thru my lens lightly

A Prayer for China and Burma

Shanghai's Jing'an Temple (photo from the Shanghaiist and originally uploaded by lifeimage)

this past week has been a difficult one for Asia...first cyclone Nargin in Burma/Myanmar (nargis in Urdu means daffodil...so benign sounding!) and right on it's heals, the earthquake in the Chengdu, Szechwan area of China.  the lives lost and the damage done in both places are almost beyond comprehension.

i've been to Chengdu, China, albeit briefly, and when you've been to a place, it's real.  we traveled to Chengdu to catch the boat for our trip down the Yangtze river while we were visiting with Meghan and Robin (my daughter and son) in Shanghai.  it's a huge city and was, at the time (and may still be) in the throws of raising the river levels for the Three Gorges Dam project. the older buildings on the river banks had been torn down leaving piles of rubble reminiscent of a war zone and new modern high rises were appearing everywhere.

my memories of Chengdu;  being carried (unwillingly!) down the riverbank to the boat by a flank of men who were hoping to get a tip, threads spinning on ancient machinery in a silk factory, realizing that eating the local Szechwan cuisine meant eating the chicken foot floating in my soup bowl, the locals enjoying their neighbourhoods at night... the click of mahjong tiles as they played outdoors with friends and ballroom dancing to the strains of the Blue Danube under a freeway overpass.   these are the people who's lives have been devastated and my heart goes out to them.

Aung San Suu Kyi standing outside her home

for many years i've wanted to visit Burma/Myanmar.  i intended to travel there while i was in Thailand 10 years ago but because of difficulties with bureaucracy and entering the country via overland travel, i ended up in Laos instead...which was an equally fascinating country.  part of my obsession interest with this country is with Aung San Suu Kyi, the opposition leader who has been under house arrest for 12 of the last 18 years.   and now, since last week's cyclone, i find myself wondering how she is.  very little information is coming out of the country, but there are reports that the roof of her home snapped in two and disappeared into the wind.

please remember the people of Burma/Myanmar and the people of Szechwan, China in your thoughts and prayers.  send them love and comfort in whatever way you feel comfortable with.  these people are just like you and i...they're trying to the best of their abilities to care for their families; provide a home, food and an education.  nature has presented them with a huge challenge...and to us, in how we choose to respond.

we may be separated by distance and culture but we're all in this together.  the world is too small to close our eyes. 

when a leaf falls in a forest on the other side of the world, do i hear it, do i feel it?

edit:  after pressing publish, i took a stroll through my bloglines list and found that Patti Digh at 37 days had also written about Burma/Myanmar and China...and as always, it's worth reading.

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all mother's and to all those who have cared for and nurtured and child.  never underestimate that you have given the greatest possible gift to the world.

my mother died over 3 years ago and i still miss her.  yes, i often talk to her and send her my love but still, it would be wonderful to hear her voice and give her a hug.  because i can't send her a card or gift, i decided to create a mother's day card of a different sort.  i created this for my own family but i hope you'll take a few minutes to get to know my mom.  she was an amazing lady...courageous (she conquered cancer), adventurous (she traveled the world), generous (she gave selflessly to so many people) and creative (she was a painter herself)...and i love her dearly.

have a wonderful day today with your own mother if she's still with you.

The Song of my Soul

i finished "Grace" today...yes, she now has a name.  the words "the song of my soul" have been running around in my head for some time now and they seemed to want to be a part of this painting. 

I had so much fun with this and hope to get started on another one this weekend.  now that i (kind of) know what i'm doing, it should be a faster process. 

this is just a short post today...i had a longer post typed in...pressed publish...and the whole thing disappeared!  my computer is in the shop having a tune up...couldn't upload photo's anymore...so i'm on the laptop today.  i will now "gently" hit the publish button again!

breathe Kate, breathe.

