Umbrellas!

January 14th, 2013

Today I ventured to Boston and the 60 degree, sunny weather required anything but an umbrella, but by the time I was on the commuter rail home at 5 pm, I still needed them. Not only one, but a bunch.

About a week ago a Boston mom of a very gifted eight year old who aspires to be an author, found me on the Cape Cod Children's Writers website and sent me an email. Seems she was looking to start a program for children in her area that want to write, but she is not a teacher. She had a really great idea to do a test run on February school vacation and wanted to know if I had any interest in helping her out. The email came just a day after I discussed with my husband the possibility of doing just that here on the cape.

We met in Boston for lunch today to discuss the possibilities. We met at Cafeteria on Newbury Street and connected immediately with each other and with the best grilled cheese and tomato soup I ever had. We each had what the other needed to start a project like this. She has the room and the business and advertising part, and I have the teaching part and no clue about the business part. By the time our three hour lunch was over and we hugged goodbye, we had the beginning of a business plan and doing this over February break was fast becoming a reality.

I then turned and found myself with a gorgeous spring-like afternoon on Newbury Street and decided to relax a bit and take myself on a little "artist date". Walking along, taking in the sights and sounds of the city, I was in disbelief how many new opportunities and new people God blessed my life with in these first few days of the brand new year. This young authors project, coming on the heels of the opportunity to illustrate a picture book, (something I never thought I'd find myself doing) were just a few reasons I needed umbrellas today.

As soon as the calendar flipped to 2013, the universe opened up and showered me with both wonderful new opportunities, and some challenges, too. If you look closely at my umbrellas, they are upside down. Instead of shielding me from all this pelting down from the heavens, today my umbrellas are being used to catch all the blessings.

If some challenges and tough roads are beginning your new year, turn your umbrellas upside down. Catch them and embrace them. Each experience holds new people, new relationships, new opportunities to help others, along with change and growth to ready you for spring and a new growing season. Even if it's a bit uncomfortable at first, don't snap your umbrella shut or hover beneath it. Give it a chance. Open umbrellas hold your possibilities for new directions this year and by shielding yourself from the hard stuff, or refusing to partake in what is being laid out before you, you could miss out on some of the best blessings life has to hold.

And so, as another day goes by, I give gratitude for the new friend I made today, for the excitement of new projects, for the opportunity to enjoy this spring day in the middle of January up in the city, and….I have written.
Photo: Mine. Taken at Country Gardens in Hyannis when we went to get our Xmas wreath.
Upside down umbrellas….everybody needs some….

More umbrella art