First full week back in school.

This was my first full week of being back to school. I enrolled at Texas State University in the English department. I'm pursuing a B.A. in creative writing.



I'm so excited to be back in school. This week went well but not without a few disasters. First you have to visualize me at 45 going to school with all these beautiful 20 year olds.



I don't look so bad but....wow....was I ever 20? There I was sitting waiting for the bus with all these beautiful college kids and my bra strap came undone. I said to myself, "Ok don't embarass yourself. Just don't move. Keep your arms close to your sides to hold the sides of your bra straps in place." When I finally arrived at the school I ran to a bathroom and snapped it closed.



If bra was to slide off my chest it would not be such a pretty sight. The other disaster was that I was late to two of my first classes. Ok picture me....getting off the bus for my day class and coming out of the parking lot for my night class running at 45 years old, with a bad knee and a backpack.



Did I look the part of a student. NO!!! But did I care. NO!!!



I'm there to fulfill a dream and nothing is going to stop me. Not bra straps, embarrasment, bad knees, age, etc....



I just had to laugh at myself.



I'll post some pictures next week of the bus, the campus and of me and my backpack. I feel like a school kid on the first day of school. Filled with excitement and anticipation.



Blessings,

Tracey

What treasures do you have hidden in your heart?

We always call our youngest Little Dot because she reminds us of my husband's mother Dorothy.

In Oklahoma we visited an old ranch that had a lot of antiques. Things that once belonged to someone. I'm working on a project right now that is about Dorothy...so the pictures remind me of a time gone by where Dorothy lived. I'm always curious when I come across old things. Who did this stuff belong to? Who we're they? So to look at the carriage, baby doll, brush, comb, mirror and piano remind me to remember our past and our heritage. Each of us has one. There are great stories there.

What stories do you have to tell? In what ways could you tell them? Pictures? Writing? Collage?

Creativity opens our hearts and souls and reveals the hidden treasures that are buried there.

Time to put the pen to paper and write. Seeing these things sparks my imagination. More to come about the Dorothy story. It will be a children's book...so maybe some of you can purchase it. Smile.

Beautiful nieces....

These are my two beautiful nieces...they didn't make it on the Enchanted Rock trip so....I made sure I uploaded them today. Hey girls....we really enjoyed having you visit us this summer....

Love Auntie Tracey and family.....

Oklahoma trip.....

This was the turtle exhibit at the Oklahoma Aquarium. http://www.okaquarium.org/

The turtle is a writer's symbol. The writer's process is very slow, sometimes you have to stick your neck out and sometimes you have to retreat into your shell for awhile.

As a writer seeing the turtles symbolized that I'm on the right track. I am currently attending Texas State University. I'm majoring in Creative Writing. I won't get to take any creative writing classes until next year but.......I have time.

Off to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Off on another adventure. We're going to Okie.....

My husbands family reunion is in Oklahoma city this weekend. I'm hoping to get a sidetrip in to learn about the Natives that we're relocated to Oklahoma city after the "Trail of Tears".

I'm part Cherokee Native. To learn more about the "Trail of Tears" will be a treat for me and for my kids.

In the early 1,800's the United States Government began removing the Native Peoples from Georgia and other states and moving them to Oklahoma. These removals we're brutal and over 4,000 Cherokee alone died on the "Trail of Tears".

Gold was found in Georgia so.....the Cherokee Nation was removed and sent to Oklahoma. You can find out more about this on http://ngeorgia.com/history

Might be a nice block lesson for homeschoolers!!!

One things I found very touching was the Legend of the Cherokee Rose. The mothers on the trails we're so distraught. In order to lift their spirits so that they would take care of their children the Chiefs prayed for a sign. Read below.....

The Legend of the Cherokee Rose.
No better symbol exists of the pain and suffering of the Trail Where They Cried than the Cherokee Rose(pictured at top of page). The mothers of the Cherokee grieved so much that the chiefs prayed for a sign to lift the mother's spirits and give them strength to care for their children. From that day forward, a beautiful new flower, a rose, grew wherever a mother's tear fell to the ground. The rose is white, for the mother's tears. It has a gold center, for the gold taken from the Cherokee lands, and seven leaves on each stem that represent the seven Cherokee clans that made the journey. To this day, the Cherokee Rose prospers along the route of the "Trail of Tears". The Cherokee Rose is now the official flower of the State of Georgia.

(The above is from the ngeorgia.com website)

More to come from Okie.....smile......

Namaste,

Tracey Huguley

Welcome to my new blog......As I stand on solid ground and begin my new adventure.....

Standing on Holy Solid Ground

We had a wonderful time at Enchanted Rock. We found a creek bed with running water in it....

A lot of minnows, frogs, spiders, etc....

We climbed trees, swam in the creek, looked at rocks and minerals, and talked about the Native Peoples who used to live here.

This excursion brought to mind a poem by David Whyte:

The Opening of Eyes

That day I saw beneath dark clouds
The passing light over the water
And I heard the voice of the world speak out
I knew then as I have before
Life is no passing memory of what has been
Nor the remaining pages of a great book
Waiting to be read

It is the opening of eyes long closed
It is the vision of far off things
Seen for the silence they hold
It is the heart after years of secret conversing
Speaking out loud in the clear air

It is Moses in the desert fallen to his knees
Before the lit bush
It is the man throwing away his shoes
As if to enter heaven and finding himself astonished
Opened at last
Fallen in love
With Solid Ground

By David Whyte

Enchanted Rock reminded me that we are all standing on "holy solid ground".

Blessing to you as you adventure out onto your holy ground today.....

Namaste,
Tracey Huguley

***See the pictures in the next post.

Enchanted Rock Pictures

Enchanted Rock

My children and I are off to see a phenomenon (that's what I hear) outside of Austin, Texas. A giant Rock that has come up out of the ground. I hear that the Native Americans thought this rock was sacred.

Ever feel like your life didn't amount to much. Well just wait....a big rock might just be lurking under the surface. Photo's to follow our trip...

Namaste,
Tracey Huguley
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