soul letter...

Beautiful Etiquette

Being raised by a socialite, etiquette always played a key roll in my life.  Knowing when and where to exercise the proper sentiments was a key part of my childhood training.  Fast forward 50 years and the world has changed dramatically from that once proper place my mother dreamed of. While many of us still try our darnedest to squeeze in those "pleases" and "thank yous" there are simply far too few of them these days.

Still I'm all about being the change and so you can often find my visual thank yous around the internet  ~ whether it's expressing gratitude to a social networking friend or leaving feedback for a purchase, I like prettying up the sentiment with my own whimsical imagery.

And so in keeping with this I thought it might be nice to start a new series of images that could be used in this manner. Whether you're looking to include a thank you at the bottom of your blog or just want to say "thanks for your friendship" on a social wall, these images will suit the situation nicely.  You'll find them included in an upcoming "Inspirational" category I have planned for the new website, but in the meantime you can grab some copies below.

<center> <a href="http://www.plumroselane.com" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="PrL-Cupcake Thank You" src="http://www.prl-images.com/images/prefab/inspirational/PrL-ThankYou_Cupcake.png" /></a></center>

<center> <a href="http://www.plumroselane.com" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="PrL-Mermaid Thank You" src="http://www.prl-images.com/images/prefab/inspirational/PrL-ThankYou_Mermaid.png" /></a></center>

<center> <a href="http://www.plumroselane.com" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="PrL-Enchanted Thank You" src="http://www.prl-images.com/images/prefab/inspirational/PrL-ThankYou_Mirror.png" /></a></center>
Using the code below each image you can insert them at the bottom of your blog using this tutorial: http://plumroselane-tutorials.blogspot.com/2013/03/how-to-install-blog-badge-or-add-html.html  or by right clicking on the image you can save a copy to then post on a friend's wall like on Facebook.  Just remember to play nice ~ these images are subject to my terms of use and are not meant to be altered in any way.

Update: Originally created for the bottom of blogs and social sites, I've now included smaller versions below so these can be used in blog sidebar areas...

200 x 200

<center> <a href="http://www.plumroselane.com" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="PrL-Cupcake Thank You" src="http://www.prl-images.com/images/prefab/inspirational/PrL-ThankYou_Cupcake-x200.png" /></a></center>
<center> <a href="http://www.plumroselane.com" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="PrL-Mermaid Thank You" src="http://www.prl-images.com/images/prefab/inspirational/PrL-ThankYou_Mermaid-x200.png" /></a></center>
<center> <a href="http://www.plumroselane.com" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="PrL-Enchanted Thank You" src="http://www.prl-images.com/images/prefab/inspirational/PrL-ThankYou_Mirror-x200.png" /></a></center>

Since this month's theme over at Leah's Creative Everyday Challenge is "Color" I thought these might also make a nice entry for that too.  So I've submitted this post in this week's challenge posting and plan on visiting the participants to see what delicious creations have been whipped up by this week's entries ~ hope to see you there!

Enjoy~

Saying Goodbye

I had the chance to say goodbye to my friend Linda last Friday.  The card to the right is from that occasion.  You could easily see her kind and gracious heart through her children, husband, and friends.  Making my way around the room I saw a myriad of photos ~ all showing her smiling, laughing, and hugging those she shared time with.  Meeting her sons and husband, I had the opportunity to let them  now what a wonderful affect her presence had on us here in blogland and what an inspiration she was to so many of us.

It was the hug I received from her daughter after telling her I was "Plumrose Lane", that really touched my heart.  I knew the time we had spent writing to one another meant as much to my friend as it had to me.  What touched my heart the most was when her daughter said, "My mother was one of the lucky ones; she got to see her children grow and marry and spend time with her four grandchildren".  I believe the heart of gratitude my friend Linda passed on to her children and shared with all of us here in blogland, is the greatest treasure of all.

Best~

Losing a Friend

We lost a good friend in blogland today ~ Linda of Stealing Mom lost her courageous battle with lung cancer.  Linda was one of those remarkable souls who touched our lives ~ filling our hearts with laughter and gratitude at every turn.

I knew her first as a customer but Linda quickly became a dear friend.  It was her warm generous heart that always seemed to find the happier side of personal experiences that will have the most lasting affect on my heart and mind.  I admired her courage as she moved through the beginning stages of cancer treatment, sharing thoughts and feelings with a sensitive personal insight, laced with humor, grace, and a perpetual sense of gratitude.

It's always so striking to me how profound an affect someone can have on our lives, even if we never meet them in person.  I will finally have the chance to "meet" my friend on Friday when I say goodbye to her in person but like the best of friendships it's one I know will never truly die.  I have no doubt Linda is spreading her own joyous sense of humor and kindness in that vast blogland up above and for all of us still her I can say wholeheartedly that we will miss you very, very much.

