• coffee life,  People/Portraits,  quotes

    Top of my Gratitude List

    January 13, 2025
    Adriana and Emma

    May the light of your soul guide you; May the light of your soul bless the work you do with the secret love and warmth of your heart; May you see in what you do the beauty of your own soul; May the sacredness of your work bring healing, light and renewal to those who work with you and to those who see and receive your work; May your work never weary you; May it release within you wellsprings of refreshment, inspiration and excitement…

    John O’Donohue

    My coffee life this morning had a special perk to it. I was pleased to see Emma at the coffee shop when I arrived. Let me tell you about it. So Adriana, in the background, is one of the current baristas, a full time student at CSU and a manager at Mugs. Emma, in the foreground, worked at Mugs for many years while a student at CSU. She now lives in Massachusetts after graduation and is in town for a visit. These two were roommates for several years and two of the most beautiful people on the earth. They both have made a lot of my mornings better by their presence, offering their smiles, their morning greetings and making my mocha lattes. My life has been enriched because of the gifts they are and I believe the world is richer because of their presence. Even though I am much older, they inspire me through the lives they live! I also consider them adopted granddaughters. They are at the top of my gratitude list! Even though I knew Emma was going to be here, it was still a wonderful surprise to see her. I’m still smiling!

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  • flowers,  Plants,  quotes

    A Great Poem

    July 26, 2024

    “Re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul and your very flesh shall be a great poem.” 

    Walt Whitman

    And why not? How many of us will or have said I’m an engineer, a doctor, a salesman, a photographer, a Buddhist, a poet. Or worse yet? How many of us are told that we’re a sinner, or stupid, or too short, or worthless, and believed it. Maybe Whitman’s right, we will be a great poem or even prayer or maybe a saint, when we listen to the voice of our own soul.

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  • Arapaho Bend Natural Area,  landscape,  natural areas,  poems,  poetry,  quotes,  sunrises,  writing/reading

    Whoever that may be

    July 29, 2023

    In the late summer season of life, I found
    authors, guides, and teachers who have made me
    aware of the gift of my wandering soul and spirit
    within my own inner landscape.

    With no knowledge of an inner landscape
    I went seeking in the enticing outer landscape
    yet this wandering soul and spirit of mine
    was never satisfied, never fulfilled, always lost

    Now in my winter season of life
    my soul and spirit wander my inner landscape
    seeking the Unknowable,
    that source of life,
    Whatever and
    Whoever that may be.

    mws

    I’ll end this with a thought from C.G. Jung, suggesting that our wandering has and is the thirst of our being for wholeness, expressed in medieval language: the union with God.

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  • insects,  John O'Donohue,  quotes

    The Wanderer’s Soul

    July 22, 2023

    While each place has its own beauty, no particular place can claim to settle the wanderer’s soul.

    John O’Donohue, Eternal Echoes

    If you ever want to observe a wandering soul look no farther than the world of insects. Most wander in pursuit of food, to mate and to avoid predators. I have found the only way to photograph dragonflies and damselflies is to set up my camera and tripod then wait. With enough patience those wandering souls will pass through your viewfinder. Hoping you are enjoying your Saturday.

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  • fog,  landscape,  quotes

    Full of wanderlust…

    July 21, 2023
    Wanderlust in Red Fox Meadows

    … this morning. We were gifted with a foggy, cool morning here in Colorado. So, I again wandered from the comfort of my condo to walk among the wet grasses of the meadow. My body and soul needing to feel the cool air, to be awakened, again. Each venture into nature is my place of discovery, where I feel like I’m spending time with a good friend. Yes, my soul is full of wanderlust. I like that word. And, speaking of a friend. I will meet my friend Lyndsi later. It’s been a while so we will catch up and share a hug (or two). May you have a wonderful and safe day! 

    The soul is full of wanderlust. When we suppress the longing to wander in the inner landscape, something within us dies. The soul and spirit are wanderers; their place of origin and destination remain unknown; they are dedicated to the discovery of what is unknown and strange.

    John O’Donohue, Eternal Echoes
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  • flowers,  Mary Oliver,  Plants,  quotes

    What Life Should I Live?

    May 30, 2022

    What does it mean, say the words, that the earth is so beautiful? And what shall I do with it? What is the gift that I should bring to the world? What is the life I should live?

    Mary Oliver

    Someone has planted Irises along the parking area at Pineridge Natural Area. I want to thank the beautiful soul(s) for planting them and the gift they brought to the world! Now I’m offering this image of them covered with raindrops from a nice refreshing rain. We had a nice lovely rain yesterday and can expect the same today.

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  • clouds,  landscape,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  poems,  silence,  sunrises,  writing/reading

    Sunday morning sunrise…

    May 29, 2022
    Sunrise at Pineridge Natural Area this morning

    The new day’s light 
    veiled behind gray clouds.
    A crisp morning air caressing my soul 
    as I listen to nature’s silence.

    A meadowlark perches on a rabbit brush,
    near the water’s edge, near its nest.
    Six pelicans take to the air
    circling the reservoir then fly north.
    A cottontail ventures from safety
    to nibble on blades of grass.

    Nature is comfortable with silence,
    much more than man.
    How easily I forget
    to listen to nature’s silence.

    Have a wonderful Sunday!

    ms
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  • coffee life,  coffee shops,  quotes

    Way of life …

    January 11, 2022

    For me photography is to place head and heart and eye along the same line of sight. It’s a way of life.

    Henri Cartier-Bresson

    Cold mornings have kept me snuggled under covers rather than braving the cold at one of the natural areas to greet the sunrise. I’m gonna need to change that attitude and spend time with nature, otherwise you will probably see more images of coffee cups, which could get boring quickly. I must admit sitting in one of the soft cozy chairs with a mocha latte and a good book is good for the soul, and warmer. However, I also need to be touched with the spirit of nature, in the cold. Looks to be cold for the next few days so we’ll see how often I am able to lift off those heavy covers. After all, photography is a way of life for me.

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  • quotes,  shadows,  silence

    Shadows on the patio

    December 1, 2021

    We must become so alone, so utterly alone, that we withdraw into our innermost self. It is a way of bitter suffering. But then our solitude is overcome, we are no longer alone, for we find that our innermost self is the spirit, that it is God, the indivisible. And suddenly we find ourselves in the midst of the world, yet undisturbed by its multiplicity, for our innermost soul we know ourselves to be one with all being.

    Hermann Hesse
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