NOVEMBER: THANKSGIVING MULTITASKING

A series of essays….

AGING GRACEFULLY BY
ACCEPTING WHAT COMES NATURALLY

Photograph: Daphne, Channel 4

….as seen through my eyes!

 

By: Jacqueline E Hughes

As a child, no sooner would I be finished brushing every last calorie from my teeth and mouth after a victorious night out begging for sweet treats from strangers in our neighborhood, when my concentration turned to even more exciting celebrations! Halloween itself was a treat and delight to look forward to but, for me, it ushered in the ultimate annual celebration of early November — my birthday! 

November is my birthday month! Yes, I share it now with my husband who celebrates his birthday later in the month, with my granddaughter, Lydia, soon to be fourteen, even our son-in-law, Matt, as well as everyone exercising their right to vote on Election Day, the first Tuesday in November. Let’s not forget giving thanks and celebrating with friends and loved ones on Thanksgiving Day with delicious food, reminiscences, and good cheer. 

Even though November was such an impactful month for most of us in so many different ways, I always felt it was my month; my birthday ushered it into prominence with its promise of friends coming over, gifts to be opened, and cake and ice cream to be devoured once the candles were properly blown out. 

If my birthday happened to fall in the middle of the week (Tuesday through Thursday), it almost always guaranteed a longer course of celebratory bliss by extending the fun for me both in school and at home. A particular bonus would be if any one of my friends were celebrating their birthday on or around my own. Maybe I couldn’t have that summer beach party birthday I always wanted, but sharing the happiness, especially at school, was an extra special treat!

Today, I sit here before you with multiple wrinkles, dark spots and scars, every laugh line or weary look of despair and sorrow I’ve ever lived with, recounting the good times (and the not so good) right before my next birthday; marking the beginning of my very own month of November. The anticipation of joy and excitement remains a part of the process waiting to unfold…just like in my younger days when I was bedazzled by boxes wrapped in gaily colored paper and decked out with shiny ribbon and bows.

YOURS TRULY…

My regrets are few. Life has been pretty good so far. Giving back to others has always awakened my sense of purpose and catapulted good vibes all around reminding me that I’ve made it this far! The best is yet to come! But, when blowing out my candles today, there is one wish that overpowers all others. Some say that if we verbalize our wishes they will not come true. I will only tell you that our youngest daughter and three amazing grandchildren are involved in a large portion of my current hopes and dreams. 

Wonderful friends, my forever adopted sister, my husband and oldest daughter and family, all keep me grounded these days. They help control the glow from way too many candles that dazzle the senses while offering the opportunity to blow out the past and seek enlightenment from the here and now — along with my imagination and projected dreams. Living in the present while looking towards the future is the key. No matter how old we are, there will be a tomorrow to look forward to. All too often we forget this and stop dreaming altogether while abandoning our tomorrows like fine sand particles tossed into the wind.

The icing on the cake, so to speak, can be any flavor, color, or type; I have no particular favorite and never have. With it being an additional benefit to something already good, the cake and frosting are sweet receptacles that serve to hold the flame upright so that we may easily extinguish it in the hopes that our dreams will come true. Superstitious and pandering to our weaknesses or base desires — perhaps. Is this the reason we are told to keep silent about our particular wishes or they may not come true? How often have we kept a spreadsheet recording the outcome of our birthday wishes regarding success or failure? 

When I blow my candles out this year (more than likely composed of two numerical wax digits), I will look on the bright side of life and concentrate on making a wish and hoping it is fulfilled. If it isn’t satisfied immediately, I will work exceptionally hard during this next year to make it happen; each tiny flame pushing me harder and harder to complete a task successfully within the next 365 days. They are a  push we require to dream and make that dream come true.

After all, isn’t this really why we blow out the candles in the first place? 

Remember: If you don’t tell your own story, someone else may write it for you.

Copyright © 2021 by Jacqueline E Hughes

All rights reserved

OCTOBER BEGINS AS A BLANK CANVAS

 

A series of essays....

THE VIBRANT COLORS OF OCTOBER

....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E Hughes

September’s intense layers of green set the dramatic backdrop for the month of October.

October begins as a blank canvas. Finally, the tenth month of the year allows us to play with some of the richest, deepest, and most robust colors on a grand scale; earth tones, my Mother’s favorite palette. 

