An online journal sharing my interests in photography, nature, coffee life, journaling, fountain pens, spirituality and asking deep questions.
The truth is that we can venture into meditation only in our willingness to be, at times, perplexed. What is more, we must be willing to befriend our perplexity as a way of dying to our futile efforts to grasp the ungraspable depths that meditation invites us to discover.
James Finley
I’m heading out meet my daughter at a Greek restaurant and I’m assuming to over eat, again. Also, expecting rain later this afternoon. Let it begin.
I have no right to call myself one who knows. I was one who seeks, and I still am, but I no longer seek in the stars or in books; I’m beginning to hear the teachings of my blood pulsing within me.
Hermann Hesse
I’ve had difficulty over the past few months of staying within the pages of books. I found myself losing interest after a few pages and noticing the need to reread paragraphs. I enjoy reading books for the knowledge gained from them and their ability to transform me with some planted seed. I realized that there has been a lot going on in my life that is distracting which has brought on lifestyle changes. However, I believe that the books we read are not the only tool for transformation because there is a teacher within all of us when we look for it. So, maybe I no longer need to seek in the stars or in books but turn inward to hear the teachings.
Met with the hematologist today and cancer is ruled out from the bone marrow biopsy. We just need to work on increasing my iron to bring up those platelet numbers. Hoping you enjoyed your day!
… I had my heart surgery, where they replaced my aortic valve. So, I thought I’d share my gratitude list with you today as it follows the theme of my last posting:
- Thankful for a healthy heart and it’s as full as it is
- Thankful for time with family and friends
- Thankful for the opportunity to enjoy the things that have become such a gift in my life such as time with nature, photography, blogging, conversations with family and friends
- Thankful for my prayer and meditation times
- Thankful for my journals, fountain pens and the words I uncover with them
- Thankful I can experience and enjoy each new sunrise and sunset
- Thankful for another day to venture into a coffee shop to visit my favorite baristas
- Thankful for the chance to read poetry, which I’d never done before
- Thankful for the chance to try my hand at poetry, haiku
- Thankful for the chance to create more of my photo books to share my photography and my words
- Thankful for my home and the remodeling this past year
- Thankful for blueberries in my Irish Oats 😂
- Thankful for DQ Blizzards 😂
- Thankful for my camera upgrade 2 years ago and a lust for the next upgrade 😂
- Thankful that what I have is enough and in all honesty do not need anything more than what is already in my life
- Thankful that there are still those who embrace love, compassion, serenity, joy, hope, peace and …. ❤️
Received my two books that will be Christmas Gifts for my children and grandchildren. I spent the past two days proofing them and then ordered copies yesterday morning. They turned out okay and are simple 7×7 inch softcover photo books. One photo on the left page and a small paragraph or poem on the left page. One book is 60 pages and the other is 64 pages. I do enjoy making these small books, like the final product as I don’t print and frame that many images. This is a good way to archive some of my images and share them. I used Blurb in Lightroom because it’s easy to do photo books. However, any text work is awkward.
Happy Birthday to my oldest daughter, Christine!!!!
I finished reading this book about a week ago. It took me several weeks to read it as I needed to verify a lot of the information they presented, which really turned out to be a good exercise. The authors describe themselves as urban mobility advocates, and they live such a life. What was provided was helpful in my understanding of how our country is so automobile centered in both how we live life and how we build our cities. This couple moved from Canada to the lowlands of South Holland, a country that has been in transition from automobile dependency to mass transit, bicycle and walking infrastructure since the 1970s. What they and Holland propose would require changes many in the US would resist. I’m not sure how I discovered their book, this is their second book, nor why I bought it. Maybe a major shift in the universe. Maybe it’s because I watch 75-100 cars pass while I wait at the bus-stop, each with one person in them, and this is during a 5 minute wait. I’ll write more about this later as I have a few thoughts that need formed and writing is a way for me to work them out. Hope you had a good weekend!
“When I close my eyes and wait for my heartbeat to match the drum, I envision people recognizing, for perhaps the first time, dazzling gifts of the world, seeing them with new eyes, just as they teeter on the cusp of undoing. Maybe just in time. Or maybe too late.”
Robin Wall Kimmerer, from the Epilogue
I’ve finished Robin Wall Kimmerer’s book called Braiding Sweetgrass. It’s been a while since a book has captivated me, educated me, moved me to tears, laughter and anger but left me with a desire to start rereading as soon as I finished. I found much enlightenment about nature that I was never taught in school or don’t remember or my focus was on the ballgame after school.
Kimmerer said she wrote the book because, “I wanted readers to understand that Indigenous knowledge and Western science are both powerful ways of knowing, and that by using them together we can imagine a more just and joyful relationship with the Earth.” She explains how Indigenous people know a nature different than we do, most of that gained from reading the book of nature. That has stirred me to want to read more of this book of nature which means spending more time with her. Highly recommend the book.
Every creature is a word of God and a book about God.
Meister Eckhart
I journal almost everyday looking for words to take form on blank pages. Sometimes they make sense, other times they don’t and some days they do not appear. Same can be said about this blog. But I continue to sit with pen and paper in anticipation of words about life. I also embrace the words creation offers me when I listen with my ears, eyes and especially my heart. I find Mary Oliver’s poetry, and others, is about their communion with nature. There is a conversation going on. They know it. I read where many indigenous people have conversations with nature for many generations. If we were to go with Eckhart’s idea that every creature is a word of God and a book about God then what an opportunity for us to experience.