Closing out 2025 with peace and kindness

A League of Their Own 
"Born in Me by JJ Heller 
Carol King "Now and Forever" wow! Listen
"Days Like This" Van Morrison listen
 💚 thank you Ken
"Family Tree" by Dave Barnes listen here
"God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" by Jars of Clay listen here
Homemade Potato Cheese soup yum!
"In the Bleak Midwinter" listen and watch here
John Prine "In Spite of Ourselves" listen here
Lunch and visit with Lynette, and Mom xo thank you
Niece Kristen and family came hOMe for Christmas this year. Yay!
Ocean Life puzzle 💙 thank you Karen
Puzzles from 3 of my favorite people
"Queen of Hearts" by Juice Newton listen here
"River" by Robert Downey Jr. Listen here
"Stories in Books" puzzle in the making
 thank you, Lynette 
Video of our tree
Watched "If You Believe" with Ally Walker and Hayden Panettiere as her "spunky younger self"
eXample quote "It's what you say
Yes to that determines Your life. The nos just lead nowhere."

A Life That's Good

"A Life That's Good" listen here
 Christmas A few years (1970s)
"Believing" by Chip Esten (Deacon) & Lennon Stella (Maddie) listen and watch here
Clare Bowen Sam Palladio "If I Didn't Know Better" listen and watch video here
Draco and his GreatGram 11.13.25
"Don't tell me i can't sing this song/ Don't tell me that I've got it wrong/ Cause this is where I belong...
"Everytime I close my eyes / I see that fire / Don't tell me i can't sing this song" ~ "My Song"
"Gonna need an anchor to call me home" ~ "Willing Heart"
"Hole in the World" listen here Hayden Panettiere on Nashville
"I Will Always Love You by Dolly Parton listen here I love this version
Joy!
 "Know that I love you, oh and I always will" lyrics from Nashville S6:E3 listen here
Love this idea
"My Song" Season 3 top 5 listen watch here
Nashville Cast "Sanctuary" absolutely amazing listen and watch here
"O Little Town of Bethlehem" ~ Nashville Cast listen here 
Puzzle making on a raining Saturday morning 11.22.25
Quote: "We get to choose to be happy because we deserve it." Rayna James, Nashville 
"Rivers Between Us" listen and watch Rayna and Deacon here also... "Surrender" here
"Sanctuary" is amazing listen and watch here

Uncle Hodge made this sleigh over 50 years ago: 
Video of Mom rocking around the living room click here to see it
"Willing Heart" Song by Nashville Cast listen here
You're Mine ” listen and watch here
"Zuni Dancers"  thank you, John 😉

Nov 16 thru Nov 28, 2025

"'Bibliothèque intérieure' means your 'inner library', the invisible shelf you carry inside, filled with every story that's ever shaped you. The Books you've loved, the heartbreaks you've survived, the random quotes that stuck, the memories that built you. They all live there. Quietly reminding you of who you are and how far you've come. The 'bibliothèque intérieure' is a place of quiet reflection, where the stories of our lives reside and inform who we are.
Champagne Problems on Netflix
"Dichotomy, that you have to choose one or other" [is a false narrative*] p. 169 Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villians
Esther at SSA was so helpful. We actually cracked each other up and made deal to chat again in 2 years 5 months and counting  ;)
From an old journal 
  laminated with an MC leaf on the back
Goals for my heart ❤️ contact friends,  reach out and see them, write to them, call them, and at the very least, text. 
"Humans waste words. They toss them like banana peels and leave them to rot.  Everyone knows the peels are the best part." p. 2 The One and Only Ivan
I accept the great adventure of being me. Champagne Problems on Netflix
J'accepte la grande aventure d'être moi” ~ Simone de Beauvoir
Kris Kristofferson's "Why Me" Listen here
"Memories are precious, " Stella adds. "They help tell us who we are..." p. 53
Noah's for for breakfast 😋
 
"Plant a Seed" by Luke Combs listen here
Q-sorting p. 165 Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villians
"Remember always thst you not only have the right to be an individual,  you have an obligation to be one." ~ Eleanor Roosevelt 
"Sound of White" by Missy Higgins listen here
"They think I'm too old to cause trouble," Stella says. "Old age," she says, "is a powerful disguise." p. 31 The One and Only Ivan
*"Until we can hold both... concepts in our minds, we will fail..." p. 170 Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villians
Violet recommended my current read 📚 💜 
"Whatever, whatever, the language of sloths." p. 126 The Book of Tomorrow by Cecelia Ahern
 source: Autumn: An Alphabet Acrostic by Steven Schnur Illustrated by Leslie Evans
You do not want to be a raisin. You want to be a grape.” ~ Dr. Shayla Adams ❤️
Zzzzz...time, turkey day success 

Nov 5 thru... Nov 15, 2025

Andrew's 47th birthday :)
"Be not the slave of your own past. Plunge into the sublime seas, dive deep and swim far, so you shall come back with self-respect, with new power, with an advanced experience that shall explain and overlook the old." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Draco and Harrison at work :) 
"Eyes" by Rouge Wave
"First Day of Work" Wednesday 5 Nov 25
HeartcenteredRebalacing on Instagram 

"Let Her Go" by Passenger
Mom and her new couch

Oakleaf hydrangea in Westerly...

