So, what’s been going on lately?
An Abundance of Miracles!
Can you see them?
Can you feel them?
Are you looking?
Look Harder!
They are there!

They often come in GiftWrap that makes it easy not to recognize them.
All those seemingly stressful and overwhelming things going on?
All those interruptions to your day to day plans, referred to as “Life Happens!”?
All those items cramming your “Things to Do” List?
They just might be Miracles!

Here’s a few on my List, Today…

I am getting married in a few weeks.
My Partner and I have made a decision to take our vows on our Twentieth Anniversary.
We wanted a simple celebration and as so many of our friends & family are clustered in several different cities, we have set up five simple celebrations in five different cities over these several months.
Planning is a challenge.
We set up an electronic invitation only to discover that, for the most part, everyone over 35 could not seem to operate the RSVP site,
And everyone under 35 does not understand what RSVP even means!
So we have Lots going on…

Getting our Marriage License at City Hall

Work has been ferociously busy these days — I am juggling three major projects, one of which is escalating to a higher level of Production.
This requires extended hours, extended staff, and a great deal of attention.
We are moving offices.
This will also be taking place within the next several weeks.

I am in the midst of a Court Case with a client who refuses to pay our contract.
We did the work, and as he is a convicted federal felon who has done time in prison, we were surprised to discover that he has learned nothing from that experience and still appears to think himself above the law, neither paying nor honoring such contracts.
These Court Proceedings are the kinds of things that we would prefer never happen, but when they do, they are time-consuming and expensive.

I still take care of MOM.
I still teach every week.
I am in the midst of a three-month Writing WorkShop.

And then the ceiling fell in!

A few weeks ago, in the midst of all this, the Building Handyman knocked on our door, and told us that he would return at 8 am the next morning to fix the large holes in our ceiling which had suffered some damage from the radiator in the apartment upstairs last November. I had been after the LandLord to have the ceilings repaired, and finally, it was to be fixed. The fact that it was 4^th of July week, and 105 degrees in New York City, was not to deter us.
“And I shall paint apartment!” he added.
“What?” we exclaimed. “No! You cannot paint the apartment with no notice in 105 degree heat!”
“No. I paint! I’ll be back with my men at 8 o’clock in the morning!” he shouted in his heavy Greek Accent, as he departed down the steps!
Life in New York! You take the paint job when you can get it!
My Partner and I stayed up half the night moving furniture from the bedrooms into the living room, cleaning thoroughly, removing breakables, and unscrewing shelves from the walls.
The handyman did not show up the next morning, but arrived the day after that, with two of his men.

And suddenly, a Paint Job…

Well, for a hot New York Summer, one could easily perceive all of this as an overwhelming time fraught with way too much on my plate: Wedding Plans, Way too much Work, Moving Offices, Court Case, Mom, Teaching, Writing, Painting in 105 degree heat…
Sure. If you like.

But here’s how I see it:
What a JOY, not only to get married, but to get married to the Love of My Life!
To get to see So Many Friends in So Many Places.
TO BE ABLE TO!
When we met, this was not even a possibility!
And now, with so much Gratitude and Awareness of the Way paved by the Ceaselessly Courageous Actions of EDITH WINDSOR, JAMES OBERGEFELL, and so many other Activists before us,
YES WE CAN!
In spite of the sometimes seeming demise of so many of our country’s values, this action is a Celebration of our Country’s Progress!
And even moreso, a Celebration of LOVE!
Whatever your politics, may we trust that anything that helps and supports and recognizes and Celebrates Love is a Good Thing!
And we are Taking that Action!
#blessed

And let’s face it! My work is So FUN!

A plethora of Work!???
As my Mother always says, “It’s the opposite of that that is the problem! This is Wonderful! Better to be Busy!”
I am Working on Fantastic Projects!
I am Working with Such Full Of Wonder People!
And Lot’s of ‘Em!
I Love My Work! What could be Better than having Lots of it!
#blessed

I Love My Office and I Love the Community with whom I am blessed to work these past seven years. The only thing that could make it better would be a Window! (I have been in an interior office which lacks a window — that is its only drawback!)
New Office: Equally Wonderful Community of People!
And Two Huge Bright Sunny Windows!
#blessed

Happy with out New Space! …And we can even hop out that window, and enjoy the terrace view!

A Meme from the Internet

The Court Case — with this, I wrestle a bit!
We won. The Court garnished his bank accounts, but he hides his assets, and while he appears to have plenty of money to continue in business, his accounts had no money for the court to take.
It speaks more of him than it does of me.
What a sad and pathetic, once-great man. Heartbreaking, really.
And Yet, the Fight for Justice is Always Worthwhile!
And I am Grateful for a Free and Democratic Process!

Always Celebrating a Free and Democratic Process!

