I have been married for close to 50 years, have three grown children, and 5 grandchildren. I have an MSW (social work) and a Ph.D. (clinical psychology) that allowed me to do very rewarding work before I retired in 2010. The work that I enjoyed so much involved being a mental health therapist along with a college professor and department chair. That part of my life feels like a long time ago. I am in the process of recreating myself yet again – this time because a chronic illness turned my life inside out. A very important factor in my ability to heal, physically and psychologically, has been my faith in God, who guides me and provides strength. My faith and my education have combined to form the belief that we have an amazing capacity to heal and grow if we look for and use the gifts that are available to us.
I value relationships, human development until our moment of death, social justice, world peace, and intellectual stimulation. I enjoy time with the people I love, being creative, reading books, writing, travel (including camping), quilting (especially piecing), and good food. I don’t enjoy exercising (but I do it), deciding what to have for supper (my household task), housecleaning (my husband does most of it), or being around people who don’t play nice.
8/2/12 Update as I am recreating myself:
I have allowed my long-denied desire to take photographs to emerge as an extension of my blogging activity. What a joy. I am looking at the world differently and having fun trying to capture the images of life in a meaningful way. The evening news presents so much ugliness and the antidote to this is seeing the beauty of God’s grace in people and nature through my photography. In this I have found new meaning for my life. A side benefit of photography is that it gets me out and moving as I explore the world with my camera.
Hi Pat 🙂 I’m so glad to discover your blog. Your beautiful thoughts have found fan in me 🙂
Cheers.
LikeLike
Thanks. What a nice compliment and I appreciate your checking me out. I visited your site and am excited about seeing more of your part of the world.
LikeLike
Hi Pat. I wanted to say thanks for finding me through Celi’s blog and following I am therefore I write, even though I’ve taken a bit of a break. I’ve been trying to slowly check on the blogs of many of those who follow Celi and are members of the Fellowship. Your photos are wonderful and I look forward seeing more and exploring your blog.
Deb
LikeLike
Delighted to have found your thought provoking blog. Looking forward to further reading. Regards from Thom at the immortal jukebox.
LikeLike
Hi Pat, thanks for your appreciation and congartulation for you blog. For me it will be a pleasure to follow you! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I look forward to following you on your journey forward.
LikeLike
Thanks you so much. Happy to meet you and hope we have a budding blogging-friendship starting.
LikeLike
Hi Pat, I was happy to discover you and your blog today! Looking forward to look at life your way, Solveig
LikeLike
Well, I’m glad you found me too. I will check your blog out – what fun this is.
LikeLike
Hello! I have shared with you the Inner Peace award, which was also shared with me. No further action is necessary on your part, You are a Blessing to me and I am Happy to let you know in this small way. Should you be interested in passing the award on to others, you shall find the information for doing so on my post at : http://booknvolume.com/2014/02/16/inner-peace-inspiration-and-shepherds-pie/
LikeLike
Oh, thank you so much Morgan. I am honored and so pleased that you think I am a blessing to you. This is what I hope to be able to do with my blog. Your gift of this award has me a little speechless. 🙂
LikeLike
Entirely Deserved, Dear Friend 🙂 Enjoy~
LikeLike
Across the Bored has nominated you for an Award at http://acrossthebored.com/2014/02/07/awards-on-a-grey-day/. If you choose to accept, feel free to pass it along to other deserving bloggers! If not, know that your blog is well appreciated and a source of inspiration for us.
LikeLike
Thank you so much – what an honor. And such kind words. You have made me blush – and smile a big smile. 😀
LikeLike
You are very welcome – the smile is what we are aiming for!
LikeLike
I would like to nominate you for the Inner Peace Award and The Lighthouse award. I hope you can find the time to participate. I sure enjoy your blog!
http://ceenphotography.com/2014/02/05/im-truly-humbled-three-awards/
LikeLike
Thanks you so much, Cee. What a kind and sweet gift – I feel very honored, especially from you.
LikeLike
I feel the same way about photography! Glad you’re loving life!!
LikeLike
😀
LikeLike
I have nominated you for the Sunshine Award. Acceptance is not requisite, but do know how much you have blessed me. Should you choose to receive this nomination, further info can be found on my post: http://booknvolume.com/2013/12/29/be-the-blessing/
LikeLike
Oh, Morgan, what a wonderful gift. I do accept this honor from you and am especially thrilled that I have be a blessing to you. That means a lot to me. I will check out your post, and may pass it on in a week or so after we have moved south again. Thank you so much.