   

How do you like me so far?

we just finished lesson 5 in Paulette Insall's Faces Class...2 more to go!  the clothing still needs to be painted and i'll be adding some paint and collage elements on the left side.  it's been an interesting process...she doesn't look at all like i thought she would look when i started out...she took on her own persona as we went along!  her nose is too long for perfection but in a way that makes her more "real" for me.

we used painting crayons to "finish" the face and i found them quite difficult to work with.  i've used oils and watercolours before but acrylics have always frustrated me and i've usually given up in exasperation. this class has helped so much by learning the acrylic "how to's"...keep them wet...spraying my palette constantly and rewetting my brush frequently!  Paulette's whimsical ladies are so much fun to create.

i'm often astounded at the compassion and inspiration and sweet kindness of those that i "meet" through the blogging world. 

today i found...

...a great video about courage and determination, passed on by Olivia.  Libby Sauter's obvious joy at her accomplishment made me so happy for her that i wanted to reach out and hug her!

...Brene Brown at Ordinary Courage is a mother, writer and professor of shame, empathy, social justice and women's issues (how's that for a job description!) at the University of Houston.  the stories she tells are interwoven around her understanding of shame, empathy and vulnerability and the affect these powerful emotions have on the way we live, love, parent, work and build relationships.  today on her blog, these words spoke to me... be real.  don't filter your excitement.  don't be afraid to ask for support.  don't apologize for believing in yourself.  and most of all, if you get to do what you love, be grateful and share your gratitude by sharing your work!

...Jen Lemon's Rwandan friend, Odette is living in the US but her daughters are unable to leave Rwanda and one of them, Grace, is gravely ill.  the words from her post yesterday..."showing me so gently the dignity and grace that is required from making peace with uncertainty", and "it is not the solution that transforms these situations as much as the compassion.  With kindness all things become possible". 

Jen is traveling to Rwanda this month where she will see Odette's daughters.  she raised more than $6300 last month from donations made by over 150 people from several different countries. she had the courage to say...this is what i want to do and this is why and this is how much i'll need.  bloggers responded so generously that she actually raised $1800 more than her original bare bones budget.  referring back to the quote above by Brene, it certainly worked for Jen!

inspiration, courage, support and compassion...it's everywhere.  we just need to look...we just need to ask.

Re:grouping

on the way home again

i'm home again after another week away.  my dad and a dear friend are staying with us and the family were here today to celebrate my son Robin's birthday. it's been a busy month and i'm craving some sort of routine again.  the weather has warmed considerably and spring seems to be a reality...finally. 

as i look out my window while i'm typing this, the forest seems to have exploded with the warmer temperatures finally pushing and pulling the leaves into a lush, green fullness.  each day it feels as though the forest has advanced several more feet towards me and in fact it doesn't take long in this climate for the rain forest to take over and obliterate abandoned and neglected buildings.  so...we keep cutting, pruning and trimming to keep it all at bay.  Sounds a bit menacing, doesn't it?  there's a sci/fi flick to be made here!....(music playing eerily in background)...and although they searched the area thoroughly for days, there was no trace of Kate's home, and in fact no trace of Kate herself!  the trees, an impenetrable wall of green, stood silent and resolute, revealing nothing of her fate. Kate's blog...dated April 27, 2008...was her last goodbye to the world.

ok, switch off the fantasy button! 

with April's busyness, i've missed marking my 2nd bloggiversary.  Yup, two years and i've thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it although for the past two months i've had a difficult time sitting down at the computer and writing.  my mind has simply been blank and i've felt uninspired although that may have more to do with my energy level, which tends to ebb and flow.  however...i've been thinking a lot about my life and where and how i fit into it right now.  at 60 i know there's more time behind me than there is ahead and i've been feeling an urgency or longing to live my life with clarity and balence but even more...with purpose and intent. 

perhaps this longing brought this book into my purview...