Early on, multiple shades of summertime greens are seemingly airbrushed overnight as the tops of the highest branches are tipped in mellow yellow against a sky of pale blue. Cotton ball clouds float along the blue skyscape like majestic swans on a sun-rippled pond.

APPLES READY FOR MARKET

Bright apple reds and greens cling to the orchard trees in great abundance waiting to fill the farmer’s baskets and bins to be hauled to local market places. Children and adults alike dream of their tasty sweetness as in taffy apples with sprinkles on top, rustic pies filled with rich fruit and cinnamon goodness, and a crisp, salubrious treat savored between meals.

Overnight, clumps of cherry-red leaves dot the mighty maple trees like giant Christmas ornaments hung by the gods. In the following days, each crimson bauble begins to seep through the lofty trees giving us a feeling of spilled red wine penetrating the green, summertime branches.

Late blooming flowers and rows of swaying grasses bow to one another as they dance under the influence of Vivaldi’s ‘The Autumn’ and their once sparkling attire now fades into nut-brown and sepia tones like photos tucked away in Mother’s dresser drawer. “Memories, my love,” she would whisper in my ear.

SHERBET TONES OF
THE CHRYSANTHEMUM

If we are passionate about chrysanthemums, cultivated for their brightly colored, showy flower heads, we must be enchanted by these vivacious mounds of sherbet tones dotting the urban landscape. Mums are reminders of man’s ability to prolong a season while planting seeds of hope for a ravishing display of future springtime bounties of color!

Some bushes literally ‘burn’ in crimson splendor as October ushers in her cooler temps and seasonal rains. And, as if overnight, trees have morphed into their final act of seasonal glory when the reds, golds, and yellows that have been dancing above us suddenly ruffle their united copper-colored leaves in the quickening breeze like the subdued plumage of a robin’s breast.

ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME?

Squirrels and chipmunks scurry about in a last minute rush of hoarding their food in anticipation of winter’s inevitable arrival. Blue Jays and Cardinals seemingly sashay in flight from one golden branch to another and the big, black-necked Canadien Goose, with its signature white chinstrap mark, checks his itinerary as he and thousands of ‘honkers’ migrate south for the winter.

OCTOBER DELIGHTS

October’s blank canvas is particularly notable this year with the coronavirus looming large among us. While summer activities begin to linger into precious memories, and jackets, long pants and boots are donned in lieu of bathing suits, shorts, and flip-flops, we still revel in being outdoors. Even when the daily wearing of facial masks become important substitutes for Halloween disguises at the end of the month, most of us have decided to cherish being around for a very long time to be able to delight in October’s colorful canvas for many years to come.

Blustery winds usher in October’s ‘snowy season.’ Crisp leaves tumble from the sky en masse simulating snow showers as they accumulate in thick layers on the ground, covering the weary grasses in a patchwork quilt of autumnal color. 

THE REDS OF THE MAPLE TREE
GENTLY SEEPING...

My Mother’s auburn hair resembled the fiery red maple tree that lived in the backyard of our little, white rental home many years ago. My October memories consist of numerous hours of raking the fallen leaves into enormous piles only to scatter them around again by running like a tiny, howling banshee into the pile at full speed. Mom helped rake them up again for round two and three of this pleasant game.

The orange, greens, and yellows of the local pumpkin patch fill adults and children with equal delight as the ‘perfect’ size and shape of pumpkin is searched for with grave intensity. After all, its flawlessness will serve to usher in the jack-o-lantern of our own imagination for the Halloween celebration.

OCTOBER’S COLORFUL
PUMPKIN PATCH

As if all of the sounds, visual changes, and weather extremes that take place during October were not enough, my heart delights in the autumnal celebration of a life gone way too early; a gentle lady who loved deeply and gave more than she would ever receive in this lifetime. Mom, sixty-two years was not nearly enough time to have the world appreciate all that you had to contribute to making this a sweeter, more loving place to live in. I miss you with all of my being...

MY BEAUTIFUL MOTHER, OLGA,
AT THE AGE OF EIGHTEEN

Today, you would have had 97 years filled with the gentleness of life behind you. Happy Birthday, Mom, with all of the trimmings and all of my love! My October canvas is filled with the colorful and joyous memories of your love, kindness and appreciation of all living things.

