Tag: Joy

A Place That Brings You Joy

On By dotluvs2writeIn Beauty, blogging, Musings, Past Life Activities, Travel6 Comments

RMNP Colorado Rockies June 2017

Have you ever been to a place, or lived in a place that brought you such joy and peace that every day you looked out your window or stepped outside your door, you smiled at the grand and scenic landscape around you?

I grew up a military dependent, so we moved around every two to four years.  I was painfully shy growing up, and it took me many months to make friends, and that friendship was enjoyed for a couple years or less, and then it was off to another place.   The moves were difficult, but I adapted.  I kept in touch with my friends over the years via actual snail mail that seems unheard of these days, but it was great fun the years my friends and I wrote each other.  I still remember the excitement I felt when I got a letter from a friend.

The pattern of my emotions in each move consisted of initial sadness when I found out we were moving, to tingling anticipation in the last few weeks before moving day, wondering what the new place would be like.

Here’s a short history of where I’ve lived up to the place I found to be my happy haven.  I was born in Maine, and from there moved to Taiwan, then Massachusetts, Virginia, Alabama, Germany, Illinois, Virginia again, and then Colorado.  All the states and Germany (which was amazing, clean, and gorgeous) pretty much had the same climate–four seasons, humid and hot in the summers, various bugs depending on the area….bigger ones down South (ugh).  So I knew no other type of climate other than hot, muggy buggy, and cold, humid in the winters. Until Colorado.

I remember when we drove into the state and I first stepped outside the car at the local Air Force Base’s gas station.  We were headed to the TLF (temporary lodging facility) until the house Dad and Mom had purchased, was ready to move in, as it was a new house in a new subdivision down in Castle Rock.  As soon as I stepped outside the vehicle, I noticed immediately the difference in the air.  It was light, thin, and fresh.  The sky was an incredible deep azure, with the sun shining so bright, it was nearly white.  Although it was mid summer, it didn’t feel as oppressive as it had in Virginia, Illinois, or Alabama.  And the first time I saw the Rocky Mountains, I caught my breath.  They dominated the western landscape, and demanded respect.  If it were at all possible in some type of sense, I fell in love with Colorado right then, and this has never dissipated.

Colorado Rockies and elk

I was blessed and lucky enough to have lived there twice.  The first time was from 1987 to 1995, and the second time was from 2007 to 2013.  Both times that I left this wonderful haven was not because I wanted to, but more because I didn’t really have a choice.  The first time was when I was in my early twenties, and my job was being phased out, and therefore, I moved south to Northern Louisiana where my parents had moved months before me, and also where my sister had been living for many years because her husband was from there.  The second time was because my husband believed he had a calling to the priesthood, and so we needed to go to Boston for him to attend the graduate school there.  But for several reasons, his degree at that time didn’t come to pass, and because our house in Colorado was being rented out, we couldn’t go back to it, and at that time, my husband wasn’t sure if he’d return to school at a later date.  Therefore, we ended up in Pennsylvania, the state in which my husband had grown up. Also, his family still resided there.

We settled in Lancaster, and struggled for the first year and half as my husband searched and applied for many jobs.  Finally, he was hired last May in 2017 at a local school district.

Lancaster is a lovely area dotted with many farms, rolling hills, and Amish buggies.

Lancaster, PA

We were fortunate to take a vacation back to Colorado in June of 2017 where we stayed at Estes Park in a beautiful, little rustic cabin and hiked the Rocky Mountain trails in Rocky Mountain National Park, and then visited our spiritual father and his family, and our parish family in Colorado Springs.  It was a great respite that truly felt euphoric.

Lancaster is charming, but we knew when we moved into our rental home here and know now that it really is a temporary place in which we have been blessed to regroup, work out personal issues, heal, and grow.

We don’t know how long we’ll be in Lancaster.  I only know that Colorado is always in my heart and in the back of my mind, and the urging to return never goes away.  My husband feels the same way, which works out well for us; no arguments or disagreements on where we want to retire.  God willing, we’ll return some time in the future to this glorious state that has me literally smiling and my heart soaring every time we drive into it and spot those majestic Rockies.

RMNP June 2017

Do you have a place that makes you happy and causes your heart to swell?

