News Trend Empty Vessel|Actual

"The empty vessel makes the loudest sound." - William Shakespeare

^ For my Christmas gift to myself this year, I decided to whip up a freshly styled cabinet full of  drinking glasses.

^ I treated myself to these copper mugs last year, so it's only fitting that they served as my inspiration for this year's indulgence.

^ Working off the copper theme, I couldn't resist the copper-colored flutes that will rock my morning orange juice. Also, those handmade babies of recycled glass, each one slightly wonky in its own way, really make my day.

 ^ The classic French tumblers in large and small were already in my inventory; I just rounded each set out to a full six. And the white mugs are tried and true basics that match my basic white dinnerware. Needed to happen.

^ My humble collection of six wine glasses grew to a respectable twelve. Still, I saved all my wonky leftovers from other sets so that goblet-loving guests can choose between standard or custom models.

^ My upgraded collection of empty vessels is mostly practical and pleasing, at least to my eye. Best of all, I can just imagine my mother - a longstanding lover of matching glassware sets - beaming down from heaven and saying, "It's about time."

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My 2016 New Year's resolution rocked it out.

Well. It wasn't so much of a typical resolution to do this or not to that. It was more of a philosophy for living and it served me well.

No Day But Today.

My goal for the year was to seize the day. I'm at a point in my life where I'm no longer willing to put any of my hopes and dreams on a back burner and patiently wait for the time to be "right," whatever that means.

As of January 1, 2016, I was all about taking life by the cojones and running with it.

And yes, that resolution inspired me to

make some changes,

get a lot of projects done, and

push myself just a little bit harder to be the person I want to be.

But here's what I noticed. The biggest and bestest parts of my year were the moments when I stepped into extravagant opportunities that were handed to me entirely unexpectedly:

Accepting an invitation to visit newfound friends in Cuba.

Reconnecting with my mom's dearest friends after her death.

Reaching out to a family in a dark place and finding that they bring me beautiful light.

Discovering that I have a new half-brother and embracing that relationship.

I realized that my 2016 mantra limited me to the ideas and possibilities that I can see for myself.

But the best stuff happens when I let God open doors for me, and I simply step through.

I've got to hand it to God. His plans for me are far more elaborate than my own.

So this year, I'm taking myself out of the equation. Rather than relying on my own wits and cleverness to expand my life, I'm going to, as the expression goes, let go and let God.

My 2017 mantra - Empty Vessel - reminds me to keep myself out of the way, and invites God to take me wherever he dares me to go.

I cannot wait to see what happens.

News Trend My Christmas Miracle|Actual

His fur doesn't exactly coordinate with our gold and white wrapping paper scheme,

but Ranger is every bit a gift.

Here is my Christmas miracle.

Good ol' Ranger has made it through to another holiday season.

He can't climb up the stairs anymore but he can still clamber up on the couch and spread himself out for a comfy nap.

He is pure skin and bones but he happily eats meals of freshly roasted beef, browned turkey, or his favorite, boiled bratwurst, as I feed him each delectable bite from my hand.

He doesn't tear up and down the sidewalks like he used to. But every day, when I ask him if he'd like to go on a walk, his sweet little head pops up and his brown eyes dance with delight.

And while I do not dare to think too much about Christmases of the future, nothing makes me happier than to enjoy every minute of my sweet dog's miraculous life.

News Trend The Power Of Now|Actual

As one year ends and another begins, we humans love to reflect on the past and dream toward the future. And to an extent, those are enjoyable, healthy and interesting pastimes.

This condition is amplified for people like me whose birthday falls on the first day of the new calendar. Numbers whirl through our heads as our ages add up; the cycle of the calendar year  reinforces our personal odometers, and it’s easy to get lost in the whir of past and future.

But the truth of our lives lies neither before us or ahead of us. The truth of our lives lies in the now.

This moment - the very moment that I write this, the very moment you read this - that is all we have.

We can?T change the past, we can?T impact the future.

All we have is now.

The choices we make in our present moment - those are the choices that matter.

When we live fully present in the moment, the regrets and successes of our past lose their power to shame us or distract us, the formidable challenges and exciting plans of the future break down into  steps that we can act upon, one day at a time. We can manage anything and everything when we simply live in the moment. And that, I have learned, is also where our purest joys can be found.

Call it a resolution or an intention or a firm number one on the top of my 2019 To Do List.

But I am devoting myself to the practice of staying in the moment, or as Eckhart Tolle, would say, living in the power of now.

News Trend Life Of A Math Teacher: The (Math) Joke's On Me|Actual

The pun is a bit of a groaner, but when I ran across this little gem, I knew it was the perfect bag for me and my trusty math markers.

Imagine me as a fairly feisty teenager.

I know. Not that much of a stretch.

But back in those days, as I pondered my place in the world, with specific regard to my college major, I knew two things for sure:

1. I would never be a mathematician like my father.

Dua. I would never be a teacher like my mom.

