• lifestyles

    Letters

    May 30, 2016
    Letters
    Letters

    I have hand written, in cursive, a few letters over the past couple of months. As I wrote, I had memories of days as a youth reading letters from grandmothers. They were so enjoyable to read, filled with simple news and lots of misspelled words. I could hold them, reread them again and again.

    Wives, mothers and lovers depended on letters to keep connected to those serving during wartime, making sure anyone on foreign soil knew they were loved. Some still have those cherished letters.

    There’s a common belief that peace is the absence of struggle. But peace demands its own sacrifices. Are we who work for it willing to engage with as much fervor as those who fight wars do?

    Anyway, this Memorial day I have reflected on the importance of those letters, those who served and those who kept in touch.

    Read More
  • coffee shops,  lifestyles

    Writing Time

    March 31, 2016
    Writing Time
    Writing Time

    “Go into yourself. Find out the reason that commands you to write; see whether it has spread its roots into the very depths of your heart; confess to yourself whether you would have to die if you were forbidden to write.” ― Rainer Maria Rilke

    Read More
  • Black and White,  journal,  musings,  writing/reading

    Another Journal

    November 3, 2014
    Another Journal

    Started another journal on October 5th. This is my 22nd book since my first journal entry back on October 7, 1990. The first entry consisted of five sentences at a time of struggle. There was a lot going on inside mading it difficult to express myself in any coherent way.  I wrote about a struggling marriage, family issues, job changes, entering into another unnecessary war and the downward spiral of our society. That was 24 years ago. The marriage ended 9 months later. There are still family issues, I’m now retired, we’re still senselessly killing and our society still has a broken thinker.

    I’ve noticed my writing style has changed. I’m not writing to necessarily find answers but to pursue other questions. My journals are a mix of diaries, writings to a Higher Power (God) and co-authored with him. My audience is for family and friends as well as myself. The journals have been therapy for me. Some things I write and then read back over can enlighten me to a deeper knowledge of myself and allow for an acceptance of the world around me. I find it brings clarity, focus, slows down my troubled thinker and helps organize it. It has become an important part of my life. Now, if I could put words in some sort of coherency instead of feeling like I’m babbling.

    Read More
  • coffee shops,  writing/reading

    A Coffee House

    May 30, 2014
    Morning Journal Time
    Morning Journal Time

    I do not have a specific time of the day I journal. I can be motivated to pick up my pen and journal when the mood strikes or I need to clear my head. Like my camera it is always with me. That could be the reason I post a few images of my journal and pen. 🙂 In Old Town there are nine small mom and pop coffee houses that I wander into. There is a difference in how each coffee shop makes their lattes so through experimentation I learn when to order a mocha, an Americano or chai latte. There is also a difference in the ambiance in each of them. The feel of each coffee house is based on the decor, the baristas and as well the customers. I may have to write a review on each of them as a short project. That also gives me justification for spending my money at these places.

    Read More
  • musings,  writing/reading

    Living Life

    March 24, 2014
    Journal and Pen

    “You just have to live and life will give you pictures.” 

    Henri Cartier-Bresson

     I do not always know what will be found between the lines of the pages on my journal. But for over 20 years I’ve taken my pen in hand and opened myself to those blank pages. Words then come, as a gift. And, I think life will also give us words as well as pictures.

    Read More
  • sunrises,  writing/reading

    Writing

    April 2, 2013

    Morning Sunrise

    “Writing is not just jotting down ideas. Often we say: “I don’t know what to write. I have no thoughts worth writing down.” But much good writing emerges from the process of writing itself. As we simply sit down in front of a sheet of paper and start to express in words what is on our minds or in our hearts, new ideas emerge, ideas that can surprise us and lead us to inner places we hardly knew were there. One of the most satisfying aspects of writing is that it can open in us deep wells of hidden treasures that are beautiful for us as well as for others to see.” – Henri Nouwen

    Read More
  • Photography

    I Lost It?

    November 3, 2010

    Park Bench

    I lost it. I felt the anger and resentment well up inside of me, making me physically unhealthy. My back and neck were tight and the aching was more than annoying me. I did not like where I was. My mind kept playing out scenes which did not need to be imagined. Life was not what I wanted and I was not accepting it. I prayed for relarese from these unwelcomed thoughts and feelings.

    I settled into some quiet hoping to settle the restless spirit within me. I then grabbed my journal and began to write with the hope of putting my thoughts down in black and white would help them subside. Since the rain had stopped and the sun was peaking out between the rolling clouds and offering glimpses of bright blue skies, a restlessness was beckoning me to get up and move. With camera over my shoulder I walked within close proximity of my hotel. I whispered prayers and opened myself to the muse hoping it would point my photographers eye to the unseen images around me. Once back in my room it felt good to stretch out on my bed and relax. As I laid there I noticed the tension, anger, resentment and the unhealthy focusing on my “self” had slipped away. Was it the writing, the prayer, the quiet time, the walk or pressing the shutter on my camera? Hopefully it was all of them. I lost them.

    Read More