Showing posts with label journey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label journey. Show all posts

Sunday, September 15, 2013

The Visists

Now, some days after that first visit, yes first of three, all in two weeks. I still had to come home to work.
Sounds funny driving almost six hours each way and talking about visits like he was around the corner.
Oh how I wish!
The first visit was magical! We caught up on things. Spent many hours awake, afraid to sleep, did not want to waste time. Time, so precious now since I was required to go back to the real world.. Some how during those five days I knew he was to become my 'real world' now!
My life was to change in ways I would never had expected!
We talked about me trying to get a transfer closer. I did think I could get closer than three hundred miles away. I could rent an apartment, I was already planning to move anyway, what did it matter where. Now that he was back in my life I knew the direction I wanted to go. No, I did not want to move in with him, I had vowed some years earlier I would never live with a man again, I just wanted to be closer. Maybe to see each other more than every few months. That was the reality of the situation.
Yes, He was and is the love of my life! Yes, he was, and still is my best friend, and he is who I want to share the silly things with, the really big things and the everyday things . But in the same house? Under the same roof? That, I was not sure of. Scared, petrified and excited would be the emotions I felt!
We just needed to figure out the logistics of the situation. I knew we would. I also knew I was not letting this slip out of my life again. I had made that mistake twice before and would not allow it again.... Older and wiser now, I knew I loved him beyond belief and now knew he felt the same.
Sitting on the porch over morning coffee we would stop talking and just look at each other, then reach out and touch. Just to know it was real. The intensity of the feelings were hard to imagine, even harder to believe. I know I was having a difficult time understanding where they were coming from. So much time had past! But as we sat there it was if our hearts had been connected for all that time!
Leaving there that time was, oh, so difficult.
Not knowing when I would see him again, not wanting for the "heaven" of us to be over I stalled for as long as I could.
Then the time came! Time to leave!  I could put it off for no longer.
Pulling out of that driveway it felt as if I left my heart and soul there. The tears came! They were falling onto my lap before I was even to the end. Looking out the window and back at the house I saw him waving and knew in that minute both of our hearts were breaking. It felt as if something was being ripped from my core. Grabbed away from me again...
I knew then that what he asked me with tears in his eyes, on that beautiful porch, on the side of that mountain, was no lie. No one ever looked at me with such love in their eyes! Just as I was! He loved me! Me! The same way I loved him, just because he was him! Not because of what I wanted him to be but because of who he was!
I loved him just because he was alive! Basic and simple as that was. He was ALIVE!!
We needed to be together for all time and I was to start the process of moving there. It was his idea! Not mine! For I never wanted to live with anyone again! I stayed away from any type of relationship, that was a bad word for me I was no good at them!
Before I was even home I was thinking about how long before I would be able to go back up. I knew I needed to go back there and see him, I knew he wanted me to come back. I could see it in his eyes as I left.
I stopped at work and looked at the schedule and with a little switching I found out I could drive there for two days the following week. I text him and the surprise and the happiness in his message said it all.
The plans were in motion. Our hearts and soul were ruling us this time! We had no option, we had to be. The chance now, to do what we should have done so many years ago was back, fate had stepped in and gave us a third chance at this love we felt.  We were older and knew our time was limited just by age. We had to be together.
That second visit was more planning and thinking. We only had two and a half days that time and needed to have many serious discussions. Sure there was the fun! This was the real test! We were able to still laugh and have fun while deciding how to move forward together.
We so looked forward to the future. I as I have never done before. Always living in the moment I very rarely made plans for the future. My thinking was and still is, things could be gone in an instant! I found myself looking forward to the future with him. I found myself planning for the future!  I had to leave and get back to work. As difficult as that was I knew we were to be forever bound. I left that time with more confidence we would not stray apart as we had so many years ago. I left there feeling very, very loved!  I knew we were forever bound! And that the future with this man I had loved for my entire adult life was coming true. He was and is, and will always be the love of my life! I wanted more that anything to make him happy, to make us happy...
The third visit..............
I left on Saturday morning to be to work at one o'clock, so I had to leave early in the morning for the five and half drive home. There were no plans to go there for a few weeks. I had to work all day Sunday and was to get done at eight p.m. Through the day we text back and forth a lot.  We had so much to 'say' to each other. Sometime through the day I started to toy with the idea of driving back up after work and then dismissed it. Silly! I had just left a little over twenty four hours ago. I also knew I needed to be there again. I needed to see him as I had never needed anyone ever! It was ridiculous! I knew that.
I started to toy with the times in my head and leaving after work would put me there at around four am. Silly since I had to leave by noon on Tuesday to be to work on Wednesday. Give us a little over a day to be together again.
I made the decision to go and called to say at eight thirty I would be on the road there. Of course he was concerned, the worst part of the drive my phone did not work, no service. This being the most dangerous part of the ride, all back roads, very dark and no cell service. But I did it! I had no option I had to be there with him.
How can I ever explain the necessity of seeing him? I could not explain it to myself. This time I did not tell a soul, it was a secret get away just for us. I relished the idea of going there, I was oh so excited to be able to see him again. I called from the last point I had service and he said he would be awake. I told him to take a nap and I would be there as safely and quickly as I could. Sure I was tired, sure I was a little scared, but the idea of being in the same house again with him by my side was the momentum which kept me awake and driving.
That day and half was heaven! We used the time to be together as if it was an extra present on a holiday.
We revealed how much we enjoyed to be together, and on that visit we both knew we needed to be under the same roof! We needed to spend the rest of our time together! Silly as it sounds at our age. I knew I would  not be able to not be with him. I also knew I would move heaven and earth to wake up next to him every day for the rest of our lives. I knew I wanted to go to sleep next to him every night for the rest of our lives.
I had waited thirty eight years for this kind of love to come back to me and I was not allowing it to go away.
There is nothing like getting a third chance at this kind of love and connection. It was that third visit where I understood the love we had had for each other all those years we had been apart, when we had married different people and had lived full lives.
I now knew what had been missing from mine for oh so many years. This visit only proved to reenforce the things we felt.
The plans were set in motion with excited anticipation.  The time of being apart was soon to be over and we would be starting this part of the journey together for the rest of our lives.
Not time, or space or anything would be able to separate us now as they had for so many years.
We were older and knew the value of time! We also had the appreciation for the connection we had to each other. We learned in that very first hug after so many years we had been bound together for ever and now our silly heads had caught up to our hearts and we made the plans.
Leaving that day was harder than the first for now we knew how it would be! We knew the joy of being together all the time. We understood the true meaning of soul mates. The emptiness in our hearts was gone and had been replaced with love and gratitude to God for giving us this third chance and we decided then and there it was not going to drift away again.  Yes some said it was fast but to us it had taken thirty five years to get to this point and we did not want to allow one more day to be taken from us so the wheels were set in motion and we were off to start our new lives together.
Yeah! My heart cried! and my soul rejoiced at the reality of him!
Again I thanked God for this very special gift and vowed to not throw it away. How many get a chance to have this kind of love? A love so binding that time and years could not and did not take away from us.
A love so special which so few have and even fewer appreciate it when they do.