Everyone, please stay safe. Vote!

Copyright © 2020 by Jacqueline E Hughes

All rights reserved

Photos Copyright © 2020 by Jacqueline E Hughes

All rights reserved

HALLOWEEN DREAMIN' ON SUCH A BEAUTIFUL PROVENCAL DAY

 

A series of essays.....

GIANT TURQUOISE GATE BECKONING US INSIDE
SAINT VEREDEME CEMETERY, EYGUIERES, FRANCE

.....as seen through my eyes!




By: Jacqueline E. Hughes

It's difficult to imagine asking a tour bus driver to stop the vehicle each time you'd like to create a photo-op in a lonely, out of the way cemetery. That's not in their contract! Nor would you expect this to happen for anyone else on the tour. This is one reason why we drive ourselves through Europe....

Renting a car in France is one of our 'treats' and it isn't as overwhelming or expensive as you might think.

We surf through as many companies as we can, read all of the fine print (very important), and decide what size of car we require each time around. Then, we pre-order our selection, knowing that we have the flexibility of changing it or dropping it altogether, if need be, right before the trip.

RENAULT CAPTUR

All Rental Car Companies vary with regard to how large of a deposit is required once the car is picked-up. They say it is to make sure that funds are available when you eventually pay for your rental car. The amount can range anywhere from $200 to $1,000 on your credit card and, even though this deposit is taken off within two to three days of your total rental period, it can and does tie-up your spending money right off the start!

As my husband will attest to, I am notorious for having him bring our car to a complete stop in a matter of a few seconds if I see a possible photo worth taking. And, while traveling through Europe, this action could add up to numerous stops very quickly. So, just a couple of weeks ago......

......as we were leaving our friends, Nadine and Jean-Michel, in Eygalieres after a memorable evening of good friendship, wine, delicious Provençal fare, and lively conversations regarding the local art culture and the Exposition they were both involved in as local artists themselves, we headed south.

We were navigating the small roads that wind through the Chaine des Alpilles, a small range of low mountains in Provence located about twelve miles south of Avignon, when we found ourselves entering the village of Eyguieres on the Avenue Saint Veredeme.

"Please stop!" I asked as one of the most beautiful areas popped up  before our eyes while rounding a curve in the road heading into the small town. The large, multi-tiered area, appropriately entitled 'Saint Veredeme Cemetery,' was uncannily situated next to a small arena which featured local bullfighting.

GATE OF BULLFIGHTING ARENA

PEEKING INSIDE

ARENA AS SEEN FROM TOP
TERRACE OF CEMETERY

BILLBOARD OUTSIDE
OF THE ARENA

Parking our car, we initially scrutinized the arena taking several great shots. Then, we walked across the road to the cemetery where the large, turquoise gates invited us in. After entering, I did look back over my shoulder several times to see if the single, open gate was going to creak shut and lock behind us.

French cemeteries always intrigue me and we never fail to capture at least one each visit there. For the most part, they are beautiful, well kept, and steeped in the history of the people who inhabit them. Their living relatives and friends do everything they can to keep the legacy of the local departed very much alive! They were parents, young children, teachers, shop keepers, grandparents, and farmers who worked the soil nearby that we were so blessed to drive through that day.

VIEW OF THE TOWN OF EYGUIERES
AS SEEN FROM TOP OF CEMETERY

ANCIENT AQUEDUCT

AMAZING PROVENCE COLOR

Intricately terraced and bathed in the intense glow of the early afternoon sunlight, I could almost imagine being in Paris and winding my way through Pere Lachaise Cemetery which contains the graves of the notable and famous. In this area of the country, I am certain that everyone buried in this cemetery was notable and famous in his or her own right.

Even though we knew we were expected at Le Verger, Chambres d'Hotes en Provence in the Luberon area near the town of Gordes that afternoon, we must have been in the cemetery for at least an hour. It was so large that we still hadn't walked its entire area before passing back out of the blue iron gate.

Wind tossed and warm from the sun, we slowly marched back in front of the arena and wondered how many bullfighters had taken up residence next door throughout the years.

