friday five: keeping calm

At RevGals this morning Karla invites us to shake our calm thing (sort of, I just liked the sound of that phrase). So here we go!

1.  First, how are you doing? What's going on with you?

I'm great! Lots of things happening in my world right now, including transitioning to a new expression of ministry, getting ready to welcome a new grandson in less than two months, enjoying a cooler-than-usual summer, and completing some unfinished projects.

2.  Is there anything you need to Keep Calm and Cowgirl Up for (Cowgirl Up was Karla's Keep Calm poster)?

In the process of shifting vocational gears obstacles come up. Ya think? Periodically I want to yield to tears as a result, and on such occasions it would feel really great to be galloping along with the wind in my hair. I do so internally.

3.  If you were going to make a "Keep Calm and __________" logo for a t-shirt, what would it be?

I made the Keep Calm poster here via the web site that allows one to do so. Since I needed an idea in a hurry and I hadn't even gotten half way through my first cup of coffee, I latched onto the first thing that came to mind, the phrase with which Ellen DeGeneres closes her show each day, "Be kind to everyone." Or words to that effect (I don't watch Ellen that much, so...) Thanks, Ellen! I would, however, replace the crown with a hand holding a daisy.

4.  What are you looking forward to in the next week or so?

Shortly after I finish this post I'll be getting on the road to head to Augusta, GA for a baby shower for our daughter-in-law. It's their first, a son, and we're all excited! Next week I've also got an appointment with a new doctor, and I'll be putting finishing touches on and preparing for a retreat I'm leading for our local priory of the Knights Templar next weekend. Somewhere in there I'll need to finish (or try to) an icon I'm writing so that it can be blessed the following week at a gathering with other icon-writers that were part of a mini workshop this summer. Oh, and then there's stuff to do related to my new career (animal massage)! A typical, slow week.

5.  Use the following words in a sentence:     cape, river, dancing, paws, glory

I stood on the banks of the river and smiled at the impression of paws in the soft mud, a wash of glory over my head as the colors of the sunset rippled the clouds like a hero's cape in the wind: my heart was dancing.