thru my lens lightly

The Line

I've mentioned before that this year has been an interesting one for me.  it's been a year of challenges...many different challenges.  for a while i railed internally against it all and then somewhere late in the spring i began to realize that I am in fact, up to the challenge. 

challenges also bring opportunities,,,the opportunity to walk my talk.  if I want peace in my life then i must accept the responsibility for creating that....no one can do it for me.  if I want joy in my life then i must accept the responsibility for creating that too. 

as a result, this has been a year of contemplation, pondering, examining and learning and yes, the blog has been neglected and that may continue for awhile.  I've been reading, painting, studying and more recently swinging in the garden.  our swing folds flat to become a bed and i've spent many afternoons recently with my head on a pillow and my eyes closed, listening to the sounds around me; children laughing, birds chirping, hummingbirds whizzing by, squirrels chattering and the ravens making their odd "plonking" noise.  occasionally I take a book with me but for the most part I'm content to just be.  I'm contemplating new idea's and concepts...trying them out...learning to allow things to unfold.   

I found the following video on Susan Gregg's very thoughtful blog...Toltec Wisdom.  It had a profound effect on both Bob and I.  It's about a group of high school students who signed up for a "challenge" because they thought it would get them out of class...and ended up learning oh, so much more!  It was life changing for them and it's really worth watching...I highly recommend it.

I would like to thank Serena at Searen Art and Design for giving me the Brillante Webblog Award...especially as the blog has been a bit neglected recently!  Serena is a wonderful painter,and a very kind person, living in Brisbane, Australia.

I'll be gone for a week or so...camping with the grandkids...back soon. 

Happy summer days to all unless you're living down under in which case...happy winter days 'cause I know you'r winter days are just as lovely as your summer ones!

Today's Grace Card:  Comfort

Lean back into the arms of Grace...let go and and let God. (Perfect!)

Unique Art

a quick post today...i found two items that I wanted to share with you.  both are from Kim's amazing and unending source of all things "art, design and just plain interesting" blog, Something To Say. 

the first one is the work of Vietnamese/American artist, Binh Dahn' who creates powerful chlorophyll prints on leaves, through a process of photosynthesis.  Using found photographs from the Vietnam War era he actually imprints images on the leaves through photosynthesis creating a visual link between the people of that era and the jungles of Vietnam.  

  

I find his work incredibly touching.  You can see more here.

and then, for something totally different check out Bonbonkakku.

Bonbonkakku is a pioneering net store where you can design your own fabrics.  If your design is a success, it will also be sold on the site.  Every fabric designed will be published on their site for viewers to see and vote for.  The fabrics that get the most votes are chosen to be sold on their store site.

Hope you all had a great weekend! 

Today's Grace Card:  ACT!

Charge forward.  When we combine action with unwavering faith, the power of Grace will meet our needs.

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Sweet Abundance

 

every summer, over the seven years that we've lived in our home, we've been unable to resist adding more and more lavender to our already prolific beds.  it wouldn't be an understatement to say that i have a "thing" for lavender!

there's just something about a large bed, or better yet a whole field, of the purple blossoms.  i love the way they grow in round clumps of varying size, the way they so generously spread as they mature and the fact that they're not only lovely to look at, but useful too. but really, honestly...it's the scent of lavender that i love most of all.  i'm such a sucker for scented flowers!

 

the lavender in these pictures are at the front of our home in beds that are at least 15 ft wide and 20' long.  walking up the driveway becomes an exercise in avoiding the hordes of bees that have staked their claim here...someone, somewhere is enjoying some delicious lavender honey!

 

we have both the French and Spanish lavenders with their jaunty rabbit ears, as well as the English varieties...Hidcote, Hidcote Pink, and Munstead.  Grosso, my personal favourite, grows to about 2 1/2 ft high, has dark purple blooms and is the classic lavender used in sachets, oils, perfumes and wands.  It's fragrance is heavenly!

a few weeks ago, Lea at Tales from the Labyrinth gave detailed instructions for making lavender wands. this week i'm going to get some ribbon and make one of these magical beauties. my garden is literally overflowing with an abundance of lavender and it would be wonderful to have some aromatherapy to cheer me on throughout the winter months. 

today's Grace card:  GRATITUDE

Be thankful.  A grateful heart is like a magnet drawing toward it, a wealth of abundance.

 

Bottled Light

i arrived home realizing that i'm really not designed for excessive heat!  we live in such a temperate climate here on the west coast of Canada that anything resembling 40+C.(104+F) leaves me feeling like I've been fried and flipped!  i grew up in the desert-like Okanagan Valley, so you would think that i should be used to it...but no, emphatically, no! 

the green bottles are antique poison bottles that the Winged Wonder brought home from the UK for me last year.  they sit in my living room on a low window sill and i love to watch the light shine through and see the world through a filter of green.  green is the healing colour of the heart Chakra and symbolizes harmony, creativity, heath and abundance. In nature it offers new energy and revitalizes tired and stressed nerves.

 

My Grace card for today is Mindfulness:

Manage your mind.  When we direct our thoughts and words toward the outcome we most desire, we ignite grace.

this is soooo right on track for me as i've begun to realize recently just how rambling my mind is...it wanders all over the place!   my reading list over the past few months has included The New Earth by Eckhart Tolle and The Law of Attraction, by Abraham/Hicks (actually a second reading). 

By staying focused on a subject of your choosing, your point of attraction on that topic will become much more powerful than if your mind moves from subject to subject. 

There is tremendous power in focusing.  As you make deliberate choices about the thoughts you think, the things you do and even the people you spend time with, you will feel the benefit of the Law of Attraction.

(from The Law of Attraction)

this works both ways...if we focus on negativity and fear, we attract those experiences into our lives, as well as the other way around, so it's in our own best interests to focus on what we really want to happen rather than what we're afraid or worried is going to happen.  oh yeah...easier said than done, but practice, practice, practice!  Like anything else, it's a learned skill.

today i focus on healing...

on peace...

on abundance... 

and on joy.

(you can also pick a "cyber" Grace Card  on Cheryl Richardson's website)