Three Cups of Tea  was recommended to me by several people and it lived up to every glowing recommendation.  i was absorbed by Greg Mortenson's own absorption with building schools and providing education for children, especially girls, in the remote area's of Pakistan and Afghanistan.  i was awed by his dedication and his commitment to his passion.  i was inspired by his humanity, his courage and his sense of purpose.  i closed the book and thanked God that there are people like Greg in the world to light the way. i am so grateful for his inspiration...for believing that it's possible for one person to change the world and for showing the rest of us what we can accomplish when we don't allow ourselves to feel small.

read it...it will change you in the best possible way.

A Blessing for the Earth

Walk and touch peace every moment.
Walk and touch happiness every moment.
Each step brings a fresh breeze.
Each step makes a flower bloom.
Kiss the Earth with your feet.
Bring the Earth your love and happiness.
The Earth will be safe
when we feel safe in ourselves.

Kiss the Earth
By Thich Nhat Hanh

i love the last line to this poem..."the earth will be safe when we feel safe in ourselves". 

what are we waiting for?

In the Night

7

beach grass on Chesterman Beach, Tofino 

there are some things in life that we just don't want to believe...even when we're staring right at them and today I'm looking out my window at snow...SNOW...and i'm having a difficult time believing it!  it looks like January...the snow is coming down heavily and several inches of it are lying on the ground.

this wouldn't be so unusual in some other areas of Canada...but on Vancouver Island?  on the 19th of April?  i would like to say "never!" but as my granny used to say "never say never, 'cause you're nay dead yet lassie!".  i find myself wanting to fight this, become angry with it, storm around and deny it or even run away and not experience it at all.

   

a "house boat" permanently beached on Meares Island near Tofino

for reasons i can't go into here, the last few months have been...well, difficult and for the past several weeks i've been getting a message that comes in various guises, but the crux of it is "don't fight it...just experience it...just let it be".

last week Lucy's musings at Diamonds in the Sky with Lucy, revolved around this quote... 

" we are slowly discovering what many of us are calling "the Third Way", neither flight, nor fight, but the way of compassionate knowing.  both the way of fight and the way of flight fall short of wisdom, although they look like answers in the heat of the moment.  when it's an either/or world, you have no ability to transcend, to hold together, to be creative.

from Hope Against Darkness by Richard Rohr

the view from our room at Long Beach Lodge near Tofino

this struck an immediate chord with me and i thought about it a lot while i was away soaking up the peaceful vibes of the island's west coast.

when physical or emotional pain or fear enter into my life, my first response is to back away from it and deny it's existence.  if pushed, i may react and become angry about it, but i almost never embrace it with 'compassionate knowing'.  I never allow myself to just be with it, to feel it, to find out what it wants to say to me.  i fear becoming stuck there...mired in the muck...and that i won't be able to pull myself out.

the surfing community in Tofino is growing rapidly...and surfer's must know intuitively to lean into the waves to keep their balance.

this week i gave myself the space and the permission to actually feel it, and an interesting thing happened.  when i stopped and went within to where i thought the pain was...i couldn't find it, it wasn't there.  and likewise, when i went within to where the fear was...to let myself really feel it...it just went away. it disappeared.

   

is this a happy dog or what!...Molly running on the beach at Cox's Bay

this topic came up again in conversation with my friend Angela earlier this week and then again today, when i read a blog post written by Trudy at Joyful Wrecks: reflections on living with an illness, (you may remember her name from the post about the 'God Box' and Patti Digh's 37 days).  Trudy is receiving treatment for cancer and has started a blog to document her reflections on this current twist in her life journey.  in her first post, "leaning into it" she reflects on the similarities between learning to ski at age 45 when her husband/instructor, taught her to "lean into the mountain" to gain more control as she navigated down the hill and now, learning to "lean into" her experience with cancer.

