Feels like coming home….
“How was your birthday?”
I never really know how to answer those kinds of questions, do you?
Because the sting of experience tells me it’s maybe a request
for a well-wrapped response,
tidy and concise, and that stresses me,
like when someone asks “what’s she like?”
and I know they want a category
and it doesn’t come natural for me to think in terms of box and label;
I avoid that kind of thinking.
“Good, thanks…..really beautiful” I answer, smiling,
but it’s unsatisfying to say
because what my heart wants to pour out is that it was
a gentle rain of sunshine and art supplies and fresh bouquets of soulful words,
lavender and chocolate and bright green kale with mango and lime,
an eclectic smattering of gorgeous cupcakes
and mounds of favorite candy for laughing and giving;
it was much-loved faces pulled up close around tables
and everyday food infused with magic,
and cookbook and candles and a wealth of roomy choices,
and even though I felt a little mashed in some places
and the headachy bit of living kept being what it is,
it was a steambath of love
and I felt right at home in my life,
like when a song drifts ghostlike across your everyday quiet
and didn’t you dream that before,
the soundtrack your heart’s been noodling with for years,
and you feel peaceful, easy celebration
blossom deep inside
and even time seems to slow down for a listen
and you wonder if maybe it’s a friendly thing after all, time,
instead of something to wrestle and resent.
But that’d be too much information, yes?
Unless you’re blogging.
And so I blog:)
Big bodacious nuzzles to beautiful you:)
“To know what you prefer
instead of humbly saying “amen” to what the world tells you
you ought to prefer
is to keep your soul alive.”
-R.L. Stevenson
Wow Jennifer!!! your soul sure is alive and you are so aware of every nuances of little pleasure that love brings on your special day. Happy Belated Birthday dear friend.
Love the wholehearted nuzzles.
Hugs,
JB
There is so much beauty
in the everydayness, isn’t there:)
So glad to share the road with you,
Julia; big warm hugs,
Jennifer
L-O-V-E this post! Every word and how you say it…just beautiful.
Thanks, dear traveling friend:)
Hope the road is especially good to you
this week,
Jennifer
YES.
And rainbows of gratitude to you for your expressive dance.
I love how you see and say……thank you!
-Jennifer
A steambath of love – and cupcakes! Sounds perfect!
And what gorgeous shots.
Funny thing is, it was so imperfect
and yet perfectly, wonderfully so:)
Thanks for helping me celebrate, friend;
Jennifer
You are so loved! I love the way you respond to “How was your birthday?”
with all the words in the right place painting a beautiful picture of a day
filled with everything that makes living wonderful and God Blessed!
Thanks dear Lynn; I love sharing the journey with you:)
Hope you’re feeling waaaay better; chicken soup love
to you,
Jennifer
I love how you describe it, but mostly I love that you had such a wonderful day. xoxo
Thanks Barbara…..I appreciate you!
Happy wintertime to you and yours,
Jennifer
Your words dancing across the page come to soothe my soul and help me feel deeper into that place inside myself. Beautiful. xo
I love how you say that, friend….thanks for sharing
your beautiful heart over here:)
-Jennifer
Love love love this!! Your bday party sounds so magical… I can imagine how you feel about it. Isn’t it great to feel it all?
Lindsay
It is great to feel it all….thanks for reminding me:)
Embrace and taste. Yes:)
-Jennifer
Jennifer, I am so grateful that I found your blog. It’s hard for me to put into words why I don’t care for big parties and gatherings. An hour or two and I’m ready to go home. When I read your description of your birthday, it became clear to me, that is the intimacy I long for – and that often comes with “much-loved faces pulled up close around tables
and everyday food infused with magic.” Your writing brings life to such genuine emotion. Happy Birthday and yes, time really is a friendly thing.
yes, yes that’s exactly it. Intimacy.
That is just exactly the word….thank you:)
That’s the cry of my heart.
