TUM - Sign

'Sign' really is a very interesting word.  It could be a mark, token, instruction, note, symptom, character, symbol or gesture.  Sign really is 'to convey meaning', it is a language all of it's own.  Some signs are logistical, practical or instructive, others are colloquial, humorous even.  I loved the signs my fellow TUM partners submitted, both would be very apt in my house, first Mariette's:

It really makes me smile.  I am not really a morning person.  It takes me a while to embrace the day, and I realize it is because I sleep so deeply that for me to come out of dreamland is a journey in and of itself, and so it takes a while.  I am not one of those people whose eyes spring open, who hops up out of bed with a smile on my face while the birds tweet and I sing.  I like to lie there for a while and let the world in a little at a time as I ponder and prioritize.  Claire's photo too:

There always seems to be something else pressing to do, and when I have gone through the house and cleaned it top to bottom, it doesn't seem to stay clean for long.  I blame the kids.  And the dog.  But really to have an immaculate home all the time, you have to be cleaning all the time and I have better things to do. 

My photo this week is of a different kind of sign.  The past few years have been hard on so many fronts.  Moving countries is not easy, there is so much 'unknown' territory.  Somebody asked me this weekend what I found most difficult about it and I think she was expecting me to say 'the food' or 'the accents' - but for me it was the newness.  It can be very exhausting being in an environment where nothing is known.  All the time.  It is exciting and it is an adventure for sure, and it is very stimulating.  But it gets old quick.  It is the little things, brand names you are familiar with when you shop, how to pay a traffic fine, where the library is, what your new shoe size is, who to call when you need something (thank goodness for Google - I'm just sayin')!!

In an environment where newness abounds, it can be very hard to find direction, or know what to do next.  Instead of having a few options, you feel like you have 360 of them, like you could head in any direction.  And since just one decision, the decision to move countries in the first place, has had such a profound effect on everything else you realize the power of choice and it can make you fearful to make more choices, and also leave you wondering if you have done the right thing.  So underneath all the newness is a layer of doubt and insecurity, and underneath the layer of doubt is the loss of your old life.  Your old life is gone, it died and you are sad, heartbroken even, and a brand new life filled with 360 possibilities is laying at your feet.  You can do anything!  Reconciling those two emotions is very hard, especially when you are keeping everything 'normal' for your children and providing your family with security and routine.

I was given a gift before I left home.  They are cards.  Not tarot cards, they don't tell the future, they are based in the here and now.  Horse themed (first reason why I love them), and designed for self discovery.  When I have felt lost, and there have been many times, or overwhelmingly sad, when I have been filled with doubt, or when I have been frustrated because things just are not going my way, when I have wanted to stand on a rooftop somewhere and shout out loud 'WHY!?!' or when I have just wanted to sit my tired self down and give up - I have pulled out these cards:

They always bring me back towards myself, they take me on a journey deep within, to explore what it is I want, and then they remind me that I AM.  I am strong enough, I am sensitive enough, I am brave enough, I am intelligent enough, I am agile enough.  I am enough.  Everything that I need for this life, I have within me.  At times of crossroads, or despair when I have needed a sign, these cards of self exploration have been a big neon arrow.  They have not shown me the way, instead, the arrow has pointed at me, they have shown me that in this life of mine, I am the way.

With a sign like that, I can be brave.

And I thought this was appropriate:

Creatures - TUM

Oh my word.  I am not even sure who picked this theme, but the material was endless.  From the bugs and the gogo's we have around here, to the salamander we found in our basement, the turtles who lay eggs in our lawn each year, the birds, the deer, the bunnies . . . the inspiration is endless!

Claire took this photo while out for a cliff/beach walk.  She lives in Wales, and loves the beauty of her area.  We go for walks regularly too, we have cranberry bogs and forests and ponds and lakes.  I did not think of our coastline as beautiful when I first got here, I had the obvious beauty of South Africa's shorelines to compare it to, but it is growing on me, and now I see how lovely it is.  Claire, some photos of the pretty would be nice.  Here is her creature:

Next was Mariette, who also had much inspiration.  This is a such a sweet little bug, I like his multi-colored legs - another wonderful photo:

I wonder what he eats?  

Finally, my photo.  I went and took some photos of the barn where April rides, and while we were trying to get some perfect brochure worthy photos of all the kids, beautifully dressed and lined up with their horses.  These kids got bored with perfect, posing for photographs is not at all interesting, especially if you are under 10 and can't see the point!  So they were catching very slimy frogs in the pond - slimy is WAY more fun!!  I can't compete with slimy anything.  The froggy in this photo was hopping off and nearly got away.  All children should spend more time catching frogs, don't you think?  SO!  The kids got filthy, the frogs lived to see another day (especially when I explained that they eat mosquitoes!!) and the photos were all still perfect.

So that's me.  Up to date and off to attack the rest of my 'to do' list for the day.  I wonder what story our photos will tell next week?  I wonder what photo I will end up taking?  Usually I leave it to the gods, look for a sign, and act on impulse.  One thing I am sure of, is that our TUM photos will all be different, the stories interesting, and the cup of coffee I drink while I read the other blogs time well spent!

TUM - Women

Our theme this week is women.  A lovely theme.  And it came about at a time when I had some very upsetting far off news, so I spent the week dwelling on women, our roles in relationships, our roles in families, our roles in society.  It is quite funny how different each aspect of the word 'women' each TUM partner captured.  Mariette first with this stunning photograph (um, advertisement worthy Mariette, Revlon, are you listening ? ? ? ) 

Claire's photo is of a little bit of history.  Jewish-Polish women who worked in an enamelware factory and were thus saved from concentration camps, and probably death.  I love old photo's too Claire, who took them?  What was going on?  Who are those people?  Did they have daughters of their own?  What were their lives like?  Women have certainly had interesting and challenging roles in many places throughout our colorful human history.

My picture is last.  My daughter April, playing with my mom-in-laws hair.  This is not the best photo, it was snapped with my iphone in the dark, so you will have to forgive me.  But I do love this photo for the side of my mom-in-law you see in this photo.  She carries many burdens, she has had an interesting life, and she grew up too soon.  This playful little girl so clearly evident in this photo is so endearing, she is young, carefree and loves to have fun and to laugh.  Her relationship with her grandchildren is growing and blossoming as they, more than anybody else, can draw this young girl out to play.  It is good for all of them, and I treasure the time they spend together.

So there you have it.  Women.  There is so much more to us than lipstick and pantyhose.   We are the glue.  We hold it together and keep it going even when the whole world around is shifting, changing, or falling apart.  We are the anchors for our families, our society, and we are the leaders even when we are not actually in charge.  Men are important too, their roles are valuable and provide balance.  But women nurture, we connect, we string everybody together just like pearls to create a strong families, communities, villages be it 1726 or 2012.  

This week, it is fitting I honor Mariette, who has been the string for us TUM ladies, soldiering on and holding the space open making it easy for us to rejoin and rejoice.  Thank you.