   

this tree on the wild Pacific trail near Uclulet knows not to fight the ever present wind sweeping in off the Pacific.

i've heard all the words before and even thought i was following them, but practicing compassionate knowing with myself...allowing myself to go through and beyond the fear and feel the physical or emotional pain, has been liberating.  as hard as it can be to fathom while we're going through it, darkness is surely a gift and as poet Rainer Maria Rilke says... "I have faith in the night".

i'm wondering if any of you have let yourself "lean into" your darkness and how this experience has felt.

thank you to both Trudy and Lucy for your thoughtfully written words and for so generously sharing your experiences. we're all stumbling along in life to the best of our ability and if we can help each other out along the way, the journey is so much easier!

it's been a busy week here so the keyboard has been silent.  i've been painting (2nd week now of my class!) and thoroughly enjoying it.  i'm hoping to post work done thus far later today although my face (i'm taking a "painting faces" class with Paulette Insall) creeps me out a little at the moment as we haven't got to the "eyes and lips" lesson yet!  i feel like i've created a zombie!

we're heading north, up the island tomorrow to Long Beach.  Long Beach is a mystical, magical place on the very west coast of Vancouver Island and it's where Bob and I went for a brief honeymoon 7 years ago (we went to Italy a month later so we really had 2 honeymoons, lucky me!). we're returning for our anniversary and staying here.  we stayed at this famous lodge on our honeymoon.  it's a wild and beautiful place with the waves crashing on shore, and the mists swirling in the ancient cedars.  Molly will love running on the beaches and i'll be taking photographs and adding to my collection of rocks and shells.  i would love to take the day trip from Tofino to see Cougar Annie's garden but that can only be done from May through to September...so..next time for sure!

these photographs of the tree against the blue wall were taken on friday when we traveled to the mainland for an "Ikea Run".  unfortunately we don't have an Ikea on Vancouver Island and every once in awhile i just need to wander those aisles!  the blue wall contrasting with the green grass caught my eye in the parking lot...love that blast of colour!

Reframing

i've recently been reframing my life.  sounds impressive doesn't it...well, in some respects it is, at least for me.  when something isn't working for me, i'm like a dog with a bone at releasing it, or getting beyond it.  i think most of us have something we've found hard to value about ourselves...in fact we're all taught through subconscious conditioning,

 

that we're small and insignificant beings in this world.  my personal nemesis has most predominantly been with my creative talents.

this morning as i spoke with a dear friend on the phone, we discussed how life's journey was a process of peeling away the layers.  just when we think we've made progress in an area of our personal growth, we come smack up against the wall and realize there's more work to be done.  we talked about the analogy of peeling an onion, another process which often brings tears!  i mentioned that i was going to start thinking of my life as a Maui onion from now on...no tears, much sweeter and planted in a beautiful, warm and happy place to boot!

what do peeling onions and life journey's have to do with framing?  last week i framed and hung some of my own artwork on the wall above my desk.  even though it's just in my own office, this was HUGE for me.  for the most part, and other than some ATC exchanges, i've hidden my work on the computer since i began creating digitally six years ago.

 

and...(drumroll)...last week i set up an Etsy store...another big step!  selling anything is really secondary to the act of setting up the site, which was an exercise in self affirmation and pushing the envelope.  my store is called IslandSong and there's a link to it on the right hand side of my blog.  (basically the same pictures as the ones hanging in my office)

and...(this is really, really exciting!) i've just recently heard from Patti Digh of 37 Days, that one of the pieces i submitted for her new book "Life is a Verb", has been accepted to accompany the essay Desire Lines.  i did the happy dance when i received that email! 

hanging on the wall...works for sale...soon to be published...i'm ready to take it on!  when i commented on a post last week, that i must be crawling out of my shell, dear Beverly from Embrace Your Gifts and Soar, said...Crawling out of your shell? Uh, I'd say you are leaping and leaving that shell way behind you!  Beverly, i think you may be right, thank goodness!

Blessings

this little container sits on my desk...normally filled with push pins and the usual office flotsam and jetsom.  it's a small antique Chinese wooden "basket", about 4" x 4"...very tiny and just perfect for holding the little things you don't know what to do with. 

today i emptied it out because i was asked by Patti Digh at 37 days to find a small box.  she then asked her readers to write the name "Trudy" on a piece of paper and place it in the container.  in Patti's words...

