Category: journey

Be Ninety…

Published on by Mae @ Rainydayinmay3 Comments
I wanted to wait to post about this until I was sure that I could handle it. 
See, I’m kinda weak… 
And I know that several of my regular readers aren’t really the type to read about such a challenge- but then I realized it’s my blog and so I’m going to blog about it… 
In June I signed up for the B90 challenge. For those of you aren’t familiar, it is simply a program where you commit to reading the Bible in it’s entirety over the course of 90 days. 
Honestly, I’ve never been a big fan of reading the Bible. There are certain verses and parts of that I’ve loved- but the majority of it bored me to tears. Considering I am a Christian, this would possibly be my least attractive Believer quality. When I signed up, I questioned my ability to make it through. 
When July 11th rolled around and it was time to start the challenge- my life suddenly felt like the world was sort of falling apart. 
Destined for failure… 
But then, I haven’t. 
In fact I’m loving it. I am learning. I am confused. I am succeeding. 
So yeah, that’s my cool thing for the day. 
What’s yours? 
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And it was all yellow too…

Published on by Mae @ Rainydayinmay13 Comments
Having not seen my beautiful eleven year old niece in what felt like many months due to joint custody arrangements (between her parents) and an unmeshing of timing/schedules, she absolutely threw me the other day when she shouted out, “Next time you buy me a birthday present please make sure it’s nothing pale yellow! I cannot stand pale yellow.” With the conclusion of her ear piercing decibel confession she attached a dramatically appropriate shudder followed by an ever so dainty eye roll… 
huh, I’m guessing she’s not a fan of yellow then. 
oh, but I am. 
Just last night I sat on my sofa as fading day light filtered in through my kitchen window, painting everything in antiqued golden hues. Turning my head just a tad, to the left, I had the same rays of shine illuminating the neighbors raw wood fence and trees. Beautifully green leaves made love with shards of yellow as the wind turned them about ever so gently. 
ah, yellow… 
At my feet lay my golden dog, so fluffy and warm. Just released from the dog hospital, her human family still flooded with relief to the very edges of our skin tips. As days pass, with each sneeze and patch of dry skin- we fear the worst for her as she grows ever older, weaker, more frail. As I’m dreaming amidst the sky’s falling gold, the strong and amazing man I married comes into the room- kissing me softly as he sits. 
“hello, yellow dog.” He says to her, tousling her furry head. 
yellow dog… 
It is in this moment that I see it, just a glimpse really. My own hands wrapped in onion skin, my hair white and thin. Breaths are shallow, as I lay in a bed somewhere. Out the one window my unguided daydream grants me, I see golden floods of daytime and feel complete. I think of them then, my husband whose lip smells oh so so sweet. I remember his kisses, his warm hands and the way in which golden flecked blue eyes loved me. 
gold. 
I’d remember then, his best friend. They way he called her yellow dog, and how she was prepared to clumsily follow him to the ends of his world if she had to. From the longing in my daydream heart, I sense he is with her then and no longer with me… 
Then I am back to the present of her at my feet and he by my side. 
It is these moments I hold tight and place in my soul’s mason jar. 
I tuck them in, like fireflies whose yellow light kisses make summer a million times more precious than it is.
yellow. 
acidic lemons that manage to make the best cleaners, the freshest fragrances, the best drink accents and the most delicious cakes all while never ceasing to be poetically beautiful… 
antique book pages bursting at their bindings with both history and hope. 
golden wedding bands symbolizing more, in their petite circles than any other piece of jewelry dares. 
butter… by itself, too rich and creamy, but everything it touches becomes that much better. 
tiny wild flowers… big flowers… roses… sunflowers, always facing heaven. 
and of course there’s this… 
This post was inspired by a writing prompt over at mama kat’s writer’s workshop…
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Deep & Wide…