Sunday, September 1, 2013

The meeting of a lifetime

And the story continues:

I waited the full twenty-four hours to call, hard as that was. I could not wait to hear his voice. I wanted to call all day and was so afraid to call early, not wanting to push things. It was to be, in fact only the second time I would talk to him in thirty-five years. I was cautious! Oh so cautious! I was afraid! Excited!
We laughed and talked, talked and laughed for hours. Mostly small talk.  Through some of the conversation we did filled each other in on our lives while we had been apart.
We both had heartache and happiness. We shared it all, no secrets between us, never had been.  While we talked we tried to figure out what had happen all those years ago. Neither of us had a clue. We looked back and  both remembered with fondness at how close we were.
While we were on the phone through the conversations we both admitted we would never get married again, neither wanting any type of relationship for fear of being hurt again. I was afraid of making a mistake again and had closed off any and all feelings which enabled me to create any relationship.  I did not want to get hurt again and if I did not get involved I could not get hurt.
I was moving forward!
Amazingly after the second phone call I realized I still loved this man, I had loved him since I was eighteen years old. I remembered the night I fell in love with him, I remembered the exact minute he captured my heart and has held it all these years. No, I did not tell him this fact, it was not the time. That was for a later date, maybe, unsure of how he felt.
Did he want to continue our friendship or was he just being nice to me. This is his personality, he never wanted to hurt someones feelings. Was he being like this to me, being nice as not to hurt my feelings? I was afraid. In actuality it took another two calls before I began to think there was a chance for us. Two long calls later where I finally started to realize he did care for me too. Could it be possible he wanted to talk to me as much as I wanted to talk to him. Did he wait to call me with the same anticipation in which I waited for him to call?
Every time the phone rang and it had the town on it I would be thrilled. My heart filled up and then it did not matter anymore it was only us in the world. Was this love? Is this what love felt like?
Then he spilled the beans and said " I think we were in love back then and were to dumb to realize it"
I was dumbfounded! Was it really possible he cared for me as much as I cared for him?
One day early in the morning I decided to text him. Since we had shared cell phone numbers I threw caution to the wind and text him. I am still not sure what made me text him, but I sure wish we had had texting so many years ago.
We 'said' more in those texts than we did on the phone. There was not the fear of hearing the tone of the voice and the ability to be honest and open was much easier.
It was then I decided to go visit him and see if the sparks were still there.  Still very cautious I only told one person at work, the one person who would be rooting for me. I did tell my sister I was going there and she was thrilled. She told me of all the people I had dated in the past he was her favorite.
I needed to go see if we still had it and it was not just the romantic hopes of a young twenty-one year old.
Did we have the spark?   I made my plans and told him I was going to visit. The sound of his voice I was not sure if he was happy or afraid. I did not know if I was excited or afraid. I only knew I had to take this totally uncharacteristic chance of a lifetime.
Could we possibly go back or better yet would we be able to continue on this journey through life together? Would we be able to move forward into the future this time?
I started with going from Tuesday to Thursday, I needed to know I was only going to be there for a few days. What if it was awful? What if we actually had nothing to say to each other? What would happen if I was not the same person he remembered.
We had told each other, or tried to tell each other how we had changed. We both had aged and lacking confidence we both were afraid the other would not like how we looked now. I knew in my heart looks did not matter, it was the connection, was it still there?
 The longer we talked the more we laughed and shared our dreams I knew in my heart that I needed to stay longer. I decided to go up on Monday instead and had to hold myself back from going on Sunday. I knew he was spending time with his son on Monday and did not want to go there yet. He said I could go with him but I was not ready for that yet. I needed to know about us. This was our time to figure it all out, our time to either reconnect or put closure to the past.
We shared how excited we were, how cautious we felt. We spent hours on the phone nightly, so long some nights it killed the battery in my phone.
Finally the day before I was ready to leave and while packing I texted him and told him not to play with my feelings. If he was just being the nice guy and not wanting to say no, not to make me drive up there. His answer was 'no he was not playing.' It was at that minute I realized he was as nervous as I was.
The day was here! I got ready to leave!
Not knowing where I was going I wanted to leave plenty of time to get there. Who was I kidding I wanted to get there. The ride was long and I did a lot of thinking and soul searching, just as I had since I knew he was in fact alive. I tried to understand the pull of him. The reason I HAD to go there.  Who drives five and half hours on a whim.
What or who was the force which drove me to something so out of the normal for me.  I did not like to stay anywhere away from home specially some one's house I have not seen or talked to for thirty some years. I did not know what to expect. The barrage of emotions I felt on the way there was overwhelming at times, and I would catch myself start to cry. My mind wandered at times looking back over the years and everyone I had been involved with. Each of them had some of the characteristics this man had.  The tears just poured down my face and I felt like my heart was going to burst. I was OK while I was not thinking about who I was going to visit, but as soon as I remembered it was him, it was almost too much for me to feel.
After the long drive up then down the mountains I arrived.
He was not there and I was glad. I knew the timing would be close since he had been out for the afternoon.  I was happy I got there before he did. Gave me time to unkink myself from the car and take in the area. I was in awe, I had in fact driven there on blind faith. The amount of emotions I felt was from fear to elation.
I could hardly wait for him to get there. Did we have a chance? Could we move forward?
I waited on the porch and it was only about ten minutes. Felt like hours. Felt like seconds.
Then I heard it! The truck pulling into the driveway, slowly up the stones. Seemed like it took hours but in reality only seconds. I stood up and he got out of the truck.
Not even taking the time to close the truck door we met halfway between the porch and the truck.
I grabbed his face and he hugged me. We melted and it was if all the years disappeared.
I knew at that very minute, in that second which he grabbed me and hugged me like he had so many years ago, I was finally home.
I had found the love I had been looking for all my life.
I knew in that minute we would never be separated again. We would  be on this leg of the journey together, forever. I knew then why I had driven there on faith and an inner feeling of safety.  After what seemed like forever we moved.  He closed the truck door and we went inside.
Sure we had changed, we had aged, but at that second in eternity we were those two young people who had loved each other so many years ago.
Beyond belief the love was still there! I know I was comforted beyond belief! I was so very happy.
My heart and soul finally had their home. I, at that minute knew, he was who I had been searching for my entire adult life. A little sad, we had had it and allowed it to slip away.
I secretly thanked God for the gift of us.
Incredibly grateful for this third chance at this incredible amount of love I felt. For the first time in my life I felt full. My heart felt complete. The emotion made me want to cry.
Even as I write this now a little over a month since that first reconnection I cry thinking how incredible lucky I am to have my best friend from so long ago back.
The only person I felt comfortable and safe enough to tell my darkest secrets to and have him still love me. The only person in this world I wanted to share my life with unconditionally forever. Then miracle upon miracles he felt the same way.
I watched him look at me with such love it made my heart warm. In those first few hours we learned so much about each other and how intense the feelings were.  We talked and laughed the days away. There were plenty of times I reached over and touched his hand to physically know he was there. Looking over at him I could not believe how lucky I was, how very blessed, to be in the same room after all those years. I can honestly say I was and am the happiest I have ever been in my life.  The idea that he could possibly, maybe be just as happy is indescribable.
How can I ever thank God enough for this incredible gift?  If there ever was a miracle it occurred right there on that driveway, way up in the mountains.  I felt as if I was on top of the world. There was no way I was letting this slip out of my life again.  Would third time be the charm?  Could we let down the walls around our emotions slip down and say what we needed to, to be able to allow our hearts and souls feel what they were telling us?
While there I knew this was not the last time for us, it was the beginning of an entire new life, not just for me but for both of us. Putting the past to rest and finally being able to spend the rest of my life with my best friend, with my soul mate and the person I had loved for more than half my life.
Every night I thank God for the gift he has given to me, the gift of this man!







