Fabulous Friendship

Last Friday, I took time out for an afternoon of play with my friend, Maggie.

Maggie and I have been friends for almost 10 years. We met in August 1997 at an Eckankar seminar in Biloxi, MS. I was immediately drawn to her and her husband, Steve. During the seminar, Maggie showed slides of her garden at her home in Arrington, TN, near Nashville. She talked about how she had cultivated loving relationships with her mother and sister in Louisiana by focusing on their common love for gardening and birdwatching. I learned a lot about my relationship with my own mother from her talk.

Steve, who had long brown hair at the time, sang some original songs, one of which described how he had healed his relationship with his father, who passed away a few years earlier. Steve is an amazingly talented singer as well as an artist and wonderful person.

At the end of the seminar, I who normally am very shy, approached Maggie and Steve, told them how much their creative arts had meant to me over the weekend, and asked for their phone number.

At the time I was living in Mississippi, about 6 hours from their Arrington home. I called once or twice, but did not see them again for 2 1/2 years, when I came to an Eckankar event in Nashville.

Our friendship took off and never stopped. And when Steven moved here in 2003, I could not wait to introduce him to Maggie and Steve. He loves them as much as I do.

Fast forward to March 23, 2007. Maggie and I don't get to spend as much time together as we used to, given my business schedule and the hour distance that separates us.

So this day was special. We went to Lillybelle's Tea Room in Franklin, which was yummy, with decor just the way we like it: shabby chic w/ lots of toile.

After lunch, Maggie accompanied me to Kmart, where I decided to try to find a pair of shoes for my hard-to-fit wide foot.

She found the winning pair! It's great to have a friend to shop with...

After shoe shopping we went to the garden center, where I spied a turquoise Martha Steward vase that I fell in love with. Maggie grabbed it up along with a few other items she was purchasing. I did not know until after she paid that the vase was for me!

But the best is yet to come. As she presented me with this beautiful gift, she gave me an even better gift...the gift of love. My dear friend, whom I love so much, share with me how much she loves me and how much our friendship means to her.

My life gets more fabulous and full of love every day! I wish the same for you!

The Sounds of Silence

Yesterday evening Steven and I took a walk in the woods behind our house. We live on 10 acres in Cheatham County, TN. It is very hilly here; in fact, to Steven and myself who are from the flatlands of Northern Illinois and Western Tennessee, respectively, the hills look like mountains.

Behind our house, we have several heavily wooded acres that go up the side of a "mountain". We don't climb up there too often, but when we do, like yesterday, we wonder why we don't do it more often.

It amazes both of us that we are walking on land that probably has never been inhabited by people. Hunters use a trail that goes up the "mountain" but there have never been and probably never will be, homes built here. Even though we can still hear cars down on Little Marrowbone Road, the quiet is almost loud!

Through the silence, we can hear a pulse or vibration that is like the heartbeat of the universe. Our own hearts beat in rjoyful ythm with it.

A New Chapter

Greetings, Everyone!

This past weekend, March 16-18, I attended the Story Circle Network Lifelines Retreat at Festival Hills in Round Top, TX.

It was a weekend of relaxation, making new friends, and writing about my life.


I returned to my country home in Ashland City, TN, just outside of Nashville, with a renewed sense of commitment to my writing.

But I wondered how best to discipline myself and squeeze in writing time, what with starting a new business, freelancing, household chores, and everything else life has to offer.

This morning I picked up our paper, the Ashland City Times, and read a profile of a mystery writer who lives in our community. She said she disciplines herself to write each day by blogging.

So I decided...why not blog, too?

Right now I am a bit sleepy, as I am an early-to-bed girl...this blog mostly will be written in the morning from here on out.

So I am going to say goodnight now, and look forward to sharing more tomorrow...preferably in the morning.

Happy Dreams!

Karen Hu