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Home Sweet Home

Interesting, this DailyOm inspiration about "Home." A while ago I posted a poem about what a home can be which reflects the home that Gregory and I created for ourselves and which continues to serve me now that I am "Home Alone." To read poem click here. Opens in a new window. Gregory's home for the last 18 months has been the Lieberman Center Memory Care Facility which is ten minutes away. I get comments on how wonderful his room is and how it reflects him and me. I guess I just intuited that his new "home" needed to be as warm, inviting, engaging, comfortable, peaceful, etc as his old one was and I have succeeded. Check out the photos as the bottom of this post.

June 25, 2015 How Energy Moves At Home Home Flowby Madisyn Taylor Keep the energy in your home vital by treating it as an important aspect of your life. Our living spaces can become nurturing homes for our bodies and souls when we make sure that our surroundings accurately reflect who we are as individuals and who we aspire to become. No matter how positive and creative you may be in your inner world, if your home or work surroundings are contradictory or present energetic barriers, you are likely to find it difficult to manifest all that you desire. By paying attention to the flow of energy around you, you can align your inner intentions with your outer realities to make your life a conscious act of creation. We can look to the ancient Asian art of feng shui for guidance. Since the words “feng” and “shui” mean “wind” and “water,” you may want to walk through your home and imagine the way these elements would flow through your space. You can evaluate whether or not your home is a balanced ecosystem that would allow a plant to flourish. A straight path between doorways would make nourishing elements rush right through, while a pleasantly meandering stream would instead create a flow that nurtures life. Look for signs of debris that might obstruct the flow of such a river. Clutter acts like hurdles placed in your path, blocking you from creating what you want in your life. Once the obstacles are recognized, however, they can be removed to let energy flow freely throughout your home and your life so that you can thrive. Your home can be thought of as a symbolic metaphor for your life. A neglected space may correspond to a lack of growth in your career or personal relationships. By shifting your perception, you shift the way you direct your energy and attention, which can enable you to make the changes you need to actively create the life of your dreams. If you need some assistance, you can always turn to a feng shui practitioner, but the most important thing is that you understand what resonates with your core being in order to feel alive and nurtured by your home.

A Home

This poem from To Bless the Space Between Us by John O'Donahue, 2008,  has a poem that captures almost in detail, the concept of home Gregory and I have created for each other over the last 40 years. It wasn't always this perfect, but it got there pretty quickly in our relationship.

Now that Gregory does not live in the home we created, I am sad but realize that the beautiful home we created together still exists for me and in us!

Blessing For a For A New Home

May this house shelter your life.

When you come in home here,

May all the weight of the world

Fall from your shoulders.

May your heart be tranquil here,

Blessed by peace the world cannot give.

May this home be a lucky place,

Where the graces your life desires

Always find the pathway to your door.

May nothing destructive

Ever cross your threshold.

May this be a safe place

Full of understanding and acceptance,

Where you can be as your are,

Without the need of any mask

Of pretense or image.

May this home be a place of discovery,

Where the possibilities that sleep

In the clay of your soul can emerge

To deepen and refine your vision

For all that is yet to come to birth.

May it be a house of courage,

Where healing and growth are loved

Where dignity and forgiveness prevail;

A home where patience of spirit is prized,

And the sight of the destination is never lost

Though the journey be difficult and slow.

May there be great delight around this hearth.

May it be a house of welcome

For the broken and diminished.

May you have the eyes to see

That no visitor arrives without a gift

And no guest leaves without a blessing.

What Friends Are For

Communications with a friend.

Here are a few photos of the home of my favorite gardening blogger, Margaret Roach.  Reminds me a bit of your various homes & projects unique blend of magic, authenticity and spiritual grounded-ness.  J 

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/margaret-roachs-upstate-garden-123211

I looked at the photos of Margaret Roach's home. WONDERFUL! I so miss having my own garden (although at this point probably could not manage one) and while I love our condo, I really miss living in a "used" antique space. Also I really want a room of my own. Well when our ship comes in...
m

Knew you would  appreciate Margaret's home.  Your condo is magical...retains the magic of Poplar 1 & 2 ... but also pulses with your current energies, passions & downtown - connectedness.  Also, condo continues to reflect a blend of your aesthetics + Gregory's.  Your energy & incredible ability to create magic & warmth + Greg's instinct for calm. Like art, literature, nature & gardens, your home opens up spaces within oneself.  What a gift for this you have, m'Dear!  Btw...when ship comes in, here's my prescription;  keep downtown connection by living in the condo...but also rent a studio of your own, preferably in a "used antique space," wherein you create a garden ... on miniature scale ... ie. bonsai collection....or a teensy terrarium ..with teensy lawnmower & hedge-clippers?    
J 

Lol about the miniature lawnmower and clippers! The idea of a studio is in the picture. Thanks for your wonderful analysis of our home, it is always interesting to hear how it is perceived by another (especially when the perception is complimentary:-) Interesting that you talk about Gregory's aesthetics when in fact he has none left. All of it is me. So I guess I have been creating for him. His influence on my desire for and understanding of calm and solitude and minimalism (or relative minimalism) continues. 

m

There Is No Place Like Home Auntie Em

I have often considered "next steps" for Gregory and me but he is not yet ready nor am I. As long as I am physically able to do a good job of supporting him and emotionally together enough to continue supporting myself, I will do what I have to. There are many steps and outside support available before needing to move him to a home, I will not hesitate when it is time, and I will know when that time arrives. Meanwhile his home is here with me in the home our love for each other has created over the last 35+ years.