There's Work To Be Done

"There's work to be done," was my Grandmother Viola's mantra who passed around this time in 1995. This has been a week in my life that has both tested and affirmed my faith. In a crisis of faith, I call on her spirit to help me interpret God's plan for me. Her faith in God never waivered, through chronic pain, broken bones and even amputation. As my daughter fell asleep tonight, I held her as we shared a quilt that Grandmother made. I touched the stitches and called on her for strength and courage, of both she had a seemingly infinite supply.

An hour later, I watched Barack Obama give the speech of a lifetime. His words are a gift to all of us, but this passage at the end came to me as a gift from my Grandmother:

"We cannot walk alone," the preacher cried. "And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back."
America, we cannot turn back...... not with so much work to be done; not with so many children to educate, and so many veterans to care for; not with an economy to fix, and cities to rebuild, and farms to save; not with so many families to protect and so many lives to mend. America, we cannot turn back. We cannot walk alone.
At this moment, in this election, we must pledge once more to march into the future. Let us keep that promise, that American promise, and in the words of scripture hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess.

It was such a comfort and much needed reminder - I have to go forward. I can't turn back. I cannot change the past. I have not yet made the difference I set out to make.

There's work to be done.

School Supplies

A new post for Skirt!

A Skill, A Skirt, A Life Saved

There is just nothing more exciting to me in life than learning about things like this organization Wrap Up Africa started by one woman wanting to help children and families in Uganda in the oncology ward her husband works in.

You can buy your skirt here.

Bouquets of Sharpened Pencils Annual Reprise

= nirvana.
I saw this photo on one of my favorite blogs today in her Ode to long lost Blueprint Magazine. The photo is from a store called Papier+ in Paris.
ooh la la.
Fall is coming!
I'm so excited!

The Evolution of Polaroid

When I graduated from law school, my boyfriend (now husband) bought me a Polaroid. It remains one of my most favorite gifts of all time. I love the sound it makes when it kicks out the photo. They have stopped making traditional Polaroids and film, but I am thrilled to see the product has evolved. Check out the Polaroid PoGo.

I read about it here on the Super Eggplant Blog and I think her photo description is even better than the official website.

What fun!

Mini Break

Love this essay, An Inconvenient Life, from Ingrid Williams about living and running in Italy.

Beauty

I don't know if you can read the message on this very cool piece by Kal Barteski, but it says,
"It was the ugly bits and wobbly parts,
the flabbiness and broken heart,
that kept her from being,
seeing
her beauty
so much beauty."

Friday Inspiration: Life Is A Verb

An artist friend of mine, brilliant digital artist Donna B. Miller, created this beautiful book cover, so I had to check it out. I am eager to order
Life Is a Verb: 37 Days to Wake Up, Be Mindful, and Live Intentionally.

The book's author is a blog-star (holla!) and her readers are so excited to have a book to hold in their hands. Very cool!

Add that it's published by none other than Skirt! and I'm sold.

To The Lighthouse

photo by Erik Jacobs for the New York Times

Did you see this article this morning in the NYTimes about this amazing house?

My favorite is the slideshow interactive. Gorgeous work by the photographer! Each image is like a painting. Extraordinary.

In Her Shoes

a new post for Skirt!

Avenue Montaigne

I stumbled upon the movie Avenue Montaigne last weekend on the Sundance Channel and it was really lovely. Here's a link to the apple trailer, but honestly, I think it's better to go in fresh. It's perfect for your Netflix cue.

Without spoiling anything, I can tell you that there's one scene where a famous pianist plays for patients in a hospital and in that moment, feels more connected to his music than he has in years. It was a scene that I wish I would have paused and watched again.

It's a moment a lot of us can relate to: when you stop and realize why you began down a certain path, what drew you to where you are, and how you never could have anticipated that your passion would lead you to where you are standing right now. The actor does this beautiful job of expressing, without words really, that this is exactly what he loves about music and life and how distant those things have become from his work life. I felt like I was sitting beside him at the piano and I felt a little light come in.

I love it when art can do that.

C'est si bon.

PS: StatCounter tells me that many of you out there reading are from French-speaking areas of Canada. Salut mes amis! Thank you for reading!

Dorktown Revisited

Just discovered that Organize.com has a special tab called She that lists items for sale based on areas of interest for the following categories:
The Career Girl
The Hostess
The Traveler
She is Creative
and so on.
I must be Every Woman like Chaka Khan, because I identified with every category and found stuff I loved in each. Enjoy.