as fate would have it

Let us, then, be up and doing

With a heart for any fate;

Still achieving, still pursuing,

Learn to labor and to wait.

- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

++++++++++++

Life's labors have always come fairly easy to me. I've never minded working really hard. The waiting on the other hand,  has not been so easy. But these days, I am now recognizing the wait is an opportunity to slow my pace, to quiet my mind, to live more deliberately.

In the wait, words jump off the page as if they were written for me. Gifts of everyday life appear at every corner.  It's exactly the Universal nod I have needed. The more still I become, the more is revealed to me. Wonder, truth, authenticity, a heart for any fate.

What is the Universe revealing to you? Words? Pictures? Dreams? Share your work and your wait.

Comments

[kosenrufu mama]

here my small universe...
http://esterdaphne.blogspot.com/2009/03/cosa-amo.html
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23206424@N07/3399194478/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23206424@N07/3398805654/

[kosenrufu mama]

here my small universe...
http://esterdaphne.blogspot.com/2009/03/cosa-amo.html
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23206424@N07/3399194478/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23206424@N07/3398805654/

[Marcie]

Stunning image Tracey..love the glowing bokeh.
Waiting for sunshine and real spring..but taking all in that is today:
http://www.marciescudderphotography.com/index.php?showimage=742

[Vanessa]

tiny little surprises like these, for instance.
and i didn't even see them till after i had taken the photograph!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vanessa_r/3391055890/

[Alicia]

Tiny surprises in the grass... Often passed over.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/34467943@N07/3421044012/

[meg manion silliker]

the joy of a walk in my neighborhood................
http://www.bluelimephoto.blogspot.com/

[Elizabeth Harper]

Here's an example of what I do to live more deliberately...

http://giftsofthejourney.wordpress.com/2009/02/22/walking-the-saints-way-when-living-your-life-gets-in-the-way-of-writing-about-it/

[Mrs. E]

Waiting, ever waiting...
http://erickfam.blogspot.com/2009/04/small-town-america.html

[Sue Henry]

Stunning image.

These sentences clearly spoke to me: "The more still I become, the more is revealed to me. Wonder, truth, authenticity, a heart for any fate."

http://suehenryphotography.wordpress.com/2009/04/07/lily/
http://suehenryphotography.wordpress.com/2009/03/29/grace/
http://suehenryphotography.wordpress.com/2009/03/27/desires/
http://suehenryphotography.wordpress.com/2009/03/26/nuances/

[elk]

climbing....
http://www.redorgray.com/2009/04/ivy-sun-by-redorgray-on-flickr.html

[NotAnna]

Couldn't agree more. Waiting is sooo not my strong suit. The up-and-doing kind of gal that I am does love to make detailed plans of when and how she will slow down, plotting against her very nature. Someday, I figure, my pace will decelerate on its own and I won't have to work at bending and warping her into some other form. :-)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31866449@N04/3306730263/

[Michelle Davies]

Absolutely beautiful! Love that golden light you caught.

[shelli]

I have always loved that poem. Lately I have been wanting to do more with one of my photography projects, but I'm not sure what. But I am very excited about these photos nonetheless.



http://www.flickr.com/photos/spabis/sets/72157613817648351/

[Toni | Daily Vignette]

Cute little puffballs on my neighbor's tree, poking over the fence into my back yard:

http://dailyvignette.com/2009/04/07/im-in-heaven/
http://dailyvignette.com/2009/04/06/puffballs/

[busymomma66]

Waiting for my daughter to wake up. She's great at keeping me focused in the here and now.

http://busymomma66.blogspot.com/2009/04/blog-post.html

[Lecia]

Beautiful words and image. Me? Recognizing small joys:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/a_day_that_is_dessert/3419604838/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/a_day_that_is_dessert/3419604098/

[Charlane]

I am working towards finding a new job in this economy and in doing so, I moved back home to be closer to family. this shot came during dinner Saturday when the golden light hit the backyard during a family function.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/charlaneg/3416601980/

[KL]

In all the rush and crazy, when there is a moment of stillness, I find myself waiting for it all to begin again. Waiting for the boisterous joy the quiet promises.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12418609@N00/3420609825/

[Stevie]

I loved this post. I've had a lot of idle time these last few winter months and the universe has been blessing me with many visits with family and loved ones. Here is a shot from my cousin's baby's first birthday party.

http://steviet365.blogspot.com/2009/03/march-21st.html

I relish every moment that I can spend with those that I love.

