You Will Change the World

Okay,

so it's apparent that this time of year begins to be stressful for a lot of people.

I heard that yesterday was a tough one for several friends

for a variety of reasons,

and I've had 9 requests for prayer 

for people I know

who have either fallen off ladders and broken bones,

or had their two year olds hospitalized,

or been diagnosed with cancer,

or lost their job,

or had something terrible and destructive happen

in their life,

or who are just plain stressed to the breaking point due to a series of little issues.

Friendships have teetered on the brink after a lifetime,

couples have separated,

and in general it's seemed like a really hard week for a lot of people!

I cannot hope to solve any of these problems of course,

but I can address the fact that many are hurting 

and in need of an extra dose 

of

TLC

and prayer.

Here's what I propose . . . 

Go out today with the intent to be a catalyst for change 

in your circle of influence.

Now, I know you can't solve any of these problems, either . . . 

But . . . 

If I know this many folks who are having a hard time, then you do as well.

Multiply that by several tens of millions of folks around the world,

 and it all might just seem a little hopeless . . .

Now

consider that you have a sphere of influence

which includes every person you see today.

Yes, YOU!

Your smile

your gentle word

your helpful hand

the cup of coffee

or the inclusion in conversation

or whatever kindness you can afford to extend

may be the effort that saves that person in some way.

Let someone merge into traffic,

give them a hand,

touch their life in some soft way

and

it may remove the one straw that would have

 'broken the camel's back'.

A touch on the arm or the shoulder is risky in our society

and I do it every day.

Human touch is healing to the spirit.

A well chosen kindness is theraputic.

You know what I'm talking about.

Someone once did that for you.

Pass it along.

Tip the waitress a little extra,

smile at someone,

say thanks, in a big way that lets someone know their job makes a difference.

Let the person with three items get in line in front of you at the checkout counter.

Sacrifice something, for someone else's joy.

A compliment will change someone's whole outlook on life.

You might never know how much.

I challenge you to do this for a day

and to see if

you might just like it so much you do it for another day.

I will suggest that if enough of us did this for a month,

it would change the world.

To the world you may only be one person,

but to one person, 

you may be the world!

It Was Lovely!

The Christmas Open House at

 PATINA ANTIQUES

went off without a hitch

and 

for two glorious days

our precious customers streamed in and enjoyed the

holiday cheer!

They found vintage and antique Christmas treasures

as well as

fresh delights to adorn their trees

their mantles

and their packages!

Mercury glass, glitter, greenery, holly berries,

handmade stockings

garlands, lace, crystal,

 and 

pearly, wiry,

 rusty, peely paint,

leathery,

chippy,

silvery

little treats

were chosen,

wrapped,

and whisked away!

There was ironstone and silverplate

French feedsack and warm, mellow treen

chosen with care

to grace holiday tables

and fill boxes under the tree.

Galvanized tin pots

and

stone urns will hold fir trees.

There was champagne

and chocolates

and ginger snaps

and candy canes

and visions of sugar plums

dancing in our heads 

There were many hugs and smiles
 and the days were surely blessed
and I'm thankful
and content
and pleased!

Spending time with the folks
who truly appreciate and enjoy the beautiful things
that I love,
makes my heart happy!

There will be lots of pretties coming in each day,
carefully chosen to excite and deight,

so please come visit
and
enjoy the season!

That Time of Year

In independent retail businesses, 

particularly the small business owned and operated by one person,

the Christmas season is the

 "make it, or break it" 

time of the year.

We work tremendously hard for 10 months, 

and then in the 2 months prior to Christmas, 

we can do the same amount of sales we did in the previous 10.

Knowing this to be true,

these two months become very significant to our well being.

Did I say, "very significant"?

Okay, truthfully, these two months are way too important.

They can be stressful and frustrating and difficult and back breaking.

They can make you lose sleep and work in your shop till midnight, only to drive 20 miles home in a blowing, blinding snow storm, sleep a few hours and go out and scrape the 7" of snow off your car, drive back to work, and do it all over again.

They can disrupt your sleep, your attitude, your appetite and your general ability to communicate with others without taking a bite out of them.

No one moves fast enough, cares enough, has the sense of your need to complete a task,

or apparently any idea of the urgency with which you seemingly must live through these weeks.

