November 27, 2007

Another drive home
during which the sky
took my breath away.
The sun closed out the day
with a spectacular farewell
and a promise
to rise again come morning.
The nights we spend in darkness
allow us to be fully grateful for the light.

November 26, 2007

Over the weekend,

we took my son to see

"Madeline's Christmas"

at a small, local playhouse.

The show was sweet,

but watching him

entranced by little girls on stage

was the best show of all.

He was spellbound,

literally sitting at the edge of his seat.

And he couldn't believe his good fortune

when he got to take a picture

with Madeline after the show.

Seeing the world

through the eyes of a child -

my own child -

is such an amazing gift.

November 18, 2007

I loved how this angular glass building

reflected the soft blue sky above last week.

As we all prepare to reflect on our own lives

and the many gifts we're grateful for

this Thanksgiving,

I thought I'd share a Navajo blessing

I found in the new book "Bless This Food"

by Adrian Butash.

A reminder that being grateful

for the so-called small things in each day

and acknowledging our own roles

in this circle of life

allows us to see how abundant

our lives already are.

"Blessing of the Created World"

All is beautiful,

All is beautiful,

All is beautiful, indeed.

Now the Mother Earth

and the Father Sky,

Meeting, joining one another,

Helpmates ever, they.

All is beautiful,

All is beautiful,

All is beautiful, indeed...

And the white corn

And the yellow corn,

Meeting, joining one another,

Helpmates ever, they.

All is beautiful,

All is beautiful,

All is beautiful, indeed...

Life-that-never-passeth,

Happiness-of-all-things,

Meeting, joining one another,

Helpmates ever, they.

All is beautiful,

All is beautiful,

All is beautiful, indeed.

Now all is beautiful,

All is beautiful,

All is beautiful indeed.

November 12, 2007

It's pretty amazing

I'm accident-free,

given my ratio of

time spent watching the road

vs. time spent watching the clouds.

At dusk last night,

this purple haze hovered over us

like a giant watercolor painting.

A soothing swirl of pastels

guiding me home

and whispering

good night.

What a glorious gift.

A quick note...

I just wanted to say THANK YOU

for all the wonderful emails

I've received from you in recent days.

I will respond to as many as I can,

but please know I've read every

single message and am so grateful

for your kind words and

shared appreciation for the beauty

all around us.

With love,

Liv

November 7, 2007

The other day,

I wanted to capture

these clouds as they danced

above the treetops.

Only later,

when I uploaded the image,

did I notice

the beautiful bird

that flew into the shot

at just the right moment.

I dream of flying like that,

soaring through the sky,

hang-gliding on a whim.

But if all it takes

is spreading my wings,

maybe it's not

as impossible as it seems.

(Welcome to all the beautiful people

who have found your way here

through the 11/8 Star Tribune article!)

November 6, 2007

Meet the newest member

of our family, Tyler Christian.

He was born today in Cincinnati

to my cousin Kevin and his wife, Kim.

When this picture was taken,

he'd only been in this world

for an hour.

He is so brand new,

fresh from God,

tired from the long journey.

The miracle of life

never ceases to amaze me.

Welcome, little one.

We're so glad you're here.

November 5, 2007

I saw a keychain in a catalog today

with a saying that is probably

this happy chrysanthemum's

daily motto...

and will now become mine, too.

On one side, it says

"Live the life you love"

and on the other,

"Love the life you live."

November 1, 2007

I'm back!
Thank you so much
for your comments and emails
over the past few weeks.
I'm honored
that so many of you
want this blog to continue.
In addition to checking out
my beauty sightings,
I hope you are noticing
the beauty in your own lives
'cause it's everywhere!


These dried-up corn stalks
against the baby blue sky above
caught my eye the other day.
The lush green, swaying fields
have turned yellow and stiff
with autumn's chill.
But it's promising to think
that they'll grow and dance again
when the time is right.
There is no end.