I am not. I can never be what I am not. I can only be me, and that's it."  –Don Miguel Ruiz

We are all creative beings.

We all create the bits and pieces that are woven together to form our uniqueness.  These bits and bits create who we were, who we are, and who we are becoming.

Yes, we all create.

Some of us create relationships, families, beautiful homes, gardens, tasty meals, art, music, photography, poetry, joy, drama, passion, sadness, fear, hope, boundaries, dreams, well-being, sickness, truth, lies, secrets, and promises.  The list is infinite.

Each and every one of us begin with a blank canvas. Over time, we splatter many shades of color and depth onto our canvas.  Some colors are filled with more light, brightness and joy than others. We also give meaning to our canvas by choosing words and phrases that we believe reflect our true self.  Our canvas holds the stories we’ve created, some of them are true, and some are not so true.  Yet, as we tell these stories over and over, and over, again, the more these stories appear to be our truth.

Many of our stories (beliefs), tend to drag us down and dim our lights because they are not our true stories.  Instead, they are sabotaging thoughts and beliefs we’ve created, or assumed from someone else’s judgments, expectations, or jealousies of us.


These stories all start as our beliefs.  Whatever we believe, becomes true for us.

Even though our beliefs create our stories, we have the power to release outdated, self-limiting patterns and thoughts so that we can re-write our story to reflect our greatness, our light, our truth, our authentic selves.

What story are you going to write today?

Releasing

I was inspired to write this as a celebration of honoring my spiritual being and physical self after listening to my soul sister, Annie Burnside talk last night on her perspective of “Soul to Soul”.

Esalen, Big Sur. May 2010

She carried it all on her shoulders.

In the beginning, she learned to be responsible for others.  She felt their disappointments, fears, weaknesses and sadness. She yearned to patch and reconnect the areas of their “being” that needed mending. 

She carried it all on her shoulders

She often pondered, (well, maybe even obsessed) over should haves and should not haves, over what might have been, what never was, and what could still be. (How interesting that “should” is inside the “shoulders”.)  

She carried it all on her shoulders.

And the more she said “yes”, when she meant “no”, her light began to dim, as the joy seeped out through the cracks, and into the darkness. 

Over time, she became very tired and her shoulders became very stiff and sore.   Until one day, she heard a whisper, the one that had been calling out to her, all along the way.  Yet this time, she really listened, and she began to quiet the other voice in her head.   She started to take tiny steps and she began to trust the process.

The more she listened, the more she stopped thinking about everything she thought she should be doing.  And she allowed herself to be.  She allowed herself to hear the whispers, “let go” …”let go" … and the whispers become louder and clearer …

“let go”.

The more she listened, the more she let go.   And, the more she let go, the more her jaws softened and her throat opened. And, as her shoulders loosened, they began to swing freely as she danced and twirled toward the brightness of the moon

What would happen if you let go?

What I don't know

I don’t know why the dust settles so fast after I clean the house.

I don’t know how to stop losing and gaining the same 15 pounds.

I don’t know what my dog is thinking when he stares at me.

I don’t know how to keep up with the laundry.

I don't know how my life would be without my daughter in it.

I don’t know how to finish everything I start.

I don’t know how to make my bed each and every morning.

I don’t know how to use most of the remotes in our house.

I don’t know why I find math to be so challenging.

I don't know if I should have had my uterus removed.

I don't how my life would be if my husband was not in it.

I don't know what my favorite color is ( I like so many of them).

I don’t know what I’m going to dream about tonight.

These are a few simple thoughts that were written on paper after receiving the prompt, "What I don't know" during the Alchemy: The Art & Craft of Writing ecource.