My online journal sharing interests in photography, nature, coffee life, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, spirituality and asking deep questions.
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School is out until after New Years. Families gather to celebrate. Young children are heading for grandmas house to help in the kitchen and awake on Christmas morning to open gifts. Christmas travel has begun and can be a hectic time. Enjoy your holidays and enjoy the travel getting there.
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“Whether he is an artist or not, the photographer is a joyous sensualist, for the simple reason that the eye traffics in feelings, not in thoughts.” by Walker Evans
A sensualist can be defined as someone who derives happiness from the pleasures of the senses. Evans quote caused me to ask if I’m a sensualist? Yes. As a photographer, I enjoy the time spent in nature with my camera or working with someone during a portrait session. When I am working at creating an image I am seeing with my eyes, passing messages to the brain and heart as they work together. Feelings arise within me: joy, excitement, contentment. At those times I am living the present moment and have my focus on what is in front of me.  The feelings keep me there.
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This beautiful woman is Melissa. Just after moving out here I met her and her daughter at a local coffee shop. After breaking the ice and taking a few photos of them we have established a nice friendship. At the present time she is writing a book on vanity license plates. I think she has a good idea going as there are a lot of people driving the streets with personalized license plates causing many of us to mull over their meaning. Her concept is to interview owners who are willing to share the meaning of their license plates and put them into a book. If interested in sharing yours or if you’re curious for more information please check out her website here. Did I mention she is beautiful woman?
‘Angels’ in Greek mean ‘Messengers’. What message can they bring to us every day of the year?
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I have notice as the number of my birthdays increase it becomes more difficult to crawl out of a warm bed on cold mornings. And, if you add a cold floor to that equation the motivation to place warm toasty feet on that floor will delay getting out of bed even longer.
While making my latte this morning I grabbed one of my favorite cups and thought of my friend Beth. I smiled. Since then she has come to mind throughout the day. I remember our talks, the trip to NYC when her daughter sang at Carnegie Hall, the carriage ride through Central Park, seeing the Phantom of the Opera, sharing a bottle of wine and the time we watched the fireworks from the top of her moms house. What a gift those experiences are to me. But what really has touched me today is her simple gift of the four coffee mugs. I’ve had them for 5-6 years now. I like them and use them almost everyday. When I’m in a mindful place while making my latte, I think of her and lift up prayers or positive thoughts for her. And, of course I smile!
I am aware of how family and friends are gifts. They have been there for me and helped me when I needed them. They let me cry with them. They helped me get back on my feet when I was down. They encouraged and supported me. What a gift that is! Yet, today I am thankful for the material gifts they have given me? Those gifts make me smile.
We are moving into the season of giving and receiving gifts. I know a giving a simple gift to family and friends, such as a card, a letter, a phone call or a mug, will help them in times when we are not able to be there with them. Family and friends can touch our lives even while we are separated by 100’s of miles. What simple gifts will we receive this Christmas season? And, what gifts will we give? It can make someone smile!
Thanks, Beth, for the mugs and thanks for all the gifts you have given me! 🙂
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“Gifts,” powers, material, intellectual, and spiritual possessions are the fruits of the effort; they are thoughts completed, objects accomplished, visions realized. As a Man Thinketh by James AllenÂ
I bought Allen’s book a while back and quickly read through it then placed it on the shelf. Today I found myself reaching for it and skimming over a few pages. I must admit I like some of the ideas he presents but reading the words quoted above have caused me to spend more time in reflection. When I come across something I’ve read that strikes a chord it can behoove me to chew on it, there is usually some important message for me to learn.