• leaves,  quotes

    … what is done in love

    October 27, 2023

    “Love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is done well.”

    Vincent Van Gogh

    Every fall, the leaves of deciduous trees undergo a dramatic color change before forfeiting their newfound hues, fading to brown and dying. It’s a process all of nature takes on. Needles and leaves that fall decompose and restock the soil with nutrients and make up part of the spongy humus layer of the forest floor that absorbs and holds rainfall. Fallen leaves also become food for numerous soil organisms vital to the forest ecosystem. That is some of the science of why leaves fall but as a photographer I am drawn to the shapes and colors of fallen leaves. They offer a promise for more life. What a gift of love these leaves offer.

    It is our coldest morning this fall at 24 degrees. It is still dark and with the cold I have that thought of going back to bed. Yet there is day ahead with possible adventures. What will it bring? I’ll start by seeing what I can find at a coffee shop.

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  • leaves,  quotes

    Holy Leaves

    October 16, 2023

    It is in the darkest nights of our souls, when all we know is that we know nothing, that the presence of the sacred may quietly well up, mingling with our pain and connecting us to a love that will never die.

    Mirabai Starr

    There is something enjoyable about walking among trees while they drop their leaves on me and around me, whether in a local park, a natural area or my neighborhood. Next time you experience that just close your eyes, allow the trees to bless you with their holy leaves. It may be an opportunity to experience the presence of the sacred. More photos of leaves to come.

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  • clouds,  landscape,  Meister Eckhart,  poems,  sunrises,  writing/reading

    Darkness & Light

    August 23, 2023
    Sunrise taken August 10, 2023

    When people ask me what they should do,
    I tell them this: Love others as much as
    you love yourself. If you find
    that you don’t love some people as
    much as you love yourself, then this
    is because you’ve not yet learned
    to love yourself fully.
    For what you do not love in others
    you’ve not yet learned to love in yourself;
    work on this and you’ll begin to discover
    what it means to love as God loves.

    Meister Eckhart’s Book of Darkness & Light

    I’m enjoying this third book by Jon M. Sweeney and Mark S Burrows, Meister Eckhart’s Book of Darkness & Light. I use it in much the same way I used their first two books, where I read a poem at a time and sit with it. I almost always find one word or a short line that resonates with me. I may write one of the poems or line or two in my journal because it helps me to retain it in my old memory banks. And, hopefully somehow these words will take seed and therefore potentially change the world, or at least change how I react to it. I would add to make a comment about he last line of this poem. I’ve read somewhere that if the God you know only loves the people you love, then maybe that God is too small. Because that group of people we can love is most likely a rather small group in relation to the population of this world.

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  • Mary Oliver,  poems,  poetry

    Love as never before…

    August 7, 2023
    Yesterday’s mornings predawn colors over Dixon Reservoir

    Be still, my soul, and steadfast.
    Earth and heaven both are still watching
    though time is draining from the clock
    and your walk, that was confident and quick,
    has become slow.

    So, be slow if you must, but let
    the heart still play its true part.
    Love still as once you loved, deeply
    and without patience. Let God and the world
    know you are grateful.
    That the gift has been given.

    May Oliver, The Gift

    I’m beginning to accept aging as more of a constant companion than someone to avoid. Nor do I live in a fantasy that it will go away. Aging now walks with me every day and walk at that slower pace. Some days I feel the grief of losing that walk that was confident and quick in my life, as Mary says in her poem. Yet, in this season of my life I am grateful for the gift of the life which has been given. What a gift it is to slow down, be present to life, fully experience and enjoy it. So my simple prayer this morning is that I may love as never before. The world needs more love! Why not let a spark begin with me.

    I began a crock pot of 15 bean soup this morning. Well there are more than 15 beans in it, which will be ready about 1:00 pm if you wanna come over. May you have a wonderful day, filled with a heart of gratitude!

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  • Art,  lifestyles,  quotes,  shadows,  spirituality,  still life

    …everyday life

    March 18, 2023

    In the end, the only thing that will matter will be how well we loved. If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is to pay attention to the person we encounter, more so, to be attentive to the ones we love (and often take for granted). To be present in the moment, heart and soul, attentive to the sounds of life in the midst of anxiety, laughter, sorrow, and wonder…. The moral of the story is that grace is everywhere and love abounds, but it must be received and celebrated. This is the sacrament of everyday life.

    Ilia Delio, The Hours of the Universe

    Looks like snow and cold in the upper Great Lakes while rain in the southeast. Clear and sunny here but cold and windy. I do believe in her words that grace is everywhere and love abounds. However, far too many aren’t aware of it or don’t believe in it or don’t live life as if it is. I wonder could it be that each of us must fan that flame to live it. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, enjoying the sacrament of everyday life we each have, no matter the weather!

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