• clouds,  John O'Donohue,  landscape,  quotes

    A New Beginning

    June 8, 2022

    When love awakens in your life, in the night of your heart, it is like the dawn breaking within you. Where before there was anonymity, now there is intimacy; where before there was fear, now there is courage; where before in your life there was awkwardness, now there is a rhythm of grace and gracefulness; where before you used to be jagged, now you are elegant and in rhythm with your self. When love awakens in your life, it is like a rebirth, a new beginning.

    John O’Donohue

    I love clouds! Some cloud formations will stop me in my tracks and I gawk at them. It’s a wonder I’ve not had a car accident. I took the above image while heading north out of town. Once I saw them I had to pull over and grab my camera. Did I mention I love clouds?

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  • insects,  quotes

    Courage

    September 28, 2021

    “Courage is the measure of our heartfelt participation with life, with another, with a community, a work; a future. To be courageous is not necessarily to go anywhere or do anything except to make conscious those things we already feel deeply and then to live through the unending vulnerabilities of those consequences.”

    David Whyte
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  • clouds,  haiku,  landscape,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  sunrises,  writing/reading

    Favorite Moments

    April 27, 2021

    courage to persist
    listening for our answer
    robins morning song

    ms

    Watching the first light of this new day, the moon setting in the west while the sun brightens the eastern sky. A gentle wind blows, prompting the meadow grasses to dance. A pelican bobs on the waves of the reservoir. Robins sing their morning song for me. A hawk effortlessly soars on the wind currents high above the reservoir. These are calming moments for my soul to begin the day. We have a chance for rain today, much needed moisture.

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  • landscape,  mountains,  National Parks,  Smoky Mountains National Park,  sunrises

    Sunrise at Foothills Parkway

    November 14, 2019

    Sunrise on Foothills Parkway in the Smoky Mountains

    In the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy skips and dances down a yellow brick road in hopes of finding the Wizard of Oz who will help her return home to Kansas. Traveling that yellow brick road lead her to new horizons, discovering her gifts of wisdom, courage, and love. I like to think of Dorothy’s yellow brick road as a metaphor of our spiritual journey to new horizons.

    Some of us live in the shadow of an illusionary self, a false-self that alienates us from reality, much of this world and a Creator. We can be blind to the possibility of the horizons yet to be discovered, paralyzed with fear, failing to venture forward on our yellow brick road and discover our gifts of wisdom, courage, and love, which I choose to call our true-self.

    “May we seek this inward path to encounter the true-self, the essence of who we are, and allow ourselves to be embraced by love.”

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  • Art,  Black and White,  Candid Portraits,  coffee shops,  Creativity,  Fujifilm X-T10,  lifestyles,  musings,  writing/reading

    It takes courage to be…

    October 1, 2019

    A young man sketching at the coffee shop

    “Nature is an art which can’t be described or explained in words. This should be felt in your heart.”

    Discovered this young man pencil sketching at a local coffee shop and had to ask if I could take a few images while he drew. After he said yes I had him put his earbuds back in and continue with his craft. There is a slight blur in his hand that adds to the image for me and I thought the photo worked well when converted to black and white.

    As I walked away I thanked him and realized the courage it takes for me to ask strangers if I can take their photo. Somewhere within me is a false voice telling me they will say no. The truth is I seldom am told no. There are those who will say no and probably due to some history in their lives and that’s okay. But, nowadays many people are comfortable having a camera pointed in their direction. Just look at all the selfies.

    Later, after I loaded this photo onto my computer I had an awareness of the courage it takes to be an artist. But as I reflected on that thought it became obvious that it takes courage to believe in and use our artistic abilities, gifts, practice, hone them and then offer them to the world. He and I both practice our craft with courage no matter what those around us thought of us. And, this young man is a good artist! So much for my morning rambling. Have a super Awesome day!

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  • Plants,  quotes

    Wild Columbine

    May 8, 2009

     

    Wild Colmubine
    Wild Columbine

    “One isn’t necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can’t be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.” Maya Angelou

    The above image of a Wild Columbine was taken at Blendon Woods Garden near the visitors information building. This beautiful woodland wildflower has showy, drooping, bell-like flowers equipped with distinctly backward-pointing tubes, similar to the garden Columbines. These tubes, or spurs, contain nectar that attracts long-tongued insects especially adapted for reaching the sweet secretion. European Columbine (A. vulgaris), with blue, violet, pink, or white short-spurred flowers, was introduced from Europe and has now become well established in many parts of the East. It is different from its cousin, the Colorado Blue Columbine, which I am familiar with in that it droops downward while the Colorado Blue Columbine  tips upward. It is a beautiful flower.

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