Serene Sunday: Determination

SERENE SUNDAY: Installment number one. 
I've learned a lot about blogging over the last several months. It's thrilling to see my readership growing. I do mental cart-wheels with every new comment!
(I flunked cart-wheels in third grade. I was an early nerd, so these are all mental, the cart-wheels I do.) It's my own daily reality show-cliff-hanger, tuning into the day's analytics to see where I stand and learn how 'newbies' are finding me. 


It's fun to have a theme for Fridays! So happy to have launched "Fine Motor Leads to Fine Arts" as it gives me some focus. I've just decided that this summer I'm going to have Serene Sunday as well! I will work to take some 
LUV-er-ly photos during the week and then combine them with an upbeat quote to offer you encouragement for the week ahead.


The fern photo up-top is our very own little patio as we return here for our season in the great north. We live in an oasis of fern. HEARTY fern. Fern that grow up in the midst of h.e.a.v.y. concrete pavers. This photo is a reminder to me. I took it for my benefit. I just received news of a rejection for an opportunity that I was truly holding my breath over. Crossing my fingers, standing on one foot, holding my breath -- and then: rejected. THUD. Thud-diddy-thud-thud. Crud. [Crud was the highest level of swear word-calibar utterance in my home of origin.] Crud-diddy-crud-crud CRUD INDEED!! 


Life, like my fern is about determination. Persistence. Dedicated effort. Continuous focus. I tell you all this because I don't want you to think that I live in a unicorn infested land of sparkling Oz 24-7 wearing my happy polka dots dashing about as Author-Illustrator zipping into schools and conferences. I just keep at it. I just keep coming back to the batter's box. One day my fern will thrive. It has a good root system, my roots are growing, spreading every day. 
Determination. 

Life is also about perspective. I told you last week that I have the crazies for daisies and that is certainly the truth. Arriving in full splendor this week -- it is the poppies that are in their prime. It is the proud-poppies, shouting and demanding my attention. This patch amid the purple iris and Dr. Seuss explosions of purple are just out our front door. People! That's why we consider contrasting colors on the color wheel before we get out the trowel. Master gardener for certain my neighbor. 

• What can you learn from perspective-taking? 
• Where do you place your focus? 
• What do you see in a profusion of exploding color? 
• What are you planting right now for later harvest? 
• What lasting investments are you making?
• Are your roots developing in this season of growth?

Determination. Perspective. FOCUS.
I am so fortunate to have a season for such reflection. 

Today is also a very, extreme, incredible, delightful, zippity-do-dah special-est of all days for me!!! I am the 10th guest author in the 15 DAYS of K being hosted by my fellow blogging- buddy, Mary Lirette over at her Learning Detectives blog. She is headed back to Kindergarten and is gearing up for her own transition by hosting 15 K-bloggers to add to her anticipation. 

Welcome!!! If you have wandered into my first "Serenity Sunday" by way of Mary's series. Or better still, regular-rainbow-readers hop on over to her blog and see the oh-so-precious hand-drawn K thank you cards that I used to 'illustrate' my story. [Early birds: my article goes live over there mid-morning today..... at least that's the plan, so please be patient.]


Speaking of amazing K-collaborations!!!! I'm giving away an entire SET OF MY MATERIALS to a lucky winner over at Krissy's Mrs. Miner's Monkey Business. She is celebrating a milestone with an A.MAZ.ING give-away and  I've got my gear as one of her gazillions of prizes. Must get entered before Fri. June 15th. Get thee over there, too!

Give-away of all of Debbie Clement's materials!!!! HURRY. Enter-to-win!

I am so fortunate to have the support of these amazing, young, enthusiastic, technological savvy and supportive bloggers. My roots are growing!!! Thanks gals!! (We met over at my fairy-blog-mother's Teaching Blog Traffic School and together I learn so much.)


Have a SERENE SUNDAY everyone: determination!

-- Debbie --