Thursday, August 29, 2013

The most unlikely of places--Facebook!

The most unlikely of places--Facebook!
I finally against all odds and totally uncharacteristically of me I 'messaged' this old friend from high school. We went back and forth and it was not long before the subject of this person who I had thought of  for all those years came up. She informed me he was alive and living far away from here.
I tried to remain calm and look for the right words as to not give away too much.  I did not want to appear to eager for fear he was married or in a committed relationship.
My heart did cartwheels!
Just the mere thought he was alive and the shooting did not kill him as I had heard so many years before made my soul rejoice.
Of course I had to 'play' it cool!  Not seem to excited, I asked how he was and was told he had, yes, been shot and wounded, but had recovered and was living alone. My soul rejoiced and felt this really weird feeling of elation. He sent his phone number for me to call him.  I messaged back with my number and said he could call me. Part of me wanted to know if he really wanted to talk to me and if there was still a spark on his end. I was actually afraid to call him.
I went through a barrage of emotions! Could we actually see each other again?  Could we pick up where we had left off so many years ago? Would we still have the same connection? Did we still have that comfort of time gone past?
I had already Googled his number and knew where he lived so when the phone rang and I saw the caller ID I knew it was him.
Fear, excitement, panic set in.
I was afraid to answer the phone, afraid not to answer.
I answered finally which took every fiber of my being to sound unaffected by the call.
The first few seconds were awkward, but only the first few seconds. In actuality after the first hello's were done the magic was still there.  That voice which I remembered from years gone past melted my heart at that minute. Silly as it sounds.
As soon as the first hello's were spoken, as soon as the first words were over, I was so glad I answered and thankful for this opportunity.
My heart skipped one thousands beats and I realized no time had passed.
I did not know how he felt or what he thought, I only knew I was so glad he called and I answered.
We talked for some time rehashing what had gone on the past years when we had gone on with our life, the every day things old friends talk about. The first call was a reintroduction of each other.
Sure we had changed, we were older, more reserved and definitely more cautious.
Sitting listening to his voice I was reminded of all those years ago when we had 'hung out' together and of all the fun we had.
My heart and soul filled with the joy of a teenager! The more we talked the more I realized how I had cared for him all those years ago. Not the mushy, lusty kind of caring, but the deep down comfort of the soul caring.
As we were ready to hang up it was decided I would call the next night when I got home from work.
Thinking after the call I told myself I was being absurd!  All I knew at that minute was I wanted to talk to him more.
We had, oh so many years ago, a great thing! We spent many a night talking and laughing. There had never been an awkward minute between us.
Now, I had to wait until the next night to call. I had to wait a full twenty four hours! Somehow get through work the next day!
Thus the cat and mouse game started.
I knew it was going to resemble a sparring match of sorts.
Neither of us giving away too much information
As I lay in bed that night unable to sleep, thinking back to the times we had spent together I was filled with a sense of longing and knew my life had just changed.  Not knowing how or why, I just knew life was going to be different and that all my ideas of my future had changed.
Silly I knew from the first hello my soul was happy! I knew in my heart I had found my home again.
I feared he did not feel the same way.  I was scared beyond words, however, I also knew it was all going to be OK.
My heart was light and felt like I was teenager all over again. I could hardly believe he was in fact talking to me again. We had never had a bad thing happen between us. We did not argue or bicker we were always just happy to see each other, oh so many years ago.
My mind started to hope against all hope! Could we pick up again? Would we be able to rekindle the relationship we had let slip away so many years ago? Had we been so jaded by life we were both bitter.
For the first time in so long I started to think about letting someone into my heart again. Scared? yes, Excited, yes.
What I did not know after that first phone call was that my life was really going to change and that God had such big plans for me.  God has given us a gift so great. I did not know until later after a few more calls what that first call would or could have done for me, for him, and for the future.
Stay tuned..........



