Select Videos, Winter Solstice Inspirations
In the depths of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer. Albert Camus Each month, Succeed and Soar shares short videos chosen to lift the heart and spirit, awareness and humanity. Saturday, December 21, 2024, the Sun paused its southward journey across the Tropic of Capricorn’s stars. After a moment, the Sun reversed course. For Earth’s northern lands, the Winter Solstice finished the year’s longest night. For the next six months, sunlit days lengthen. Insights on this celestial turning point include, May you find peace in the promise of the solstice night, that each day forward is blessed with more light. That the cycle of nature, unbroken and true, brings faith to your soul and well-being to you. Rejoice in the darkness, in the silence find rest, and may the days that follow be abundantly blessed. — Unknown Sometimes our fate resembles a fruit tree in winter. Who would think that those branches would turn green again and blossom, but we hope it, we know it. — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost; the old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost. — J.R.R. Tolkien These encouragements join others beautifully presented in Renewal, my newest, inspirational book offered below. Following are short videos presenting different solstice traditions. Joyous holidays! Blessings, best wishes and enjoy the featured and accompanying videos below. Sandra Gould Ford Presenting art to encourage, refresh, enrich creative thing and inspire. Comment Click Here to View. Unexpected Origins of Christmas Traditions 3 MinutesAlso see Winter Solstice in Cree [Native American] Tradition. 1 minute How to Play Dreidel, a Hannukah Game, 1 minute 30 seconds History of Yule Log, 3 minutes, Journals Record your dreams, hopes, plans and achievements in these beautiful, inspiring notebooks. Details: 6” x 8, spiral notebook 120 pages, ruled on both sides Art printed on front Cover is thick paper stock. Back cover is medium gray Inside front and back covers have pockets for storing extra paper and pens View All Notebooks Thanks for shopping!
Love is 4: Fairytale
Once in awhile, right in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives us a fairy tale. – Melissa Brown, Picturing Perfect Today, I’ll be soaking dry cannellini beans in spring water. After they plump, I’ll cook a hearty and creamy soup. Except, a couple beans will be planted on my windowsill. There, I’ll watch to see what kind of beanstalks grow. This holiday season has been incredibly beautiful in Pittsburgh. Record snowfalls keep creating fairytale wonderlands. In one form or another, I hope the same for you. [Keep in mind Neil Gaiman’s words from Coraline. “Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”] Blessings and best wishes for a new year of sunlit and lovely places where all the good you can imagine grows. Comment below. Love Lots! “In A Heartbeat,” a first crush. Click here to view 4-minute video. Which LOVE quote is matched to the right source? “Love is a friendship set to music.” ~ Shakespeare ?? “We are shaped and fashioned by what we love.” ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe ?? “You don’t love someone because they’re perfect, you love them in spite of the fact that they’re not.“ ~ Taylor Swift ?? “The best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more, that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds.” ~ Noah Calhoun ?? — Answers Below — ***** Five versions of my “Before All Else” Illustrated Wisdom art have been created with Adobe Photoshop. See them in upcoming posts. Support and encourage Succeed and Soar. Purchase the art as prints, ready-to-display canvas or framed from my galleries. Consider starting a journal for the new year. Check Sandra’s Card Shop. More covers will be added this week. Quiz Answers “Love is a friendship set to music.” ~ Joseph Campbell “We are shaped and fashioned by what we love.” ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe “You don’t love someone because they’re perfect, you love them in spite of the fact that they’re not.“ ~ Jodi Picoult “The best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more, that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds.” ~ Noah Calhoun
Life Well Lived #10: Stumbles & Stepping High
When life offers lemons, make lemonade. The lemon life delivered this week was my experiment with sweetening the Artisan Bread mentioned in my last post. When a reader wrote that he was going to try the recipe, I advised: Adding sugar and dried fruits didn’t go well. Must run an advisory in next week’s post. Turned out a bit tangy. [Will stick with muffin recipes for that kind of thing.] Perhaps I used too much yeast for the heavier, non-wheat flours. Here’s how I made ‘lemonade’ from that bitter bread: Crumbled everything while watching Chopped-Beat Bobby Flay. Put all those crumbles on cookie sheets, baked them for four hours at 200 degrees. [They got really crunchy.] Made granola with this recipe Decided that was a way lot of maple syrup and honey for a couple servings [made with my dehydrated bread, it tasted like peanut brittle candy], so … Pulverized remaining crumbles in my seed-coffee grinder and now have fine-ground bread crumbs. Voila! Stumbles can be stepping stones. As the philosopher Johann Wolfgang von Geothe said, “By seeking and blundering, we learn.” Learn what? Astronomer Carl Sagan suggested “Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.” Yeah! And, I promise, no more Artisan Bread posts!! * Commencement Speech Transcript * Write for Succeed and Soar Succeed and Soar’s next theme is “Love.” Twenty great quotes have been chosen as prompts. Let me know if you’d like to share your thoughts, meditations, memories, opinions, and the list of quotes and guidelines will be sent asap. I look forward to publishing you in the Succeed and Soar newsletter and on the blog. Click Here to be a Guest, Succeed and Soar Author. Tales from The Dream Zone & “Wishes” Tales from The Dream Zone is Flying Ketchup Press’ second anthology. This collection of weird and wonderful stories is inspired by remembered or imagined dreams. “Wishes,” my short story about a magic coin debuts in this collection. Copies of this beautifully illustrated book are $12.99. Sandra’s Special, Limited-Time Offer Receive unlimited, personally-autographed copies on single orders, to one US address for $5 shipping & handling. Request here. * Preparing to Win National Novel Writing Month In 2019, nearly a half million people started National Novel Writing Month, determined to build at least 50,000 words into the start of a book-length story. A few succeeded. Far more important than piling up words is producing useful material. This Pennwriters workshop will use October to launch a fabulous writing adventure at midnight, Halloween night while winning the word-count challenge.Join me. I’m a NaNoWriMo winner and learned a lot along the way. Course Info When life offers lemons: Stay flexible. Accept that we can’t control everything and life is unpredictable. Maintain good, healthy relationships with family and friends. Learn from situations so that history doesn’t repeat itself. Stay positive. Here are four more tips. And, here are Five, Powerful Ways to Turn Adversity Into Opportunity. Please share. * This Week’s Special Offer Each week, my Featured Art is offered at 25% off [plus any discounts offered by my Galleries]. Shop here. Thank you for visiting my galleries and for your purchases. They support Succeed and Soar.
Seven Intentions
Whatever you can do or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius and power and magic in it. Begin it now. —Goethe A Meditation: In 1970, Tom and Kate Chappell started their toothpaste and mouthwash company with $5,000. Their goal: produce non-toxic soaps, deodorants and other personal care products without hurting or using animals [except beeswax]. Thirty-six years later, they sold 84% of Tom’s of Maine for $100,000,000. In Managing Upside Down, Tom Chappell explained his seven intentions: Connect to goodness Find the special quality that you alone can gift the world Match talent to something the world needs Associate with those who care about you and what you’re doing Discover yourself through your creations Allow change, adjust, improve Share what’s been learned with younger generations Good intentions can pave the road to … good things. The Wisdoms Collection Shop Enriching and Beautiful Posters Click Here