Look up by Siwa

Treetops from around Hawaii and Samoa that have caught my eye.

Burdens made light

Last week I was "released" from serving in the presidency of our Relief Society (women's organization of our ward or congregation), for about eleven years. The transition from our presidency to the new one was a smooth one.  In our sacrament meeting the old presidency was acknowledged, the new presidency was announced, the members of the ward showed their support of the new presidency by the raising of their hands.  And that was it.  The new presidency members received blessings from the bishop giving them the authority to act in their new callings. So from now on they will be the ones leading the Relief Society meetings, teaching lessons, organizing service projects, organizing meals for sick families, helping to clean houses and yards and pack when sisters move, visiting the sick, and anything else that our sisters and their families need in hard times.  All the sisters help, but the presidency organizes and leads the way.  This Sunday I went to Relief Society and sat in the audience, instead of at the head of the room.  I felt light and happy- happy for my sisters in the new presidency, for the blessings that will be coming to them from serving.  I'm looking forward to new callings and new ways to serve.  It's a blessing to belong to a people where everyone serves, in their own way and in their own capacity.  We pull the weight together and our burdens are made light.

Little women

I absolutely love being a woman.  There is nothing in this world, nothing in Heaven or on Earth that I would rather be.  I delight in the womanhood of my girls, for all that it means to be a woman, for all that they have to look forward to- their growing gifts and strengths.  A woman is a powerful, beautiful being.  Womanhood is beauty and intelligence and compassion and strength, all rolled into one.  Some of us may not know it yet, some of us are still growing into it, but all of us women were born with the seeds of it.  It is our divine inheritance- our divine nature as Daughters of God.  No matter what our circumstances, believing that we are known and cherished by God, as His daughters, can be a guiding polar light, bringing us back to what a woman is, and ought to be- beauty, intelligence, kindness and nurturing strength.  We have the seeds of all these traits knit into our fiber, in a way unique to women.  And I love the diversity of women.  We come in all shapes and sizes, each with our own curious mixture of strengths and gifts.  A woman is a powerful, beautiful being- and in that, I rejoice.

Halloween likes

Look what Siwa did to one of our pumpkins. . .

Celebrating Samoan style.

 I like Halloween colors- orange, black and white.

I like candy corn- until I've eaten about three, then I remember 

they are way too sweet and make me sick.  I always seem to forget again 

until the next Halloween comes around.     

I like visiting friends and neighbors- feeling their goodwill and generosity.

I like neighbors and friends coming over.

I like telling the kids how cool their costumes are and letting them pick 

their favorite candy from the bowl.

I like coming home early to do our own thing- pumpkin pie, popcorn and a movie.

 I like seeing my children dress up like the princesses they are.

Stay safe and Happy Halloween!

Why ironwoods?

Ironwood Place isn't really a place,

it's an idea- of the kind of life we want to live.

 Ironwoods are a part of so many peaceful, happy memories, 
that they've come to represent that kind of life to me.

This blog is a reminder to me to live life with peaceful purpose,
 and to find joy in the everyday, all along the way. . .

 

 What represents joy or peace in your life?

The little things by Siwa

Boerhavia (Boerhavia coccinea) flowers, this plant grows in disturbed areas and can be found along roadsides. The plant has tiny, green teardrop shaped seed pods that stick to anything that brushes against them. The Latin word coccinea means scarlet- referring to the color of the flowers.  This cluster of flowers, from left to right, is about the length of a grain of rice.

On some beaches, there are large patches of a greenish brown sand. This close up shows all the tiny olivine crystals that give the sand its green color. Olivine is a common semiprecious mineral found in lava rocks.  Peridot and Chrysolite are the names of the more precious forms of olivine. This sand is a result of lava rocks eroding.

Creeping Indigo, related to the Indigo-where the dye comes from.

Some tiny shells I found on the tide line-shown in a brown purse shell (Isognomon perna).

Water droplets on a taro ( Colocasia esculenta) leaf.

An unknown crab larva on a reef. There is a tiny pink shell in the top center of the picture and a green and purple striped sea urchin spine to the right of the crab.

A jumping spider hiding in a rose.

A white, camouflage crab hiding in the sand.

Day in, day out

It's been pretty mellow around here.  Day in, day out, we do our thing- with occasional excitement, but usually just calm and steady, steady as she goes.  Here's a peek into our days:

Jesse getting the hang of her birthday present- a baritone ukulele.  It's bigger and lower pitched than the more common concert size; it looks like a small guitar.  She's been working on it everyday and has taught herself  "Somewhere over the Rainbow."

Singing in the rain

Mary  learning to make a doll's dress, and making bread.  The first time she made bread all by herself, she ate almost half the loaf all by herself.  She was so proud.

Jesse teaching the girls to make their dolls' dresses

Taking a walk with the girls at a beach park.

Going for a drive along the windward coast.

I got home from town late one day.  Nancy had bought cheesecake and sushi for the kids and sent it home with me.  I came into the living room and sat down with Scott.  I said, "I feel blessed- We're all home together, we have yummy food to eat, and we like each other."