We made it! Angel and I attended the Facilitator in Training workshop conducted by the Center for Digital Storytelling at Stonebridge Farm (Lyons, Colorado), 9-14 August 2010. We met and enjoyed fellow digital storytellers from various states and one from Canada. Sara, Bev, Charlene, Kate, Melissa, and Nina – we will remember you for a long time! Daniel Weinshenker, Stefani Sese, and Kayann Short – thank you for the wonderful time! You have been a great help in our learning process.

I felt so nourished to have attended for the first time Via Affirmativa (at Glen Eyrie, Colorado Springs) – a gathering of artists from various places.;-) One of the performances the other night was — tango! Yay! “More, more!” we requested. The dancers are from Spain and Greece. Ah, lovely!

To let go does not mean to stop caring, it means I can’t do it for someone else.
To let go is not to cut myself off, it’s the realization I can’t control another.
To let go is not to enable, but allow learning from natural consequences.
To let go is to admit powerlessness, which means the outcome is not in my hands.
To let go is not to try to change or blame another, it’s to make the most of myself.
To let go is not to care for, but to care about.
To let go is not to fix, but to be supportive.
To let go is not to judge, but to allow another to be a human being.
To let go is not to be in the middle arranging all the outcomes,
but to allow others to affect their destinies.
To let go is not to be protective, it’s to permit another to face reality.
To let go is not to deny, but to accept.
To let go is not to nag, scold or argue,
but instead to search out my own shortcomings and correct them.
To let go is not to adjust everything to my desires,
but to take each day as it comes and cherish myself in it.
To let go is not to criticize or regulate anybody, but to try to become what I dream I can be.
To let go is not to regret the past, but to grow and live for the future.
To let go is to fear less and love more and to let go and to let God, is to find peace!
Remember: The time to love is short.
- author unknown

“Oh, sun! Sun! I am so glad to have the sun shining today!”

I walked all the way up to the bridge. It was getting colder and colder. I haven’t had my exercise for a while now, and I began to pant. But I saw a man before me, on crutches, effortlessly took the .2-mile (about 1,000ft) trail up the bridge. Haha! The sight of him gave me strength.

Oh, by the way, I am not a Twilight fan, so I didn’t know that these waterfalls were featured in the 2008 movie Twilight No wonder I saw Twilight photos, posters, etc. at the souvenir shop there.

Also enjoyed the ride along Columbia River Gorge. Fascinating to be standing in Oregon, while watching Washington just right on the other side of the river.

I went to see a long time friend Miriam and her family in Portland. I had no idea of the big surprise that awaited me.;-)

Jack and Miriam drove me around downtown of Portland and took me to a house later. They said they would like to introduce me to a friend. The one who opened the door for us was no other than the person I also wanted to see one day soon  - Tawanda! )) Haha! I was just thinking of emailing her and just let her know where I was at the moment. I had no clue I was scheduled to have dinner with her and her family at a Mexican restaurant last night. Aaahhhhh! Haha.

(Photo taken on a day out with friends Katya, Arlene, Amy, and Angel at Crystal Springs along Half Moon Bay (San Mateo County). One of my favorites.)

I would wake up and fall asleep, eat, read, etc. I would look at the clouds during the day, and look at the stars when it was night. I would fall asleep and wake up  again and so on.  Awesome! The thick clouds were fascinating! It looked like a sea. If I haven’t seen land and if I live up in the sky, I wouldn’t know land existed at all! Lovely!