I want you to fold up that tiny slip of paper and put it in your box with a prayer, a mojo, a lighting of a candle, a dance, a bite from a Twinkie, whatever you do to make wishes come true, do it. Every day for a month at 9:00 a.m. wherever you are, if you don't mind, take out Trudy's name and read it silently to yourself, moving your lips as you read. Then tuck it away again. We're going to will this woman healthy again, yes we are. And we can do it. You know we can.

as Patti's readers replied to this, they began to ask if they could add a name...a young man named Sean and then Dalla.  i've added Jenni from Australia and my daughter's sister-in-law Deb to my "God box".  all of these people are suffering from serious health challenges but you can put anything in your God box...any problem that you know you need help with...write it down and drop in in the box. 

i really like the idea of blessings of love and healing winging their way around the world.  i'd be happy to add a few more names if any of you have someone you're concerned about...just let me know.

African Mail

yesterday i received a very special parcel.  when i saw that the return address was from exotic and far away Africa, i jumped up and down and opened it immediately...i don't know about you, but it's not everyday that i get mail from Morocco!  last month, we ordered a vintage Moroccan wedding blanket from Maryam at My Marrakesh and here it was...all the way from a small Berber village in Africa, to this watery island on the west coast of Canada. 

these blankets are each lovingly made for a Moroccan bride with every sequin hand stitched.  each blanket is slightly different...the bands are closer together on some and farther apart on others, the tufts of cotton can be of varying lengths and there are more sequins on some than others.  my blanket has LOTS of bright, shiny, silver sequins that catch the light as it shines through my bedroom windows (yes, the sun has finally begun to shine again) and i love how it jingles and tinkles when i fold it back from my bed at night.  i wonder about the woman that it was made for; was she as thrilled with her blanket as i am?  did the heavy hand loomed sheep's wool keep her warm at night high up in the Atlas mountains?  thankfully, Maryam shared some of the cultural history of the blankets, as i have an insatiable curiosity about these things!

"these handmade blankets are believed to carry "baraka".  baraka is a positive power with many meanings in Morocco and is a source of creative inspiration.  in the case of carpets and weavings, the religious faith of the weaver and her belief in the supernatural are inextricably connected with the objects she produces.  the loom itself remains the ultimate symbol of magical protection.  it is looked upon as a living thing and is treated as such...it is thought to possess baraka.  if the weaver takes care in remembering the number and combination of threads to produce a design, the finished textile will be imbued with talismanic power and contain baraka, acting as a "power shield" against the evil eye."

it's interesting that myths of weaving exist all around the world as metaphors for creation; many Goddesses are portrayed as spinners and weavers and likewise, many cultures have stories of a mythical spider weaving the world into creation.  Maryam was right when she said "this is no ordinary blanket!"

my thanks to Maryam for so patiently helping me pick out just the right blanket for me and for the gift of these delightful, sequined leather slippers which were included in my parcel!

so....what's next for me...belly dancing maybe? 

My brushes are poised and ready...

for my painting class tonight!  i've finally "given" myself a proper space to work in and i love it.

my paints are ready and so am i!  i signed up for a painting class with Paulette Insall, a Portland, Oregon mixed media artist who has begun teaching online.

Paulette's faces are beautiful, whimsical and touching and although faces have never been my forte...well, she just makes it look so easy!  (i know i'll eat those words!). i've also signed up for her Organic Backgrounds class in May (yeah, i'm doing this backwards but i missed signing up for the first backgrounds class while i was in Mexico).  check out her You Tube video's of a painting from beginning to end.

when i finished this painting in January, i put it in the closet and just pulled it out to look at it again today. i had thought i didn't like it but after some time and distance, i've discovered that it really speaks to me.  i must be crawling out of my shell!

i've been spending some time creating and organizing my space in the last few weeks; hanging pictures on the wall and creating an actual studio space rather than just an office.  i framed some of my digital art prints and have them hanging over the computer.  this has been a slow and steady process over the last five years or so of believing in myself and bringing it all to the light of day.  it doesn't get much more in the light than in a frame and on the wall!  i'll post the photo's of the other side of the room in a few days.