With the Halloween holiday looming around the corner, our escapade through Saint Veredeme Cemetery recharged our feelings for excitement and adventure. It was only our second day in the beautiful south of France and, following many, "Please stops!" along the road that day, we pulled into Le Verger with the smiling faces of our dear friends, Daniele and Jean-Philippe Rossi greeting  us...


Views of our trek through the Saint Veredeme Cemetery.....















Copyright © 2016 by Jacqueline E. Hughes
All rights reserved

SEPTEMBER THOUGHTS

A series of essays.....

A PERFECT PICNIC SPOT NEAR LAKE
MICHIGAN ALONG MICHIGAN'S WEST COAST

.....as seen through my eyes!





By: Jacqueline E. Hughes


"Dig deep within; everything you need exists within you."

I am a fan of Alex E. Carey! Alex is a YA or 'Young-Adult' author whom I met via social media and her quotes continue to uplift and encourage me each day. Especially, as the month of September looms on the horizon and a fast-paced summer carries on with a bang before slowly winding down with more thought provoking characteristics and qualities heading into fall and winter.

September is, by far, my favorite month of the year!

This time of the year reminds me of one of my best-loved fiction authors from Scotland, Rosamunde Pilcher, who released her novel entitled "September" in nineteen ninety, published by St. Martin's Press. The novel begins in May as invitations are being written for a party in September. "September in Scotland is when a brief but glorious summer is ending and the long, gray winter has yet to begin. It is a time of almost frenzied rounds of parties and houseguests and reels. September is a month when marriage is proposed and marriages break up, when people drink a little too much, dance a little too late into the night, when promises are made, hearts are broken, and long-buried family secrets can come to light." ......St. Martin's Press.

I enjoy a book that temps the reader with layer upon layer of interesting characters and becomes a curl-up-under-the-covers kind of old-fashioned read. Even though her most popular book is "The Shell Seekers," I have always been partial to "September." As for being an author, Ms. Pilcher says her stories are "not so much love stories, but more about human relations..... If the stories do not have a happy ending, then they always have a hopeful ending."

I love the healthy 'crunch' of the fallen leaves beneath my feet when I take a mind and soul-cleansing walk through the neighborhood at dusk in late September. While breathing in the heady scent of the leaves, I think about all things related to the season as in the harvesting of pumpkins and the warm, spicy scent of golden pies cooling on a rack. My vivid imagination allows me to hear the sudden cracking sound of juicy apples snapped right from the tree and inhale the cinnamon scented, mulled apple cider steaming in the pot, soon to be ladled into thick, brown mugs. Definitely hand warmers for the body and soul.

Fall always has me looking forward with sweet anticipation to Halloween, a holiday originally influenced by Samhain, a Celtic autumn festival, and picture happy, little faces disguised by masks, red clown noses, and cascades of Princess sparkles. My own birthday, hiding in the shadows of this spirited holiday and just a few days afterwards, warms my heart!

And, I think about color.....yellow, red, orange, crimson, and gold, as well as the green leaves that are last to change; chlorophyll holdouts. Nature is having one last fling before settling down into winter's sleep and we are being provided with one of the most fantastic photo ops we could ever imagine.

But why, for goodness sakes, does this season between summer and winter have two names? According to Slate Magazine, before it was autumn or fall, it was harvest. Forrest Wickman writes, "While the modern names of winter and summer have been around for more than a thousand years, the names of fall and spring are more recent and less constant. This is partly because the two seasons were long viewed as secondary to summer and winter. As late as the 18th century, English speakers were less likely to think of the year as having four seasons, focusing instead on the coldest and warmest portions of the year.

Harvest as a word to mean not just "a time of reaping" but, also, "the third season of the year" lasted up until the 16th century. But, it was joined by autumn---a word borrowed from the French---at that time. Spring and fall likely gained popularity in conjunction with each other. They initially appeared in the 16th century as 'spring of the leaf and fall of the leaf,' respectively. The two complemented each other nicely and were soon shortened to the more succinct fall and spring with the longer phrases disappearing over the next few hundred years."