Much thanks for your visit; I’m so glad to get
to share the journey with you, Donna,
Jennifer
I can never answer people when they are glib and just not at home. Sometimes I’m just quiet and things go on as though no words were spoken. I’m just reading Marjorie Williams’ account of getting an aggressive form of cancer at 47 and the stunningly thoughtless things people could say. I guess we must wear a little shield out in the big world. But not among each other, not among friends. I received your January Zine and am keeping it on my desk where I can read bits of it everyday. What a beautiful and generous poet you are Jennifer.
Oh Susan, thank you.
Your generous words are warm rain and gentle sunshine.
It’s a beautiful thing to say our hearts into safety.
thank you,
Jennifer
You are a jewel and I love the way you see life and I so appreciate your gift with words….I long to be able to express myself from deep inside instead of those ways we’ve been taught in order to get approval…So glad you had a wonderful birthday.
those ways we’ve been taught in order to get approval…..gosh what a toxic
thing that got tangled into our culture of pleasing. I want freedom for us all.
I appreciate your wisdom, friend….thanks so much for sharing,
Jennifer
I agree with Nancy that you are a jewel, as is each of your artful blog posts. I so enjoying sitting here with my cup of coffee and reading your birthday thoughts, and yes, it does sound magical. And thanks so much Jennifer for your very sweet comments on my blog. Always much appreciated. Here’s to another fabulous year!!
xo
dulcy
Cheers to the sweetest so far!
Thanks for dropping in to help me celebrate, dulcy:)
-Jennifer
That’s why I blog, too. Sometimes there’s no such thing as too much information. So, I hope you soaked in that “steambath of love” (loved that!) and continue to hold tight to the magic of all those wonderful bits and moments that make a day for someone as special as you all the more so!
Holding my heart over the steam still:)
thanks, friend, for your beautiful open way:)
-Jennifer
Your words are always so artful, heartful, and “loveful”.
“I felt right at home in my life” is the ultimate place to be.
Thanks for always sharing so beautifully.
THANK you for your kindness, Eydie; you’re such an appreciator:)
I love that about you.
Love and cheers,
Jennifer
So very blessed that you blog and that you share your heart, wide open and beautiful.
Thanks for your wide open share….always so beautiful,
so you:)
-Jennifer
I love this unclose ‘you-ness’, the doggies snout saying, “Give me more cause I can take in more of this goodness!” and this amazing quote, which is definitely are repost, “To know what you prefer
instead of humbly saying “amen” to what the world tells you
you ought to prefer
is to keep your soul alive.”
-R.L. Stevenson
oh, Kimber, this amazing comment goes in the books.
THANK you for getting me:) Your friendship is pure gift:)
-Jennifer
I am happy you have a blog so you can say all that you felt!! Just beautiful!!
Thanks, Kathryn…..I’m glad, too:)
Hope this is a beautiful February in your corner of the world,
Jennifer
Wow, you have a beautiful way of expressing yourself, your mind is swimming in poetry. I’m so glad I stopped by.
What a beautiful bouquet of lovely words…..thank you Saimi:)
I’m so glad you came by,
Jennifer
As always, your words inspire and uplift. Many blessings as you begin a new year of being beautiful you.
Sherry
Hey Sherry! So glad to see over here:)
Big thanks for your beautiful share,
Jennifer
Oh what a perfect description of your special day….a steambath of love…wow!
Hope this winter is a steambath of love for you, dear Donna;
I’m loving your new blog, by the way:)
-Jennifer
you are a very alive soul, and i’m glad for another year of your spirit and beauty in this place ❤
thanks for those sweet-to-my-heart words, friend;
you’re a treasure;)
-Jennifer
Happy birthday, beautiful you. These words:
like when a song drifts ghostlike across your everyday quiet
and didn’t you dream that before,
the soundtrack your heart’s been noodling with for years,
and you feel peaceful, easy celebration
blossom deep inside
and even time seems to slow down for a listen
and you wonder if maybe it’s a friendly thing after all, time,
instead of something to wrestle and resent.
These, I will savor forever. I plan to write them in my journal and hold them close to my heart. An gift- from you. To me. Thank you.