Day 22: Just a Dusting

 

Just a dusting? Mother Nature is such a tease....

Day 21: Say What You Mean.

 

Snapped this picture today at school. I think it speaks for itself.

Day 20: Baptismal Bliss

 

 

Today I became a godmother, and so I thought it was only fitting that I snapped a picture of the Baptismal fountain. Regardless of your chosen faith, we all need a symbolic spiritual cleansing every now and again. I found it refreshing that this one resembles a beautiful stone waterslide, because believing in anyone or anything means taking a plunge into depths unknown.

Day 19: Dog Days Are Here Again

 

 

Today, Merlin felt the need to chew the rug to prove how much he missed me while I was gone. He really loves me, no?

Day 18: Winter Whispers

 

Trees seem to whisper in winter, standing tall waiting for the warmth of spring. Certainly we can all learn from nature's patience. These trees made me think about the importance of taking the time to listen to what the Universe is whispering in my own life. Sometimes, the waiting really is the hardest part.

Day 17: Any Witch Way

 

 

 

I don't know if all roads really do lead to Rome or not, but I do know that some roads are way more fun to travel than others. The journey is the thing.

 

Day 16: A Rose is Still a Rose

 

Sometimes a girl just has to buy her own flowers. And so I did.

Day 15: Like a Bird in Flight

 

 

"The higher we soar, the smaller we appear to those who cannot fly." - Friedrich Nietzsche

Day 14: Walking the Path

Hartshorne Woods Park

 

"You cannot travel the path until you have become the path itself." - Buddha

Day 13: Through the Fog

 

It was rather foggy in New Jersey today, and it got me thinking about the metaphoric “fog” in our lives preventing us from seeing things clearly. For some of us the “fog” is hurt, anger, or jealousy holdings us prisoner, and making it difficult to successfully navigate our world. There is a reason airplanes don’t fly when the fog sets in….and the same goes for the flight of our souls. But if we turn off the high beams, proceed with caution, and stay the course – the fog will eventually lift.

Day 12: Look in the Mirror

 

This is me, for better or worse. Today, I was thinking about personal responsibility and how sometimes we just have to take a long hard look in the mirror. Sure, people can have two faces but the mirror never does. Our world truly is a reflection of all that we project. To realize this and act accordingly has the potential to be either the most terrifying or liberating notion ever.

Day 11: Devil Inside?

 

 

Perhaps I have watched too many horror films, or maybe a demon really did mark me in my sleep? Either way, this is a pic of my arm today. I woke up with these strage scratches and I assure you they are not from sleeping on a spiral notebook.

Day 10: Babes of Our Lives

 

One of my remedies for writer’s block is taking a long walk through old cemeteries. I know it sounds  unconventional but if you ever find yourself battling the creativity demons, I assure you the exploration is worthy. The untold stories actually scream to be written, and I always leave with at least one new idea. I snapped this at the Old Stone Church in Navesink last spring, but thought it was appropriate for today. While the picture teems with sadness for babes gone too soon, it reallly got me thinking about unfulfilled desires. I recently realized that one great sadness in life is sometimes our dreams die before they become what we had hoped. But sometimes they  have to die so the real dream can come true....

Day 9: Try Something New

 

 

Well I am no Picasso, but it's always fun to try something new. Must paint more in 2013!

Day 8: Chew on this

 

 

Even Merlin knows, sometimes you just have to chew things over before moving ahead. 

Day 7: The Last Angel

 

“Solitude sometimes is best society.”

― John Milton, Paradise Lost

 

 

There is something so sad about the last angel of the season, sitting all alone in the empty Christmas tree. I snapped this picture while taking the decorations down, and it made me think about solitude. The art of being alone can serve a great purpose, or it can drive us mad. Sarte said, “If you're lonely when you're alone, you're in bad company," and I think there is validity in that notion. Some people are so busy doing nothing, they rush around, and fill their days with nonsense to avoid spending time with themselves. You know, I think my lonely angel is content with being the last ornament on tree because she knows that even a few moments of quiet reflection can yield the deepest insight. After all, you can't hear the whispers of the Divine with the mindless drivel of the masses booming in your ear. 

Day 6: Footprints in the Snow

 

 

Was rather happy when I went out to walk the puppy this morning and saw a light dusting of snow. Snappedd this shot of Merlin's footprints next to mine because it made me smile. We all need someone to walk through the storms of life with us, even the ones that quickly blow through. 

Day 5: Friendship

 

 “Life is an awful, ugly place to not have a best friend.”  ― Sarah Dessen

Day 4: My Bible

 

I have been reading Sarah Ban Breathnach's book Simple Abundance since 1998, and it has literally become a Bible of sorts for my soul. Every night before bed, I read the meditation for the next day, and reflect on one of the six principles she outlines: gratitude, simplicity, order, harmony, beauty, and joy. Though I have been reading this book for almost 15 years, I still manage to garner something new from each meditation. For me,  Ban Breathnach's words are alive and meet me exactly where I am on my journey. They speak only what I am prepared to hear, and only when I am able to receive it.

Spiritual growth so rarely happens linearly. We take one step forward and two to the right, sit down and rise again. When I opened to the January 1st reflection this year, I realized  that the most consistent Light on my journey has always been Ban Breathnach's Daybook. No matter what is happening in the world, in my heart, or in my life...this book never fails to awaken my soul in a new way. That alone, makes it picture worthy! 

Day 3: So I Bought a Guitar, Now What?

 

 

“If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.” – Henry David Thoreau

Day 2: Back to Work

It’s quite frigid in the northeast, and this morning I dreaded the daunting challenge of leaving my warm comfy bed. Going back to school or work after a nice long break is certainly no small task – especially when you have a snuggly puppy like Merlin to cuddle. But alas, the day went swimmingly and Merlin was waiting happily with wagging tail to greet me upon my arrival home. All is right in the world.

Day 1: Loving the Light

Day 1 : 2013 Has Begun
 

As I sit here making my resolutions and setting goals for 2013, a sense of calm just washed over me. Sure, the decorations need to come down eventually, but I plan on holding on to the Light of the season for as long as possible. Life is always moving at the speed of something unreal, so it's up to us to take a moment to breathe in the beauty around us and just enjoy the simple comforts of home. With so many displaced by Hurricane Sandy this winter, I know how utterly blessed I am to be safe and warm tonight. I hope where ever you find yourself on this first night of the new year, that you have peace in your heart and realize that your home is always inside of you.

The Year in Pictures? Sure!

I have long used visuals to stimulate my writing, but when I found out that my dear friend Mary Beth will be documenting her ride through 2013 in pictures I decided to jump on the bandwagon! So as a part of my own journey through this year, I plan to chronicle the next 365 days in visual snapshots. I am truly looking forward to the insight this experience shall bring.  There’s an old saying about not being able to see the trees through the forest, or the forest through the trees …whatever! One thing is clear: perspective is everything. So, I hope you’ll enjoy the drivel and learn something about seeing your own world with new eyes.  Blessings!