August 7: I snapped awake as the sky above the forest shimmered orange. I dashed, barefoot and pajamaed, around the corner and down the hall to the east-facing common room where last year I glimpsed a memorable sunrise. The windows were steamy, though, and the view uninspiring. I scooted back to my room. And saw the sun’s fiery ball piercing the trees, perfectly framed and waiting for me from my own room.
August 8: Graceful blue flowers entwined with crabgrass. That’s our lives, right? And the tiny butterfly that landed as I snapped the photo was just God showing off.
August 10: This one was easy. I traveled to New Jersey for a Cousins Reunion. Growing up, we were 18 strong. As the fourth youngest, I thought my cousins were way cooler than a moon walk. So, for eight of us to be gathered today, catching up, hugging, sharing old photos, I felt my years shrink to nothing. Love you, Teresa, Gary, Susan, Kathleen, Donna, Wayne, my sister Dianne and amazing Aunt Wanda, who inspires us still.
August 11: Yes, I’m from New Jersey (the beach, actually), and no, I’d never heard of a Pork Roll. My young NJ friend Kasia smothered her shock and gave me a description. But my brother-in-law John gave me the real thing, at Johnny’s Pork Roll food truck at the Red Bank farmers market. I get the hype. It was awesome.
August 12: Dashing into 7-11 to buy some milk, I was hailed by two young men. “You danced with us,” one said. And I did: at an LGBTQ+ event in the spring. https://wordpress.com/post/fashionedforjoy.com/733 Small towns mean that our delights keep finding us again and again.
August 13: I’m carrying my silent retreat with me in surprising ways. Yesterday and today, several colleagues lingered over my descriptions and expressed their yearning for spiritual quiet. I’m reliving it all. (Delight can be serene too.) The Bon Secours Retreat Center is so close. I hope more people explore its possibilities. https://rccbonsecours.com/
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Fashioned For Joy 
Carol Ann, I don’t know what I ever did before I started reading your delights. What a beautiful, mindful practice you have. Your delights remind me of picking beautiful bouquets of flowers at our local CSA. Thank you so much for sharing them with us. ♥️
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Dear Carolyn, your note is such a gift to me. I’m grateful and humbled — and also fully in accord: writing these each day is changing me, making me more mindful, present and (I think) joyful. Your lovely image of picking bouquets of flowers illustrates the feeling perfectly. Thank you for sharing this practice with me.
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CarolAnn’s, you are a delight! You always make me smile:) I loved your family photo!! And yes, pork roll, egg and cheese is a NJ staple!! Ha ha,
Xo!
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Hi, Phyllis! Thank you for saying hello. So, you’ve known about Pork Roll all these years?! I’m delighted at last to join the club. And did you find Dianne and me in the family photo? We’ll need to have a D’Achille cousins reunion at your house again, so I can Post More Pictures. And Eat More Pork Roll. Love, CAS
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Thank you CarolAnn. Your blog is very soothing to me and it also keeps me grounded and grateful. xo Hazel
P.S. Did you get a dog????? If you did, I hope Gracie provided a tiny bit of inspiration. 🙂
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Hi, Hazel. I’m so glad to hear from you. Grounded, grateful, soothed. That sounds lovely. I’m getting there myself. And thanks for asking about the dogs: Majka (pronounced Micah), the pug-terrier mix, belongs to Jeremiah and his girlfriend Kasia. Anita, the German Shepherd, is on loan to us for a month. And yes, we think of Gracie often. Give her a kiss for us!
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May I just say I love the opening “I snapped awake as the sky above the forest shimmered orange. I dashed, barefoot and pajamaed….” You’ve evoked a sense of joy, positivity and anticipation in such a perfect way. May we all embrace mornings with such buoyancy, hope, and then the reassurance of finding abundance in our own room.
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Wow. I love this, Wendy. You expressed my feelings so beautifully — and you cast your words as blessings for us all.
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