{this moment}

{this moment} ~ A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same.

linking with SouleMama

Firsts and Finishes--Thanksgiving Comes First

For the last four years I have participated in a group of posts themed Thanksgiving Comes First started by Jim Sullivan (Suldog).

As the sun begins to set on 2014 we tuck into the holiday season.  A time peppered with family, friends, community and giving, but mostly one of thanks.  As with many sunsets, I begin to review.  We have had a tremendous year full of firsts and finishes.  None of it would have felt quite so special without our family around us.  We are truly very fortunate, we have not only our tight little nuclear family and our larger family who may be far away yet always close at hand, but we also have a wonderful community of friends around us.

In today's digital world we are all susceptible to being wrapped up in the increasing speed.  Many of us recall in sheer amazement and would never have the patience today for a dial-up connection.  Now we measure acceptable speeds in terms like fractional T1 lines and Mbps.  As a result not only do we want demand our information at lightning speed, but we seem to rush through life in the same way.   We have created a digital daze in how we approach life, looking for bigger, better, faster, cheaper.  We need to recondition ourselves to appreciate the days and moments as they come, or we may just miss out on what is really important.

I am a big kid, the holidays, all of them, are magical.  I am not in any way against getting caught up in the decorating, gift giving, and overall holiday cheer.  However, if we are always looking ahead, moving at lightening speeds, the days will slip past, many unappreciated.  So today on this day of Thanksgiving, I challenge all of you to an analog day, turning back the clock ever so slightly, for those of us who remember, and teach our kids that the rewards for living each day and taking time for family outweigh the vigor of the digital and consumer age in which we now live.

Please take a look at Jim's Op-ed for this year which appeared in yesterday's Los Angeles Times.

Should you be interested, take a look at my post from last year The Bones That Hold Us Together the three posts prior to it are also linked there.

Happy Thanksgiving to you!

#reverb10 ~ Day 7 ~ Community

 Community. Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011? (Author: Cali Harris)

Upon reading this today my mind began to swim.  How many times have I said this year, how fortunate I am to be a part of this great blog community.  I've come across so many amazing, creative and generous people and it has enriched my life.

We belong to communities both by choice and by design.  The ones that we focus on are the ones in which we participate everyday.  Our schools, neighborhoods, places of employment and churches, are all communities.  As my kids have grown and gotten involved in more and more activities I find that I run into many of the same families in different contexts.  It is like there is a parental synchronicity.

 There are also mostly silent communities that go unnoticed.  One such group are the families at our local shelter, which this year is bursting at the seams.  Through the idea of a friend, the gentlemen of  our neighborhood community rolled up their sleeves and cooked a hot breakfast for the women and children just before Thanksgiving.  A few short hours made an amazing difference, giving these kids a hot breakfast before school.

A blog community friend looked into helping some families in need, when asked, the items on the children's wish lists were essential items like warm clothing.  She was so touched that she enlisted the blogging community and began a collection of gifts for children in four families to help give them a beautiful Christmas.  I then began to reflect on the increasing population of elderly in our country.  Those in there second childhood, who are often alone and forgotten.   This is especially difficult for me to contemplate this year.  Our family dynamic has changed with the loss of gram in October and I begin to contemplate how this hole effects us.  Some of these aging adults, don't have a child who cares for them 24 hours a day.  Many have outlived their families.  After seeing a post from a friend on facebook (yet another community), I found out about the adopt a senior program.  I eagerly ran and pulled an ornament, then prepared a gift and a card for my selected senior. 

I've always enjoyed opportunities to give back through community service.  As an adult with two young kids, time is always scarce.  I realized that the time necessary is minimal to make a big impact for even a single person.  The best way to do it is schedule it.  Many of us are here because we feel drawn to write, create and express ourselves.  Write it down.  Prioritize it.  Make giving back to the community,  part of what you manifest going into 2011.