My Christmas List

Whenever I manage to sit down and start a day with one of these:

One caffe americano, thank you very much!

I know that whatever comes will be worth it.
Today Jess, Trent and I headed out to brave the crowds and finish off our Christmas shopping. Along the way we came across this pretty face:

Jess with Trent's little sister Maddie

It was great to stop for a moment and talk to Maddie while she was on her lunch break.
After our short rest we headed back out into the crowds; Jess was determined to get through as much as we could so that we could spend the rest of the holiday weekends baking!
Soon I was the only person left on Jess's Christmas list, poor little sister I am the hardest person to buy for.
For me, the things I value most from people are not available in the stores even at this time of year when it seems you can buy anything if you have saved your pennies for long enough.
I know it sounds trite, but the greatest gift to me is time.
Don't send me jewels, or clothes, or expensive cosmetics that I don't know how to use.
What I really want are your Saturday mornings at the markets where we can sip coffee and talk about slow things as we wake to our weekend, I long for our Sunday walks on the beach watching the waves roll in as dawn breaks, I crave Friday night sing-a-longs to our old favourites as we make dinner in bare feet, and those cups of tea on rainy afternoons where we talk about the shiny secret places in our souls.
The moments our hearts and souls touch are the most valuable presents to me. I collect them in a place deep inside, they are my anchor in stormy times, the mirror that reflects how beautiful this life can be, they are my investment in my past, and a hope for the future.
These are the Christmas gifts I wish for.
What is on your Christmas list this year? What do you wish for that can't be wrapped with pretty red bows?

Making your own luck: my best recipe ever

Firstly, I must apologise for the somewhat dour mood of my last post, and then, secondly I must thank everyone for their support whenever I reveal that I am having a hard time with something.

Although we do not celebrate Thanksgiving here in Australia, I am truly thankful for all the friends that this little blog has brought me.

Yesterday, while walking to my car from work I stooped to pick a coin off the ground; being a firm believer in the old adage 'See a penny pick it up, all day long you'll have good luck'. 

This was of course, before I realised that the coin was set into the concrete.

It stirred my mind though, and got me thinking about how it is so important that we make our own luck in this world. Although certain events in my life have me believing firmly that the hands of destiny and fate like to take  charge of the mixing bowl and spoon occasionally, I am even more certain that I am the mistress of my own recipe, heavy on the luck.

Luck is not a pre-made preparation that you can purchase off the shelf. There is one way to procure this precious substance: make it yourself.

You need:

•  a good amount of self belief, 
• a lot of love from others and for others,
• an adventurous spirit,
•  some readiness to take on the world and what it has to offer, 
• a little bit of a bruised positive attitude (this makes the luck a little more dense and not so fluffy and gives excellent flavour)
• Gratitude when the luck rises and comes out perfectly
• Gratitude that you got to take the ride anyway, even when the luck isn't so perfect

I would like to end here by saying that even though your luck might not always come out like it looks in the recipe book, there is a chocolate lining to every crummy pastry sheet. Do not give up on yourself. Do not give up on life. 

The only real luck is that which you carry in your spirit. 

And that can never be broken.

Hold You in My Heart

Sometimes in life there is a rogue Joker in the cards we are dealt.
You never see it coming until the dealer flips over the edge and the picture comes into view.
It happens to everyone, in one way or another.
When you are lost in this void, chilled to the bone, do not fear, do not feel alone.
Here down in the deep, the deep that we all know too well there is hope, there is light.
There is life.
Take a hold of the hands that come to help you up when you have fallen here.
Relax into the arms and hearts of those that rush to embrace you.
Open your eyes to the light cast by the lamps of those that lead the way.
When you emerge from the dark, and you are blinking in the sunlight of a new day; please remember all of those who walked every difficult step with you during those starless nights.
Hold them in your heart, as they held you safe in theirs.
Keep your hands free to offer whenever they might fall.
Embrace them when they need strong shoulders.
Shine a light to guide them home.
I am so thankful for the hearts that hold me. I know that I never walk alone.
I hold you all in my heart.

How Do I Thank You?

I believe in saying thank you.
Two little words that can mean so much.
A mere pair of syllables that can beat out the drum of emotion gathering in my chest when something good comes my way.
I need to verbalise my gratefulness when the universe sends positivity into my life.

I believe that thanking people should extend along the spectrum from acknowledging everyday courtesies like opening the door for someone, to the efforts that come along once in a life time or less.
Every time someone takes effort from their own life and puts it into yours, donates their energy to your universe, paints your sky blue again: I believe in saying thank you.
But sometimes, I don't know how to thank people enough.
Sometimes people make such a big difference to my life that these two words spill from my lips and seem like rocks next to the jewels they have offered to me.
Sometimes I don't think that I can offer them compensation for their effort by merely using these two syllables.

Today a dear friend of mine made a grand gesture, a selfless offer that made my world a whole lot brighter, and banished a load of worries from my mind.
All I have are these two words:
Thank You.