Published on by Mae @ Rainydayinmay3 Comments
Wow. 
So yesterday’s post was a little deep, eh? 
I can’t even tell you how completely grateful I am for the sweet comments and words. So many beautiful words… So many beautiful readers. 
Many times, per week, I am getting emails from several regular readers telling me their own stories or perceptions of my words and then apologizing because they can not comment on my blog. 
What the heck?!?!?!? 
I am a complete computer moron and have no idea how to rectify this. 
Any wisdom? 
I thought I’d take a moment to thank each and everyone one of you- (yes, even YOU, the silent ones) for your thoughts and prayers over the past week and a half. My goodness, we come home from San Francisco and it felt like the entire world was falling apart. We’re told we’re unexpectedly (and quickly) losing our house… Our sweet Golden Retriever Makaila is super sick… My sister has been diagnosed with another brain tumor… I feel like I am missing something else. I don’t know, maybe I’m not. It was a lot. 
I am here to tell you that… 
– we are NOT losing our house. (we learned so last night.)
– Makaila has a raging UTI and they have her on antibiotics, which she unfortunately keeps vomiting up. 
– No word on my sister, as of yet, but with the knowledge that we’re staying put- it’s a lot less overwhelming to think about how much she’s going to need me. 
Life gets super stressful and heavy sometimes, but there truly is love all around us. It flows deeper than our sorrows and much wider than our eyes and arms can grasp. 
I, for one, am really grateful for this. 
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WANTED: a home, please…

Published on by Mae @ Rainydayinmay9 Comments
We didn’t come home to a welcome home banner or a beautiful balloon bouquet. Nope. Instead, we came home to our property management company announcing that our rental’s owner is short selling out from under us. Just dandy, isn’t it? With that bombshell of an announcement we are left unknowing if we still have a home, or for how long… 
Fan-flipping-tastic… 
I wanted to sit down and cry to them about how hard change is for my daughter. I wanted to paint pictures with great detail and imagery about how hard it’s going to be. I wanted to beg someone who mattered to please not sell, or to sell to someone who will continue to rent to us. (which is a possibility) 
Instead though, when my husband asked one simple question: how do we know what we are supposed to do if we have no idea how long we have? The property manager answered with: it isn’t just you, there are 8 other homes that are also short selling. Really? REALLY??? While we feel bad for the other families/people, the reality is it is our family we are concerned with… 
so much for a stressless rest of summer… 
Gosh, doesn’t it feel like we were just in a house mess? pfft… 
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What I’ve learned… {The No. Cal. Edition…}

Published on by Mae @ Rainydayinmay4 Comments
I survived vacation… 
When people think of vacation, typically they envision sleeping in, lazy days and similar luxuries… Pretty much, they aren’t vacationing with me. I am a planner, by default. I love planning memorable things to do and making them (or most of them, anyhow) somehow magically become a reality on minimal budgets and shoestring dollar amounts. I usually, (obviously) survive, but I end up exhausted. 
This trip to California was no exception. 
Even so, along the way I learned some pretty big things that I wanted to share…
1.) No Cal drivers are awesome. Seriously. California, in it’s entirety, gets a bad wrap. We saw the most courteous and respectful drivers in San Jose, San Francisco and the entire area in between. It never ceased to amaze us. 
2.) No Cal gas prices are awesome. Again, something that surprised us… 
3.) Sometimes the best hotels, and staff members, are found in the least likely of places… 
4.) I am learning that I am NOT (by any shape of the imagination) a fan of wild animals in captivity. 
5.) I think that being out in the sea watching blue and humpback whales feed, swim and splash is one of the most amazing things I’ve ever been witness to. 
6.) I am not a sea person. I get sick. Super sick. Sicker than I’ve maybe ever been. Days later and I’m still not 100%. 
7.) Booking a casino hotel because the “price is right” is a stupid thing to do. A mistake I’m not likely to make again. 
8.) Everywhere but Idaho has way too many Trader Joe’s and the company needs to spread out a little. 
9.) The Golden Gate Bridge really is more beautiful when it’s foggy. 
10.) Sometimes a cab ride, in perfect timing, is the brightest spot in a bleak moment. 
11.) It’s fun to dream of fancy houses, without having to go home to clean them. (or pay for them.) 
12.) A cemetery is nothing to be scared of, at night. When fireworks are overhead it’s even better. 
13.) Flat beaches are way better than insanely hilly ones. 
14.) If not turned off, satellite activated GPS on a smart phone will drain a battery instantly. 
15.) Facebook has really humble headquarters. 
16.) Planning ahead is vital to the success of a vacation. 
17.) Being flexible with those plans is even more important. 
18.) Eating out at amazing places we don’t have at home, is awesome.
19.) And then, it suddenly isn’t… 
20.) There really is no place like home. 
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