Thursday, November 27, 2014

Six Word Fridays ~ Feast


We chop and stir, slice and
measure; each spice - each choice - links
days long gone with the now.


Sweet meets savory to make some
magic as generations join hands and 
hearts. One table...so many traditions.


Blessings are counted and laughter shared
as we feast for hours on
love and comfort, family and friendship.



My Memory Art six word fridays
Please join in the Friday fun!
Caption a photo, share a poem
or tell a story. Just remember,
only six words in each line!

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Black & White Wednesday ~ Thanksgiving


Keep your eyes open to your mercies.
Robert Louis Stevenson



Wishing all who stop by this week a very happy Thanksgiving!


My Memory Art



Thursday, November 20, 2014

Six Word Fridays ~ Rain


Not a cloud in the sky...
but the golden leaves fall like
rain, floating on the autumn breeze.




My Memory Art six word fridays
Please join in the Friday fun!
Caption a photo, share a poem
or tell a story. Just remember,
only six words in each line!


November Haiku


as reds go gray and


color fades, chilly winds howl


chasing fall away




Linking up with
Little Things Thursday
and
Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Black & White Wednesdays ~ On Top of the World


I just loved the determination of this little guy -
he was working so hard to carve his name into the rock
at the top of the Horn Pond mountain.
The view of the Boston skyline's not bad either!





My Memory Art
Link up here and share your
Black & White photos!
I'm also linkin up with
Communal Global

Pocketful of Sunshine


As the landscape fades around us,
and the birds nibble at the last berries,


I find myself enjoying these last bursts of autumn.


There are still a handful of trees
showing off the bold yellows of the season.


Among all the dried, fallen leaves
and empty branches
they feel like one big pocket full of sunshine!








Joining Kathy for
Song-ography


Monday, November 17, 2014

fifty-four


"Goals transform a random walk into a chase."
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi


My fifty-fourth year on this planet is complete. Complete with love and family. I could just stop right there. I am loved. My husband and I celebrated our thirtieth wedding anniversary this year. It's a wonder-full thing to be able to say that we are closer to one another and happier together than we've ever been. Our family is healthy, strong, close. We go through things, sometimes tough things, and emerge with softer hearts and closer connections on the other side. Yes, this alone 'completes' me.


As I look back over the year, I am also struck by how many genuinely wonderful friendships I share with an eclectic collection of remarkable humans! From dear old friends, to heart-connected-cyber friends, to best of best friends .... all the way to some brand new friends who will make this year one that I'll always remember. Wow. Even writing that humbles me. I am blessed beyond measure.


This year has been marked by change. Somewhere, deep down inside of me, a shift has occurred. I've gone from living with my health and well-being last on my list, to prioritizing the 'care and feeding' of me! I could fill a book with the attempts that I've made over all the years of my life to make this vital change take place....but I'll just say as I head into my fifty-fifth year, I'm living in my body in a way that I never have. And this is good. Oh, so good.


It has taken many years and the unconditional love of many people to bring me to this point. Every attempt, every crazy health choice I've made, have all contributed to me being ready for the journey that I am on today. I celebrate my birthday today with all of the pieces of these fifty four years - the pieces that still fit in today's picture, and the pieces that I've had to cast aside. Every moment, every morsel contributes to who I am as I type these words. And for that - for all the pieces - I am grateful.


One of the many things I've learned this year as I wander around "my" pond, is that having a goal changes my time outside in nature. If I head over to the pond hoping to spot the swans, or capture the heron, or see a spectacular sunset...well, I'm pretty sure I miss more than I actually see. I loose all sense of being in the moment, of appreciating whatever might cross my path. I find myself getting tense and sacrificing the fun and the joy that come from being in one of my favorite places. When I walk with no camera, I just keep moving and let the place work it's magic. When I carry my camera, I tend to follow the light - whatever the sun is showing me that day, I pause to capture it.

I've tried to carry this lesson into my daily life where goals, deadlines and responsibilities tend to pile up and become the norm...become the elements that structure my world. My prayer for this coming year is to continue to learn the art of staying in the moment ... not only in my unstructured wanderings, but also through my ordinary days. Not instead of living responsibly, but as I live responsibly. I find myself eager to pursue growth without chasing it down or imposing artificial deadlines in the process.


So, on this chilly, gray and rainy November 17th, I send this off into the blogosphere with a smile on my face, and gratitude - so much gratitude - in my heart.



Joining Tamar for

Sunday, November 16, 2014

Chilly November


Yesterday's climb up my little mountain
was so very "November" ...
The air has taken on an entirely new level of chill,
and the forest is now see-through
because the leaves are all on the ground.
Some piles were still 'salted' by Thursday's snowfall!


At the top,
I found this sweet couple,
bundled up and sitting together all cuddled up.
Even with the chill,
a few moments to linger and look at the skyline are always wonderful!