(and just in case you're curious...i know i'm always nosy wondering about other people's spaces...the windows behind my table open to a kitchen sunroom below.  i just need to tie a tray to a rope and i'll never have to leave the studio to eat again!)

it was hailing when i took this a few minutes ago!

When Seasons Collide

we're usually nauseatingly smug about our winters in Victoria. every February, we rush around counting our blossoms and the city sends out a very self satisfied press release to the rest of Canada (which is still blanketed in snow), announcing how many billions of blossoms we have.  this year we tallied up 2,437,696,512...did i mention that we're just a tad anal as well?

photo credits ~ stellacastell at flickr...I didn't get out of my 'jammies in time to get a photo!

yesterday was the kicker...yesterday, we weren't snowing pink cherry blossoms...oh no, we were snowing the cold white stuff!  it didn't last long but sheesh...it just doesn't do this here at this time of year!  and today...well no, it didn't snow, but it hailed.  we never very, very seldom get hail, in fact i've never seen it hail here before.

photo credits~mbollino at flickr 

so as i was saying, it's cold, it's snowy, it's hailing and yes, i do realize i'm whining...even i don't like to hear myself whine!  i've decided that next year i'm not coming home from my warm winter nest until the end of March. 

just wait, it'll be the warmest and shortest winter on record!

Finished!

two and a half months and 32 pages later...i've finished my journal!

   

i used the first page as an introduction framed by several of my blog banners (yes, i get bored easily and change it often!)  The journaling reads:

this journal was a bold step for me...from the pristine exactness of digital art to the messy, sometimes sloppy (and always full of uncertainty) world of mixed media collage.  although i will always love creating digitally, it was time to push myself to play with other media's, to be willing to make mistakes and learn from them.  this was, in fact, the most important thing i learned from this journal...that art, like life, should be experienced.  mistakes will always be made but many of these "mistakes" led me in delightfully unexpected ways to new idea's and provided opportunities to consider other paths.  these are just a few selected posts which were taken from my blog in 2007.  yes, indeed...i was there!

a few of the pages that i've done since i've been back from Mexico...

this post, was called the simplicity of kindness

the quote here that I worked in several ways is "we are a powerful magical tribe of awakening beings me and you.  hold on to this vision.  don't waste a minute of your precious time here holding your light to yourself.  Share it joyfully and eagerly with a suffering world."

for this page of "Secrets and Transparency"...i layered the picture with vellum and blurred and stained the text with tea, giving a feeling of secrecy and hidden thoughts.

for the second page i used the quote "I once read that true strength comes only when we find the courage to be vulnerable. in in my life, i've come to realize the truth of this.  transparency means radical authenticity, free from defenses and fears.  that takes a lot of trust...in ourselves."

and of course i had to include this one!  for my birthday last year, Bob rented a Mustang convertible and we drove up the west coast of the island to Point-No-Point for lunch!  yes, it was a big one for me and although i had trouble actually saying the word 'sixty' when i woke up that morning, it's been a good year and life just gets better as i get older more skillful in learning how to manage the curves!  (and believe me, it's all so much easier when you're driving a convertible!).

the idea of creating a journal about my blog came from Michelle Ward who used it for her Street Team #16 prompt.  (thanks Michelle!)  the only thing i found really frustrating about it was that writing on acrylics with any kind of a fine tip pen is almost impossible...still working on that one! 

i've bought a moleskine journal and i'll be starting a circle journal exchange next month with a group from Digital Art Quirks, which interestingly...won't be digital!   

i loved creating this journal for myself and i'm planning on beginning another one (with a new theme) soon...i guess i'm hooked!

