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Entries in gratitude (103)

Friday
Jul112008

The Happiness of Now

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Hope is the mask of fear; trust is the face of courage, her friend had said.  Now she could see it was true. 

She decided to stop hoping for things to go well in the future and to begin trusting instead.  Wasn’t she herself the one who had said, Everything was unfolding exactly as it should?  You can rest now and wait?  Another friend had said it would be hard, but today she decided it would be easy.  Why not?  Who could hold her back from this knowing except for her own self?

She took a deep breath and tried to imagine now.  The now that was happening while she held in the breath and then let it go again.  The now that was holding her and keeping her in perfect love and care.  The now that she had first discovered in Africa, but that was here, too, right here in the kindness of her very own breath.  She would not have to go anywhere else to find it ever again.  It could not be contained in a person or a place or an experience or a moment.  It would remain right here, right now, in her very own soul, the place where she had been reborn, the place where she could rest and wait for the very next breath to take her into the happiness of now, her truest, kindest home.

+++++

Sweet traveling mercies to you as you find your way to the happiness of now, the kindness of home.  This space this morning is for you to say whatever you'd like about what's hard, what's sweet, what's easy, what's deep about that amazing journey.  Your images from your soul travels are as always, most welcome. 

Friday
Jun272008

The Things We Hold

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 She had just turned forty, her seventh baby tied to her back.  Her hands were worn from tilling fields in her husband's absence.  I saw weariness in her eyes, but also an unexpected kind of peace.  For every hardship, every year she felt overwhelmed or forgotten, the kindness of simple things remained--like the way a baby's foot feels in the deep hollow of your hand.

 What kind of goodness have you discovered lately in somebody's hands?  Or better yet, show us what you are holding in awe and wonder these days.   Leave us links to your hands or another's in the comments below.

Tuesday
Jun102008

fragile moments of exposure

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Dr. Robert Nix always wore bow ties to class.  Long and lean, he moved with confidence and grace – the gentleman of the fine art department. I loved his class. He taught me how to make photographic images through a pinhole in a box made of wood. Under his direction and encouragement that semester, my love of photography blossomed. He retired a year later. It's hard to imagine that was nearly twenty years ago.

Last Friday we reconnected. I had been looking forward to this visit so much and anticipated grand visions of our exchange.  I sent a link to a slideshow of my best images to him prior to my visit in hopes of a thorough critique.  I visualized us sitting side-by-side at the computer screen where he (clad in his bow tie) would be pointing and talking and instructing, and I would be listening and taking detailed notes...and...we'd talk about aperture settings and shutter speeds and tricks for tweaking light... and as a result, his aging photography student would find her focus.

But I got so much more – immersing myself in his home for just a few short hours. I met his talented and loving wife, Harriett – a painter and collector of antique dolls and art. I studied sepia-toned portraits of his parents and his parents' parents on the sideboard. We admired his endless stacks of National Geographics and his rare collection of Daguerreotypes and tintypes on the wall. At my insistence, he shared some of his own amazing black and white framed prints packed neatly in boxes below the pool table, down in the basement.  I marveled over the texture of his wooded landscape bromoil print and his explanation of this early photographic process. We ventured into his woodworking studio where he demonstrated his circular wood sculpting saw before he gave me a precious blond bowl carved from pear wood. And then he showed me his new Singer in the spare bedroom and introduced me to the art of making bow ties.

Yes, we did sit side-by-side at his computer screen and he did share a very thoughtful critique of my images, but this experience paled in comparison to what he had shared with me that day.  Looking back, I realize that I had come to his door in search of confidence. And as we neared the conclusion of our time together, his parting advice gave me just that:

"You've got a great eye. A good heart. And you believe in what you're doing. You don't need anything else."

* * *
Where do you turn for advice? or confidence in your art? Tell us about someone who has influenced your path or share an image that makes you feel proud of yourself.

Monday
May262008

Remember

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We are free.  

Free to speak... shout! and listen. We can choose to pray. The way we want. Or not at all.  We can choose to defend our perspective. To disagree. To confess. To make a point. To write. To vote. To criticize. Publicize. To celebrate. To make laws. And change them. To dream. And achieve. To express ourselves creatively. We are free to make choices. To learn. To share. To leave. To return. To be open. Or closed. We can choose to move forward. To look back. To stand tall... or still.

We are free.

But this is a gift.

May we always remember.

* * *
Let us put politics aside and share your words and images of thanks for our American soldiers (past and present) and their families.  Happy Memorial Day, Shutter Sisters.

Thursday
Apr242008

Love Thursday: April 24, 2008

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The last few weeks, I've had an insane travel schedule -- in three weeks, work obligations have dictated I visit three different cities in three different countries, resulting in me almost literally not knowing which way is up anymore.  (The travel has also made it very difficult for me to keep any semblance of my routine in order, so thanks much to the lovely Tracey for covering for me for Love Thursday last week -- I owe you one, Trace!).  There's still a bit more travel in my future -- my husband and I are off to a friend's wedding in Virginia tomorrow -- but blessedly, after this last trip, I won't have to see the inside of a plane for a while.

While all this travel has been  absolutely exhausting, there have been a few  wonderful bright spots, in the form of connecting with some really  lovely souls I've had the privilege of meeting and knowing in my life.   The first was the opportunity to sit over a delicious cappuccino (shown above) with Andrea, a woman who I met in 2006 at a conference, and with whom I seem to cross cyber-paths often --  not the least of which is here at Shutter Sisters, to which we both contribute.   Our time together last week was the first we'd spent  in person since that first fateful meeting two years ago, and it was as wonderful and refreshing as ever.

The second bright spot was spending time with my friend Rachel, a woman with whom a mutual friend had connected me about 7 years ago, thinking that our personalities would click.  And so true:  we immediately got on like a house on fire, and even though it had been about four years since I'd seen Rachel,  it was like no time had passed.  I left our dinner two nights ago feeling so thoroughly pleased for her happy life, and her bubbly personality lifted my spirits the way they always have.

Finally, after dinner with Rach, I met my friend, Mark, who I hadn't seen in about 9 months.  Mark is my dearest friend, we've known each other for over a decade, and he's the godfather of my daughter.  We sat for hours until the hotel bar kicked us out, and caught up on each other's lives:  my husband and his girlfriend, our jobs, politics, religion, money -- we covered it all, and I was genuinely sad  when our evening ended.

On the flight home Tuesday morning, I realized how lucky I am that I have all these wonderful people in my life.  The intensity of emotion I feel for each varies, yet I feel equally grateful for knowing each of them, and thankful for the gift of friendship they've each shared with me.  I'm a very lucky woman.

 * * * * * * *

Happy Love Thursday, everyone.  Please leave your links of love in the comments section, below -- and check out the beautiful photos by barilynn8 and Nicky Thomas for inspiration.  

And be sure to take a moment to reflect on the friends in your life today.  Because, while I'm sure you know they're important, they're really important, you know?