Thursday, June 9, 2011

My Soul is a Vessel

"My Soul is a Vessel", photograph digitally altered, by Margie Ann, 2008.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

...a few of my favorite things

Daffodils I planted...
















...cucumbers I grew...

















...and maintaining my balance.

Friday, June 3, 2011

Red Door Meditation #1 on Multiple Sclerosis




"My Red Door", by Margie Ann, found object sculpture (2007), located on Gardengate Serenity Farm.


The breezes blew crisp and cool
The Door stood in the light.
Strong, solid, sassy
Opening quick, opening wide
In and out
Back and forth
Easy.

The hinges rocked free and fast
The Door stood in the light.
Tall, tough, teasing
Swinging in, swinging on
Up and down
Over and Under
Normal.

The fates laughed loud and ugly
The Door stood in the dark.
Cracking, cold, coughing
Slamming heavy, slamming hard
Falling and rising
With and without
Shock.

The locks jammed rusty and rude
The Door stood in the dark.
Banging, begging, blistering
Raging wildly, raging madly
Crumbling and refusing
Remembering and forgetting
Lost.

The knocker tapped serenely and sincerely
The Door stood in the light
Laughing, loving, leaping
Releasing instantly, releasing generously
Narrow and wide
Sooner and later
Found.

If you knock
the door will open.
I did ...
It did .
Just be brave enough
to go through it.

"Red Door Meditation #1 on Multiple Sclerosis", free verse by Margie Ann, 2011.
  
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My life came crushing down around me when I had a bad Multiple Sclerosis attack in 2001. There was no more career, no more business, no more walking alone, and for awhile...no more hope.  All that I knew to be secure, no longer was.  

The plans I had worked 38 years to make come true, were lost.  There was no vision left of what my life would be.  There were only memories of old dreams...like a large, modern home, with a bright red door (which to me meant passion, wealth, and beauty).

The large modern home was no longer in my cards, but I saw this old flaky door laying on the ground at a yard sale, brought it home, painted it red and turned it into a meditative sculpture.
I began to meditate on positive images and ideas each time I passed the door, or viewed it from my bedroom window, or spotted it when approaching the house.  Soon...I understood..."knock and the door will open" didn't mean you were guaranteed your dreams were on the other side...but it might mean there was on the other side...a life worth living...  and the definitions of passion, wealth, and beauty were in the eyes of the girl who found her hope.

 "Where the Healing Happens", photograph by Margie Ann, 2011 The Red Door sculpture sits back to the east side of the house.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Margie Ann and the Mosaic Mud Pies

There is always a new mosaic mud pie adventure waiting for us right around the next corner...so turn around and stay awhile...and we will see the joy in my universe...


Margie Ann and The Mosaic Mud Pies

     The average price for a homemade mud pie in 1967 was thirty-five cents if you lived in Waco, Texas.  Margie Ann Swanson didn’t know much about averages at the age of 4, but she did know a great deal about making homemade mud pies in Waco, Texas. 
     “Ring! Ring! Ring!...Hello?...Margie Ann’s Pie Shop! Okay…okay…That will be one cherry, one coconut, and two chocolate cream pies for you today.  They will cost two dollars and 106 cents.  They will be ready in one hour.  Thank you!” 
It’s very important to always say, “Thank you!”, when someone calls to order my fresh baked mud pies.  It’s also very important that I write down my orders on this pink pad, just like Paw does when people call him to unclog their toilets.”
“Good manners are good business!” says my Paw....