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What’s the Occasion?
Last night, I made a Ricotta Orange Pound Cake with Strawberries courtesy of the recipe by Food Network star, Giada De Laurentiis. Eager to share this experience, I decided to invite my parents over to enjoy cake and ice cream with my family. Sounds like a party! Indeed, it was. So, what was the occasion? Life. Plain and simple, I had a craving for something sweet, had all the tools and ingredients to create it, along with the best of intentions and love, so I didn’t hesitate to get my hands a little dirty. I took my time, followed instructions, and had faith that my efforts would pay off. And they did! Something as basic as my desire to bake turned into a deeper desire to “break bread” with the people I love. Now, that is an occasion to live for and the very essence of convivial living. It’s merry-making, having a fondness of feasting, drinking, and good company. That was my intention, and therefore my experience last night with the two people who gave me life, as well as the man and two sons who I love and with whom I share every bit of my world. Life is meant to be a convivial occasion, so the next time you think you need a specific reason to have a good time, think again. The occasion is your life and everyone in it. That’s reason enough to put on your convivial party dress (or apron) and get convivial with it!
TweetWhat energy do you bring to the stage? Whether it’s family, friendships, professional or romantic…is it a convivial one?
TweetGive yourself a platform to stand on, something to call your own, a reason to stand firm and strong on your own two feet, in your own beautiful skin.
TweetEnergy Emanates Essence
A Woman of Valor
Twenty years ago, my father gave my mother a beautiful diamond ring for their 15 year wedding anniversary. I’ve always loved that ring and have felt deeply excited to inherit it from my mother. I was talking to my husband about it and how I adore the myriad ways my father has demonstrated his love for my mother. I wrote a quote in my journal at 16 that said, “The best thing a father can do for his children is love their mother,” and I am now remembering it, because my father has never failed to show me the love he has for his wife. This ring tops all the gifts I’ve seen him give my mother. Well, besides the pajama t-shirt he once gave her that had a big smiley face on it and said “Girlfriend.” It was the funniest gift he ever gave, because it coincided with his goofiness to always answer her phone calls and greet her by saying, “How you doin’ girlfriend?” as if they were a pair of girlfriends ready to get their gossip on. I still laugh about it to this day. So, I began to share the ring story with my husband and was expressing to him my desire for the same life long love affair in our marriage and on this particular day, my mother happened to be visiting. I asked her to take off the ring so I could show it to him. Of course, she could have modeled it herself, but I just HAD to wear it, needed to feel it against my own skin. As I placed this luscious multi-diamond ring on my finger, my mother said, “You’re wearing it upside down. It’s suppose to be worn the other way so it can be seen as the crown that it is.” This was news to me! All along I’d been thinking the ring was two leaves coming together, but then my mother enlightened me and hubby by taking us back to her anniversary day…My husband left this ring for me on our bedroom night stand with a note next to it. Along with his own message, he shared this biblical verse, “A woman of valor is the crown of her husband.” My husband said that the ring was a symbol of that truth for him; that I was his jeweled crown. Whoa! I was blown away. What strikes me as romantic, also strikes me as being profound, because here I am, years later, all grown up, and recently, a beautiful stranger came across my blog and shared this bit of powerful knowledge with me as she said it “fit well” with this Convivial Society for women:
From the inside emerges a story of men manipulated by potent women and nurtured with feminine values…a story that reveals the inner quality of womanhood that transcends the minds of men. The inner light of womanhood is of an essence-quality, of a place the mind cannot touch .This is the secret of the words of Solomon’s wisdom, “A woman of valor is the crown of her husband.” As a crown is above the head and beyond it, so the inner light of womanhood…of the most lofty, enlightened souls, many had wives greater than themselves…this is because these great men, in their personal lives, were already tasting of the World to Come…
Upon having a stranger turned spiritual friend share Solomon’s wisdom with me, I felt the instant connection and synchronicity of that convivial moment in time between two people in love, two people whose love gave me life, and its new connection to this Convivial Society. Perhaps it isn’t new; maybe it’s been something in the making all along…a full circle experience finally coming to fruition. I close by saying, Off with your heads! It’s all about the heart and what it moves you to do. Mine is luring me to go polish my inner crown. Gonna make it sparkle, make her shine, ever so bright.
For more reading on those lofty, enlightened men’s souls, go here.
TweetA Force to be Reckoned With
I find myself reading a brief, well-written biography on the notorious tattoo artist of the popular TLC show L.A. Ink, Miss Kat Von D. It seems more like the foreword on a book. As I read the piece, written by a close friend, what stood out to me most was when the writer mentioned how Kat was “incredibly loyal to her family.” Instantly, I could relate and found something in common with the beauty. She’s not your everyday girl, choosing the body she was born with as her art canvas-something many people wouldn’t comprehend or agree with- and being of somewhat Latino descent, as well as beautiful, I couldn’t help but wonder what her family thought of her work- if they saw it as art or if they simply saw a tattooed body. Did they agree with her chosen way of life? I know how my Mexican mother would view her lifestyle, and the assumptions that would be made about her as a person, but I can’t do that. I respect her work, admire her person. The fact that she is spoken of by friends as a dedicated and loyal member of her family, to her family, tells me perhaps that her family may have supported her aspirations all along. What a huge feat for a woman. To go for what she wanted and be fully backed by the members of her tribe. It’s no wonder she has turned out so successfully and my hope is that she is completely happy. It’s funny how people can be hypocritical. They can smile in your face and then when the time comes to offer up an opinion about you, they chicken out and go with the negative flow of thoughts they may have been harboring about you or your lifestyle or even simply the poor choices you’ve made in your life. People don’t deserve to be judged. Women play a huge role in judging others, one another, themselves, and this is because they are constantly under a watchful eye that doesn’t really exist. It’s all in our mind. And the strength of our heart has the power to combat it. If we could break free from concerning ourselves with what others think of us, stop defending who we are and how we want to live our lives, then we can break the cycle of prejudice and put to rest that hurtful voyeur who dwells within. She is not of your true being. Love your fellow woman and support her art. We all have a desire to create. Women, if given the freedom to be who they want to be, can show the world their wonders. Our place as the bearers of life to this dependent, ever evolving mother earth proves we are the epitome of creativity and a force of nature to be reckoned with.
TweetTo be…to be…never a question.
Not being treated right? Take your cue, smile, and move on. One less person to worry about.
TweetTake time to reach God, reach creation, reach you.
(God. Creation. You.)
TweetReflect. Recharge. Regift.
TweetBehold it. Become it.
America The Beautiful: America The Beauty Obsessed
I just finished watching the documentary, America The Beautiful, and am grateful to director, Darryl Roberts for offering such a memorable experience for me, a woman, who thankfully feels extremely appreciative of her body and how its served her in life. I highly recommend this film and hope its message reaffirms the love you have within for your mind, body and soul. Be good to yourself and love who you are just as you are.
To learn more about the film, read the synopsis here and check out this trailer:
