Welcome to Litsy!

#5JoysFriday!
Some of this week‘s joys:
👩‍🏫 Reconnecting with classmates during/after our first class session of the year
🐈 Meeting a sweet kitty on a neighborhood walk
🥵 Enjoying A/C at the library and new smoothie recipes at home during this heat wave
📚 Finishing two slow reads that had been in progress for months
🏆 Winning the library summer reading program grand prize!!

Had a mix of staycation and vacation this week:
🩵 Local shopping day with mama always includes a bookstore visit
🩵 Lazy days at home (as represented by Tapio)
🩵 Advice from my 45 years as the daughter of a musician: If there is a jam session, watch it. It's always amazing. There's literally hundreds of years of musical experience in that jam circle.
🩵 Tiny art exhibition
🩵 Finn Fest. Connecting with my roots.

#5joysfriday @debinhawaii

#5JoysFriday
1. First meeting of the Blueprint for Revolution book exploration on Zoom
2. Got my ticket for this and am looking forward to it! https://www.rabbitroom.com/housemoot
3. Reading the new Morrigan Crow
4. This video of Gregory Alan Isakov covering “The Trapeze Swinger” by Iron & Wine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiX4CIgKMEs
5. This reminder in my inbox this morning: https://flyingedna.com/products/the-moment-print

#5JoysFriday

1. This reminder in my email to choose joy: https://flyingedna.com/products/choose-joy-storyblock?_pos=3&_sid=a72972f17&_ss=...
2. Fantastic session with my spiritual director
3. Lunch with a friend, and the beautiful homemade journal she gave me 💜
4. Finishing my Book nook! 😍
5. This India Rose Crawford video of Frog painting water lilies: https://fb.watch/AuGIVn_uHs/?mibextid=wwXIfr

#5JoysFriday!

1. Pictures and messages from friends who were able to attend protests on Saturday—as well as seeing the fantastic turnout nationwide and the hopeful, joyful spirit that prevailed
2. Attending a fantastic workshop on deconstruction and movements of liberation
3. Lunch reunion with college friends
4. Time with family—my sister was in town and I got to spend time with her, my niece, and grand-niece
5. Memes 😂

#5JoysFriday
1. A catch-up session over the phone with one of my best friends
2. GREAT book group on Sunday: we beta-read my husband‘s fantasy novel & everyone had such good feedback & encouragement for him (photo is the map he‘s drawn for the book)
3. Reflective, meaningful mini-retreat on Wednesday
4. Having the house ALL to myself last night
5. This talk from Greg Boyle: https://youtu.be/XCdk-Ay8Y34?si=U0z-1cbaHgE13eCk (some quotes below)

#5JoysFriday:

1. Small joys: wearing my Anne of Green Gables socks while reading LMM‘s journals, and wearing my donut socks with my “ice cream” shoes (brown with pink laces)
2. Larkspur and roses in the garden and on my table
3. A perfect book cover/bookmark pairing
4. FINALLY finishing painting the bathroom, hanging a new cabinet, and replacing the light fixture (the process was not a joy, but being done is)
(Cont‘d ⤵️)

#5JoysFriday @DebinHawaii

Thanks for the tag, @TheSpineView

1. Coloring—especially when butterflies are involved. 🦋
2. Reading with my daughter. Favorites reread while she‘s away at school. 💙💜💙
3. It‘s been a rough few days. My son bought me a latte and asked the barista to put a heart in the foam. 💙🧡💙
4. Saw this on the way home from the dr. “Cooked over FIR” 😳😂
5. Sherlock cuddles. 💙🐶💙

#joy #25alive @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Thanks for the tag @Eggs 💕

#5JoysFriday

1. Discovered some really effective exercises for the knee pain that recently developed

2. 16 days of adult hiking and activities with my daughter since the Grand will be with her dad for his holiday leave

3. Ordered tickets for the Cripple Creek Ice Castle

4. Moved living room furniture into a new all book access configuration

5. All holiday shopping is complete

1. Watching the Macy's parade with my middle and youngest.
2. My oldest and his partner came to visit for Thanksgiving.
3. My canine neighbor, Ghost, came home from the hospital and is doing well. (He woke me up barking at 4am yesterday, and it made me so happy).
4. @Andrew65 is back with his readathon 😀
5. My mom sent me a quilt my great grandma had made for me when I was a baby, and it's brought back lovely memories.

@DebinHawaii
#5joysfriday

#5JoysFriday!
1. The soup my husband made for me while I was sick with a cold
2. A Zoom call with my spiritual direction mentor group, where we talked about JOY!
3. That conversation led me to Mary Oliver‘s poem “Mindful”:
“…It was what I was born for—
to look, to listen,
to lose myself
inside this soft world—
to instruct myself
over and over
in joy,
and acclamation.”
https://www.mindfulnessassociation.net/words-of-wonder/mindful-mary-oliver/
⤵️

#5JoysFriday!

A few things that brought me joy this week:
🙏🏼 My Sunday Centering Prayer group
🌟 Going to see The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
🎹🎷My husband‘s music on Tuesday: https://fb.watch/vTwciVpS-d/?mibextid=cr9u03
🥘 Tasty dinner and post-election commiseration with a good friend
🛁 Cozy bath and reading

#5JoysFriday!

🎃 Pics of my grand-niece as Grogu for Halloween
👻 A former student shared this delightful & hilarious video of his friend‘s Halloween costumes: https://fb.watch/vvQq2BtBNz/?mibextid=gYSGZt&fs=e&s=TIeQ9V
💜 This perfect drawing/story by Kai Skye of Flying Edna Studios reminded me to look for small joys: https://flyingedna.com/products/little-things-prints
⤵️

Thanks for the tags @Sace and @Eggs !

💛 Seeing Jace dressed up as Alvin for Halloween. I‘ve been a huge Chipmunks fan since I was a kid!
💛 Spending time with family at 2 fall festivals this week.
💛 Such a dumb thing, but finding this chickpea salad at BJ‘s. I used to eat these all the time and they stopped selling them at Publix 😪
💛Cuddles with my old man cat, Chipper 🐈‍⬛ 🐾
💛 It‘s November! My favorite time of the year 💛

#5JoysFriday

#5JoysFriday!

🙏🏼Leading a Quiet Day retreat at my church
👶🏼Being there for my grand-niece‘s baby dedication at my niece‘s church
🍻Dinner & drinks at “The Cauldron” with a dear friend
📷Pictures of October mornings on the River Great Ouse from my favorite Fenland photographer, Veronica in the Fens
🐻Fat Bear Week! www.fatbearweek.org 😁

#5JoysFriday @DebinHawaii

1. Family time. These 2 bring me so much joy! 💜🧡
2. 🏈. The Broncos won.
3. Sherlock gave Mycroft cuddles before we left so it would smell like Sherlock for me. My kids bought me two more weighted animals- a deer and a polar bear. I now have Holmes 🦕, Watson 🐨, Mycroft 🦌and Moriarty 🐻‍❄️. My daughter has Enola 🐘.
4. Pumpkin cupcakes from my favorite bakery. 🧁
5. Brian. Always. 💙💚💙

My kids (and their friendship) bring me joy 💙

#WinterReadathonDailyChallenge #WinterReadathon

I took $20 to the store today, because I only needed a few things and would spend more if I took it. Checking out, I was over and had to go back the soda that I desperately wanted. As I was getting into my car, a kid, about 16, stopped me and asked me “what does your joy look like today“. I was stunned, but he just smiled and handed me my soda. He then said “I hope I get to be part of it“ and walked away. He was definitely part of my joy today!

#peaceful

#deardecember