1412-OH SUMMER FUN IN THE SUN

2015

The Look of Love

Ravi, slathered in sunscreen, eager to dive from kitchen counter into pool

So okay—maybe diving is a little premature ...

Steven's first Father's Day

Quintessential 4th at the cabin

Awaiting home-made floats along the main drag

 Ravi's first 4th

And the promenade of floats goes on and on ...

BarBQ and seafood boil after the parade

On the coast at Ray's Star Wars Birthday Party

Après le partie, Tony and Ray's mama, Marie, sits down to relax

At bedtime, four year old Ray and R2D2 buddy up

Uncle David, babysitting for the first time, has it under control

Uncle David fed me, burped me and even changed my diaper!

  

Out and about with the boys

LegoLand

More cabin time—my magic place ...

Ravi and Gramma cuddle up at the cabin

Ravi and Daddy cuddle up at the cabin

Why is everybody always laughing at me?

Why is everybody always laughing at me? (at the fair on the coast)

Ray thinks he can polish off that humongous turkey leg

Our human alarm clock about to jump on Will

Second generation of chocolate chip pancakes on Sunday morning

David and his 'little brother', Brett, dig in

To know you is to love you

David, Steven, Ravi and Celina chill'in poolside in the sun

Tony and Barry enjoy pool fun in the sun

Will being silly in the shade

Tony, Marie and Ray enjoy brunch at the beach

So do Barry, Celina, Ravi, Steven and Will

Ravi, all smiles with cracker in hand

Photo of family photographer, snapped after brunch

Nap time and pool time overlap

 Full tummy, clean diaper, love abounds—all is right with Ravi's little world

Floating on fun, buoyed by love on all sides

Ain't life grand!

Getting to know you, getting to know all about you 

When friends, who become family, have families of their own ...

I don't want our time together to end ...

I like this thing the grown ups call 'a family vacation'

With Labor Day comes Tony's first day of kindergarten

And Ray's first day of pre-K

Ray is actually happy about school—not so happy, posing for pictures

Two weeks of high energy fun meant lots of naps for the young ...
At heart

As suggested by Ravi's megawatt smile ...

This summer was so much fun
We can't wait to do it, again and again!

1412N FULL CIRCLE ...

2015
Awoke today with a heightened awareness of
Something rebalancing inside my mind
For several years, I awoke, daily
Feeling strongly drawn to pen intuitive thought
This week, I awaken with desire to read, suggesting
My need to express subconscious emotion
Churning within, which had been in
A comatosed state for most of my life, is
Turning a corner, where my brain—feeling
Light of heart and spongelike, again—has
Expunged a lifetime of unidentified fear, readying itself
To soak in knowledge expressed by
Minds other than those of authors whose
Works had stoked my need to muster the courage to
Bore through my wall of denial in hopes of
Freeing my spirit to be true to myself as a whole ...
And here's why this conscious shift in mindset portends to be
A very good thing, as the future unfolds ...
While my brain was focused, primarily
On writing, I had need to grow ever more aware of
Personal traits, emotions and reactions to crises that
My defense system had denied as my own ...
However, upon awakening, today,  feeling eager to read
I'm hopeful that my hyper vigilance, concerning
Inner need to identify, understand and embrace
The complex sum of contradictive character traits, which
Make me whole, has somehow relaxed, suggesting that
A balanced state of well-being (which
Had shattered at the vulnerable, deeply frightened
Age of three when the fires of tragedy had seared and
Scarred every heart, mind and spirit in my family)
Has come full circle, at last ... And so
If it's true that I've accomplished my
Long range goal of questing, tirelessly and
Tenaciously to draw forth subconscious fears, which had

Tormented me with undeserved guilt

Then it stands to reason that my
Brand new, rebalanced state of personal well-being
No longer feels compelled to
Pick up my iPad, review insights and simplify
Complexity of thought penned within
The  previous day's post before arising from my bed to
Greet each 'next day of the rest of my life' with
A heartfelt smile, signifying my delight in
Knowing myself, more deeply than defensiveness
Had allowed since I was a very young, terrified child
I mean, seriously ... rather than having need of solitude
In which to reflect back and forth in time while
intuitive thought sought an angle of repose for my self-driven mind
The sum of my rebalanced traits
Feels more than content to bask in the
Sunlit life that is presently mine ...
On the other hand, please do not think of today's post
As suggesting that my path, drawing forth trains of
Intuitive thought in hopes of attaining and absorbing
Greater depths of personal growth, has
Reached the end of the line
All I'm conveying as we pull into today's station is this ...
Having quested to liberate myself from unidentified
Fear, I've found my angle of repose, meaning that
I'll enjoy penning posts rather than feeling
Driven to tunnel ever more deeply into

My past in hopes of emerging with

Unidentified subconscious emotion, which
Causing inner tension due to undeserved guilt

Has long been in need of identification and release
And now, since David is here and
Steven just called to say that
He and Ravi will be over
In an hour's time, that's all
I feel need to say for today ... Except
To wish you the same five star day with those you love that
I'm eager to enjoy with my family as soon as
The doorbell rings, signaling my spirit to
Soar with pleasure in the presence of
A precious new life, whose
Ready smile delights mine to no end ...
Hooray!
Hooray for what?
Hooray for open minds, which
Quest, tirelessly to regain a lost sense of
Inner balance that senses
Life's truest treasure as being the human heart's
Innate potential to offer and receive love so
Deeply and completely as to
Expunge fearful and defensive reactiveness ...
Come what may ...

1412M SO MUCH I YEARN TO WRITE ... SO LITTLE TIME

2015
So much I yearn to write ...
About portions of our Yom Kippur service, concerning atonement, which spoke, personally, to me

About politics reminding me of Saturday Night Live ... without tickling my funny bone, one bit

About essays, recently read, concerning insight into building a well balanced character

About vulnerability, humility, empathy and kindness, consciously absorbed as strengths ...

About stories, offering a bird's eye view of what inspired me to raise three rambunctious little boys to spread their wings and weather storms until the dawning of each next sunny day

About joys emoting from deep within, day after day, as seen in photos

So much I yearn to write ... but not today, because
David is flying in and Ravi is coming to play ... Hooray!

1412L FREEING MY MIND TO ENJOY A REFLECTIVE MOMENT IN TIME

2015
As these past weeks of reflective thought move forward, offering
Me reason to feel deeply grateful for blessings that
Continue to stoke my spirit with joy
My heart hopes these simple blessings are yours, as well ...

May there always be someone you love to bless you when you sneeze ...

May there always be someone you love to say sweet dreams and kiss you good night when you lay your head down to sleep

May any inner conflict, with which you struggle, resolve, over time, and if not, may your awareness of human imperfection not mar your potential to leap for joy even when a growing sense of insight suggests that the imperfection is your own, and last but not least ...

May your spirit and soul find reason to enjoy an angle of peaceful repose each time readiness to offer your love requires a leap of faith, freeing your mindset to follow your heart ...