So when the sirens of accounting and finance beckoned me, I followed, and felt smug satisfaction that - rather than trailing along in my parents' predictable footsteps - I had paved my own particular way in life.

Now, fast forward a few decades and the punch line gains momentum. Not only am I a teacher but I teach mathematics.

Yep. I managed to mash up both parents' professions into one, and claim it for my own.

And even more, I love what I do. Can't imagine any work more deliciously challenging and soul-satisfying than breaking down the rules for exponents for some profoundly disinterested students and eventually coaxing them into caring about what they've learned.

So yeah, yeah, yeah. I get it. Life is full of irony and when I look back on the stamping of my scrappy little teenage foot, I understand.

This math joke is definitely on me.

* * * * *

Read more stories about my life as a math teacher:

Social Distancing

Playing With A Full Deck

The (Math) Joke's On Me

Sharing Life

Little Brothers

Sweet Inspiration

My Hero

What I Do

Number 15

Christmas Edition

3.1415926

Buy It And Burn It

In Honor Of James K. Polk

House Tours

My Deep Gladness

Isolating The Radical

By The Numbers

Teaching My Own: High School Art And Algebra

News Trend Cedric|Actual

 "I don't love my daughters equally, for that implies they are all the same. I love each one for exactly who she is, and I love each one with my whole heart." -me

Oh, a nap with Cedric is a magical thing.

As it is with daughters, so it is with my three cats.

Yes, they are all three smart, loving and adorably personable kitties, but I love each one for entirely different reasons.

Luna is bold and brash, ever the explorer, always attuned to his finely honed instincts. He's a wild man and I love him for his sense of adventure.

Sirius is tender and cautious, yet probably the most people-oriented of the three. He is sweet and communicative, and when I find him waiting for me to come back from my walk, he melts my heart.

And Cedric? Well, this guy lives for comfort and affection. He sleeps in poetic ease, heathery stripes and rusty tummy posed just so for maximum adorableness. And when a human draws near to this perfect snuggling machine, he gently stirs. Stretching luxuriously and purring irresistibly, Cedric commands affection and usually gets exactly what he wants.

The camera loves Cedric and so do I.

He is my extravagantly handsome green-eyed hedonist and I wouldn't have him any other way.

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I love to write about my pets. Check out all my Pet Love stories here.

News Trend A Feast From The Heart|Actual

"When I eat with my friends, it is a moment of real pleasure,

when I really enjoy my life." -Monica Bellucci

Yelena's Russian blintzes in my humble American kitchen.

Served with a Russian confection of sunflower seeds and honey, over yogurt.

If there's anything better than being invited to a friend's house for an authentic home-cooked Russian meal, it's being sent home with even more delicious treats.

Yes, my friend Anya set her mother, Yelena, to work on a borscht-inspired dinner that transported me all the way from Mukilteo to Mother Russia. Besides the signature beet soup, sweetly flavored with cabbage and topped with a generous dollop of sour cream, we enjoyed a feast of classic Russian go-withs:

beef cabbage rolls garnished with pomegranate

salted salmon

roasted peppers and green olives

and a irresistible loaf of fresh rye bread.

Every bite soothed my soul, as I ate under Yelena's generous and gracious supervision. Anya's stories of her days in Moscow held me transfixed until dessert arrived, with Russian chocolates galore and endless pots of fresh steaming tea.

But as the evening wound down, Anya and Yelena had even more in store for me.

Here, take these blintzes home with you. They're like crepes, and filled with homemade ricotta cheese. Fry them up with a bit of butter, and serve with sour cream and maybe some jam.

I did exactly as I was told.

The blintzes were delicious. Just as I had during dinner, I felt transported to a warm kitchen in wintry Russia, windows steamed with the heat of cooking, a flowered cloth on a simple table, chairs drawn close together against the dark, and candles flickering around the room.

This is the power of food - to take us places we can't otherwise go, and to connect us to people in ways that transcend ordinary conversation.

Thank you, Anya and Yelena, for sharing this delicious feast from your hearts with me.

A feast for my eyes and stomach as well as my heart.

News Trend Three Tiny Flowers|Actual

"So I show appreciation for the little gifts that have been handed to me." -Terrence Howard

^ Right on schedule, my Christmas cactus has burst into bloom. See? Three pink flowers cluster together at the tips of long green tendrils.

^ They take my breath away with their exquisite form and vibrant color. Year after year, this plant has bloomed, far beyond my ability to remember exactly how many times. But this cactus is faithful and I'm delighted whenever it treats me to a display.

^Of course, I see the irony here. Three tiny flowers barely make an impact on this oversize specimen, and this year's hasil falls far short of what a healthy bloom should be.

But I am content. Because if life has taught me anything, it is to give thanks for what I have, rather than wish for what I don't.

So thank you, Christmas cactus, for speaking truth to me with your three tiny flowers.