Quick-witted and respectful clapback: Zohran Mamdani getting on a Citi Bike while someone yells out “communist!” and him replying that it’s actually pronounced “cyclist”.
"Rhymes and Reasons" by John Denver always makes me think of Kevin P. Higgins 

"Vertebrate pests lay bare our internal hypocrisy-- how the natural world fills people who live separate from it with both adoration and dismay." p. xxx Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villians by Bethany Brookshire
"Write some thoughts.  I'm sure you've plenty of those... Write what's up there." Sister Ignatius pointed to her temple. "As a great man once said, this is a secret garden.  We've all got one of those." Jesus? "No, Bruce Springsteen." p. 93 The Book of Tomorrow 
Xenophobia p. xiv Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villians by Bethany Brookshire
"Yoda once said, 'Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering."' p. 31
Zagarenski art was an extra surprise when I finally went inside Mystic & Noank Library! 11.13.25
 

27 October thru Nov 5th

"Autumn is the season of gentle honesty.  It teaches us that nothing is meant to hold on forever. Not the leaves,  not the light, not even us. And yet, in every letting go, there is beauty. In every surrender,  the promise of beginning again." Source 

Be where your feet are.” 😊 Be in the moment, the day, the place you are. Peace, friends. ✨ ~ Lynne Grigelevich
"Continue to be who and how you are, to astonish a mean world with your acts of kindness. Continue to allow humor to lighten the burden of your tender heart." ~ Maya Angelou
"Don't know what's down this road, I'm just walking." Taylor Swift, age 13, 2006, "A Place in the World" lyrics debut album qtd. p. 16 Taylor Swift By the Book by Rachel Feder and Tiffany Tatreau
From Far  away you' think she's Fine..." p. 2 The Book of Tomorrow by Cecelia Ahern.
"Journey to a dried-up lake bed in the heart of the African continent..." A Gift of Dust: How Saharah Plumes Feed the Planet by Martha Brockenbrough Illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal
Kisâkihitin is a Cree word that translates to "I love you," and it can also mean "you are loved by me". Sullivan's Crossing
Library 1-4 Sunday, November 2, 2025
"Melon-maracujá swirl" AMaracujá is the Portuguese name for passion fruit, a tropical fruit native to South America. It is known for its intense, tart flavor and fragrant, jelly-like pulp filled with edible seeds.
"Not till we are lost, in other words not till we have lost the world, do we begin to find ourselves, and realize where we are and the infinite extent of our relations." ~ Henry David Thoreau 
"Once, each speck was something else: dirt, pollen, or a bit of a living thing traveling to someplace new..." A Gift of Dust: How Saharah Plumes Feed the Planet by Martha Brockenbrough Illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal
Poetics of everyday life: "Poetry reveals beauty in the smallest details of creation. It finds light in the darkest shadow. It is a guide and a teacher, reminding readers that life is a miracle, something to be celebrated. Good poetry tells deep truths about joy and pain, triumph and grief. Like the Psalms, poetry explores every aspect of human experience, shying away from nothing and expressing gratitude for everything." Jacqueline Suskin "Finding the Poetry in Everyday Life"
Quick trip to NYC and home again safely was the exact 
Reset I needed. Something huge shifted. 
Stupefaction: a state of astonishment and shock; semiconsciousness or inability to think clearly.
Unlock a world of inspiration...Uplifting insights, powerful stories of faith ... There’s a saying: “Be kind, for everyone is fighting a hard battle.” These days, the battle feels especially hard. From everyday challenges to the forces dividing our nation, it’s fair to ask: How can I bring more joy to my life? More peace? My answer: poetry." ~ Jacqueline Suskin "Finding the Poetry in Everyday Life"
Voted! Logan inspired me by Voting on his own for this first time 💙
"When a sunbeam slips through a window in a certain slant of light, you can see a scattered sparkle: dust!" ~ A Gift of Dust: How Saharah Plumes Feed the Planet by Martha Brockenbrough Illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal
Xfinity outage for Mom - all good now :)
YESSS!!!!
Zohran Mamdani is Mayor-elect of New York City!!

October 2025

Better together ❤️ Jack Johnson listen here
Carole King's "Only Love is Real" list here
Dawes' "A Little Bit of Everything" listen here
 10.18.25 9:09 am
FamilySearch(familysearch.org) p. 356 The Secret of Honeycake
Georg' and Uncle Bob visited our home and we had great visits all week
"Hold On Losely" by Emily Gaines Demsky
 check out this artist on Instagram and Substack
"I Saw The Mountains" by Noah Cyrus listen here
Kaleidoscope by Chappell Roan listen here
Let It Go, Let It Flow by Dave Mason listen here
Mom, Uncle Bob, and Georg'
   photos by Paula Law
Nancy Ann and Robert T. Thomason 
Of Monsters and Men "Dream Team" listen here
Pay attention to paying attention” ~ Emily Gaines Demsky, 2019
Quintessential Halloween photo
"Returning To Myself" by Brandi Carlile listen here
"... So wake me up when it's all over / When I'm wiser and I'm older / And all the lives we ever lived and all the lives to be are full of trees /and changing leaves." ~ "Wake Me Up" by Avicii
 8:43 am 10.23.25
"Up On the Roof" by James Taylor
Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse
Wake Me Up (Acoustic) by Aloe Blacc listen here
 from Mrs. Peanuckle's Tree Alphabet
"Yes!" to Adventure!!
 19 October 25 Lake of Isles N. Stonington,  CT
Zion Marley - Best of Me (Official Video) listen and watch here