Monday, November 1, 2010

Celebrating Debi



Debi, today I celebrate you. I celebrate your newest published article in Artful Blogging, but mostly, I celebrate you. And what would a party be without a little cake? I picked up this cupcake yesterday, and dedicated every scrumptious bite to something beautiful in you...



The first bite... this was the sweetest bite. This one was for your love of words, which manifest into the most lyrical pieces of writing. You invite me to imagine the world you live in with all of my senses engaged. Not only can I picture the places you describe, but I can hear the curtains flitting with the breeze, I can feel the fallen tulip tree blossoms under my toes, and I can smell the rain approaching on a hot Texas night. The softest shades of blues and greens are all around me, so calming and peaceful.



The second delicious bite was for your attention to detail. You see fallen leaves that look like birds, you watch shadows move across the walls, the night sky tells you stories as you look up from your swaying hammock, you see hearts everywhere. You capture things with your camera that make me do double takes...that make me gasp with delight, when I see the hidden gem that you have brought into the light, just quietly waiting to be noticed.



This substantial bite is for your intricate creative process. Passion seems to drain out of you, through your paintbrush and sweeps itself across your canvases with wild abandon. Your calming, simple style is deceiving, for it is never a simple picture you paint. Intuition is your faithful guide...the very soul of your paintings.



This one is for the uncanny way you turn the most ordinary things into breathless beauty. Your entire blog is like this. The world, through your unique frame of view (and frame of mind) is extraordinary, and full of magic.



This last morsel packs a punch. It is for your honesty. Your raw, unapologetic, unedited, unfiltered honesty. You are the real thing, Debi. When you speak of loss, when you recall a memory, when you reflect what a certain colour does to your psyche, how the people around you affect you, when you talk about your charming neighbourhood, and how it is changing, how you dream of a new place to call home....whatever it is you are feeling, you speak straight from the most authentic places in your heart. When I read your words, my heart takes its own journeys, and I am grateful for the explorations.

Today, it's all about you.
You are lovely.
You are a meditation on living with soul.
You are a gift to us all.

Many thanks to sweet Amy for hosting this wonderful celebration today. What a beautiful heart you have.

Now I must brush off the crumbs, those delectable crumbs, and go looking for a copy of Artful Blogging for my very own. I can't wait to see what treasures are inside.

13 comments:

  1. Debi holds such a dear spot in my heart. What a lovely post for a lovely soul. And dang...I wish I was there to celebrate because those cupcakes look delicious!!! Your photos always leave me smiling!

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  2. i had just stopped crying and you started me up again. you made me laugh, eating away this cupcake, but i started to cry and now must find new kleenex.

    you have been with me almost every step of the way, always in my corner, always, always encouraging, and always inspiring. always.

    thank you for this.

    love you THIS MUCH!
    xoxo
    Debi

    and thank you Caroline - your comment just showed up! :)

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  3. this is so much fun, isn't it ?

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  4. oh my, that is the prettiest cupcake I have ever seen. And a beautiful tribute as well.

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  5. Sigh. Such a wonderful person is Debi. Beautifully written words, fabulous captures of every scrumptious bite of that cupcake.

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  6. hey no FAIR. I wanted that cupcake darnit!!! Gosh that looked yummy. What a sweet tribute to debi you clever girl.

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  7. love this so much ..it is a yummy one!

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  8. Oh this is good! A beautiful tribute to our friend and such a great series of photos...the disappearing cupcake. And now I want one too!

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  9. hooray for cupcakes! there can never be too many! =) and the blue in the background is *perfect*.

    Every word of this could have come straight from my heart, I swear. But even though I am pretty good at other kinds of writing, words always fail me when I need to express my emotions, so I'm glad you were able to say all this so wonderfully and beautifully.
    {{{hugs}}}

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  10. dare i say it? a "sweet" tribute indeed.

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  11. Oh, Jaime. Your heart is so big, so beautiful. You make me happy just to know you. And, oh man! You got Debi exactly right. Yes, and yes, and yes!

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  12. You also wear an eloquent heart on your frilly white sleeve...such a touching, poignant, feeling post...

    Debi is lucky to have such a friend.

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  13. Goodness ~ you did well taking that many bites to eat that yummy cupcake. I think I would have eaten it in about too bites! :)

    Happy weekend Jaime!
    xo Catherine

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