asking for prayers for another ex-pat and her father who is in intensive care

photo courtesy of Tongue in Cheektongue in cheek,author,corey amaro's dad is sick and each day she writes a gorgeous post about the surreal life of caring for a loved one who is critically sick- she is gifted in many ways! please visit her blog and more importantly send a prayer or a positive thought her way!!related to this:

the intangible,unseen,formidable power of prayer is real and somehow when most needed, palpable- finally medicine is realizing that while often not quantifiable by scientifically sound methods -prayer is beyond a doubt REAL!! In a 2006,book I was asked to write a small chapter about the medicine and spirituality-called  "The Arts: A Nondenominational Tool for Reconnecting Spirituality & Medicine", Oxford Press chapter 20 of Christina Puchalski, MD's A Time for Listening and Caring End of Life Issues.
Interestingly,it was prefaced by the Dali Lama who,among others, has joined Dr. Herbert Benson,(of Harvard's Mind,body, Medicine) to explore further these amazing questions and feelings about spirit and healing and life and passing on to our other home...all this to say, it is a good book made for all readers for precisely this juncture of decision making and it is done in a way to honor the whole person,not just the physical, through this extraordinary journey!
my prayers abound for you and your dad and family!
betheanne

followings one's inner voice,intuition and/or faith?

sometimes I wonder why I chose the name of my blog to be dancing doc design- it is a good question really!
when I was little I loved to dance,I studied classical ballet under a strict yet, talented teacher,among any other types of dance I could find,save tap! I choreograghed pieces using modern and jazz and ballet technique as early as 11 years old. I soon found a school where I could dance 3 hours a day and get this,even merit a varsity letter-who knew?
Northfield Mount Hermon,a small boarding school in the hill of western Massechusetts, was where I learned to believe in myself and my dancing! It is where I felt my wings grow, where I felt my faith connect with music,lyrics and movements to tell a story or highlight a sentiment.

Dancing made me feel whole,tall,large,and connected with a creative force which I knew to be not entirely mine, I was but, an instument of something greater,(this was also how I felt when practicing medicine!) Dancing to me is about resonance! Resonance is about connections and I BELIEVE WE ALL FEEL MORE ALIVE WHEN WE DANCE!
at least I do! Hence the dancing in my blog name. I will share more about the rest of the title as I go on.....

Concrete Diagnosis Under Foot!

these fine patterned tiles are concrete tiles of late 1800's and are typical for the southern french village homes of the period-âpparently the previous owners,being antique dealers,appreciated their monetary value and striped our home of virtually all of them,except for one room,the salon which we use as our bedroom! Our former village house sported 10 rooms all in different yet related patterns! I would love to retrieve photos of more examples of these patterns. Note that the tiles are said to be cool on the bare feet of the hot southern French summers!a kind of airconditoning for the feet,sort of reverse theory for floor heat,I would say!

TAKE 2 PINK AND GOLD CHAIRS AND CALL ME IN THE MORNING§

photos courtesy of Vogue-Living and All Things bright and Beautiful
hoorah for cyberspace connections, serendipity and all that- over at a favorite blog of mine I smiled the big one today bec:
&-great minds think alike
&-for me I found a pair, yes, 2 pink and gold chairs at a local brocante ,which had been crying out for me to buy them since last fall! I offered half the going price and whammy-immediate retail therapy relief. Actually I could not believe that these chairs were still there and would fit in nicely with the Napoleon III architecture! Vogue-Living and I have taken the same prescription for a spring day !swell!

Injecting some coziness on a decorating budget of zero!

well,my perhaps, naive belief is that it is a piece of cake to design exquisite spaces if one has a large budget but, to use only things on hand in new ways, transforming old curtains into say a new duvet cover,à la Sound of Music's,Marie, or an old window pane into a vehicle for light refraction and reflection.... that feels like something of value to me- ok, I tell myself, beauty is an ever changing perspective, a new lens for enjoying old things!
Like my Grandma's old ice cream chairs from her ice cream shop from the early 1900's,infused with memories from long sunny afternoons under grapevines among family and friends!
Like a tati couch comfy from lounging covered with say, an old set of curtains !
Saint Thérèse's tender black and white photos taken by her sister Celine inspiring me to embrace that there is a gift in everything!
-
That is why I adore the blog - all things bright and beautiful - indeed this is a perspective of beauty in all shapes and forms!! And Decor8 noting that she is away now, but has some grat leads---and of course another expat,Corey Amaro ,a gifted writer and fine inspirational individual and Tongue in Cheek !!!these are women with a focused lens for beauty and style makers!