The guarantee of that Process does not guarantee that there aren’t those who have figured out loopholes and ways to work around it to create injustice.
But for me, Standing Up for What is Right, however small it may be, is always a Good Use of one’s time in this World! Especially in our current Climate!
If each of us stands up for what is right, eventually the power of our Collective Voices will be heard!
And I am Grateful to Live in a Place where there is a way to do that!
#blessed

Me & MOM

MOM is one of my Greatest Gifts in the World!
At 91 years old, she is a source of ceaseless Delight! In spite of all the physical maladies we humans may face at that age, and she has faced several, she finds Delight in every Day! I Love the sound of her Laughter, and it is plentiful when we are together! I often play music from the American SongBook for her, and she seems to know every word of every song, smiling and telling me, “Oh, this is from my time!” or “We danced to this song!”
To see her expression as she is comforted by so many memories of a Life Well Lived…
This is the Art of Growing Old.
#blessed

I Love to Teach and I always have! It is a Joy to watch Young Artists make Discoveries:
To give to them what I have learned, and to watch them Awaken to everything they have within themselves and all they can be!
To witness the Fulfilling of their Potential,
And to watch them Making Leaps and Taking Strides along their Journey!
#blessed

Writing is a Passion. It always has been. In fact, I’m Writing this Now! I am So Blessed to have been Guided and Mentored through the WorkShops and Writing Programs of the Marvelous and Inimitable SUSAN ARIEL RAINBOW KENNEDY http://planetsark.com/ these past several years! What a Joy it is — this Process of Finding One’s Voice! And I learned years ago that the Best Way to improve oneself as a Teacher is to spend some time in the position of Student!
#blessed

A PaintJob in 105 degree heat during 4^th of July Week?
Yup!
I have been after the LandLord to repair that ceiling for months! And this apartment has needed a paintjob for more than a few years now — I just have not been able to make the time.

All the furniture moved into the Living Room

Well, no time like the present!
Let’s have it!
#blessed

Four close friends are battling cancer right now!
Their Passion for Life is So Inspiring!
It is just Amazing to me what we are willing to go through to have this Gift of Life!
It is So Worth It
And we Know That!
Our Higher Selves, in this Human Condition, understand the Value of this Gift!
And that it is Worth Fighting For…
Whatever it Takes!
I am so honored to be a small part of the Impassioned Journeys of these Phenomenal Women!
It is every bit as much a part of who I am as anything else I am doing with my time on this Earth!
#honored
#blessed

In the midst of all of this, the MTA has closed the subway station by my home for renovations that will take well into next year!
…Seriously?
With all of this going on, I also need to walk an additional fifteen minutes in each direction just to get to and from work every day!???
And then I realized…
With all of our furniture still piled in the middle of our Living Room from the Paint Job, and time scarce with all that’s going on, I had been unable to work out —
And then the Universe builds in a Spa Walk at either end of my Day, giving me no choice but to stay Healthy!
It is not an Inconvenience!
It is a Miracle Gift!
Plus, as an Added Bonus, that means that every night, on the long walk home, I pass several 24-hour Produce Markets along the strip — and so, at this peak season of Cherries, Blueberries, HoneyDew Melons, Peaches, and Plums, I can easily pick up the Freshest Summer Produce every night to Enjoy each Morning!
What could be More Delicious or more of an Affirmation of Life than That!
Read More about The Sweetness of Now: https://livethequestionsnow.com/2015/07/21/the-sweetness-of-now/

#blessed
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#blessed

Hierloom Tomato and Watermelon Salad… YUM!

So, you see, all of this activity making up my “What I Did on My Summer Vacation” Essay for this year…
It is an Abundance of Miracles!
While at first glance, it may seem like just too much going on which can lead to frustration and a sinking feeling of overwhelm…
Every One of these things is something for which I most Fervently Wished!
While I may not have wished specifically for a paint job in 105 degree heat during 4^th of July Week with no notice, I did so want to have my apartment painted!
While taking care of MOM may seem at times daunting, the Beautiful Moments far outweigh the more challenging ones — and I count our Time Together among the most Precious Gifts I have received in this Life!
A Wedding is counted among the five greatest stresses one may face in one’s adult Life.
But to marry the Partner I Love
And TO BE ABLE TO…
#blessed

These are All Miracles!
These are All Dreams Come True!
These are All things I Manifested from deep within the Truest Desires of My Heart!
I was not expecting to Manifest All of Them in the same month, of course!
But WOW, we are Powerful Creators!
We are created in the Image of Our Creator!
So, by that, it stands to Logic that our Powers to Create are Extraordinary!
And they Are!

Look around!
Look at Your Life and all of the Gifts contained within the seeming Overwhelm!
Change Your Elevation — Rise above it and, just for a moment, look at your Life from a Higher Vantage Point:
All those seeming stresses —
Are those Gifts not exactly what you most wanted?
Exactly what you were Hoping For?
And Yes, none of it is Perfect!
What if we toss out the idea of Perfection as some Ideal?
And just Enjoy the Messy and Marvelous Progress of All That Is!
YES!
YES!
YES!
YES!
YES!
Let us Embrace this Marvelous Wild Ride, and the Many Gifts contained therein!
It is said that we Create our own Reality.
I Believe that we do!
I Believe that we can Create Miracles!
So, Have At It!
#blessed
#blessed
#blessed

Instant Macaroni & Cheese Party at the Office — with or without a Window, FUN is where you choose to make it!

And we are not starting from nowhere!
We are not flying blind!
We have already Created So Much in our own Lives
which is Good
and Beautiful
and which we So Love!
So let us vibrate in Gratitude on all of the Beautiful Manifestations we are experiencing Today!
And Let us Welcome All that we Desire,
And make our Creative Dreams Real!
#blessed

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