Thank you, Senator ted Kennedy

I am filled with sadness this morning to learn of the death of our Senator, Ted Kennedy. I met him first when I was a teenager, learned about his health care reform ideas as a student nurse, watched families benefit from programs he sponsored/supported as a community and school nurse, and today follow the current health care reform discussions with a liberal background influenced by him and his era.

Although the present health care reform bill still needs much continued discussion, the mere fact that it is being discussed(again)is a tribute to his tireless efforts to see it pass. The fact that even after 42 years we have so many people who cannot afford medical care, and there is still so much debate as to whether we need a universal health care system simply tells me that the issue continues to be a battle of enormous proportion. I'm sorry he won't be a part of the ongoing discussions and feel his absence has been felt even before this.

I am sad, but proud to have had his voice and service in Massachusetts and the country. Thank you Senator Kennedy. Rest in Peace.

ENJOY SUMMER TODAY!

Like most everyone, I get busy with my day to day activities, especially in the summer season, and rush from one spot to another. Focused on the activities of the shop, I rarely spend much time alone or outside when it is a work day. I have a general knowledge of the day's weather but it is not a main part of the day, instead I focus on errands or shop activities.

Last night as I watched the full moon rise, I thought of how marvelous the world of Nature can be, quietly changing in the background of our busy lives. One night shadowy in the fog, the next clearly illuminated by the moon, and in the morning murky again until the fog burns off. As I write this in my home office, I am surrounded by trees, almost shrouded in silence except for the calling of a mourning dove, which will still be here when I return from a busy day in the village, where noise is so much more prominent. The constant drone of the air conditioner, the roar of cars and delivery trucks, the constant movement of people and activity, chattering in conversation and the bustle of shopping. How different the two parts of my life are and yet each is so necessary to maintain the other. How marvelous this balance is to creating a holistic pattern in my life. Who would I be without these different influences?

Hope you can stop for a moment today and feel the Nature around you. Feel summer breezes, soak up the humidity, splash in the water, enjoy the sunshine (or rain). It's August, the last few days of summer. Enjoy what it has to offer you, wherever you are! That's what summer is really all about!

Why is summer so short?

Is it really true that summer is getting shorter? Or is it just my view of it? It seems that every year is shorter and shorter, although this year's rainy June likely played a big part in it. We have had sunny weather for the past two weeks and summertime really is here. Last week we even had six days or sun and only 1 overcast!!

We start our Christmas in July sale this weekend, running for a week, and when it is over it will be August (not yet, no). This sale is a new one for us and we will be greatly reducing our things from last year, along with all the other holidays (Valentine, Easter, Halloween). Weather permitting we will have the outside tables filled with bargains of a holiday nature as well as our usual mark-downs,starting at $1. New this year will be our brand new Christmas decorations and table ware. We have tried every year to squeeze a Christmas corner into the shop and this year we have succeeded! We haven't put a real tree up but we do have Nativity sets, boxed Christmas cards, 2010 calendars and datebooks, and Christmas ornaments. Everything Christmas or other holiday related will be on sale along with some special surprises, so come by and see.

Meanwhile, enjoy every moment of this all too short summer. I am taking two days off a week (Sundays and Mondays) and loving every moment of them, relaxing, beach walking, reading, and planning for a filled schedule of events and classes starting in late September (after a two week Alaskan cruise- I can't wait). Hope you can spend time with your favorite summer activities. Feel free to add your comments about summer and how short it really is. Peace and rainbows,
debbie

A selection from emails on Friendship and Aging

I don't usually send things on from email. We all have enough junk to not need any more in our mailbox, but this one (sent to us by Elizabeth-thank you!) just seemed to hit me and I wanted to share it. Enjoy!

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become kinder to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant.
I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging. Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60 &70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love ... I will. I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set. They, too, will get old. I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things. Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.



I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver. As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong. So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day(if I feel like it).

MAY OUR FRIENDSHIP NEVER COME APART ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART! MAY YOU ALWAYS HAVE A RAINBOW OF SMILES ON YOUR FACE AND IN YOUR HEART FOREVER AND EVER!

Summer's finally here

It's finally summer! Or at least it is finally good weather, sunny and almost warm. I even went to the beach yesterday on a real day off! And today I am sitting in the sun, outside on the deck. Okay, so that may not be a big thing for you, but for this workaholic, it is huge. I have been at the shop every day for so long that having a day off in July is really nice. Cape Cod in summer is beautiful as everyone knows, but for those of us who live here, being off is often unheard of. To those of you who have been on vacation, are on vacation, or soon will be, enjoy every minute of it!
And for the rest of us, imagine how nice the sunshine feels on your face, the wind kissing you with a gentle breeze and the thoughts of ice cream filling your head. What is your perfect day? If it is something other than July on Cape Cod, please let us know.

Trying to coordinate postings

If you seem confused by the different postings, you are not alone. I cannot seem to get the website postings and these together, but I AM working on it. Even though I am no longer "new" according to the dates on Blogger, I am still a real newbie when it comes to knowing what I am doing here. I know how to write, but posting and organizing is a whole new concept for me. I started a second blog even because I couldn't figure out how to post to this one! Then miraculously, I could post onto the first one-arghhhh!

Do you seem to find yourself forgetting everything? I sure do, especially as I get older (now who is getting any younger? duh) but you know what I mean. (If you don't, just wait, you will.) Numbers, passwords, email addresses, phone numbers, street addresses all seem to be cluttering up my head and keeping me from remembering what I want to remember. I like remembering how "things used to be" like Cape Cod in my childhood. Provincetown is still a beautiful place with gorgeous scenery but what people remember is the "carnival" they see, especially in the summertime. Dennis Port is growing every year, but people only remember its glory days of Hendersons, Hazeltons, etc or how the village fell into loneliness when these closed and others moved out to Patriot's Square. I like to remember beautiful pansies out front of the store that our wonderful friend Nancy kept watered. And I don't like to remember that she has moved away as her Alzheimers disease has progressed. What do you want to remember? Can you stop for a moment and see that place, that time, that memory? Try it right now and make yourself happy. Memories are never forgotten as long as they live in our memory.

Getting back to writing

It's time to write again, sharing all the new things that are coming in daily at the shop. I will list a few of them here, and you can go to the website to see more pictures and learn more info (and also buy). New Candle lines include Mole Hollow (made in Massachusetts) tapers and votives, Nirvana Karmic Cubes, and Vance Kitira pillars. We now carry Shoyeido incense. A beautiful new area with Buddha and a water bell fountain. Expanded Peace and recovery sections. Many more books, including a reading corner! And as always, the newest Willow Tree figures and our trademark Rainbow spinners! Come see us soon for more....