Saturday, August 17, 2013

Just when all is planned, CRASH BOOM BAM

Driving home from work one night about a month ago listening to Delilah on the radio, feeling really sad and excited with the fact that I was going to build a life for myself.  I did think how nice it would be to have someone to share it with however, it was not a requirement. Actually kind of excited with the idea I had no one to answer to, no one to think about if I wanted to move to another state, and was contemplating a big move to the state of Alaska.  Looked like a fun place to go and was putting the plans in motion.

Delilah has callers calling with these love stories which usually melt my heart. This night there was a man calling, a voice full of love and emotion, catching my attention.  He had been "reconnected" to a woman from his past, some thirty years from his past. I was able to hear the tears in his voice. He was so exceptionally happy and his voice told the story.  They had dated while very young and for some reason had gone separate ways.  He really did not know why and had thought about her for all those years. One day they happen to cross paths and the rest is history.  They found they still loved each other, married and have been living incredibly happy since.
My mind wondered to the man I had dated in my early twenties and as I was fifty-six now thought if we would be that lucky.  Over the years I had often thought about him and wondered how he was, was he happy, did he have a family?  He was a wonderful man, exceptional human being, and I had cared for him immensely, yes and still did. It was at times like that I realized how much I still did care for him and missed him. I had not allowed myself to go back to those intense feelings, EVER.
I had tried to look him up when I moved back to my home town. When I mentioned it to my mother she had heard he was shot while on duty as a police officer, and had passed away.  I looked on the Internet for something, nothing.  I often started to the police station he worked at but always stopped myself, partly for fear he was actually gone and partly for fear he was happily married.  Not that I would have been unhappy for him but more sad for myself. All I ever wanted since we had lost touch was for him to be happy, he was well deserving.
So as I listened to the story on the radio melancholy set in and my mind wondered to thoughts of him and how nice it would be if he was alive and came back into my life. Would we, or could we pick up right where we left off? Was there a possibility he was alive and single? Believing as I do in "the other side" and being able to hear from people who have crossed over, I thought 'are you looking down on me?' Do you see me here thinking about you?  Have you met up with all the others I know who crossed over?
 I asked for answers from the Universe one way or the other.  Sent it out!  Knowing some how, some where the answers would come. Believing he had passed I expected to here verification of that. I finished my drive home and did not really think about it anymore.

I was excited about vacation, not that I was going anywhere, just for a whole week off. Catch up on things sell my eBay and Etsy try to do some writing and sorting out what to sell and what to save for the move coming.
Excited and apprehensive all at the same time. I knew in my heart it was time for a move I just liked my job a lot and hated to think about leaving it. I did look for a store on the way to transfer to. Thinking that was the way to go, just follow the transfers across the country.  Sightseeing along the way, cure two pleasures at once.  Keep my job which I really love and move around at the same time.  Since I am basically a loner it was exciting.  Just me and my cats off on the adventures of a life time. I am not sure they would think the same way though.
But then!!! The universe stepped in and gave me the answer I was not expecting in a most unexpected way.
Surprised? The biggest understatement of a lifetime. I sat and contemplated what to do next.
Not sure I wanted the answers! Not sure if I could ignore the answer!
Boy was I afraid, more like petrified to know for sure.
The Universe in it's funny way sends messages in different ways, this one came by the way of a Facebook message.
A message from his sister-in-law looking for me. Irony in that is we went to high school together and she 'wanted to reconnect', not sure I was up to that I waited almost seven days to answer her.
Partly fear, partly excited anticipation.
But in reality, in my heart, in my core I know what it was and had to laugh.
I had just made a conscious effort to move forward in my life and CRASH, BOOM, BAM! The Universe laughed and changed that.
Stay tuned for the next part......................................

Saturday, August 10, 2013

Don't ever give up hope!

This is a short post to remind everyone never, ever give up hope for the impossible!
Just when I thought I had my life direction figured out along comes a very pleasant surprise.
 I am not ready to share it just yet, for fear that it will be ripped out of my life again, that will be for future posts.
Suffice it to say it is the most pleasant surprise in my life bar none.
It is a surprise which has answered many questions. It has also answered the questions why I have spent my life looking for something I could not find.
For the first time my heart feels whole, feels as if it has been put back together, and there in lies the reason I am not sharing it at this point. This time no one or nothing is going to destroy what my soul has waited for so very long.
I will reveal it in the future however, right now it feels like a dream from which I do not want to wake up from and find very hard to believe.
I have waited my entire life for this and never knew what it was I wanted or needed.
So the message for this post is not to ever give up looking for the part of you that is missing.
How do you know when you find it? It just feels right.
Deep in your heart and soul you know it.
It is the thing that fills you so full of love no one can possibly understand.
It makes everything coming before incidental.
Never; ever give up on finding it.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Another inspiring quote from one of my favorite web sites, http://www.tut.com/  I am always inspired from this site. The quote which follows was in my email today, just when I needed to believe in my dreams.

Having a dream, Susan, is awesome.

Having a dream and showing up every day, even when nothing seems to be happening, is priceless.

But having a dream and showing up every day, while sauntering, winking, and hugging everyone, is when the floodgates begin to tremble.

