Off on Another Journey

"Slow down and enjoy life.  It's not only the scenery you miss by going too fast---you also miss the sense of where you are going and why."  Eddie Cantor

I've been traveling most of the summer, spending time with our children and grandchildren. They are spread around the country so it's no easy task to make the trek.  It's been such a blessing to have spent the last six weeks visiting them, being inspired by each of them and participating in a slice of their lives. It caused me to slow down.  How can you not 'stop and smell the roses' when you have six granddaughters all waiting to point out the scenery they don't want you  to miss.  Like many parents, my children and their families are my passion.

One day while in North Carolina, I got an invitation to join in on a trip to the library.  My four year old granddaughter just recently received her first 'very own' library card.  She sleeps with it... and carries it around with her during the day. Now there is a child that understands the power of reading!

When we arrived at the small community building , we spent a good amount of time walking up and down the isles in search of children's books. While the two year old was busy pulling books off the shelves, my other granddaughter and I were searching for a book on bees.  My daughter's backyard had seen a barrage of swarming bees suddenly making their homes in holes in the grass. These bees appeared a bit aggressive and kept the kids from enjoying their usual daily backyard play. It seemed a perfect time to teach the children more about these very interesting insects. So we scanned the shelves until we found two colorfully illustrated books about bees.   Did you know bees have two stomachs?

As my granddaughter was proudly producing her library card to check out her new found treasures, and her mommy was scooping up the baby and the dozen of books she had strewn across the floor, I found myself perusing the shelves of 'for sale' books: $.50 for hard back, .25 for paper back....( My frugal nature is always drawn to these fabulous deals).  I  came across a title that interested me and I started to read the front jacket on the cover, when the 'story time' lady strummed her guitar and announced it was time to meet up in the children's room for library hour and join the fun.  I couldn't pass that up, so I laid the book down on the top of the shelf and hurried to be with the children.  I smiled as I walked through the door and saw Ms library lady getting us immediately involved...When was the last time you shook your sillies out?

Some 30 minutes later we came out, and although the children were tired and ready to go home, my daughter asked if I wanted to buy the book I was looking at.  I walked back to the shelf and it was no longer where I left it so I said..."It's OK, let's just go home".  At that moment an efficient looking woman with a bun and a library cart passed by... I mentioned I had just been looking at a book and had placed it on the top of the shelf...did she know where it might be?  She was quickly able to show me where she had re-shelved it.  I couldn't very well not buy it after having bothered the nice lady... so I anted up my 50 cents, and I like my grandchildren, left the library with some loot.

Later that evening, after having read and reread books about  bees, Ruby's dream of becoming a veterinarian, a blue elephant story, and Calliou's latest adventure,  I  collapsed in bed and began reading the first few pages of my book.  I knew as my eyes began scanning the introduction, that my picking up this book was what Julia Cameron calls 'synchonicity'. 

Here's how the book began:   "What does it mean to live a passionate life? Exciting, fulfilling, thrilling, on fire, purposeful, turned on, motivated, entertaining, easy, fun, unstoppable. We'd all like to feel our life is purposeful.  We all want to be passionate about what we're doing, to be excited about how we spend our days, to love our lives, and to feel we're making some valuable contribution."

After reading the first page...I was in. I hope you will be too. I'd love to share my insights about this very titillating, and thought provoking topic of living a life with passion.  Best if you pick up your book now, so you can read along as we work our way through it.  The title is The Passion Test by Janet and Chris Attwood. (About $8.00 on Amazon)
http://www.amazon.com/The-Passion-Test-Effortless-Discovering/dp/B001H9LDOK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1375912746&sr=8-2&keywords=the+passion+test+by+janet+attwood



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