SOLC5: Celebrations

Today I am celebrating BONS. We met a couple of weeks ago and the laughter still warms my heart. I, we, missed Tammy who was sick, but a phone call delighted us all. We are able to be open about life, sharing school snippets that drive us crazy but still make us laugh. We talk about family matters of growth and turmoil. Mostly we celebrate. Life is hard and worthwhile. We capture those moments, some in the sand and others on paper. We celebrate.

Tam adds colorful snacks to the table. That table holds many stories and laughter.

Ruth M brought the dessert, one that brought smiles to our faces. Delightful!

The night is never without chocolate. The rich brownies sealed our celebrations.

We missed Christmas, so gifts were shared. I found this bird whimsical and comforting, a little fun during the cold. Tam happened to display hers on her centerpiece mat. How appropriate among the birds!

Tam treated us to a personalized poem with comforting treats in her Christmas box. A special treat that will be treasured!

Cottage Retreat {Celebrations}

Celebrate the big and little throughout the week at http://www.ruthayreswrites.com.

Tammy’s cottage is a highlight of my summer. The BONS meet together for stories, sharing, and relaxation. We wrote too. The cottage is quiet and I found valued quiet time to focus writing an article. We arrived Saturday afternoon and stayed over through Sunday evening. Unfortunately, I did not post that evening due to no internet access. Ruth kept us updated on a softball tourney her daughter was playing in. S was playing great and the team was successful. Ruth was being a great mom, cheering her daughter on, and connected us via text messages. She was in our hearts. We missed you!

I celebrate friendship, connections, encouragement, laughter, fishing, ice cream, campfires, notebooks, revision and writing!

After everyone left on Sunday evening, Tammy took me in the row boat. I caught my first fish ever!

 

Tammy caught the largest Bass. I caught 2 Blue Gil and 1 Bass. Lots of fun in the rowboat.

 

Tradition: sitting around the campfire sharing stories and laughter. Tam had fun keeping the flames going.

 

Ruthie and Tammy enjoying relaxation.

 

A new tradition: being creative with art. Last year we knitted. This year we painted.

 

Tammy’s birdhouse sits on the porch, displaying more beauty.

BONS means writing and writing I did. I worked on an article, added to my notebook (Thanks Ruthie) and received a new one from Tammy. I didn’t get a picture, but I clicked away on my computer. The cottage is the best setting for writing.

 

I usually share a book when we meet, so I had a book treat for each. I LOVE ice cream, so this book captured some laughs. We celebrated my birthday with ice cream bars afterwards. 🙂 Oh, and it was National Ice Cream Day yesterday too. How fitting!

 

Truth is … Celebrations Make a Difference {Five Minute Fridays}

Last night, our writing group met. We meet monthly and share. We begin sharing how our school jobs are going (or retirement for Tam.) We share about our families. And, we share about our writing.

Truth is … we share in celebration and we love it!

Truth is celebration is the reason why we gather together. We share stories and listen. We encourage and nudge. We celebrate the little things in our writing lives. You see, when we share a story, it is the beginning of a writing piece. When we share, the truth comes from our hearts. We clap and laugh and listen with eyes wide open.

Truth is if we didn’t celebrate the little things, we wouldn’t be a writing group. Writing is hard. We take risks in sharing. We are courageous, brave and true.

And the truth is … these monthly celebrations are what keep me going, to keep writing and to keep working through the hard.

Celebrations make a difference! Celebrating Ruth Ayres’s new book, Celebrating Writers.