Set in Stone

          The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.

Allium Bulgaricum

There are always flowers for those who want to see them!

 

Macro Landscape

I

desired

to

see

something more

perhaps

a wolf

an eagle

or

at the 

very least

a deer

but

this is what

appeared  

                                                  

Universal Icon

 

"The nearer the dawn the darker the night."

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

   Taken April 13th, 2013 6:45am.
 The sun has been worshipped and revered by people throughout the ages. Each day starts and ends with a beautiful natural sight. The sun brings a new day to us in the form of a sunrise, and brings each day to a close with a sunset. This picture was taken hand held which accounts for the distorted image. In this photograph, I like the illusion the distortion gives. I will not do this again as a risk to ruining, camera, lens and my eyes. With 92, 988,800 miles between Earth and sun and the vastness of space, this really puts into perspective how small and infinitesimal the human species really is. It is truly radically amazing.

Detachment

                 "  Just stay in the center of the circle and let everything else takes its course."
                                                                  ~Tao Te Ching~

Consider

 

 

         "Consider the lilies of the field and how they grow.  They toil not, neither do they spin -- yet even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these..." (Matthew 6:28-29)

 

 Wise words from Matthew, for any of us who might be agonizing over

life's ups and downs. Where does the agonizing and toiling really get us? Many times stuck in our own mind. Every day is a new day to start living like the " lilies of the field."

 

Not Thinking

"There is something in you that is not touched by coming and going, by up and down, by for or against, by the raucous teams of totally right or totally wrong. There is a part of you that is patient with both goodness and evil to gradually show themselves, exactly as God does. There is a part of you that does not rush to judgment. Rather, it stands vigilant and patient in the tragic gap that almost every moment offers. 

 It is a riverbed of mercy. It is vast, silent, restful, and resourceful, and it receives and also lets go of all the comings and goings. It is awareness itself, and awareness is not as such "thinking." It refuses to be pulled into the emotional and mental tugs of war that most of life is -- before it is forever over and gone. 

To look out from this untouchable silence is what we mean by contemplation...This is your soul. It is God-in-you. This is your True Self."

~Richard Rohr, from Immortal Diamond ~

Backyard Beauties

 

Scatter Seeds

“By cultivating the beautiful we scatter the seeds of heavenly flowers, as by doing good we cultivate those that belong to humanity.”
~Vernon Howard~

How the Light Gets In

                                                                 

The birds they sang
at the break of day
Start again
I heard them say
Don’t dwell on what
has passed away
or what is yet to be.

Ah the wars they will
be fought again
The holy dove
She will be caught again
bought and sold
and bought again
the dove is never free.

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in.

~Leonard Cohen~

 

   

    

 

American Gold

Perched atop

arched wire

                                                         color to the darkness
                                                         softness to the stark harshness
                                                         and beauty to the uglyness.

                 Isn't that what we are all called to do?

                   Even in the mist of our weakness, our pain, and our humanity

                      His beauty can shine.                                   

                                          

It's Up To You

One song can spark a moment,
One flower can wake the dream.
One tree can start a forest,
One bird can herald spring.

One smile begins a friendship,
One handclasp lifts a soul.
One star can guide a ship at sea,
One word can frame the goal.

One vote can change a nation,
One sunbeam lights a room.
One candle wipes out darkness,
One laugh will conquer gloom.

One step must start each journey,
One word must start each prayer.
One hope will raise our spirits,
One touch can show you care.

One voice can speak with wisdom,
One heart can know what's true.
One life can make the difference,
You see, IT'S UP TO YOU!

 

 

Car Wash Collage

                 It really is true. You can find beauty any where any time if you look for it! And this is proof if you keep your camera handy. I took these pictures inside the car as the car wash maneuvered through the various cycles. I could also smell the refreshing aroma of the bubble gum suds which added to being present in the now. How amazing life can become when finding joy and beauty in ordinary, everyday experiences. I love this quote by Henry Thoreau in which he says," It is something to be able to paint a picture, or to carve a statue---to make a few objects beautiful. But it is far more glamorous to carve and paint the very atmosphere and medium through which we look." Next time you go through the car wash, or any other ordinary daily experience notice the beauty, textures, and sounds. Once this concept enters your consciousness and you come to grasp its significance, the way you look at and see things will be changed in a most profound way.

A Hanging Masterpiece

The Oriole makes some of the most unique nests in nature. It's amazing that these little Northern Orioles are able to weave such an intricate nest of strings and fibers. As a human being, I'd have a hard time making a similar nest myself, yet God created these little creatures with the ability to do this without having to be taught! The shape of the nest often looks like a baseball caught in a strong spiderweb. This nest was about fifty feet above the ground. The trees that are frequently chosen are cottonwoods, poplars, birch, alder and oaks.

         The migration of the Oriole is amazing. Not so much the actual migration, but how it is done. It takes 2 or 3 weeks to prepare for this flight. They molt, shedding old feathers and gaining new ones. There weight doubles in size during this time, seeing how they need to travel about 3000 miles to their southern destinations across the Gulf of Mexico. Their flight takes place at night for several reasons. First, their main predator, the Hawk, does not fly at night. Second, it is cooler at night so they are less likely to overheat on this great migration. Third, and most amazing they look to the stars to aid in their navigation. How cool is that! During the day they rest and try to eat as much as they can to continue their great journey.

         I'm so grateful that God gave us beautiful birds to watch, love and appreciate. Not only color and song makes our world the wonderful place it is, but also makes our human journey more enjoyable as we migrate to our eternal home. My next challenge is to find and photograph the beautiful birds that build these "hanging masterpieces."

Stand or Fly?

“When you have come to the edge

of

all light

that you know

and

are about to drop off

into the darkness

of the unknown

   

Faith

is knowing

one of two things will happen.
There will be something solid to stand on

or

you will be taught to fly”.

Patrick Overton

 

Color and Shape

I have found I can say things with color and shape that I couldn't say

any other way. Some things I have no words for.