LikeLike
🙂 Safe Travels 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks. Every time I get on an airplane, I have the urge to stick my head in the cockpit and ask the pilots if they have been drinking or using drugs. 😀
LikeLike
Hi, I nominated you for a Sunshine Award. The info is at my blog. http://holley4734.wordpress.com/2013/12/12/sunshine-award/ I really enjoy your blog. 🙂
LikeLike
Oh Holley, what a wonderful surprise to wake up to. Thank you so much. Today is another grey day in Michigan so thank you for bringing the sunshine in. 😀
LikeLike
You’re welcome! 🙂 Glad to be a ray of sunshine!
LikeLike
So you decided to join the small clan of Uncle Spike followers Pat…. That makes me a happy blogger now – I really appreciate you making that special mouse click.
Hope you like my upcoming posts and if you get bored one day, maybe you’ll enjoy trawling through some of my older stuff too.
If you have any likes, dislikes or suggestions about my blog, just let me know, either through ‘comments’ or via email. Always welcome reader input 🙂
As for your blog, yep, I’m gonna follow you too. That’s not something I do that often these days, as my Reader gets overfull and I want to savour my reading, not for it to become a chore, but I like your style very much, what you have to say and your background all scream ‘interesting person’ to me.
Have a great old day…
UNCLE SPIKE
uncle.spikes.adventures1@gmail.com
LikeLike
Thanks, Uncle Spike. I did enjoy what I looked at on your blog – especially your writing style. Nice humor. The photos of your garden were so good I could smell the plants growing. I think this could be the start of a nice friendship.
Pat
LikeLike
🙂
LikeLike
Hi Pat,
Thanks for following my photography blog! Looks like you’ve got some good adventuring/living/being going on here–keep at it!
Cheers,
John
LikeLike
As long as I can move, I’ll have a camera in my hands. Thanks for the visit, John.
LikeLike
I love the photos you shared here, Pat — they’re absolutely stunning! I love the feel of your blog, too. It gives a certain feeling of warmth — very welcoming. Thanks for stopping by my blog.
LikeLike
Thank you so much for your feedback about my post. I appreciate hearing it because that is what I want my blog to be. How did you choose mockingbird? I love their songs and posted a couple of pictures last week that I took in Florida last winter.
LikeLike
Will definitely look for your post on mockingbirds! Excited already!!! I got it from my favorite book — To Kill a Mockingbird. We’ll I’ve explained it here: http://mockingbird181984.wordpress.com/about/
Thanks for stopping by my blog, Pat! I’m enjoying the orchard post right now. What a treat! Thanks!
LikeLike
Just happened to run into your blog. You have got a beautiful space running here. Loved some of your write-ups. Its very subtle . I guess I will be hanging around here a lot. 🙂 Your vision and thoughts are indeed a revelation. Great work. Keep blogging.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for the very kind words, Prasad. I spent some time checking out your blog and enjoyed the posts that I read.
LikeLike
Thanks a lot Pat for stopping by at my blog-space 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks for visiting my blog and the *likes.* 😀
~Lindy
LikeLike
And back to you, Lindy. Thanks for your visit.
LikeLike
Hi, stumbled across your blog, I’ve just read your about me, and it is surprising how much you remind me of myself, and you have achieved what I wish to achieve in the future (:
Good luck with recovery!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, kjaylah. I appreciate your comment and know you will be successful in accomplishing so very much – just remember to focus on what you are accomplishing today. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pingback: In the Pink | The Palladian Traveler
Thanks for writing your update about photography emerging as an extension of your blogging activity. That’s what happened to me–and I too, am so glad for it. You describe it well.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pat, I am recovering from an injury last summer and my blog took me from my bed out to the world. I already had the photos so that made it easier. Now I can get get out again and my camera makes me focus on the pictures that I am taking not my problems. It really has saved me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hear you, Barbara. It is photography that gets me out and moving and the blogging makes photography even more fun because I have people to share the pics with. So glad it works for you too. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am glad I found your blog. We have a lot in common, 3 grown children, retired in 2010, love writing and photography, I too suffer from a chronic condition but refuse to let it hold me down. I also hate excercising (but do it) and deciding what to eat (sometimes it iends up just toast)
I look forward to more of your posts.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Welcome, Lily. I’ll have to check your blog out. It is so much fun finding people with shared experiences and interests.
LikeLike
Hi! Thank you for dropping by my blog, and taking the time to leave wonderful comments, appreciated..:-)
http://www.4otomo.wordpress.com
LikeLiked by 1 person
It was a pleasure. 🙂
LikeLike
thanks for the likes and deciding to follow my blog. I enjoyed looking through your blog. My wife also suffers from FM and has learned to pace herself. She recently decided to try and learn photography so it has been fun to help her along and have her with me on my photo walks. We are about to celebrate 43 years together and we still enjoy each others company. Best Wishes!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Eddie. I hope that she finds the benefits from photography that I have. It has kept me active both physically and mentally. I can still do most everything I used to do, I just can’t do it as often or intensely or as long. But that may also be aging. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person