creative souls, a little book of hope and martha

From Plant Dreaming Deep by May Sarton

I am one of those people who underlines, marks and folds pages in a book...even hardcover books. This is one of those things people feel strongly about, you either do or you don't. I can't help myself, it's personal. I see it as bringing the written word to the next level...if it means something to me, I don't want to forget it. To that end, I recently created a 'little book of hope'. It is a small journal filled with words that sparked my curiosity...ones that give me hope.

What has surprised me in this little quest of mine is just how insightful and revealing it is. I have had my

nose in books all week...following a trail of words. With books on one side of my desk and my Kindle

on the other, I have been bouncing in my seat with excitement. I liken it to a type of mindful therapy.

Many of you are soulmates when it comes to projects like this. We are a merry little band of creative souls. We write, we read, we photograph, we draw, we paint, we ponder life and we express it in our own way. We appreciate each other's talents and pursuits because 'we get it'. Nothing is too crazy...we just embrace life the best way we can.

If this concept is new to you...I am hoping you will create your own 'little book of hope'. Call it what you like. Grab a journal or pad of paper and start searching. You will know where to go. My guess is the words will be right in front of you.. in a book, in a card, in a letter, in that pile of notes that you tucked away for a rainy day. Mix it up...use your words and anothers. Take yourself for a long walk, meditate, crank up the music..do your thing and write. It's your story..your little book of hope...it's your secret and it's fun!

I will let you in on one of my little secrets....one that I discovered one summer's morning while reading at Tahilla Farm. I breathed in every word...

       Finally at the end of that long, rainy, glorious day, I turned out the lights and fell into bed. At first there was too great a buzz of things still to be done in my head, but at last I could listen, first to the silence, and then, through it, to the infinite number of sounds an old house contains in the night. There were small creaks, a door opening in the draught, then the scurry of a field mouse somewhere in the kitchen, and something less tangible, as if things themselves breathed very softly, as if the old furniture were settling down. All these sounds together made the house feel like a ship. I did not know where the ship would take me, but I knew it was snug and beautiful, and I know that it's passenger was both inwards and outwards bound.

Written by May Sarton in Plant Dreaming Deep

Outward bound to Tahilla Farm and Martha....

Some of you may recall 'Martha', 

a mighty old girl embracing Tahilla Farm. 

If this tree could talk, she could tell a tale or two 

as she goes back some 150 years.  

There has been a great debate around Martha this past year. 

Should she stay or should she go?  She stands perilously close to the house

and if a storm gets the better of her..well, you can imagine the rest. 

I undertook a campaign to get as many opinions as possible, 

thinking the decision would be clear. In hindsight, this was not a wise

idea for it confused me even more.

Mr. H and I discussed it at length and decided to give Martha more time. 

We are taking another leap of faith that with careful pruning, cabling and a good feed 

that she will stand tall and proud for many years to come. Work starts in two weeks. 

Once our tree expert gets to the top of the tree he will have a better prognosis.

I am keeping my fingers crossed that the sun will shine on Martha for 

many years to come. All I can say to this old girl of a tree is...

All Hail Martha..she has done well to stand this long.

:)

Plant Dreaming Deep

If you would like to know more about May Sarton's work, you can read here.

You will find the book in the Brown Paper Book Club list here.

With special thanks to Tara Dillard for suggesting this book to me!

Creative souls are the best!