sometimes you just need pretty...

~found

Today while trying to get nearly a dozen things done in the space of about 4 hours, I stole a few moments to visit some of my favorite blogs. My heart felt heavy as I had been watching a bit of news and reading even more on my beloved BBC online. Here I was, doing seemingly meaningless tasks (packaging pretties, tidying a frivolous work space, laundry, writing) while there was an entire country suffering for lack of the something as simple as water. I had a difficult time reconciling it in my own heart - how much do I go on, business as usual, and how much of myself do I dedicate to grieving, to empathizing with the fear and sadness that so many are feeling.

You see, I have always been a proactive person. If I see that something needs to be done, I go about finding a way to do it. But I am also known for (according to my husband) letting things that happen to others affect me deeply. Too deeply... You see, when I posted on Facebook yesterday that I wish I had the life where I could just hop a plane to Haiti and do something- anything to help, I meant it. I would. In a heartbeat. But not at the expense of leaving my children who need me right now, or my husband, who honestly couldn't cope as a single parent this month. And so I stay here, and dwell on what I could be doing, and what I should be doing.

So, while visiting my blog friends, I spent a moment with Kasey. Kasey with her incredible way with words, her fabulous sense of humor, and her eye for pretty things. And it hit me - I visit my blog friends for inspiration. I visit them when I need to find something that I can't seem to find in my own heart at that moment. And today, what I needed was something pretty. I needed to remember that there is always tragedy. There is always something that I could be doing to help someone who is suffering or in need. But there is also always beauty. There is beauty in the simplest of things. And today, after the sadness that I have felt, after managing a rather (insert your own adjective to describe an incredibly difficult child here) 7 year old over the past few days with a husband who arrives home no earlier than 11 pm these days, I needed pretty.

So, I followed Kasey's link to a site that was full of pretty.

And do you know what I did? I copied her.

Completely.

Well, probably not completely as I don't know how she made her pretty little grouping of photographs, but I certainly would guess she didn't use photoshop...

Not that she couldn't.

Because she could.

Totally.

Yup - completely totally.

(That little bit was for you Kasey - remember, imitation is the highest form of flattery... Okay, I am a copy cat. I copied you. But I didn't pull it off - because no one can be you.

Oh, and thanks to you, my incredibly wonderful fantastical blog friends whom I love so dearly, we have, so far in the past 24 hours raised $300 for the Haiti Relief Efforts!!! So thank you, from the bottom of my heart. We have 48 hours left so feel free to clean out my store if you wish - we all know the money is going to a good cause~

bisous mes amies,

xx