Hugs,
    The Universe

Sitting here watching the Titanic for the thousand time and knowing I have to follow my dreams and follow my heart, where that will take me I have no idea.  I have always followed the wind as it blew and it has always 'blew' me in the correct path.
I have, in the past few weeks, been thinking about what I really want, and am still not really sure.  I do know that part of me feels so very stuck, stuck in a place which has no soul around it.  I would like to live in a place of serenity.  Serenity is not necessarily about money or things, it is more about the beauty in everything around you.  How many can actually appreciate the beauty of the world around us.
I have lived in some of the most beautiful places and have a dream of moving to another beautiful place.
Maybe Alaska is not right for the now, but I have always had the dream to live there.  Just when I was ready to think it will be a dream unfulfilled I receive this message in my inbox this morning. 
This message reminds me to keep the dream alive and follow it. 
To do one thing everyday to keep the dream alive in my heart.  To remember all dreams are possible.
I do know I am not ready to give up on my dream yet, no matter how impossible it seems right now.
I would love to find someone who understands the longing in my heart and soul, and the wanderlust I feel every day, but that is not necessary for the dream, my dream.
This dream will not happen over night or maybe not even in the next six months, I am not totally insane and know the reality of it all. 
I do know I do not need things to be happy, I understand we need certain things like money to be able to live, but do not need it to be happy. Some of my happiest times in life was when I was picking clams and muscles off the beach for dinner, and I hate the taste of both, we just mixed with pasta and sauce covered the taste some.  For the past year I have been living to survive not to live. I have gotten so lost in the ideas everyone else thought I should be I almost lost me.
I decided to write these blogs for the money but, that has not worked out and now they have turned into blogs of inspiration. Inspiration which I hope inspires who ever reads them, if anyone actually does.  The longing in my soul makes want to write, about anything, does not matter what I just need to write.  I prefer longhand but this is easier and able to reach a wider audience!
As always follow my ebay http://myworld.ebay.com/spovio and etsy https://www.etsy.com/shop/Suestreasures2012 sites and look about I have a lot of jewelry for sale which I have made and wish to sell.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Surprises happen all the time.

Just when I am about to give up and think I am wrong in the things I believe in, a wonderful surprise comes along.  I guess it is about the control thing.  I have to remind myself all the time to give up the control and let things happen.  I have read all the articles about 'going with the flow' and try, really try, but it is not as easy as it sounds.
I know deep in my heart when the time is right what is really best for me will come to me, maybe not how I think or how I imagined it to be, but it will appear. 
I hope I am wide awake enough to realize it, and not so lost in what I think I want where I miss it!
I hope I am fearless enough to grab at it, and follow it, with out any conditions. 
I hope I am able to catch the wing and fly off to the calling of my soul.
I did receive a couple surprises this past Sunday that there are people watching over me.
The first was when I was thinking about my mom and how a few days before she passed I came up with the idea of her sending me peacock feathers, just because they are so rare and at the time there wasn't much out there with them on. Now since she crossed over they have seemed to become very popular and are everywhere. Back to Sunday I was at work thinking how great it wold be if a peacock feather came to me and let me know I was on the right track with my plans. Odd as this sounds, a customer brought me a large picture of a peacock with very long tail feathers. I know the skeptics will all say that it was a coincidence, but if you know me I know there are no coincidences in this world! Never! Everything has a reason, and not all things are a message, but some times there is a very important message in them. We need to be able to decipher those messages.
The second thing, or sign if you will, we were experiencing a simple summer shower and I thought it was going to produce a rainbow, it did not and I looked. Later I was walking out front to check out the cart situation and low and behold there was a rainbow, unexpected.  As I stood there it became brighter and brighter, almost causing a double. How exciting that was since I had just asked for it.
I wonder if they both were signs from my parents that everything is going to be ok and they are watching over me every day and when possible and for my own good they give me what I want still from the other side?
Guess I will have to wait for those answers until I get there with them.
please visit my eBay  http://myworld.ebay.com/spovio  and Etsy https://www.etsy.com/shop/Suestreasures2012  sites and don't forget all are for sale.

Monday, June 17, 2013

5 top reasons to move to Alaska

Here are my top five reasons I want to move to Alaska
First and foremost I think it is on of the most beautiful places with the snow and open wilderness.
I love waking up to snow outside. Sounds odd coming from someone who is always cold. Which leads me to the second reason.
It is always cold. I am always cold anyway might as well be able to wear heavy clothes and not look goofy....   Here comes the third reason
Sleeveless blouses or shirts are almost non-existent. Which is a great thing since the older I get the jigglier my arms get and I will not wear sleeveless things anymore.
Shoes are actually for the most part boots.. I love boots, any boots.
Wild life, I have always wanted to see big animals, even if they want to eat me... they have to eat also. I do not have much actual meat on my bones, more like a really fatty burger.
So now I ask for help to the Alaska fund by visiting my eBay  http://myworld.ebay.com/spovio site and my Etsy https://www.etsy.com/shop/Suestreasures2012?ref=si_shop site and support the cause.
All items are shipped the next business day. and for the household items I need to sell them to be able to move and get on to the next step of the journey.

Saturday, June 15, 2013

Starting with a dream

Starting with a dream of moving to Alaska. 
I have to remind myself daily, sometimes hourly, the dream is the beginning.  The hows are not for me to worry about.  The dream is the most important, and everyday I have to take one step toward it.
Today I looked around and realized I do not need anything here but my cats.  And if I could sleep on a sofa bed for ten years I can sleep anywhere.
Where I want to go in Alaska is far up way past the Arctic Circle, to the coldest part of the country.  I am not sure how I will get there but I do know I will get there!  A couple of the things I think about are food, shelter, and water.  Back to Maslow's hierarchy of needs.
I do know I do not need much, and for the most part I do not eat meat so guess what guys, I will not have to shoot any animals, I hope.  I will have to learn how to eat more fish though....
There are so many things to look forward to. 
Looking out and seeing nothing but mountains. Watching the animals coming past.
I have no wilderness training or even survival training but I do believe our natural instincts allow those traits to come out when needed.
Why? Why would I want to give up all of civilization to trek into the wilderness?  I am not sure however, I do know this is not working in my heart. I know the idea of moving there has put an excitement into me which has not been there since I was getting ready to move to the Florida Keys.  A kind of wanderlust which rests in my soul.  This is the first time I am on my own, totally on my own, no relationship to tie me down and I am free to follow my heart and soul.  Where that will lead me I am not sure but the excitement I feel is beyond anything I have ever felt in any other time.
I have learned when there is another person involved all kinds of feelings are hurt along the way and it ends up destroying the relationship.  Maybe if I find another soul with the wanderlust and sense of adventure I have it could work, but for the now it feels great to follow my dreams. Which one of them is moving to the Alaska Arctic Circle.
Follow my trek and planning in future blogs.
And as always follow my other blogs and my eBay http://myworld.ebay.com/spovio
and Etsy https://www.etsy.com/shop/Suestreasures2012 sites.

