The Dance

The Dance

Dance! It is the week to dance and float and flitter!! What a great opportunity we have been given to live in such an amazing and changing world! It is Fall in the South! Nature is about to explode with all her splendor. There will be so much for us to see, smell, and hear! Stop from rushing this week and dance, dance, dance!

The Dance

Floating as they were always meant to.

Each floats down separately.

Finding its place with the Earth.

Yet they all float together.

As a great gospel choir raising its voice to the heavens.

 

She has released them.

She has nourished and fed them,

But it is now time to let them go.

They have the strength from her in their veins.

They have her colorful appearance on their surfaces.

 

The wind carries them as if they were a child on a roller coaster,

But guides them for their destiny.

Will it be the mamba?

Will it be a ballet or a line dance?

Will it be the cha cha?

Will it be the twist?

 

Free—Floating—Forming the Dance!

The dance of colors!

The dance of shapes!

The dance of different destinies!

The dance that leads us to hope for another day!

 

Lori Rennae Hickman Chapman

Thank you so much for joining me on the dance floor this week! I know your time is so priceless and to spend it with me is a true gift. I hope you stop and take time to dance among the colors and shapes this week!

Love,

Rennae

 

Blessings

 

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One Weekend

One Weekend

This week our family will be blessed to participate in a great celebration! The 20th annual IKSA National Training Seminar. Karate friends and extended family travel from all parts of the United States to join in the seminar. The great joy comes from the fact that this group of people over the many years has formed one of the most amazing families one could ever hope to be a part of! The most incredible experience about the weekend is the great opportunity to love and enjoy people. Also these individuals sacrifice so much just to come together and enjoy each other. So this week or next weekend, sacrifice and gather dear family and friends and have your own joyful celebration! Most of all take the opportunity to enjoy and love people this week!

One Weekend

The season arrives again.

They have sacrificed all year.

Just to make this travel.

The hosts wait patiently but with excitement.

 

The hosts plan and prepare for the homecoming.

What have these many souls done for one year?

Have they grown?

Have they laughed?

Have they cried?

 

It is yet time again to bring their hearts to a place filled with friends.

The time is so precious,

They all wish time would stop.

So the memories would last forever.

So the happiness and joy would linger for all time.

 

They learn and practice old ways and new moves.

They meet new friends and love old ones.

All perfecting and improving their art together.

All rejoicing over personal and group achievements.

Hugs and hearts are shared.

The time passes too quickly.

 

New friends join,

Old friends remain,

And some could not journey,

But their hearts are with all the others.

All souls feeling this special tie that will never separate them.

 

Then goodbyes have to be said.

All of these spirits rise to move back to life and work—

But their futures hold for them another year to pass and then share again.

Friends of not just the arts, but friends of life and beyond.

Lori Rennae Hickman Chapman

Put together a gathering where people can love each other and support each other. Even if the gathering is a small gathering with the people you have the opportunity to love each day. Don’t miss out on that opportunity!

Thank you so much for taking your special time to be with me this week. Thank you for being a part of this gathering!

Love,

Rennae

 

 

Relationships

 

Watching Her Live

Watching Her Live

I come to you this week with sadness. I really know I should not be sad, because I have been so blessed to have known this person and to have lived with her for 56 years. My Mom’s birthday is this week. She went to her garden in heaven one and a half years ago after an 11 year battle with Alzheimer’s. She was and is my best friend, my decorating companion, my security, my questioner, my supporter, and I absolutely knew she would lay down her life for me.  My sadness comes from the absence of her physical being, her voice and body beside me. However, I have to be joyful because I would have rather known her and loved her than never have met her. I find peace this week because she is still watching over me and my family through her loving soul. There is someone in your life to watch live—don’t miss out on every second you have to love them! Rejoice in the opportunity you have been given!

Watching Her Live

The same question comes up again and again.

She smiles.

She rest.

She works.

Then she begins again.

 

She has given so much to all she loves.

She have given everything for her home.

She has lived!

