finding-my-bliss

To every Mary, may our engaging of hearts pulse out peace & love This post is dedicated to the Twelve  Days of Mary Love  hosted annually by our beloved Rebecca over at Haiku my Heart .  It seems to me more than ever these days we need to keep close together in this sacred mission to promote peace through sister love, by taking whatever means accessible as the world goes through so much grief and suffering  to share solidarity.  For a long time I have been drawn to the idea that this on-line space is a miraculous means to counter much of the unrest, to give hope and comfort for our grieving world.  My friend Cat over at Love & Light has published a beautiful post on the subject of Grief, go and see ~> ~> Links ~   Love & Light Haiku my Heart ~  Recuerda mi Corazon

Still , grey, dank and damp Still sadness shrouds my being Still I choose gratitude As I look out upon the morning my day starts grey, my window on the world is a blend of grey tinged with light, I could paint the day colourful by means of words and images for I am able to that and sometimes painting happy is the right thing to do but for today I'm lingering in grey because I feel this is the best way to express my sadness for the world and myself... This on-line space allows for that, for authenticity, the freedom of revealing those grey vulnerable moments, valuing life as surging from and encompassing all of the different shades, for this I am grateful. I am also grateful for gratitude itself, it is a 'friend' and as another friend said it is 'buoying' to the soul.  Choosing the practice of gratitude allows for the light to rise again spontaneously and naturally giving way to colour.   Linking with Haiku my Heart Recuerda mi Corazon

Sometimes you come across a word you've heard, read and used many times before and now suddenly that word takes on a new life with a stronger sense of meaning. Somehow that word albeit simple becomes much, much more, more powerful and motivating... I noticed a leaf on my travels it stood out like a glittering jewel on the roadside, struck by its vivid colours and symmetrical pattern I picked up the leaf and stroked it. On touching the velvety smooth surface the word that had been on my mind for days emerged again, as I looked and thought about the leaf and the word a strange kind of sadness began to creep over me, an intense awareness that this leaf's time-bound beauty also signaled its decline...    floating leaves,  fleeting moments riding on the wind,  heavenly message... Sending my words to Haiku my Heart Recuerda mi Corazon

Intuitive take, old stories and new stories hangout together . You can take hundreds of photographs easily on one trip of a life-time! Yet somehow, usually, there is  just one that becomes 'iconic' in that it can sum-up the whole experience, immediately transporting you back in time with all the thrill and vibe of that occasion.  This is the one! It was an intuitive flash of the moment take of my lovely daughter-in-law standing with shadow at the top of the Empire State building on our first day in New York.  I love the way she seems to be hanging and connecting with the story being told of the building's construction worker way back in time.  I love it also because it reminds me of Louisa's loving gesture, organizing our trip with her daughter Cathy to experience such a wonderful place.... Taking the story to another level by way of a Japanese 5~7~5 syllable haiku poem is fun and also a therapeutic brain awakener to start your Friday... ...

It's time to be here, here in these moody moments, wings unfurled, ready! I 'm back! It's been a long time. I' ve been here, there and everywhere literally and ethereally ~  ***  Actually I popped over the pond nearer to some of you folk a few weeks back for a bite of the Big Apple, it was delicious and will post some pics soon.  In my last post I spoke about being 'home' and yes I've moved into a temporary home which feels really comfy, I might be putting down roots, but the real me still longs for the coast, so just now I'm waiting on my intuition to kick in and reveal 'the place'!  Today when I think about home I'm thinking of my ethereal home here online, a place where I feel really comfy to express my inner most thoughts and feelings as I have done over the years through image and words and what better time to drop back into my ethereal world, now when there's so much magic about! I'm linking in with my old...

As one good friend said about grieving, it's a time of "going within" and that's where I've been within my shell, waiting for things to naturally find their place, for my psyche to re-arrange., and now it's time to continue my story... Today I am, as another good friend put it"tying up loose ends", sifting and sorting getting ready for my new life... The government have promised to buy my property after a year of negotiation as they propose to build a new high speed train line just 100 yards from my front door! They, like the rest of 'officialdom ' are taking their time and I am at the last hurdle, learning much patience from this whole tortuous experience. For one year to-date I have had to plow through many obstacles during what must be the most painful time of grieving anyone can go through, that of losing my life long partner! But as my love used to say "it's an "ill wind that serves nobody any good" and...

The wired butterfly waiting on the longest day yearning for release... To all who have visited but not found me, I am still here but silently waiting for the right time to fly, to return and find a 'new normal' after the long sojourn, hopefully one of 'transformation' learning from the journey... I am joining dear Rebecca at Haiku my Heart Always a port of call for soft souls seeking solace, love and light... Recuerda mi Corazon

It is one whole year since my love departed. This place looks pretty much the same without him except the crows are missing, they seemed to have disappeared about the same time as he did as I recall. The crow family and my love had a special relationship they always hung out together by the old stones up stream... The House Martins didn't show up either this year I think they got word from the crows. Oh and the frogs decided not to spawn in the still pool under the bridge, for the first time ever! But, the Wisteria has blossomed like she has never blossomed before! I think she is giving me a show stopping finale for she knows the time has come... I'm just waiting for the final go-ahead and then ~ I must say goodbye to this old cottage, these old stones that have sheltered me for almost sixteen years I must let go and Trust that there will be a new chapter for me, a new beginning and that I will survive, alone, but not lonely!