Monday, June 10, 2013

Being in the right place at the right time

A little email from one of my most favorite sites Totally Unique Thoughts http://www.tut.com
I have subscribed to the site for almost ten years now and get daily emails from them. When I feel really out of touch I read them and remember who is really in charge. 
Being in the right place at the right time, Susan, isn't something you can force.

It just happens when you keep busy. Effortlessly.

Imagine that,
    The Universe

No, really! Imagine that, Susan! And then get busy, because AMAZING awaits!

As I sit and think about what I really want, becoming very introspect I realize there is no one I have to ask permission from, no one I have to consult, and no one I have to wait to see if they want to do 'it' also.
I realize if I want to move I can, if I want to stay I can, and if I want to move all the way across the country I can!!
What a beautiful feeling.  So now the fear I have had about being alone is going away and excitement is taking over.  The entire country is open to me and I can go anywhere in I want.
A few of my thoughts have been to the midwest, the west coast of Oregon or Washington State.  My ultimate goal will be to end up in Alaska.  I have always wanted to live in Alaska for as long as I can remember. Funny, since I am always cold in New Jersey and wear long johns, actually cuddle duds, girly long johns, all year except for a few weeks in August.  But then I wore jeans in Florida, alot. 
My fasination with Alaska started with watching about Eskimo's and their way of life. So simple, not easy but simple. They hold on to their traditions and pass them on to the new generations even with the new world coming in. 
Now with all the new shows on television about Alaska the allure is getting stronger but, I think it takes a special kind of person to live in the extremes of the Northern Slope, no, I don't want to live in the cities of Alaska.  One of the new shows has a remote camp and it looks like I want to find one just like it, or uniquely similar.  I can honestly say it looks exciting and I plan on visiting there with in the next year.  I want to see Barrow, Alaska also, the northern most point.  I have been to the southern most point in Key West, Florida, lived in Marathon which is about an hour drive away and loved it.  Circumstances moved me from there, which in the end was the correct path to be on, I realize that now and that part of my journey ended with me learning alot as usual.  We learn on all legs of our journey. 
The tools I learned there will help me to move on to the next phase.  I learned we don't really need 'stuff' to be happy. As I lay on the floor devistated, I realized stuff was just stuff!  It is the people in our lives that matter and all the things we amass are worthless, it is the people we meet and travel with for different lengths of time that matter, even to me, the ultimate loner. 
I believe we all travel through each others lives for centuries in different lives and true souls that are matched find each other in different physical bodies over eons of time.  I also believe people can know each other even if they have not met.  On some level of our soul we know we are on the same wave length even if we are not on the same page in this life.
Please don't forget about my other blog http://suesladybugjewelry.blogspot.com/   and as always
Etsy https://www.etsy.com/shop/Suestreasures2012   and eBay http://myworld.ebay.com/spovio

Enjoy this leg of any journey you are on remember it is wonderful.




Sunday, June 9, 2013

The next leg of this journey

I sit here and wonder what the next leg of this journey will be.  It seems that God always puts me where I need to be, either for my growth or for someone I need to support through a tough situation.  I, as I  have aged know it could only be for a very short time, or could be for years.  I never know how long each part of the journey will be.  What I do know is that is always a learning experience.
This past year and a half has been a very large transition and learning period.  I have learned what I need and what I do not need.
I have been sorting out what I want and what I think is expected of me, which are two very different things. I am a very simple person and do not like or need a lot of pretenses.  I don't need to keep up with anyone else.  I am very happy with a simple life.  I joined match.com and eharmony.com thinking I wanted to find another person to share with.  What a joke. For the past two weeks since I signed up I have looked at hundreds of pictures and realized I do not like people because of their looks, and only those who really know me know this.  I look at eyes and there is where I find the connection. It always seems as if I can look into their sould and feel the connection.  Most of the time I do not see the outside of the person I see the inside, the heart and the soul, and that is how I decide who will be in my life. 
I am glad I have these qualities and cherish them everyday.  To me it does not matter if they are male or female, because if we take the vehicle we call a body or male/female away we are all the same.  Like a car or a house it just houses the greatest part of anyone.  We need the physical manisfestation to be able to travel the journey, as we need transportation to get from point a to point b in the physical world.
As much as I know I have no control over the next part of the journey, in the same way I want to know what it will be and where it will take me. 
I know I do not need to prepare for it because I will be provided with everything I will need to complete the leg.  The trip is usually a need to know and some, no, maybe most of the time I never know even in hindsight the answers are not always clear.
I do know there is a reason for everything and everyone who passes through our lives when they do.  I believe if we meditate and sit in the stillness we can get a vague image of it.
I started this blog when my mom passed basically to make much needed money but, that has not worked out as planned.  Now it has become a way of trying to figure out this life or to maybe just help someone else understand ultimately we do not have control.  We are able to stunt the growth or to pospone the ultimate reason we are here, however we are and will have to complete the reason we are here.
Please visit my other blog sites http://suesladybugjewelry.blogspot.com/, my ebay http://myworld.ebay.com/spovio or etsy https://www.etsy.com/shop/Suestreasures2012 site.  I sell jewelry on those sites. If you feel the need to contact me my email address is  suep2004@comcast.net .  Looking forward to hearing from someone.

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Following our bliss, what is it?

I say, follow your bliss and don't be afraid, and doors will open
where you didn't know they were going to be.
If you follow your bliss, doors will open for you that wouldn't have opened for anyone else.

Joseph Campbell, 1904-1987

Great quote but how do we know what our "bliss" is. 

What happens when what we think makes us the happiest really hurts us in the long run? 
How or where are we able to get the courage to actually step off the cliff and know it is the right thing to do.

I always had the idea in the back of my head,  I wanted to be a writer, but fear always stoped me.  I enjoy writing and can actually write about anything.  At my 'real job' I am always given the task of doing the 'creative' writing when needed.  Of course I never think it is good enough.
I do not think I could write a book seems to long and tedious for me.  I am thinking short stories where I can finish it in one sitting and not loose track of the story line. 

But is that my bliss?  Is that the path I am supposed to be on. I do know all this pain I feel should be for a reason other than the pain itself.  Or is that what we are led to believe?
Really the question should be 'what is bliss.'  Because does anyone really know?
If we follow our 'bliss' will it really lead to happiness?