As I made my way back around the pond,
I came across a young bride and her military groom.
Such a sweet sight - the beginnings of a life together!


On another path,
I found a pair strolling along
through all the wonderful trees that line up in a row to shelter us.
Don't you love the shadows they form
with the late afternoon sun streaming through?


Me?
I was alone with the light.
With the trees, leaves, crisp air and my thoughts.
And loved every minute of this November wander.



Joining Ashley for

Saturday, November 15, 2014

Woodpecker Spotting

I loved watching this little guy
against the back drop of the fall foliage.
Question is...
Did I spot him,
or did he spot me??






Thursday, November 13, 2014

Six Word Fridays ~ Cross


Along the cemetery path I see
a thread leaf Japanese maple tree.


Drawn to the fancy, spindly leaves
I peek inside this crazy tree!


The branches criss and cross to form
a tented haven from the storm.


And from inside, who could guess
the beauty of this magical mess?


I stepped in, stayed a while;
and couldn't do anything but smile!




My Memory Art six word fridays
Please join in the Friday fun!
Caption a photo, share a poem
or tell a story. Just remember,
only six words in each line!

Show Tunes



My teen years were not filled with rock and roll. Or disco. Oh, I tried to listen to the radio and I have a few "pop music" memories from {way} back in the day....but my junior high and high school years were filled to the brim with show tunes. I was that girl - the one with the hair brush in front of her bedroom mirror. But I wasn't trying to be Cher...or Carly Simon, Helen Reddy or Joni Mitchell. I wanted to belt out Broadway show tunes like Ethel Merman. And would have traded just about anything I had {or would ever have} to become a Barbra Streisand. Alas.....


As I listened to the leaves rustling under my feet last weekend, breathed in the crisp scent of autumn air and took in the brilliant foliage that surrounded me, I was surprised to see these vibrant pink blooms pop up out of nowhere. They seemed out of place, out of season. I enjoyed photographing them against the background of fallen leaves and yellow trees. In the midst of this letting go season, they stood out as a reminder that new blooms and growth will forever continue...even when we don't see it happening right in front of us.

Gazing at these 'against all odds' roses I seemed to hear Ethel Merman's voice?

"I had a dream,
a dream about you baby.
They think we're through, but baby,

You'll be swell! You'll be great!
Gonna have the whole world on a plate!
Starting here, starting now,
honey, every thing's coming up roses!"

Still a favorite tune...though my hairbrush and mirror days are long gone!





Joining Kim for
and Mama Kat for her

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Black & White Wednesday ~ Angels


"Go forth, the teller of tales.
And seize whatever
the heart longs for.
Have no fear.
Everything exists.
And everything is true.
And the earth is only 
A little dust
Under our feet."
W. B. Yeats



My Memory Art
Please join us and share your
Black & White photos!

Sunday Sermon?


At this time in my life, I don't have a church home. I'm a believer without community...without a family of fellow believers with whom I long to share my prayers and songs and worship time. I have found community and spiritual support in other ways...through old friendships and new...but there are days when I miss having a local church home that I can call my own.

This past Sunday, I was feeling the need for a sermon. Not the tell-me-what-to-do-and-how-to-be type of sermon, but a stir-my-soul kind of sermon. Hungry for a spiritual something, I went for a long walk through one of the most beautiful cemeteries in our area. In this place I saw family, love, loss, pain, death, separation, hope, faith, honor, respect and longing. I felt the stone cold finality of my earth-bound life and the can't-capture-it-or-tether-it-down eternal nature of the soul. And I was reminded that I'm just one small piece of the infinitely wide and wonderful whole.


It's the perfect time of year to wander in this cemetery. Consecrated in 1831 and open to all faiths, the grounds themselves are a world class arboretum. I can't imagine actually being able to describe how beautiful this place is. There are always scenes when I visit that stop me in my tracks. Moments where I think, "Pinch me...this is like a dream."

On Sunday, every where I turned there were new shades of color. And it seemed to surround me! Up above, on the ground, over every hill and down around the ponds. Each tree, each branch and each leaf joined together to cocoon me...to carry and shelter me as I threw all my cares away. Every tiny chirping bird, little rose bud and individual leaf reminded me how vital each small piece really is to the infinitely wide and wonderful whole.


In this place where death and life are so profoundly intertwined, I heard my sermon. As I wandered out, beyond my front door, trying to figure out what "all this" is for, I sure heard a wonderful sermon. My soul was stirred and stilled....my heart was filled....and my mind was both awakened and quieted. Self was put back into perspective.

I left the cold stone and the vibrant trees aware of my humble state and convinced that I matter.

Though I was still missing those hymns....




Joining Kathy for
{today's inspiration was Pinch Me by Barenaked Ladies}
and linking up with