::we stood::

puyallup fair . september 24, 2011 . instagram iphone photo

on saturday, as we stood in the midst of the laughter and the bright hot sun and the elephant ears and the sheep and the chickens and the rainbows of color everywhere and the root beer floats and the "you must try these oh my goodness they really are that good" scones, i suddenly could feel summer saying good-bye.

i want to remember how this summer pushed me to let go and open my heart to joy.

create space (the online experience)

I have been up to a little something over here and I am so delighted to tell you all about it...

Create Space is an online experience that invites you to give yourself the gift of being present in this moment of your life. During this four-week course, you will slow down, take a deep breath with intention, and notice what you need. Through video and audio lessons, stories, writing and photography prompts, and weekly creative adventure assignments, we will explore self-care and being-present practices to use in your everyday life.

Some of the topics we will explore include:

• Creating internal space through accessible meditation and being-present practices that will help you find your breath, sink into your body, and quiet your mind. We will spend time discovering our personal soul mantra phrases and connecting to the heart space within us.
• Creating sacred space within our homes through gathering the treasures, inspirations, and words that speak to where we are on our journeys. We will look at ways to create small altar spaces to honor who we are, where we have been, and where we want to walk next on our paths.
• Creating space for ourselves throughout our days with writing practices, getting out into the world for short creative adventures, and using our cameras to capture who we are and what we find in this moment.

We will explore ways to integrate these practices into our day-to-day lives, and I will share stories about the ways I do this in my corner of the world. Note that this class is more about the experience of slowing down and noticing than it is about lots of homework and “doing.” That said, along the way I will gently encourage you to work through the lessons in the course so that you can give yourself the gift of using these practices as you walk through autumn (or spring) toward the holidays.

Additional details:

Dates: Create Space begins October 24 and ends November 20.

Where: The course will be hosted on a private blog and private Flickr group. The course will stay up on the blog until December 31 to give participants time to soak up the information. The Flickr group will be available indefinitely for continued connection after the course ends.

Lessons: There will be three main posts per week on the private blog plus downloadable audio meditations, inspiration and resources, and other goodies along the way. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions and check in about their experience during our time together. 

Supplies needed:

• Journal/notebook
• A camera (any camera is fine, including a camera phone, but if you use film, you will want to be able to scan the photos to share in our Flickr group)
• A Flickr membership
• An additional supply list will be shared after you register for the course. This list will include items you might want to gather before our time together that we will use as we create sacred space in our homes. More than likely you will have these items on hand, but I will also supply a resource list of my favorites. 

Cost: $70

Register: 

• Registration has begun! To participate in the Create Space online experience, click the PayPal button below.
• Your confirmation email from PayPal confirms your spot in the class.
• Within a few days of your registration, I will send you a welcome email that includes a resource list.
• Note that I will use your PayPal email address to communicate with you. If you prefer that I use another email address, let me know when you register or via an email to liz [dot] lamoreux @ gmail [dot] com (or click here to email through this website).

Questions:

Feel free to email me any questions.

right here

shadow self-portrait . port townsend, wa . september 2011

be right here baby girl
because
right here
this moment
well
this is what you've got 
so live it all into reality
(all of it)
shake off the who-does-she-think-she-is fears
and live it
(live it big)
and then rest
(for as long as you need to)
and then do it all again
(one step. one breath. repeat. repeat. repeat.) 

::we three::

::place::

walking through the dahlia garden feels like being in the midst of summer's lean toward fall. the vivid blooms reach for the last days of all-day-long blue sky as the nearby trees seem to notice the bursts of color and begin to think about playing along.

i love that we are just a few minutes away from this late summer dance...

(inspired by kristin's "story of place" post at shutter sisters today)

what is real (september 15)

you are doing it.
all of it.
you are stumbling
and laughing
and learning
and opening your heart more each day.
you are finding a rhythm.
you are remembering to breathe deeply
and sit inside truth and feelings and hope.
you are exactly where you need to be.

*****

::what is real:: is a mirror self-portrait photo + a few words series that began in july of 2010. the series started the first night jon and i slept for a few hours at the tree house while ellie was in the PICU. when i was by myself in that room for a few minutes, i turned and saw my reflection in the mirror in the room and had an urge to document the real face of that moment in my journey. looking back, i realize i wanted to feel seen by someone, and it turned out that being seen by myself was like a hand i could hold. 

as i continue to take these photos, i have noticed that the act of taking them feels like a meditation practice. before i take the photo, i stand in front of the mirror and think about what is real in this moment and let my face relax to wherever that truth lies. then i snap.

i document the series over on flickr but share them here from time to time.

::note::

i practice...

Around here, even though fall is still days away, the end of summer comes when Jon returns to school. This year, I am yearning for a schedule that this transition can bring while being gentle with myself as I realize that having a growing, inquisitive one year old means that a schedule will be hard to uncover most days. And I deeply get that this is part of what being a mama to a one year old is all about. At the same time, I remind myself that our day to day is a bit different from most people I know as her three times a day medication and other needs still rule our world over here. 

This time last year, almost every day I would take Ellie Jane outside for just a few minutes and show her the birds in the trees and the lavender and the maples leaves falling to the ground, and we would watch Millie run around the yard. We were singing "Beauty in the World" out loud at least ten times every day, and my own deeper understanding of the need to seek beauty and joy in the midst of all that life hands you began. I was standing tall inside hope and bravery and fear as we were counting down the days until her open-heart surgery. I remember saying variations of this to her over and over: Your only job is to live. Just be right here and breathe deep and eat and keep being you because there is so much for you to do and see and know. The world is waiting for you.

And today, as I watch her run around the yard finding leaves and little flowers and rocks, I believe that she heard me. I believe that she heard me when she was on the ventilator and I told her that when she wakes up and her heart is healed, she will be able to live big in the world. 

Part of my current practice is letting go of wanting to know what the day will bring. I take a breath and try to notice what I need while being aware of what Ellie Jane seems to need in a given moment. Until this summer, we were encouraged not to take her many places to avoid the possibility of her getting sick. And now that Jon is back to school, I am finding that I need to reprogram my mind in a way with a new understanding of what my days alone with Ellie can look like. Meaning, for months, the only outings she and I would take were to the cardiologist's and pediatrician's offices. I didn't take her to the store or the park or for walks along Puget Sound because we just worried so much about her getting sick. My heart hurts a bit thinking about all that we did not do and all that she has been through (that we have been through).

Last week, as she napped, I was feeling overwhelmed. I sat there on the couch and closed my eyes and found my breath. Inhale. Exhale. Repeat. Feel the space the breath creates. As I took a few moments to just be still, I reminded myself of all that I already know. I reminded myself that we walked through this time last year and the weeks that followed, so oh my goodness get out of the house girl and walk through these days too. These days that are full of laughter and joyful games and exploring all that awaits. These days that are full of so much more than I even thought they could be. These days that push me to beyond tired and remind me of what is real. These days that I want to look back on and say: We found our way. We napped. We explored. We danced. We laughed. We cried. We made it. We lived big.

So we are starting here: We are walking to the neighborhood coffee shop that is so much closer to home than I realized. Here Ellie Jane can have a strawberry smoothie with whipped cream yes please, and on this walk, she can say hi to people we pass and the birds she sees and the squirrels who run across our path. And I can take my camera to capture the small moments that are just outside our door, so that I will always remember how I chose to find beauty again and again and again.