The world should be in "fast forward" with you

but

t h e y 

a r e 

i n

s   l   o   w

m    o    t    i    o    n

Okay . . .

I'm a crazy woman when it comes to my 

"one woman show"

of holiday retail.

The shop must be turned inside out

redecorated

holiday-ized

and

it should

(in my mind)

be found to be one of the very nicest and most loved shopping spots in

the front range.

Now,

appearing in 

Victoria Magazine 

last winter certainly raised the bar.

Winning

  5280 Magazine's

Editor's Choice Award as

Top of the Town

in

 Home Accessories category

two successive years,

added to my stress to impress.

Winning 

Esprit 'd Noel's 

Christmas House Tour

to benefit Children's Hospital,

and appearing in 

Colorado Homes and Lifestyle

this month

was another beautiful compliment for

 PATINA ANTIQUES.

It also adds the challenge of surpassing last year's grandeur

 when we decorate for the tour

THIS YEAR

and try to do everything with a fresh new eye

to captivate our customers' imagination.

When the magazine spread appears on the news stand

the week of your annual

CHRISTMAS OPEN HOUSE,

(to which you've invited several thousand of your best customers,

 friends, family, competiton and hottest critics),

you can begin to tremble and shake

with the need to keep

 "out doing"

 what you've done in the past.

Your dreams and conversation can be peppered with phrases like, 

"over the top" and "outside the box" and "killer"

 and well . . . 

you get my drift . . .

But,

this year

I'm taking it a little easy.

I'm trusting that what I can do will be accomplished,

and what I can't do - only I will know about.

That there really is no amount of stress and frustration that can improve

 who I am

or

what I do.

I'll say my prayers and do my best

 and count on my creativity and my blessings

 to spring from God.

I will plan my work

and

work my plan

and ask that it's blessed.

Perhaps this is a sign of age - (hopefully maturity)?

I will take time for my friends

have a cup of coffee

smile at strangers

return my shopping cart

have my grandchildren spend the night 

take donuts to the guys at Grease Monkey

leave a gift on my neighbors doorstep

bake cookies

have a Christmas party

and

 trust! 

Time for a change

The weather is changing fast, and I'm loving the changes.  

I was inspired to sort through the closet, 

rotating warm weather clothing and cool weather clothing 

I'm thinking hearty potato/cheddar soup

 and

 chili

 and

rich beef stew 

I have a desire for pumpkin bread

and

baked apples

and

ginger snaps

My candle fragrances are evolving into

Votivo's Red Currant

and 

Honeysuckle

and

Smoke

Scarves are tempting me . . 

burnt oranges 

and

 harvest ambers

and

cinnamon browns

I'm beginning to layer my table top with textural neutrals

in raw silk, burlap, hopsacking and linen

It's time for a change

and

I'm loving it!

Early Morning Thoughts

I'm venturing out again now,

testing my endurance and navigating skills.

Though I'm not as strong and sure as I was,

there is a challenge to every day

that I enjoy meeting.

I took my market basket and started out into my brave new world.

I found several lovely items for my little shop

and stopped in to arrange them

at 

PATINA.

It was early and quiet and calm.

Sunlight hitting the front windows at a new angle and lending a different aura.

I lit the pretty mercury glass lamps and admired the soft glow they cast.

I love to putter early,

before anyone else is about . . .

Just touching

 these treasures from 100 years or more ago

starts me musing about

their histories . . .

What hands have touched these ironstone bowls

and

silver inkwells

and

old photo developing frames?

Who has opened and closed those peely shutters?

Against what storms of life . . . 

What Brittish market or apothecary shop used this little scale

to weigh out goods for a home maker?

What home will harbor it next . . 

Where has it resided in between . . .

What stories could it tell?

Each piece is precious in some way

because it holds those stories,

and because it will accumulate

more.

Only time will tell

who will own this treasure next . . .

Will they think of it like I do?

I love my work!

Good Morning World

Good Morning and welcome to my world.

I'm going out to work today,
 just my
  second
real day
"out",
since July 18th.

Some tremendously life changing
"side effects"??
"strokes"?
something
after surgery
have knocked me for a
long
miserable
 serious
loop.