This wasn't a brilliant picture I'd taken with my phone at the airport but there was something attracting me to it so I spent a little time editing.  At first I thought it was the composition's vertical and octagonal lines, the repeated patterns or reflections that I found interesting, but on further contemplation I realised it was something other drawing my attention, something deeper to do with the human story. There was a fascination going on with the two older figures and their two suit-cases striding under the clock, also the way my son in the foreground seemed to be gazing their way in deep thought, this sparked my interest! I was picking up on nostalgia and poignancy here... After studying this image for a while I realised the significance ~ There was my youngest son only just starting out on his family journey, made me think of what lies ahead for him and, of course, the answer is no one really knows.  But was he wondering about this as he looked o...

I'm an aspiring writer, this writing awareness has evolved... I don't think I would have come to this realisation, that I can actually write had it not been for my blog and the love of photography staged here, but due to use my desire to write has grown little by little... sigh! I have always loved to read a good line or two, sometime ago I came across a 'master', a 'master' of this writing craft! I asked him if I may use his words on my blog from time to time with credit of course, he agreed, with no further ado here we go ~ Feeling my path Posted by Simon Parke, 18 February 2015, 5.57am I will proceed slowly this Lent season. I may walk fast, for life goes on; but I will live slow, noting the sky, feeling the path beneath my feet, noting the moment: When I open the curtains When I catch the bus Meet my friend Butter the toast Sit with pain Make the coffee Take the call Sooth the tears Bored to tears Struggle to love ...

The new camera I bought before my love died almost a year ago now still lies in it's box, used only a couple of times! My old faithful light catcher, bound by an elastic band to keep the batteries from falling out is the one I cling to for ease and comfort of the familiar, even though I know she is an aging lady like me, not quite as sharp and perhaps not as bedazzling as her modern counterparts. Having said that she continues to amaze me with her images... I'm clinging to the familiar, it's like I'm waiting for the lights to change for a shift from the static to pick up from where I left off before my love died, waiting for the signal, the green light to release me from this stuckness to move forward, maybe for a speedy get-away! I've had this kind of paralysis over the last few months, I thought the grieving for my love would be melting away by now, that I would be emerging with renewed vigour with the promise of spring, but no I'm trapped for the time...

Seeing ~    buds waiting to open Thinking ~    I must bide my time to sparkle again Feeling ~    restrained but not broken Intuiting ~    there's something good on the horizon. "This place where you are right now,  God circled on a map for you".   Hafiz    S ource ~  Love is a Place

"People are like stained glass windows: They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light within". Elisabeth Kübler-Ross     Source  ~   word for the day.

I am in the process of stripping back, looking through the lens of connection for clarity, aligning this to my inner knowing or intuition, so getting closer to the core of me... There is a kind of subconscious sifting and sorting going on making its way to the surface, emerging as a desire.... I feel I'm being pulled towards simplicity in words and image, an internal clearing of clutter... I'm taking this as the soul's evolution, I'm thinking this is part of life's outworking ~ for the golden years, of wearing purple...

I mingle with light again, the essence of now I'm falling for you! I relished my time spent in the basil ica ~  Sagrada Familia  and  now during these mostly dull January days here in the UK I can return to those bright moments to relive the experience.  I am able to study each image and fully go back into that time frame which for me was essentially a meditative one, for most of the time it was a walking meditation totally in the zone.  However, over the two plus hours inside I had to step in and out of the meditation to note the information points in relation to the architecture which, being high in religious symbolism was interesting but my intention was for a pure in the moment experience without the distraction of pre-existing religious concepts, if that is possible! Ideally two separate visits would have been perfect. Interestingly the audio headset encouraged people to spend time in the seated area for contemplation and meditation but I ...

Today and each day since the clock struck midnight on New Year's Eve I have continued to feel stuck in my tracks, wanting to move but unable, I'm not sure if this feeling's been exaggerated due to the expectations I/we tend to put on ourselves at this time of year or the fact that last year was so very dark for me that I wanted to move swiftly into the light?  In any case I became fidgety and needed to do something! So I am starting where I am, where I left off with the love of photography which always saves the day when I get this feeling, I am starting to walk again... maybe baby steps for now, but that's okay. Thinking about walking my mind was transported back to an instant as a happy-stance image jumped out at me when I was fortunate enough to visit the beautiful city of Barcelona last December.  My long time admiration and intrigue for the art of Gaudi and dream of visiting his work at the Sagrada Familia became a reality.  I knew what the building looked lik...

They had barely dried and, before I had chance to lift them, my outstretched wings, I was floored once more. They were folding in on themselves damp and dank, resembling limp foliage that had dared to embrace spring's early sun only to be dashed back to the frozen earth. I was grounded without a stirring wind to raise any hope and, the flight path was now obscured, so I lay mute for my speech had become stunted, I was in a stuck place with seemingly no words of wisdom to impart... I reached for the medicine cabinet knowing my situation was dire... fumbling for anything that would infuse my spirit, some connection to hope, love and creativity... having become a shadow of my former self, yearning, needing embodiment... The medicine cabinet was in easy reach, just a click away would put me in-touch with vital support systems containing all manner of nourishment.  I knew for I had been there before many times visiting kind and loving friends, wise word ...