Happy Easter!

some consider their cappuccino's (Cate!) and mocha's (Bella!) a necessary start to their day...I'd like to wish all of you a happy Easter and if you'd like to see more Barrista art check out this site.  it's late and i'm off to bed!

we were out for a walk along the beach yesterday and as i looked away from the ocean to the land behind me i could see the greening of spring and new life.  i drank it all in and felt my spirits lift.

i've talked about 'signs' in my life  before and yesterday i received another.  Within 20 minutes i was directed 3 times to watch a TED video.  Both Stephanie at Rodrigvitz Style and Rick at Hamguin's Hide Not had it posted on their blogs and then i received an email from a friend...all saying "watch this, it's amazing".  so i did...and now i'm passing this on to everyone else...."watch this video...it's amazing" 

Jill Bolte Taylor is a neuroanatomist who had an opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: one morning she realized she was having a massive stroke.  as it happened...as she felt her brain functions slip away one by one, speech, movement, understanding...she studied and remembered every moment.  This is such a powerful story about how our brains define us and connect us to the world and to one another.

if you ever needed any justification to spend more time on right brained activities...this is it! 

Spring

...is slowly easing it's way into our lives; cherry blossoms, daffodils and green shoots surround us everywhere. the wind still has a chill in the air but the signs are there that spring is upon us.

the cedars that were cut down last week are in huge piles around the house and the aromatic scent of the cedar wood hits me each time i step outside the kitchen door. several of the cedars turned out to be rotting from the inside which eased my conscience somewhat and the light that greets me now as i walk into the kitchen each morning, is healing indeed.

i'm finishing the blog journal that i began in Mexico...just 2 pages left now and i've thoroughly enjoyed working on this project.  i have a history of beginning things with great enthusiasm but losing steam before completion, so i feel good that i've carried on with it. i also like the fact that a journal is broken down into small manageable mini projects that can be done in a short time. i'll post some pictures in a few days when it's finished.

today...entertaining 2 year old Ethan at Miniature World in Victoria (have you noticed how intrigued little children are with "little" things?) and then lunch at the circa 1960's Beacon Hill Drive-In...not gourmet by any means but the fries and ketchup are a big hit with this 2 year old.

the "quiet feeling within" is still there, but it goes well with art making so i'm taking advantage of it.  i sequester myself in my office/studio whenever i can, venturing out to walk the dog or run the necessary errands but find that sitting and creating is really all i feel like doing at the moment.  am i turning into a hermit?  i'll give myself a month or so before i start to worry!

...but if any of you do drop by for a visit and a chat, i'll have the kettle on and the tea cups out in a flash!  i so appreciate all my dear blogging friends and sometimes find it frustrating that we can't do just that!

Coastal Morning

 

today i was communing with seagulls

and enjoying the watery coastal communities as i took the early morning, slow boat to visit a friend.  transportation  here is either by boat or sea plane...these waterways are our highways.

i'm slowly making the transition from sunny skies to cooler temperatures and early spring weather.  i feel quiet these days and when i sit at the computer i feel silent and wordless.  the quiet is temporary and the words will return but for now i'm catching up on my life here.

yesterday i struggled with a difficult decision.  our home is surrounded by many large cedar trees and after weighing and considering it for some time, we had 5 of these ancient cedars taken down, to let in more light and protect our roof.  after saying goodbye to these old friends, i had to leave for the day as i just couldn't watch the destruction.  it does look much better and the light now streams in our windows, but oh, it was incredibly hard to do.  i'm a self confessed tree hugger and feel that all life is sacred...where do you draw the line?  i'm reminded of a scene from Seven Years in Tibet where the young Dalai Lama was having a movie theatre built for himself but before the construction was allowed to begin, the monks had to gently dig up all the earth worms and move them to a place where they wouldn't be hurt.  sigh.

speaking of sacred, i've been honoured this week with an interview by Christine at The Abbey of the Arts.  responding to Christine's thoughtful questions was an enlightening experience for me.  i've never before put into words, just how entwined my art practice is with my spiritual practice.  they really are inextricably meshed but it wasn't until i wrote about it, that i realized just how profoundly true this is.  thank you Christine, for giving me this opportunity...it's truly an honour for me!