Today I will brave the world,
with assistance,
and
  see if
I can
 be
back to work.

No one knows just how disconcerting it is to find one cannot
 speak,
walk,
 swallow,
grasp objects
 and
drive
until it happens to them.

I have a new compassion.

God is good about teaching us the skill set He intends us to posess . . .
even at this stage in life.

He will give us all the tools we will need to be tender hearted
and ready to assist and understand
and have empathy for
the people
He 
wants us to serve.

I hope this
lesson is well learned
and
I do not need to
study it again . . .

There are people I need to thank
a thousand times
for what they've done 
to bless me
during this process!

Now I will attempt to go to work
several days a week
and to
 have a fresh perspective
on
how blessed I've always been
to be healthy and strong and self-sufficient
and capable.

Thanks for your well wishes and love!

Side Effects

Dear Ones,

Many of you are following my post surgical escapades on the blog,

so I'm dedicated to keeping you posted on the 

BIZARRE

up and down recuperation process.

I had a couple of good days . . .

the sort of days that make you think it's nearly over!

That you're ready to tackle the world,

or,

at least

to get back to work.

So, you begin to try things you haven't been able to do for awhile

like going outside into the sunlight

or

lifting things, to rearrange them...

and you fall on your face.

Literally.

I have to sit down and figure out why I feel so well some days, 

and then when I try to accomplish something simple 

like tying my shoes, 

or walking 2 blocks to pick up a few groceries,

or vacuuming,

I relapse.

I drop things

I stumble into things

I reach for something and miss it

Words on a page or computer screen move around

Dizziness worsens
Light creates an unbearable stress on my brain
Vision becomes distorted.

Not only can't I figure it out,
doctors still can't figure it out.

So, I've been trying to re-read my journal
 to determine a pattern.

Light is my first guess.

The more I subject myself to sunlight
or
fluorescent light
and
sometimes even the light coming in my
windows through the blinds,
the worse my condition seems to get.

Motion is my second guess.

Sitting still or lying down
for an hour or more
seems to calm my center.

Walking is fine for a short distance
in my dimly lit house
at a minor pace.
Bending is disastrous.

Walking outside in the sunlight
and
riding in a car
with landscape and other vehicles flying past
and sunshine flashing in
causes havoc.


I have invested in some super dark, wrap around, protective sunglasses
 my opthamologist
prescribed.
Even they are not enough to filter the light and protect my eyes and brain.

I do not intend to become a hermit!

Last week, brother dearest,
(visiting from Florida),
took me out for a drive.
Returning home, I stumbled getting out of the car.
I recovered.
Then I dropped my keys.
I bent to pick up my keys and lost my balance.
I got to the door, reached for the door knob, and missed.

I had that feeling that I'd been filled with concrete.

I went inside, went into my room,
and fell down.
I lay there, thinking . . .
I eventually got up, layed down across the bed
and spent the next 10 hours sleeping.

The next morning I stumbled into the kitchen to make a cup of coffee and some toast.
I took a sip.
It dribbled down my chin.

I took a bite of toast.
I couldn't swallow like I usually do.
The muscles in my throat wouldn't work
quite right . . .

I called my Primary Care Physician
who said to go to the E.R.
She was suspecting a T.I.A.

Transient Ischemic Attack.
Sometimes referred to as a
"mini stroke".

The thing about T.I.A.
is that you cannot see it
 on an M.R.I.
or
 C.T. scan.

The problems brought on by
 T.I.A.
resolve themselves,
often within hours.

As I waited, (five hours in the E.R.),
I tried to explain to the attending physician in my halted speech,
exactly what had happened over the last few weeks.

During those five hours,
two helicopters landed with incoming emergency patients.
Flight For Life.
A dozen ambulances arrived.
People were having heart attacks,
people were bleeding profusely,
I was in much better shape than any of
 THEM!

The good doctors once again could not definitively determine
exactly what the cause of my
problems
might be.


Evidently,
T.I.A.
is a forewarning sign
of
stroke.

I am in denial about this being a series of T.I.A.'s

I still believe, as do several specialists, that this is a drug/chemical reaction.

The good news is that I also believe I'm improving

just a little,

every day.

Keep those prayers going!