And then back to the question "What really is our Bliss?"
I think when we are able to answer that we have found it.

A new part of the Journey, my little shops

I have decided to link, as part of this new leg of my journey, all items I have listen on eBay and Etsy, except my hand made jewelry. The jewelry has it's own blog called, Sue's lady bug jewelry, follow this link, http://suesladybugjewelry.blogspot.com to see all the fashionable, fun, and meaningful pieces.  There are earrings, necklaces, and many, many bracelets.  I have sold alot of pieces and get rave reviews on all that have sold. 
On to the other items.

I have collectables listed and have added a sampling of them here with the description.  I hope you enjoy your visit through my little shops and in the end I am hoping these things are purchased and enjoyed by someone.

Hummel Plates
These plates were part of my grandmother's collection which she kept in a china closet and always enjoyed looking at them.   We, my siblings and I really do not want them.  Since the passing of my mom I have had them listed on eBay and Etsy for sale at different times.  I can remember as a child looking at them and not allowed to touch them.  Follow the links and peruse the items.  Look for additional post for the other items.


1973 Annual plate M J Hummel



M.J. Hummel 1975 Annual collector plate with box

http://www.ebay.com/itm/121115039418
https://www.etsy.com/listing/117517051





1979 Annual Hummel Plate


These are just a few of the plates listed.  There are other years available on my eBay site.
These plates are sold elsewhere anywhere from $35.00 to $150.00.

I have the bells to match on my Etsy site. They, also, are all in excellent and come with the original.
 No cracks or chips.
I decided to do a different post for each type of collectable instead of attempting to put them all in one.  I wanted to keep the post managable to read.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Change

One thing I am finding out about myself is I do not like change.  It is not the actual change itself, for that is always a good thing, it is the anticipation of the change.  The waiting for it to take place.  I reach a point that I wish it was just over.  It is much easier to adapt to it then.
The waiting, the anticipation is always stressful.  It always feels like a pressure cooker waiting for the top to blow off.  I think because I am so sensitive to the 'feelings' around me and am able to pick up on them I become stressed. 
It can be good and excitement but the body still registers stress.
The body does not know the difference between good or bad, excitement or dread, it still senses it as stress.  The body reacts the same way to good and bad stress.
So in the event of change it is the leading up to the change which I find the hardest to deal with.  It comes to the point that I just want the change to occur, to be done with, to have the dust settle and be able to move on.
Funny how at my age I am still learning alot about 'me' and how I deal with things.
I know I stay when I should move on because the unknown is so scary.  I wait until I am forced to move on and the inevitable change takes me like a wave in the ocean.  The tumbling the turning of the water where it is impossible to fight against.  The water takes us where it wants to not where we think we should be going.
So at some point in the actual leading up to the changes we know are coming we just need to let the water take us where it will and just go with the flow.  For going with the flow is so much easier than fighting and keep the faith.
Keep the faith that we are on the path to where we are supposed to be at this point in life.
Follow the flow and not fight against it.
Just know that it will all be ok and that "they all lived happily ever after"

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

The Purple Mug

To anyone else it is just a $3.99 purple and green coffee mug however, to me it is the merging of two phases of my life. Purple and green, my two favorite colors in the same mug.  I have always like purple and the green which no one would ever put together, fascinates me.  It reminds me of so much. Mardi Gras, the motel across the street from us in Marathon Florida, the slot machines in the casino and the very, very different phases of my life.
I have used the same coca cola mug for ten years.  I brought it with me when I moved back, it always represented the life I had just left and thought I wanted to go back to.  So for the past ten years I have been really stuck, can't go back but can't move forward. So stuck in limbo is where I have spent the last ten years, floundering with no direction, no specific ways to go but one foot in front of the other.
I have been looking for a new mug but I guess I wasn't really ready to mesh all the parts of my life.  This purple and green coffee mug starts a very exciting new phase of my life. 
So to me it is not JUST a mug, but a whole new life for me.
 The purple and green mug looks happy, if a mug could be considered 'happy looking' it looks happy.  It reminds me to look forward with excited anticipation.  To always see the happy in every situation.  It is a daily reminder of how far I have come and how much I have to look forward to in this new life.
The 'mug' is my constant reminder how each new day is just that a new day to start on the journey.  We may slip and slide back into our old roles.  We are always more comfortable in the old because we know it. 
Walking forward into the unknown is scary and sometimes terrifying but still we must do it.  For, if we do not we become stuck in the roles that have been known and comfortable to us.  In that case we do not grow.  When I say grow it does not mean age it means just that grow.
Grow into what and where we are supposed to be when we are supposed to be there.
So after writing this I know that it is not any ordinary 'mug' I bought last week.   It is the future!  It is the beginning of a new growth period for me.
So that happy looking 'purple and green mug' is so much more than just a vat for coffee or tea.
It is my everyday reminder to look forward to the future with excitement and happiness.
It is an everyday reminder that the future holds so much more and all I have to do is to take the first step off the platform and trust there is a new life there for me.