A Potpourri...

for today...International Women's Day! we don't hear much in the media about IWD and unless we stumble across it on the web, it doesn't receive a lot of attention.  i thought i'd share a few things that came to mind when I thought about honouring women today...

...the Global Peace Initiative of Women has organized a world summit called Making Way For the Feminine, which is taking place this week in Jaipur, India.  interestingly, the event in Jaipur overlaps with both International Women's Day, and the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.  imagine the convergence of deep spirituality with these great secular initiatives bringing the women of the world together.

...Patti Digh at 37 days is devoting the month of March (Women's History Month) to writing essay's about women who inspire her.

...In The Time of The Butterflies, written by Julia Alvarez, is a great read and has also been made into a movie with Selma Hyak.  it's about the Mirabel sisters (whose code name was the Mariposa's or butterflies) who were key figures in the underground movement to overthrow the dictator of The Dominican Republic, Rafael Truijillo.

 

...Karen Armstrong is one of the three recent winners of the prestigious TED awards.  Karen, a former nun, has written more than 20 books around the ideas of what Islam, Judaism and Christianity have in common (yes, you read that right, in common, not differences) and about their effect on world events.  she was one of three people asked to address the UN on the first session ever devoted to religion in that body.

 

along with prize money, each TED winner is granted a wish...a wish to change the world, and the world is asked to help TED grant her wish.  Karen's wish is:

I wish that you would help with the creation, launch and propagation of a Charter for Compassion, crafted by a group of leading inspirational thinkers from the three Abrahamic traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam and based on the fundamental principles of universal justice and respect.”

you can follow the progress of her wish here.

...while you're on the TED site, (which is, by the way, a wonderful source of talks by interesting, innovative, funny, talented and thoughtful people), listen to author Isabelle Allende's talk about leading a passionate life.

with women and events like these for inspiration, we're able to combine and reinforce the energy of mutuality and peace for the good of humanity.  who or what inspires you to be a force for positive change in the world?

Who Are You?

 

the quote reads: decorate your own soul, instead of waiting for someone else to bring you flowers, by Veronica Shoffstall.   

Who, who are you?  that's what the nocturnal visitors that perch on the trees outside our bedroom window, ask me every night.  we're surrounded by forest which happens to also be home to several Barred Owl's and as i lie in bed at the end of the day, they seem to feel the need to ask me this question...who, who are yo...o...u., who, who are you...o...u.

good question! and one that i ask myself often...who am i, what do i believe in, what are my priorities?  this is an ongoing, process of stripping away that which i feel doesn't apply to me anymore...thoughts and beliefs i've outgrown...and strengthening those ideals that are my core values. we're constantly changing and re-evaluating so it's a life long process.  maybe it's my age...maybe i just have more time now to think about these things or maybe it's the state of the world today and my belief that i may not be able to change the rest of the world but i can certainly change me...and i have a responsibility to do so.

some years ago, i lived in a small town that had another interesting messenger...a lighthouse with a fog horn that sang throughout winter's dark and stormy nights in it's deep fog horn voice....Be You...Be You...Be You. in those days, i didn't listen to it's message...i didn't want to rock the boat...and in fact, many unhappy years went by before i even understood the message.  i don't live near a lighthouse now, but there are still nights when i hear it playing it's Be You song, over and over in my head and it's joined now by the owls asking me Who are you? (no wonder i have trouble sleeping!)

the quote in the picture above came to me twice in two days this week so i knew i had to do something with it...it was telling me "don't wait for what i want to be given to me, go out and claim it for myself.

Graciel at Evenstar Art tells of a woodpecker that came to her friend with the message do what makes you happy and don't be distracted by those around you.  do you have any messengers coming to you and what are they saying?