Balmorhea - The winter

regina spektor - Lulliby (Songs)

the world happens all around me

spins revolves soaks

all connected in this transitory web

I see a calm golden moon sailing through barren sky

I feel the branch, the root, the ripple, the tide

The storm may be upon me now

And if it be stronger than my wits

I will sing until the waves become a staircase to the stars

quiet now...listen

Laura Marling - Rambling Man

Lissie - Everywhere I Go

The roses on my rosebush are still in full bloom. I find them beautiful. Everyone tells me it's a miracle that they are still alive. They survived the frost of last night, they budded in mid-september and stayed until nearly november, it's my miracle rosebush. My roommate and I went to see them last week late at night in the full moon. The music wing was to the right and someone had left a window open while practicing. We heard a piano, a cello and a viola. We sat on the ground by the roots of the rosebush and listened to this amazing music, afterwards we went home and made hot tea. These things I love about life.

Paul sent this video to me, I'd like to be this girl wandering around the world with an elephant trailing behind. I'm restless again, I want to wander and wander.

I came back from Toronto last night. I missed seeing the stars in the big city. Toronto lights blot out all of them...so driving home last night beneath this black sky completely covered in white lights was breathtaking. So I find joy in these little things. My rosebush, the stars, and elephants. I find hope in my shoes and where they might take me, my backpack and what it might hold. I like the last couple of lines from a Mary Oliver poem,

"imagine! imagine!

the long and wondrous journeys

still to be ours."

So...goodnight world. goodnight. sleep well, rest well. blessings. peace with you tonight.

10 Things

because I have a cold; and because it keeps me indoors; and because the thought just crossed my mind...I will write a list of 10 things I want to do with my life:

1. Travel India. I want to do more than just see India. I want to be more than a tourist. I want to be with the people and among them, does it sound narcissistic to think i could help them? Even in just small ways I would love to try.

2. Write a book. I have always wanted to write a book, something leaning towards fantasy with an allegorical feel. Derived from real life experiences or just imagination? That is yet to be decided!

3. Record a cd of the music I've written.

4. Go Skydiving

5. Plant a garden

6. Travel the world while documenting my time in it by writing music, taking photographs, writing poetry, and stories...this I think is a life-long adventure.

7. Become fluent in another language

8. Travel across Canada in an old VW! (is that not every Canadian's wish?)

9. Walk where Jesus walked.

10. Read. Read. Read. Read how other people are interpreting this crazy world, read the poets, classical literature, read from the philosophers and theologians, read why people do what they do, or how we have no idea why we do what we do! And the following is Mary Oliver's advice:

"Instructions for living a life:

Pay attention.

Be astonished.

Tell about it."

Of course there is more than this, but here are the first things that come to mind.

Most of all I want to look at life and see it. See the things that nobody else notices, and count the moments that are quickly forgotten. I think that all of life is a waking up, each day draws us closer to being more alive; if we let it. I don't want to sleep through my life and suddenly wake up at 80 wondering where it went. I want to live fully now. I think that means many different things and looks different for different people. Right now for me, it means waking up, being thankful for the sun that shines into my big yellow kitchen, for the long fields I can see from my window; the honking of canadian geese; the laughter of my roommates; sitting out on the deck while the sun sets with a cup of tea; the hope of tomorrow.

1995 Laura

Dear Reader,

I thought I might type out an old journal entry from 9 year old Laura.  I was looking over my old journal from 1995 and always am amused.  Here is a piece:

"April 19, 1995

Dear Diary,

Today we went down to the creek near my omas house.  It was fun.  Stephanie, Paul and I made a club we called it the secret club.  It is very pretty down there.  We have a hole in a hill where we put tresure, there is 3 or 4 bridges down there that go across the creek too.  There is a hill that looks like a cliff, so we call it the cliff.  If someone wants to start a meeting then they would go AAIAA!!  really loud.  The creek down there is clean and there is lots of evergreens.  At the farm there is even beaver dams its fun, not boring like the city."