grandma's chairs

wim wender's wings of desire



like objects with a story to tell from a child's point of view-

This reminds me of one of my favorite movies Wings of Desire-


"The sky over Wenders' war-scarred Berlin is full of gentle, trenchcoated angels who listen to the tortured thoughts of mortals and try to comfort them. One, Damiel (Bruno Ganz), wishes to become mortal after falling in love with a beautiful trapeze artist, Marion (Solveig Dommartin). Peter Falk, as himself, assists in the transformation by explaining the simple joys of a human experience, such as the sublime combination of coffee and cigarettes.

Told from the angel's point of view, the film is shot in black and white, blossoming into color only when the angels perceive the realities of humankind. Ultimately, Damiel determines that he must experience humanity in full, and breaks through in to the real world to pursue a life with Marion.

A hugely acclaimed and multi-award winning movie including Best Director for Wenders at Cannes 1987; which was remade in 1998 into City of Angels starring Nicolas Cage and Meg Ryan."


Song of Childhood
By Peter Handke


When the child was a child
It walked with its arms swinging,
wanted the brook to be a river,
the river to be a torrent,
and this puddle to be the sea.

When the child was a child,
it didn’t know that it was a child,
everything was soulful,
and all souls were one.....

courtesy of-
Wim Wender's Wings of Desire

do heart transplants involve need for new linens?

When I refer to a heart transplant I mean the moving of our hearts to new spaces, new homes - like we just did,from one village house to another-from one country to another so ..........
loooking for heart warming set of french linens by Clair-FONCE these are cozyand make me long for summer! check it out!

A DESIGNING DANCING DOC

OK,I am back at it, missing my blogging friends although must admit I have been continually,except when internet acting up, visiting my favorite design blogs! This image above is a playful version of our Maison de Maitre, in need of intense resuscitation! new breath,via color,via flowers, via lots of furniture moving, watching the changes of light throughout the house, and retaining a huge sense of HUMOUR! when things get rough with the unpacking and when the projects become tediously slowed down - I am releived to see the beautiful images and inspiring words blogosphere!

avec la joie de vivre- I AM BACK FROM MOVING HOUSE MANIA!!!!

may it be said we all try in our own ways to find a ray of light, a little or alot of humor, a rosy outlook! where we do it does not matter,what does, is the intention of looking for the good, the bright ,the beautiful, the simple, the bizarre and often mundane truths in the ordinary aspects our lives---a cup of coffee beside a sunny window, the smile of an elderly neighbor, a thank you on the road, the smells of the beach or the newly mowed lawns .... call it a focus of passionate appreciation for our own lives and the spaces we live in with those we love!!for me it is in the South of France, the Midi a region of red earthed mountains and a teal sea....it can be afunny note from a friend or a good joke that has us reeling in laughter like kids ...
for me eventhough today, I have a virus of some form which has my energy on real low-I wanted to begin again with my blogging where i have met such fabulous people with incredible talents and oodles of creativity!

avec la joie de vivre- I AM BACK FROM MOVING HOUSE MANIA!!!!

oh,yeh poppies are weeds here! too cool!
may it be said we all try in our own ways to find a ray of light, a little or alot of humor, a rosy outlook! where we do it does not matter,what does, is the intention of looking for the good, the bright ,the beautiful, the simple, the bizarre and often mundane truths in the ordinary aspects our lives---a cup of coffee beside a sunny window, the smile of an elderly neighbor, a thank you on the road, the smells of the beach or the newly mowed lawns .... call it a focus of passionate appreciation for our own lives and the spaces we live in with those we love!!for me it is in the South of France, the Midi a region of red earthed mountains and a teal sea....it can be afunny note from a friend or a good joke that has us reeling in laughter like kids ...
for me eventhough today, I have a virus of some form which has my energy on real low-I wanted to begin again with my blogging where i have met such fabulous people with incredible talents and oodles of creativity!