Wickman further explains, "Sir Walter Raleigh, one of the first English explorers of North America, uses the word fall to contrast with spring in his writing and poetry. When the British came to implement "The King's English" here, however, they conceded that by the use of 'fall,' North Americans applied the superior term and expressed their envy: Fall is better on the merits than autumn, in every way. It is short, Saxon like the other three season names, picturesque; it reveals its derivation to everyone who uses it, not to the scholar only, like autumn."

While I am on the subject of 'harvest.......,' may I interject a particular fall activity in France that begins, generally, around the first part of September? The French refer to it as la vendange which means grape or wine harvest or vintage; grapes harvested; grape crop. And, for this, many of us shall remain eternally grateful! Vive la France!

Ms. Pilcher may have written that September is a month when marriage is proposed and marriages break up, however, I see it differently. Dan and I planned our marriage in September and on the fifteenth day, coinciding with the college football kickoff season....we dragged all of our family and friends to the church! This included season ticket holders and diehard football fans alike,  as well as my handsome groom. Our MSU Spartans were slated to open the season playing Northwestern. The sports loving contingent sequestered in the church on that sunny, blue-skied afternoon were smiling, wishing us well and even shedding a few tears as Father Adams pronounced us a married couple. I still wonder if missing a Michigan State, Notre Dame, or University of Michigan opening game had anything to do with the tears I saw on those dear, sweet faces as we walked back down the aisle.....

And, who knew that thirty-eight years later, on September 12, 2011, our twins would be born? Kerrington and Brendan, our beautiful grandchildren, born to our youngest daughter, Corinne, and son-in-law, Matthew. Life today is filled with their gusto and exuberance that helps define, deepen and complete the meaning of family.

Autumn, a term used in a most scholarly manner, I might add, often marks the transition of time....the latter part of someone's life or of something's existence. "Autumn of My Life" is a metaphor which likens one's life to the season when the time for planting, growing, and flowering is over and the natural world edges toward dormancy. A time of full maturity, especially the late stages of maturity or the early stages of decline. Oh, no....I did not just go there!

You're right. Aging is never a very popular topic of conversation, especially among the aging themselves. Oh, it is with a soft, muted sensibility that we inform one another about our own aches and pains. Our younger versions always dreaded the thought of growing older. Personally, I am quite delighted to have come this far and be right where I am.

Growing older affords one a certain perspective on life not available from the earlier parts of the journey. Gratitude comes forward as the prevailing consciousness. What could be better than that? Sensing the presence of the 'finish line' is a vivid reminder that every day matters.  

Miracles occur when human beings step up to the life they've got, young and old alike, in good times and bad, and discover they're far more creative and capable than they ever dreamed they were. Miracles occur when we learn to blossom right in the middle of what we told ourselves we could never survive or get beyond. Miracles occur when we have the courage to choose from our deepest and highest self. I know this to be true because I am married to a man who has never lost faith in himself, through very lean and impossible times, and continues to reinvent himself on a daily basis. He represents the true and undeniable meaning of strength and tenacity.

Dr. Judith Rich, aka Dr. For The Soul, once wrote, "Autumn is a time to update the operating system of our life. There are old files and programs to be deleted, hard drives that need cleaning and random access memory to be added. It is time to push the "refresh" button and invent one's self again. Then, choose who you want to be and how you want to live out the remaining years of your life."

I say to all who have pocketed a Medicare Card, approached the age of retirement or, at least, decided to slow down a bit, it's time to become creative in ways never dreamed possible in our younger years. All artists, writers and poets come forth. It is time to push that "refresh" button. It is time to be passionate and fall madly in love with life once again!

September.....

I will leave you with a paragraph or two from the beloved children's book by Charlotte Zolotow entitled, "Say It!" I used to read it to both of my girls and it became one of their favorites, by far:

"It was a golden, windy autumn day. The leaves twirled around the little girl and her mother. 'Say it say it say it!' shouted the little girl. And the mother did say it in all sort of different ways---'It's a wild, wondrous, dazzling day. It's magic. It's a golden, shining, splendiferous day!'---until at last she said it in exactly the way the little girl wanted to hear it!
'Say it,' shrieked the little girl. 'Say it say it say it!'
'I love you,' said her mother. 'I love you I love you I love you!' And she twirled around and around with the little girl in her arms until they were both dizzy."

May this September bring you all of the Joy you require....


Copyright © 2015 by Jacqueline E. Hughes
All rights reserved