Simple Raw and Natural

 Friday, May 2, 2025 Assigned Dreams and Chateauroux Streets "Your dreams didn't choose you by accident.  They were assigned to you." - Morning quote  A few mornings ago I woke up from a dream that felt like a message.  I was walking alone down the streets of Chateauroux, that special place where memories still cling like the scent of warm bread.  I saw a woman I knew - kind, gracious, the kind who makes strangers feel like family.  She welcomed me inside a tiny shop, owned by a friend.  A place full of delicate gifts and meaning.  I thought of my brother's new baby, imagining a small outfit to carry love across the generations.  I bought red, white, and blue bracelets - symbols of home, of roots, of ideals.  Suddenly, I was thinking of Abigail Adams.  Of reason, of legacy, of a woman's quiet strength beneath the swirl of revolution. And then, I asked myself: Why should we give up all of this? Why abandon beauty, connection, hospita...

   Thursday, May 1, 2025 The Budweiser Clydesdales A Bright Spot on Bridge Street It had been a long day at the boutique—one of those where the hours blur together from getting new merchandise ready for display and the shop ready for the crew coming in tomorrow. But then something unexpected and beautiful happened. The Budweiser Clydesdales came trotting down Bridge Street. Yes— the Budweiser Clydesdales, in all their majestic glory. You could hear the clip-clop of hooves and see the sparkle of polished harnesses long before they came into view. Police escorts led the way, lights flashing, clearing the street like royalty was on parade. And honestly, that’s exactly what it felt like. People were running from all directions, phones in hand, trying to get a glimpse. My customers dashed out of the boutique—and so did I. How could we not? These horses are enormous, powerful, and somehow gentle all at once. They moved with such grace that it gave me chills. Within minutes, th...