 

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The Day in Which the World has Joyously Changed Forever

On By dotluvs2writeIn blogging, Christmas and other Holidays, Inspirational, ReligiousLeave a comment

the nativity of Christ

 

The birth of Christ God incarnate changed humanity and all creation forever.  The second Person of the Trinity condescended onto Earth and took on the flesh of the Theotokos, and through this, we Eastern Orthodox Christians sing many hymns celebrating this:

“Our Saviour hath visited us from on high…
And we who were plunged in darkness and shadows
Have found the truth,
For the Lord hath been born of the Virgin”.

“The wall of partition is destroyed,
The flaming sword is dropped,
The Cherubim withdraw from the Tree of Life,
And I partake of the fruits of Paradise,
Whence, for my disobedience, I was driven forth”.

“Heaven and earth now are united through Christ’s Birth!
Now is God come down to earth
And man arisen to the heaven”.

magi visiting Theotokos & Christ

“Today Christ is born in Bethlehem of the Virgin.
Today He who is without a beginning begins,
And the Word is made flesh.
The powers of Heaven rejoice,
The earth and her people are jubilant;
The Wise Men bring gifts to the Lord,
The shepherds marvel at the One who is born;
And we sing without ceasing:
“Glory to God in the Highest, And on earth peace, (God’s) good will toward men”.

Christ is Born!  Glorify Him!

Mary, Joseph, and the Christ Child Nativity

 

A Blessed Christmas to you all.  May Peace and Love fill your hearts.

 

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The Written Word Comes to Life

On By dotluvs2writeIn blogging, Fiction Writing2 Comments

stardust blue

There are times in your life where something beautiful and unexpected happens, and you’re left in awe as your heart swells with joy and pride for this blessed experience.

When I started back to school in 2014, I’d found the major of my dreams from my childhood that I did not know existed. It presented me with the real possibility of becoming a professional writer. While taking so many fascinating courses thus far online through Southern New Hampshire University, there were three core courses for my major in English Creative Writing from which to choose:

  • Fiction writing workshop
  • Nonfiction writing workshop
  • Poetry workshop
  • Playwriting workshop

Considering I had been writing fiction and had felt most comfortable in that realm, it was the easiest choice for me. Nonfiction was more difficult, but I learned more in that class than I did in my Introduction to Creative Writing course the year before. But I will be taking the fiction writing workshop next term that starts in early January, and will see how it compares to the others. Knowing poetry wasn’t a talent I possessed, nor did I completely comprehend all poems, I chose the playwriting workshop. I had no knowledge or experience in playwriting, but I figured it would be easier to compose than poetry.

I completed the playwriting workshop last term (each term is eight weeks long), and it surprised me and intrigued me very much. I’d learned so much about this art. I found writing plays that depended primarily on dialogue at its core came easier and more natural to me than writing a setting in a novel. Many of the very short plays I wrote for this class were born out of my stream of consciousness.

3d rendering of human brain on technology background

Rewinding in time to two years ago, in my Introduction to Creative Writing course, I produced a screenplay (the first I’d ever done) for the week’s assignment. It was a play about…well…nothing. And it grew out of a stream of consciousness.   Nevertheless, my fellow classmates and professor loved it and laughed while reading it. This play is called “Falling Up Stairs.”

Fast forward to last term (September-October), when I wrote, again, from a stream of consciousness, my play, “The Tricker’s Treat.”

In mid to late October, I corresponded with a local theater director via my mother-in-law, who acted there on average, two times a year. Through my husband’s and mother-in-law’s help—husband told his mom about my plays, and she passed this on to the director—the director had told me she would be happy to read over my plays. I was nervous at first…the thought of anyone at that level reading my silly plays…but I managed to get past my fears and sent them to her.

With only a few minor changes (one being changing my screenplay, “Falling Up Stairs,” into a play for live theater), she offered her small theater venue and actors to informally read my plays so I could hear how the words I’d written would be animated with tone and expression and flow.

I couldn’t believe it.

This path of writing began to bloom before my eyes, like a new colorful world opening up to me.

Last night, this came to fruition. Hearing the written words of the dialogue between my created characters in my plays come to life was something nearly inexplicable. It was a euphoric moment that lifted my soul and kindled joy in my heart.

I’m still writing fiction stories and enjoy the cozy feeling of being immersed in my created characters’ worlds, but after last night, the longing to see my plays actually acted on the stage with props and costumes–the whole kit and caboodle–grew exponentially. I don’t know what will happen now, but I’m eternally grateful to Laurie, the director, and her actors for the opportunity they gave me to see my play come to life.

The actors and me from the play reading!

(The actors and me (in the center))

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