Friday, January 4, 2013

The Holiday Season

The name of this blog changed to a much more appropriate reflection of where I am at now on this journey.
I made it past Christmas and then New Years Yeah!!!  I have not written in awhile.  This has been a really weird period for me.  Christmas is not my favorite time of the year anyway, it was just a lot less enjoyable.
My thoughts on the Christmas season is it is way to commercialized and the things everyone thinks about are not what the season is supposed to be about.  For the most part I just stayed by myself.  I was excited for the woman I work with because she has a toddler and he was really into Santa.  She would come in and tell stories which made me think back to those years with a warm heart.  I know it was uncomfortable to those around me trying not to be excited because they thought it would upset me. It did not, I was sad because they thought they had to watch what they said so not to make me feel bad.  I actually had a Christmas, finally, which I enjoyed.  It was just  another day for me.  I did not put out any decorations which I did not have to pack up and put away after the holidays. See there is something to not decorating.
I went to my sisters for about two hours, we just exchanged presents and sat and talked. That was fun.  Really!!!  Then I was back home.  I made bracelets and watched TV.
Not what anyone thinks Christmas should be but I am not like the usual person, it was great for me.  Just what I wanted to do..... One year I will be in Las Vegas for the holidays, that is one of the things on my bucket list.  Spend the holiday season in Las Vegas, warm and toasty, not freezing and shivering. 
I did think about going to Atlantic City on Christmas day, but did not.  I also thought about going to Parx, but, again did not.  In the end I am glad I stayed home.  I have a really enjoyable time all by myself....
New Years Eve!  For the first time in my life I spent it alone on the couch with my two cats.  We were all happy and actually slept through the bong of the new year.  We, my cats and I fell asleep at eleven forty-five and woke up at twelve fifteen and went to bed.  So many years in the past I was up until the wee hours of the morning and then tired all the next day.  In the past I would work on new years eve and not be finished until three or four am.  Then my mom and I would wait for the new year and then go to bed, not this year.  Another thing I really enjoyed this year.  Laying on the couch with my two cats under the quilt sleeping. 
So for anyone who thinks I had a bad holiday season I did not.  I had one I very much enjoyed.  I counted all my blessings and thanked God for all I have accomplished this past year.  I am grateful for all I have learned and all the firsts I have accomplished.
Sounds corney to most but it has been a journey from last year to now.  And I know 2013 will be a banner year for my going forward. I do not know what it will bring. I do know it will be filled with  many, many things and people to be grateful for. 
I have started my 'Gratitude Journal' if only in my head.  I could list all I have to be grateful for, however it would be for another blog.  Aha maybe I should start another blog about the simple things to be grateful for.  That is a thought.  Maybe I would make money there. I enjoy writing, but do wish I could make a living at it so I could work on my own and not be dependent on anyone else.  I could work for myself again. which I really enjoyed. 
Enough for now....... Please visit my Other blogs, http://suesladybugjewelry.blogspot.com/ or http://gamblinggirl.blogspot.com/and most of all visit my Etsy site, http://www.etsy.com/shop/Suestreasures2012 look around.  Then of course there is the eBay site.http://myworld.ebay.com/spovio

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

The Lure of the Ocean

In the wake of this storm I finally figured out what was missing in my life. 
The ocean. The sound of the waves hitting the beach.  The quiet of the off season at the beach. The Nor'easterns and the wind, and yes even the hurricanes.  My need for the beach has been amplified through this trying time for the beaches along the eastern coast. 
I look at it now as a calling for me to be close to the water.  Ironically in the devastation brought about in this storm I can say it has been a eye-opener for me, I realized how much I really do miss the ocean.  Even a very angry ocean there is nothing like it.  One of my favorite things to do is to take pictures of the ocean, or the dunes up to the ocean.



In the aftermath the curious wonder how anyone would like to live at the beach. 
How do I explain it to anyone who does not have the lure of the ocean in their soul.  Why do fishermen continue to fish while the danger is so high?  They all, at one time or another decide not to go out on the water to work, But in the end they are always drawn back to the water.  It is the pull of the ocean, the draw of the calmness of the waves, and the feeling of peace the ocean gives. 
Living by the ocean gives one the feeling of being the only person in the world.  The horizon is so very far away and it feels as if you can see forever.  I can remember walking on the beach during the off season, freezing in a parka, snow boots and two pairs of pants, just looking out over the water and thinking how it goes on forever.  Feeling so small next to it.  Sitting there lost in the waves thinking of nothing more than how the waves build, roll and finally break on the beach.
       Even the angry, stormy ocean is beautiful and a wonder to be seen.  The way the waves slowly build, the white foam blowing off the top, then finally ever so slowly curl over and break with a deafening roar.  The roar which can be heard for blocks. Sounding like a lullaby to me, relaxing me to sleep.  I think I have been land-locked for too many years.  Feeling the call of the ocean more and more every day.
These storms are like a whistle to me to follow.  I am not sure how I can get back there but that is the goal for the future.  Preferably an Island, to be able to cross a bridge to get home is one of the greatest feelings.  Leaving LBI years ago, the happiest time was when I made it to the bridge and smelled the smell.  A cross between dead fish, salt water and seaweed, it stunk to most people, my mother hated it, I would open the windows and know I was almost home.  Even today when I get to that smell it is the best smell, better than any perfume or room freshener, it always smelled like home. 
One day I will get there and enjoy all the sounds of the water much more.   I will remember to cherish every sound and smell unlike I did before.  I now know how very special the ocean and beach are to me with being away for so long.  I will lay in bed and keep the window open, even in the cold of winter to be able to hear that special sound of the rolling waves.  I will make it a priority to see it every day.  Watch more sunrises on the beach.  See the sun cross the horizon and feel the warmth as it moves over head to heat the day. 
Yes, one day I will get back there and enjoy every second of it even in the less than desirable weather of winter.  Yes, one day my soul will be reunited to the call of the ocean siren of long ago stories.  Finally, I do understand.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Following your path

Today things are just getting better and better.  I am learning more each day, more of how to keep all the positive thoughts in my concsious thoughts, which in turn keep them in the unconscious also.  I remember to always check my favorite email from www.tut.com , 'Totally unique thoughts' always full of positive thoughts and reminding everything in my head and thoughts come true.  I am learning more and more how to give up control and just go with the flow of life. 
I finally realize I almost have the life I always wanted!  I live alone I have two cats who are always glad to see me.  I have a job I really enjoy and make decent money, I started selling my bracelets on www.ebay.com and am making a little money there, and now I am blogging.  Which is really writing which I have always really wanted to do.  I hope someone out there is enjoying this. Even better I hope my positive inspiration will help them as all the web sites on the Internet have helped me through the years.  This is not meant to change any ones life but mine, my only hope is it will make them know they can do anything they want. 
To do anything I want was always stifled by the people around me with the words, 'get real' you need to have a real job.  The people we look to most for the support are usually the ones who try to tell us it can't be done.  Ironically they are the same people now who I want to prove wrong.  This blog is meant to be a way for anyone wanting to do something all the people around them told them was impossible.  I have learned that nothing is impossible if we want it bad enough.  We just have to put all those thought aside and follow our hearts and do what we know in our souls is right for us...
Until tomorrow, or maybe in a couple of hours, think only positive thoughts and know that we are right where we are supposed to be and doing what we are supposed be doing at any given time.  We all have a path to follow on our journey and we are always on the correct one, the trick is to just believe it and have the faith.