My real name is Susan, but Amethyst Rose has a mystical quality about it.  It’s a combination of my birthstone and my middle name… and the amethyst tea rose is my favorite flower.

The primary reason for me to write this blog is for my children.  When the time comes that I am gone, I want them to have my words, thoughts, pictures, and some videos as a remembrance.  This works better than a journal/diary!

I’m a woman learning to move with the twists and turns of life’s changes.   So often I see myself going in one direction, but then I hit a turn in the road.  While my mind tells me that the path along life’s labyrinth will lead to the center, I can’t help but wonder where the path will lead me on the way TO that center… I’m excited with the new discoveries that pop up along the way.

I have my posts in categories that I hope you will explore.  They are as follows:

Pathwork— This is my journey along my present path as a woman living alone for the first time in my life.  The past year and a half of being totally on my own, now that my children have all grown and gone, has been a tremendous growing experience.   Making the transition from 24/7 Mom and once-in-a-while girlfriend/”fiance” has had its challenges through my personal “desert”, but I am finding more and more solace each day as opposed to loneliness… a very good thing.  Being on my own has forced me to focus on my path and decide what I really want for the second half of my life.  Writing has always been a passion, but that passion has been on the shelf for far too long.  I’m dusting it off and sharing my journey… if I’m the only one reading it, that’s okay with me.  It’s my personal record here, but if anyone wants to walk with me along my path, even if for a short distance, I am grateful for the company.

My Poetry Collection: Beau Fleuve—  These are my poems that outline my journey through depression as a result of sexual abuse to my healing and recovery.  I wrote them between 1995 and 2001, but I didn’t dare publish them until 2009.  My hope is that if someone is touched by the work and knowing that recovery is possible, then taking the risk to make them public was worth it.   Writing those poems was heart-wrenching at the time, but looking  back on them I can see how far I have come.   I am grateful for being able to learn from the experience, for it has made me stronger.

Sequential Sojourn— These are guided meditations for work through one’s personal journey.  They were inspired by the work of Joseph Campbell, which has been a true gift to me.   I wrote them in 2009 as part of a class project for my ninth graders, but it turned onto something much more for me personally.

Altared Perceptions- Although I am not quite sure if the correct term at a Unitarian Universalist Church is “altar”, I thought the name of this new category I am adding was pretty clever, so I hope that Reverands Scott, Kaaren, and Jen will forgive me!

What has always struck me at our church are the beautifully decorated meditative focal points (ummm… altars?).    Ever since I became a member two years ago, I have admired the creative and thoughtfully poignant decorations in the sanctuary.   Each fits in with our monthly themes at the First Unitarian Church of Rochester, and I have decided to share my thoughts about what these creative people have brought to us.

For the first two, I shall have to apologize for the picture quality as I was using my phone camera.   I took pictures of the December display, but it only occurred to me today to begin writing about them as I snapped a shot of the January altar.  Beginning in February, I will use my “real” camera and hope that the pictures will be of better quality!

Cirque du Rochester Aerial Arts Challenge- in December, I was chosen for the 2013 Winter Cirque 12 Week Challenge!  This category outlines my journey through twelve life-changing weeks; hey, US Marines are built in twelve weeks of Boot Camp!  This was just as grueling as it must have been for my Marine daughter (given the fact that I am over 50!), but oh, so rewarding.   Pictures and videos accompany the progress.