Omigosh - I've been gone a while, huh? Busy with all sorts of stuff and a bit bored "hearing" what I think of writing...to the point of yawning. Oh well. I'll be appropriately inspired again when the time is right. Till then, check this out:

Couldn't we all use one of these? An Applause Machine! Available here in a variety of colors...Gotta love it!

I have a new favorite website, The Muse is In. I just love going to the home page to listen and play with all the little goodies that appear. The creator, Jill Badonsky, also wrote a book that I've ordered: The Nine Modern Day Muses (and a Bodyguard)

And her blog is equally wonderful!

And, yep, someday, when I have some spare moolah, I'd love to take her course on Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching. In the meantime, I might settle for becoming a certified Muse Group Leader. It would fit in well with the SoulCollage® workshops...

SO MUCH I WANNA DOOOOOO!!!

Last night when I went to bed around 1:30 a.m., as soon as I put my head on the pillow I heard a song stirring around in there...thought it was Peter Paul and Mary who sang it, but realized today it was actually Mama Cass Elliot. It seemed the perfect song with the perfect sentiment to fall asleep to after a perfectly PERFECT presidential election and speech by Barack Obama!

Do you remember "There's a New World Coming"?

Here are the lyrics:

There's a New World Coming
And it's just around the bend
There's a new world coming
This one's coming to an end
There's a new voice calling
You can hear it if you try
And it's growing stronger
With each day that passes by

There's a brand new morning
Rising clear and sweet and free
There's a new day dawning
That belongs to you and me
Yes a new world's coming
The one we've had visions of
Coming in peace, coming in joy, coming in love!

Like I said, perfect, huh?

I think PP&M must have done a version of it...but at any rate I'm feeling a need to listen to their music again. Seems a good time for them to make a comeback!!!

Maybe I'll get my guitar out again...

I never knew just how deep the feeling of gratitude could be.

But now I know and I feel like I can finally breathe again.

I feel hopeful in a way I haven't in a long time.

I feel safe.

Miracles happen - and we are that miracle tonight!

"All will be well, all will be well, all manner of things will be well..."

Amen!

My mantra this day before the election seems to be simply "ohpleaseohpleaseopleeeeease!" but I love what Joan Chittister has offered us:

GIVE US, O GOD, LEADERS...

Let us join in prayer for our country and for the world.

Prayer for Leadership

Give us, O God,
leaders whose hearts are large enough
to match the breadth of our own souls
and give us souls strong enough
to follow leaders of vision and wisdom.

In seeking a leader, let us seek
more than development for ourselves —
though development we hope for
more than security for our own land —
though security we need
more than satisfaction for our wants —
though many things we desire.

Give us the hearts to choose the leader
who will work with other leaders
to bring safety
to the whole world.

Give us leaders
who lead this nation to virtue
without seeking to impose our kind of virtue
on the virtue of others.

Give us a government
that provides for the advancement of this country
without taking resources from others to achieve it.

Give us insight enough ourselves
to choose as leaders those who can tell
strength from power,
growth from greed,
leadership from dominance,
and real greatness from the trappings of grandiosity.

We trust you, Great God,
to open our hearts to learn from those
to whom you speak in different tongues
and to respect the life and words
of those to whom you entrusted
the good of other parts of this globe.

We beg you, Great God,
give us the vision as a people
to know where global leadership truly lies,
to pursue it diligently,
to require it to protect human rights
for everyone everywhere.
We ask these things, Great God,
with minds open to your word
and hearts that trust in your eternal care.
Amen
— Joan Chittister, OSB

The little houses continue to be in my thoughts...they very much want to be seen and they want me to work with them again. So here's a quick example of what I've been doing with them lately:

Little House on the Praire

Hint: If you click on the "label" below it will bring up other drawings I've posted.