Sunday at Church

 We had a nice several hours at the bay walking and looking for "Stella the Starfish" . It was like where's waldo and we found her hiding amongst the rocks 39 times. Our record. Then we read looking out to the water from our car. It was chilly and windy but we were warm in the car reading. A peaceful Sunday.

 Here's Sofia with the original Stella the starfish.

This Life

 

"Our life is an apprenticeship to the truth that

around every circle

another can be drawn,

that there is not end in nature,

but every end is a beginning,

and under every deep

a lower deep opens." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Father Daughter Dance #2

 So tonight I was FaceTiming my daughter Aria and asked what Sofia was doing. She said “She’s on a date…with her dad.” I said “Another date “ and Yes, it was yet another father daughter dance sponsored by a different organization. When i asked what she wore Aria said “well she watched the movie Grease and she’s really into it..so she wanted to wear her leather jacket,” (ps her gramma barb bought her that jacket when she was into the doll with purple hair!). Ooooh that girl!

 

My Thing

 

Not Just About A Book Club Reads "This is Happiness"

 

We had a very nice book club meeting at a local bakery called "Grounds". 

 

 

They have a conference room available if you buy food. The book we read was "This is Happiness" by Nial Williams. The book focuses on a small Irish Village during the late 1950's. The story speaks to the vital role friendship and a tight knit community can play in strengthening the human spirit. One of the questions to ponder is "Where do you find community in your life?" As always discussion was thoughtful and joyful. Besides the book discussion and lunch from the bakery we celebrated our Valentines/ Galentines day together.

 A repetitive thought flowed through my mind:

 "This is Happiness."

 

 

 

Here is a quote from the book: “Now, as far as I was concerned, there are two ways of living, and because we're on a ball in space these were more or less exactly poles apart. The first, accept the world as it is. The world is concrete and considerable, with beauties and flaws both, and both immense, profound and perplexing, and if you can take it as it is and for what it is you'll all but guarantee an easier path, because it's a given that acceptance is one of the keys to any kind of contentment. The second, that acceptance is surrender, that there's a place for it, but that place is somewhere just before your last breath where you say "All right then, I have tried" and accept that you have lived and loved as best you could, have pushed against every wall, stood up after every disappointment, and until that last moment, you shouldn't accept anything, you should make things better.”

A Great Way to Begin A New Month

 Today was an absolute stunner of a day to drive on Pacific Coast Highway. My friend Tracy invited me to spend the day with her. We had a wonderful lunch at the beautiful Blue Gold restaurant in Pacific City in Huntington Beach. After lunch we window shopped this outdoor mall and then checked out some other beautiful outdoor dining areas on the property. The ocean sparkled like diamonds on a sea of blue. Later we went to shop at The Picket Fence and bought cupcakes at Miss Priss Bakery.

 

Cousins Work In The Yard Together