My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, coffee life, spirituality and the mystery of it all.
The clouds moved into the area late yesterday afternoon. Rain started falling around 8:00 last night and continued throughout the night. Temperature this morning was just above freezing. By midmorning the rain stopped and the skies began to clear. As I look west I can see a dusting of snow along our Colorado Front Range. Winter has made it’s presence known. It’s a quiet sort of day. Hope everyone has a good weekend.
Wikipedia says prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with a deity, an object of worship, or a spiritual entity through deliberate communication. Some form of prayer is found in most major religions. In contrast with Western religion, Eastern religion for the most part discards worship and places devotional emphasis on the practice of meditation alongside scriptural study. Consequently, prayer is seen as a form of meditation or an adjunct practice to meditation.
Prayer and meditation have become important to me over the past thirty years. Prior to that any prayer life I had consisted of short burst of frustration or fear, “Oh my God!” There has been a move within me to for more quiet contemplation and meditation. So I find places where I can have those quiet moments. I use a couple of churches with in walking distance. I use a nearby park and a couple nature areas for more quiet. A quiet corner of my condo can make for a nice place also.
All three monotheistic Religions have a variety of prayer books: The Muslim Prayer Book – for praying five times a day; The Book of Common Prayer -which has prayers for seven times a day; Liturgy of the Hours – used by monastic communities to pray seven times a day; Siddur – the Jewish prayer book for praying three times a day. I could be wrong on these prayer books but it gives us some idea of the importance for prayer within these religions.
“Let there be spaces in your togetherness, And let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another but make not a bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. Fill each other’s cup but drink not from one cup. Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf. Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone, Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music. Give your hearts, but not into each other’s keeping. For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts. And stand together, yet not too near together: For the pillars of the temple stand apart, And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow.” ― Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet
I had the pleasure of watching two young people take their wedding vows last Saturday. It brings a smile across my face and a warmth in my heart. Allison and Eric, my prayer is for a happy, loving, married life.
“So don’t be frightened, dear friend, if a sadness confronts you larger than any you have ever known, casting its shadow over all you do. You must think that something is happening within you, and remember that life has not forgotten you; it holds you in its hand and will not let you fall. Why would you want to exclude from your life any uneasiness, any pain, any depression, since you don’t know what work they are accomplishing within you?”
Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet
Here it is Monday and the start of another week when I’m not sure what happened to last week. I lost it. I did check off a few items but it went by way too fast. Heck life seems to be moving by too fast. They say once you reach a certain age it’s “all downhill from here.” I’ve always associate that as a positive phrase. Its simplest meaning is that “The hard work’s over, and it’s all going to be much easier from now on.” But, that statement does not indicate how fast we end up going, gotta hang on to your hat every once in a while. Have a bunch more to get done this week plus a 2-day trip on Thursday.
Found some quiet time at a local church this past week and played around with some DOF. I kind of like the effect.
With three other people living in my small condo, privacy is scarce. After living alone for the past12 years it has taken a toll on me. So, I’ve wandered off seeking places for quiet and solitude. These have been parks, nature areas, a couple of “quiet” coffee shops and local churches. I’ve discovered I’m not the only one seeking places of quiet and a refuge from the business of the world.
“No one lights a lamp in order to hide it behind the door: the purpose of light is to create more light, to open people’s eyes, to reveal the marvels around.” ― Paulo Coelho
Having my daughter and two of my grandchildren living with me I find quiet time hard to come by. To solve that problem, and since it is the Lenten season, I’ve started going to a couple of churches nearby. One is a Catholic church called John the 23rd and within walking distance. Just behind the alter are two large figurines, one of Joseph and one of Mary. The late afternoon light was gorgeous as it beamed down on the statue of Mary. I hesitated to move forward and take a photo because I did not want to disturb those who were praying nor did I want to show any disrespect. But, that light was calling up black and white visions in my head so I walked forward to the altar, bowed in reverence, then walked around the statue, taking several images. The light was awesome.The moment was awesome. Moving. Once those images were given to me I knelt down with gratitude and enjoyed more quiet time: prayer, meditation and contemplation.
My parents live in Gold Canyon, Arizona, which is just east of Apache Junction. It is almost all a 55 plus community and the perfect place for my parents at this time in their lives. Just behind their house, and over the boundary wall, is the Gold Canyon United Methodist Church. It follows along with the Southwestern decor that predominates the area. And just across the road on Kings Ranch Road is the famous Red Sage Restaurant. This restaurant is hopping during the winter season but quiet in the summer after 60% of the population heads to cooler climates. My parents have a group of friends who usually gather in Saturday mornings for breakfast, coffee and conversation. Anyway, I wanted to show more of the Southwest flavor.
“There are no rules and regulations for perfect composition. If there were we would be able to put all the information into a computer and would come out with a masterpiece. We know that’s impossible. You have to compose by the seat of your pants.”
Arnold Newman
That’s exactly what happened here. I saw this woman sitting on a bench under this bell tower and thought it would make a good image. Just as I raised the camera she stood up and started walking towards me. Without really thinking, which I do a lot, I took one image. I’m actually pleased with this image even if it was taken by the seat of my pants.
I found this Catholic church while on a walk during one of our overnights. Anytime I see stained glass windows from the outside I want to venture inside. It was mid-afternoon and no one was there, just silence. I like silence so I found a pew in the back row, made the sign of the cross and sat down for some quiet time. After a few minutes I heard someone walking around behind me. With my eyes still closed, I felt a light tap on my shoulder and a voice saying, “Excuse me, brother. My name is Lloyd.” I turned around and looked into the eyes of a homeless man. He apologized for interrupting my quiet meditation, then proceeded to tell me he was unemployed and needing money. As he left I watched as he stepped into an elevator off to the side. He seemed to know that church. Anyway, I found my much needed quiet time and met Lloyd. Hope you are enjoying your Sunday.