• journal,  writing/reading

    Use Words Wisely

    Words. So powerful. They can crush a heart, or heal it. They can shame a soul, or liberate it. They can shatter dreams, or energize them. They can obstruct connection, or invite it. They can create defenses, or melt them. We have to use words wisely.

    Jeff Brown

    After years of journaling I’ve come to understand the shortcomings of words to express much of what we think and experience of life. There are thousands of books written in prose and poetry in our attempt to express thoughts, ideas, concepts, feelings, or define a single word. For thousands of years man has attempted to put into words what and who God is. Some feel they have found the answer. I don’t have that same feeling. It’s a mystery!

    Since my teenage years, and maybe earlier than that, I have asked those deep questions: how was I created and why? How did it all start and why and by whom? Who is God? Is there a God? If there is a God why would God create then punish what is created? All questions I believe we cannot define or comprehend. Nor can words define the fragrance of a rose. Words fall short.

    My journaling is a collection of letters and prayers addressing questions to my deeper self, that essence of who I really am. For me the name, definition or comprehension of the word god is not as important as experiencing the reality of something Divine through nature, my journals, my meditation, all experiences in life.

    Meister Eckhart says, “God is above all a reality to be experienced from within.” I’m well aware of the inadequacy of my words to express my experiences or fully articulate the questions. What is important is asking of questions. So, through this blog and my journaling I’m learning to use words wisely.

  • journal,  landscape,  natural areas,  Plants,  sunsets,  trees,  writing/reading

    Winds of Change

    Some of you know I’m living in recovery from alcoholism. If not, you do now. I read a question today that caused me to reflect on my life now that I have a bit of time in recovery. The question was, “What are the important things in my recovery?” Here’s a short list from journaling this morning.

    • living life using the principles of the 12 Steps
    • daily practice of prayer and meditation
    • healing physically, emotionally and spiritually
    • healing of broken relationships and birthing of new relationships
    • experiencing a Higher Power from within
    • able to be more present to life and more often
    • true honesty with others
    • learning to be a better listener, thus a better communicator
    • coming to know my true and authentic self
    • practicing a thorough and authentic daily self-examination
    • seeing with the eyes of my heart
    • uncovering my unhealthy character defects
    • living with and accepting all my emotions
    • the enjoyment of solitude and silence
    • using journaling as letters, prayers, asking deep questions 
    • discovering my value as a human and the value of others
    • uncovering and using the talents and gifts given to me at my conception
    • finding and using my inner observer

    This morning was quite windy. When I stepped outside about 7:00 am, I needed to pause and listen to the wind blowing through the trees. I smiled as the wind blew leaves from branches, enjoying their rustling dance across the ground. I took a deep breath, filled with hope and excitement, because the wind was a metaphor for the winds of change blowing in our world.

  • Black and White,  clouds,  grass,  lake,  landscape,  Plants,  prairie,  quotes,  trees

    Beautiful Questions

    Cottonwood trees reflecting in a pond at Rocky Mountain Arsenal from 2011

    “The ability to ask beautiful questions, often in very unbeautiful moments, is one of the great disciplines of a human life. And a beautiful question starts to shape your identity as much by asking it as it does by having it answered.”

    David Whyte

    A few years ago I became less interested in answers and more interested in the questions. We already have too many people who have the answers. I’m grateful for the inquisitive minds in our world today, always looking for another question. Those questioning minds belong to the creatives, the prophets, researchers, the explorers, the seekers.

  • Creativity,  Dewdrops,  landscape,  leaves,  Metro Parks,  natural areas,  Plants,  quotes

    Growth in my Photography

    Morning dew on the leaves at Inniswood Gardens

    “I beg you, to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don’t search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer.” 

    Rainer Maria Rilke

    While living in the Westerville, Ohio area I was exposed to nature areas that were so different from my home state of Colorado. I was enthralled with all the green, the insects , the soft diffused light and the amount of rain. I was not used to all the rain and for sure had to adjust to the overcast skies. I cans still in my memory recall the distinct fragrance these forested areas offered, telling me how alive they were.

    At the time I was traveling 3-4 days then home for 3-4 days. These extended days off gave me the opportunity to explore the Metro Parks in around the Westerville area. I found two  parks within about 10 minutes of my apartment so I ventured into those worlds on regular basis. One was Inniswood Gardens and the other was Blendon Woods. And, the days I was traveling were opportunities to explore new cities, peoples, cultures and almost unlimited photo opportunities. It was during this time I feel I began to grow emotionally and spiritually which in turn allowed my view of the world to grow. And, this emotional and spiritual growth was the seed to the growth of my photography.