[Kacey]

My husband and I like to start our day drinking coffee out in my office and watching the world come alive. This morning it turned into a photo competition between us. I love it when we take time and really see and appreciate what's out there.

http://www.wineonthekeyboard.com/2009/04/05/breakfast-shootout/

[Kelly]

Tracey, this is a really thought-provoking post for me, because I'm a Christian, and we so often talk about what it means to "wait on the Lord," but we never really DO wait on Him. I can really relate to what you're saying about finding the freedom not to fight, to wait, to see what I will discover, what it is He has for me every moment of every day, instead of getting caught up in endless pursuit. I think He has me in a time of waiting right now, a time of trust that He holds tomorrow and I can live today without fear.

I took this photo and wrote this post this weekend, as I've been slowly sorting out my priorities and trying to decide what is best and important...

http://livingbygrace.blogspot.com/2009/04/i-hope-you-still-feel-small.html

[jennifer bee photography]

Working.

http://jenniferbeephotography.blogspot.com/2009/04/working-hands.html

[CarrieJ]

I have just started dabbling in TtV and looking at my world through a "new" viewfinder has made me reassess the things around me, to see beauty and wonder in the things I was taking for granted. Look around with new eyes!
I don't have a specific post to point you to, but if anyone is interested, check out the last week in my blog life :)
http://www.thejaxon4.blogspot.com

[kristin]

home with sick kids, a spring that seems to be stuck on pause, not much to do but wait.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/14811117@N02/3421538976/

[Holly]

mine is up!

http://themares.blogspot.com/2009/04/i-think-mother-nature-lied.html

[jag]

What a beautiful awareness you have shared with us! For me, patience and acceptance go hand-in-hand. And sometimes they go hand-in-hand right out the window! This is why Silence is so important to me... meditation helps me stay rooted in what is Real:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jagspace/3249758200/in/set-72157607328527864/
xox

[sandra]

remembering to take in all the moments....all the little things that make my journey beautiful....that's what
i've been trying to focus on lately.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/myinspiredheart/3397782095/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/myinspiredheart/3407543629/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/myinspiredheart/3408571717/

[cara]

I walk for inspiration, especially to a nearby spiritual retreat with a rock meditation garden and a labyrinth to walk. Walking the labyrinth definitely slows my pace, quiets my mind, and makes me become more deliberately aware.

Today's post was coincidentally one of the rock stacks: http://caramoulds.com/index.php?showimage=323

[beth]

the universe is telling me I can do this....this being a thought that is swirling in my mind....even when the path is rough and crooked or the stairs are impossible to climb......I can achieve what I believe !!!


http://www.flickr.com/photos/29291473@N04/2975326333/

[Secret Agent Mama]

To me, the world reveals that there is beauty in the old.. there is beauty in nostalgia... there is beauty everywhere and not just in the polished...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/secretagentmama/3418537881/

[Elizabeth]

Thank you Tracey. These words ring True.

[Georgia]

http://itsjusthowiseethings.blogspot.com/2009/04/staying-later-at-work-has-its-benefits.html

[GayleV]

That there is beauty close to me.
http://momandcamera.blogspot.com/2009/03/lilac-bush.html
http://momandcamera.blogspot.com/2009/04/messages.html

[Heather]

Waiting -- I'm impatient by nature but my children are teaching me the art of being still. Certainly of appreciating the opportunity for quiet when it makes it rare appearance! My pic today is what I found when waiting for hummingbirds.

http://mamamutterings.blogspot.com/2009/04/gratitude.html

[Wayfaring Wanderer]

I am impatiently waiting for spring to REALLY arrive!

http://www.wayfaringwanderer.com/2009/04/and-i-thought-it-was-april.html

[claudia]

Just posted today about waiting. I find I can't always wait for something to shot outside around here, sometimes I just got make it happen inside.
http://gnubee.wordpress.com/2009/04/07/echoes-of-the-farm/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/laurohunt/3422528315/

[Andromeda Jazmon]

I've been spending a lot of time waiting to heal from two surgeries this past winter. It's been an opportunity to watch spring come in. Waiting for cherry blossoms... and here they are: http://sandycovetrail.blogspot.com/2009/04/free-verse-project.html

Thanks for this post. Off to visit the links now!

[mary]

Your photo is gorgeous, and I love that quote. I'm waiting for the rain to stop:

http://mary-simplethings.blogspot.com/2009/04/diamonds.html

and for life to unfurl:

http://mary-simplethings.blogspot.com/2009/04/promise.html

[Rachel Parton]

After dealing with snow in April, I'm seeing a little HOPE in nature...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/partonponderings/3424559323/