Metta Meditation

If you've been visiting Twisty Lane for any length of time,

you know I always wish YOU well and much joy.

It is part of my Metta Prayer and meditation

to wish myself, those I love and all those living on this earth

a good day!

Every now and then I receive something in my email or 

I find something on FaceBook that I think is worth sharing.

This is from the Elephant Journal and written by Michelle Margaret Fajkus.

May has 31 days and here are 31 daily aspirations to guide your
Metta meditation practice for the month.
Open your heart and join me!

1. May I be safe.
May I feel secure and grounded. May I feel a sense of belonging to the Earth. May I know who I am.

2. May I be happy.
May I be joyful. May I be content. May I live with bliss.

3. May I be healthy.
May my body be strong. May my mind be balanced. May I exude well-being.

4. May I be peaceful.
May I be calm. May I be patient. May I be loving.

5. May I live with ease.
May I relax. May I let go. May I just be.

6. May I be free.
May I be free from suffering. May I be free to be me. May I be liberated.

7. May you be safe, happy, healthy, peaceful and free.
Visualize a loved one and repeat each phrase to them in your mind’s eye.

8. May you be safe, happy, healthy, peaceful and free.
Visualize a neutral person whom you do not have strong feelings about and repeat each phrase to that person.

9. May you be safe, happy, healthy, peaceful and free.
Visualize a difficult person, someone with whom you are having a conflict, or even an “enemy,” and say the phrases to them. (This one may take a while before you can actually do it!)

10. May we be safe, happy, healthy, peaceful and free.
Repeat the wishes, visualizing yourself together with all your loved ones.

11. May we be safe, happy, healthy, peaceful and free.
Visualize yourself and your wider community.

12. May you be safe, happy, healthy, peaceful and free.
Visualize the light of your metta reaching out to shine upon all beings on Earth.
The remaining aspirations are wishes for all beings, including ourselves.

13. May all beings be safe.

14. May all beings be happy.

15. May all beings be healthy.

16. May all beings be peaceful.

17. May all beings be free.

18. May all beings feel strong & supported.

19. May all beings be loved & cared for.

20. May all beings breathe & relax.

21. May all beings go with the flow.

22. May all beings express our unique power.

23. May all beings open our hearts.

24. May all beings listen.

25. May all beings imagine.

26. May all beings connect with our intuition.

27. May all beings connect with our divine nature.

28. May we all love.

29. May we all share.

30. May we all serve.

31. May we all unite in peace and harmony.

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

And, before I forget, since this is May 4th --
May the Fourth be with you!

On The Hook

On the hook is a one skein baby blanket designed by Marilyn Losee
and a free pattern at Caron.

The pattern calls for Lion Brand Pound of Love,

a US K - 10.5 (6.5mm) crochet hook

and a J-10 (6mm) crochet hook

It is a simple double crochet and single crochet pattern that goes quickly.

Finished the edge with a simple picot stitch.

It's now on its way to the new owner.

Fun on a hook!

Calming too.

Almost like meditation.

Wishing YOU well, much joy and lots of yarn!

I'm joining:

Hookin On Hump Day

Tea With Mina

Spring showers bring May flowers.
And we have had the April showers -- big time!
Along with the showers, that means humidity and when the sun comes out
It gets pretty steamy.

So, it's time to make ice tea!
I made a pot of tea using regular old Lipton teabags.
I sometimes will toss in a flavored tea of some kind just to make it a little bit different.
I don't sugar my tea.

I had a nice cup of hot tea before I put the tea into the icebox.
I used my new to me teacup I found at The Guild Shop.
I was with my good friend and one of my sister's by choice, Marilyn.
When I found this cup I knew it was meant to be -- it is called Marilyn!

I often get help when I get ready for tea.

Mina decided to help today.

She was interested in the Lipton tea

but not the sugar cookies!

My new teacup is quickly becoming a favorite.

It is the "Marilyn" pattern by Queen Anne.

I love the wide, lacey looking, aqua band.

The gold trim is perfect.

Footed cup and a tabbed handle.

And who wouldn't love the snowdrops?!

A perfect teacup to celebrate spring.

Wishing YOU well, much joy and a wonderful cup of tea!

I'm joining several tea parties.

A big thank you to the hosts.

Teatime Tuesday
Teacup Tuesday

Friends Sharing Tea

Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Share Your Cup Thursday

Liberate Your Art 2015

Liberate Your Art 2015 has come to a close.
The official postcard swap is over.
It was a lot of fun this year and now
It's time for the annual blog hop to see all the wonderful postcards.

The FaceBook group was very active and a lot of fun ... still is!
What a bunch of talented generous folks!

A big thank you to Kat Sloma and her helpers for putting this swap together each year.

Now, for the "official" postcards that I received:

The Eye by April Rocco. April lives in Cocoa, Florida.
The second card is a view of Notre Dame Cathedral from the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris. The photograph by Deanie Houghtaling.

Kat asked us to photograph our cards around our house and that's what you see with cards number three and four.
The beautiful shore scene is by Darlene Cunnup.
"There is never one sunrise the same or one sunset the same." ~ Carlos Santana

"Just Dandy" is by Kelly Warren at Happy Shack Designs.

Postcard number 5 is photographed on my "crafty/arty" table. It is from Sharon in New Zealand. I believe it is the Maori design for the seahorse. Cool!

And last, but not least, is "Imminent Downfall" by Kat Sloma at Kat Eye Studio.

Leave room in the garden for the fairies to dance is the postcard I sent during the swap.
I hope everyone enjoyed the plumeria blooming in my garden and could see the fairies!

And then there were the side swaps.

They are all beautiful.
How did so many of them know I love birds???!!!

Thank you, Sheila Delgado, Siobhan Wolf, Marsha Leith, Sherry Harmes, Terry Owenby, Michelle Matucheski and Kat van Rooyen. Many hugs to all of you.

This was my third year to participate and Liberate Your Art just gets better and better with each year. So much fun to dash to the post to see what treasure has arrived. So much fun to "meet" new folks and make new connections. So much fun to have the video return! I'm already looking forward to 2016!

Thanks again to Kat for another wonderful year.
See you in 2016!

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

An InLinkz Link-up

Blooming!

This is what was blooming in Musashi's Garden
this weekend before the rains came.

Gerbera Daisy -- such a fun flower.

The blooms didn't last very long.

The squirrels decided to see if they tasted good.

I found the petals, but not the tasty center!

Enchanted Evening Rose

and

Amaryllis

To those three I added the Louisiana Iris Black Gamecock.

The petals are like velvet.

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

A big thank you to the lovely Judith for hosting Mosaic Monday.