She has loved her Lord,

Enjoyed her friends,

Served the community,

And always welcomed others.

 

Watching her live has meant so much,

But it has become hard.

She does not always remember.

She has especially forgotten the times of joy in the garden,

The celebrations,

And the cooking together.

Her soul so much wants to do the tasks from the past,

But her body tells her it is time to rest.

 

I know her love of life is there.

I know her love for me remains for all throughout eternity.

She has rescued me,

Loved me,

Guided me,

And led me to freedom as a woman.

 

Even though it is hard to watch her live at times,

I will not only watch.

I will hold her hand,

I will share with her,

And I especially will love her beyond this life.

Lori Rennae Hickman Chapman

Alzheimer’s is a really difficult disease. It is not just someone simply getting older. The person goes through changes that they would never want to be revealed. They can lose dignity in themselves, and they can become very fearful because they do not know what is actually happening. It is a disease that is especially hard for the family supporting their loved one. Love a family this week going through this disease.

Thank you for reading with me this week. Sometimes we cannot always feel good about all things, but I hope I have shared some awareness this week about loving those we know that are battling tough situations. I really appreciate your support and love through this blog. Do not hesitate in telling someone how much you care and love them.

Love,

Rennae

 

 

Family and Tradition

 

 

Lula Lane

Lula Lane

With so many changes in nature that will begin in the next several weeks, we just really need to stop and see what is all around us. What colors do we see? What do we hear? What can we smell? What are we missing? Let time stop for you this week for just one moment. See what is all around you in your part of the world!

 

Lula Lane

There is a road that most people chose not to travel.

If only they knew the jewels that could be found there.

The first lives in a small cabin home on a small hillside.

 

He is Mr. Junior Ray.

He holds the pipe in his mouth near his scruffy beard.

A smile creeps out as he begins describing his gardens.

His eyes brighten as he describes his paintings.

He proceeds to explain how he is so close to God.

His closeness is under the trees, in the dirt, and with a hoe in hand.

He has all rights to shine about his gifts.

The gardens that he tills for God blossom.

The displays show every color imaginable.

The cockscombs are blood red.

The lilies are so delicate.

The corn reaches to the sky, green with golden tassels.

 

Down the road a bit, Mrs. Ida, hat in tow, loves to share the seeds of her passion plant.

See she has grown these white delicacies for years.

The plants’ strong stems hold these big bells upright.

They become very heavy and begin to cascade down the rock wall.

 

Further up the road, Mike plants wheat among the clover.

Next year we will all feel like we stepped onto the yellow brick road.

The golden heads of the wheat will blow and the crimson clover heads will pop below.

Mike will till and sow.

To watch the seeds grow.

With a group of energetic teenagers,

The fruits of the field will be cut, baled, and stored.

 

On down the road, toward the heart of the hollow,

Mr. Sam’s tractor can be heard.

The smell of hay is not far behind the sound.

Brown Dog carefully, but faithfully, trots beside and in front, keeping a safe distance.

The cows Mr. Sam feeds shuffle to make room for the hay to be dropped.

Once dropped they feast eagerly on the meal.

 

All at once flitters and flutters can be heard.

The doves take flight when they hear all of us.

The creek trickles as it runs past rocks and roots.

A grey heron pushes from the bank.

Her babies are tucked away as she enters the sky to take flight.

Her grey body resembles the pterodactyl of prehistoric times.

She so gently takes charge of the wind.

A swarm of gnats spin like a tornado,

As sulfa butterflies dance between the blackberries and the passion vines.

 

This is one road, leading to a buried lane in Tennessee.

All people should be so blessed to live on Lula Lane.

All people should be blessed to lose their way onto Lula Lane.

They would never return to reality.

 

Lori Rennae Hickman Chapman

See the colors, hear the sounds, notice the people, and smell the basil this week in your world! Thank you so very much for exploring my world with me this week by reading my post. I really appreciate the time you have spent with me! Soak everything in this week!!

Love,

Rennae

 

 

Blessings