Creating Our Lives

If I were to take a snapshot of this week I would have a few choices.  The question is, would it be the beginning ~ when the car died, my coffee maker broke, and I broke down in sea of frustration, or would it be the end ~ with a new car, a new coffee maker, and an overflowing heart of thankfulness.  At first glance it might be an easy choice but in truth, I think it's the middle that had the most impact ~ the part where I kept going and kept an open heart and mind of gratitude.

I think life is like that ~ it's not so much about what happens to us as much as it is about what we do with those events.  Case in point... I have a friend who's been slowly slipping away ~ not because of some insidious medical condition but because she allowed a few bad apples into her basket.  Once there, they rotted and spread.  I've been there and I understand how it can happen.  But standing on the outside watching someone you care about grow angry and withdraw is painful and saddening.  Over the years I've watched her slowly move away; stepping back from things that made her happy and exposed to other creative souls.  Each time she drew back to "stand up" for her principles she slowly pulled her beauty, her creativity, her intelligent insight, away from those of us who've appreciated it most.  I miss her musings and I hope one day she returns.

In the end I think the one thing we have is our perspective. I could be the arrogant debutante I was raised to be, or  the woman I was 12 years ago ~ broken by a heartless man, or  the woman I was 10 years ago ~ stripped of all hope or the woman I was 8 years ago ~ impoverished; washing my children's clothes in our kitchen sink or the woman I was 6 years ago ~ realizing I'd stepped into the arms of another liar or the woman I was 5 years ago ~ barely choosing to stay alive but for the sake of my children or the woman I was 3 years ago ~ desperately trying to change my mistakes or the woman I was a year ago ~ betrayed by the one I'd tried so hard to help.  I could be all of these or any one of the stepping stones along my own life's journey.

But you see, somewhere along the way, each time I picked myself up, dusted off my mistakes, and kept moving forward, I learned the valuable lesson of gratitude. Feeling grateful for the treasures in our lives, no matter how small, is one of the greatest tools we have.  It enables us to create beauty from nearly nothing and as an artist, I love to create.  I remember a counselor telling me years ago to find happiness in my current life ~ I thought he was nuts.  But in this sense we're all artists; painting the pictures of our lives that tell the stories of our own journeys through this world.  I believe the paintings we create, with the brush strokes of our thoughts and actions, are the most beautiful creations we'll ever possess. They are as open and new as a pure white canvas and possessed with nearly endless possibilities.

So while this week may have started off in some dark place in my mind's eye, it wound up being another stepping stone in this journey, another part of the beautiful creation I'm working on that's called "my life". My own canvas is filled with countless shortcomings and wrong turns but it's the change of colors and brush strokes that have brought me to today and help ensure I live with a heart of gratitude and a desire to continue finding my own meaning of success.

Best~

Happy Australia Day!

One of the things I love most about this online world is how it washes away the miles between wonderful souls.  A personal example of this is that a large portion of my customers are from the lovely land down under. And so with that in mind I want to wish you all a very happy Australia Day!

Enjoy~

What Goes Around Comes Around

Don't you love that title? I do.  There was a time in my life when I wouldn't have ~ when I wasn't concerned about how I treated others or for that matter, myself.  I'm glad I changed and so did my life. It's a happier place now.  It might not always be filled with sunshine and lollipops but at least I learned to see them in the most unlikely of places.

Today's lollipop is a followup post to my "The Beholder", written by Kinga, titled All's Well That Ends Well.  Needless to say the last 3 paragraphs had me wading in tears of humility and gratitude.

I hope you're finding your own lollipops this weekend!

Best~

Words to Live By~

Recently I lost a friend and sponsor, Tami Lilly of Beyond the Lillypad. This is an excerpt from her birthday wish to me a few months back...

"There comes a time in your life, when you walk away from all the drama and people who create it. You surround yourself with people who make you laugh. Forget the bad, and focus on the good. Love the people who treat you right, pray for the ones who don't. Life is too short to be anything but happy. Falling down is a part of life, getting back up is living. "Being ALIVE is a gift, being HAPPY is by choice!""

Certainly words to live by and she was like that, always thinking of others, always sharing insights, wisdom, and laughs. It makes me sad to feel there's one less person like her in this world ~ we need so many more.

I miss my friend a little more today that usual ~

Drumroll, please....

....my husband found a job! I know, isn't that just the craziest?!? Not only did he find a job, but it's better than the one he lost, hah! Where he once had a 2 hour a day commute, he'll now be working 10 minutes from home ~ the pay is less but he'll save on all that fuel, cha-ching! He'll work less hours, spend less money, and be home more with us more, whoot!

Of course we're immensely (mind blowingly) thankful! And who do we have to thank?? Well, all of you ~ for all your amazing prayers, well wishes, candles, dear thoughts, etc. Yep, you my sweet blogging friends are the best, and we just couldn't thank all of you and the powers that be for this amazing change and wonderful opportunity.

For now, he gets a mini vacation until he starts next week, and even though that really translates into an extensive "honey-do list", he's happy to work around the house and it's a welcome break from the whirlwind week we've just experienced. So, I just wanted to share the news and say yet another... yep, wait for it...

Wishing you all as wonderful weekend~