Gather Joy

There is so much in the world  for us all if we only have the eyes to see it, and the heart to love it, and the hand to gather it to ourselves.  ~L.M. Montgomery

I love this quote.  I truly believe this.  The world around us is full of amazing things for us if we will allow ourselves to be aware and to receive.  So many of the things that have the potential to give us joy are little things, little things that we can miss unless we awake up and notice.  All that is required is openness.  Look around and find the beauty – the joy.  Open our arms and receive.  Allow our hands and our hearts to be filled to overflowing.

Today, these are some of the things, some of the joy, I have gathered into my hands and heart:





 

This weekends wildflower Whorled Loosestrife                                                              



























The contrast of fragile flower 
         against stone

                 
                                        


                   The blue of  Morning Glories       




                                                                                                                                                






                                                                                                        






Red Geraniums
















  And the curve in the road to my home that reminds me to trust that my journey continues even though I can’t see around the bend,
                                                                    

What joy did you gather today?

Weekend Walk Arounds

This is one of my favorite times of the year.  In the mountains of North Georgia the mornings and evenings are cool enough for a fire in the fireplace on the porch; but, the warmth of the days has awakened the flowers in the garden and the wild flowers in the woods.

                                       

     On my weekend walks 

       over the last few weeks,  

       I have seen:

            and the hillsides are 
     painted  with cascades of pink 
               Rhododendron and 
                   Mountain Laurel.

The peace and beauty of these woods fills me with  a sense of wonder and gratitude; and, I am renewed by the vibrant energy of life displayed here.  

Shine

I have an on going struggle inside me between the "Who do you think you are?  No one is interested in what you think or create." side and the "This little light of mine I'm gonna let it shine" side of my self.  Recently I attended a conference on therapy and technology that reignited this debate.

The speaker was knowledgeable and interesting and shared lots of good information.  When he spoke about managing your online presence, a number of people in the room stated they would never have a facebook page or share any personal information online.  I have a facebook page and a blog.  I left feeling a little uncomfortable and wondering if I might be too self-disclosing.  As often happens, the various sides of this argument are coming at me from all directions.  Several of the blogs I follow have addressed this issue this  week.  I thought you  might find these perspectives interesting.  I did.

The first is from a daily meditation from the Henri Nouwen Society.  Henri Nouwen's books were life changing for me.  I read them a number of years ago, when I was beginning to recognize my struggle with perfectionism  and this over developed internal critic.  Here was a man who was obviously spiritual who wrote about his own struggles and openly shared his humanity.  His books helped me to realize that being spiritual was really about being an honest, authentic human being.  It was about sharing the good/the bad, the pretty/the ugly, the figured out squared away parts/the chaotic I haven't a clue parts. This is the meditation from April 29th:

Sunday April 29, 2012    Making Our Lives Available to Others One of the arguments we often use for not writing is this:   "I have nothing original to say.  Whatever I might say, someone else has already said it, and better than I will ever be able to."  This, however, is not a good argument for not writing.  Each human person is unique and original, and nobody has lived what we have lived.  Furthermore, what we have lived, we have lived not just for ourselves but for others as well.  Writing can be a very creative and invigorating way to make our lives available to ourselves and to others. We have to trust that our stories deserve to be told.  We may discover that the better we tell our stories the better we will want to live them.

More can be found at www.henrinouwen.org.

The other blog post was from the May 5th mixed media art blog of Nathalie Kalbach at www.nathaliesstudio.com.  She shared a youtube video by Derek Siver.

So, I have decided that I will continue to share my story and my art.  I will blog and post an occasional picture or thought on facebook.  Some people may think it isn't professional, or it is too much self-disclosure.  I know that for me both the process of creating art and writing and the sharing of my thoughts and feelings seems right.  I have lived too much of my life hiding out of fear of what others might think.  No more.  I know that telling my story is helping me live my story in a better, healthier way.  I am going to  listen to the wisdom of my two year old grandson Jack who has reminded me through the singing of one of his latest  favorite songs:  This Little Light of Mine I'm Gonna Let It Shine. 

Roller Coaster Ride

I am an anomaly in a family of adrenaline junkies.  My son and daughter climb up sheer rock cliffs for fun.  My son and my husband love motorcycles.  My husband who is not a big man used to climb up on the backs of bulls as a hobby.  All of them plus my daughter-in-law love to shoot guns.  I don’t get any of it.

I have an amazingly sensitive startle reflex.  I hate heights, sudden movements, and loud noises.  I am the person at the amusement park sitting on the bench looking slightly green, feeling dizzy and nauseated just watching the people I love hurl through space.  I wish I could say I am the Zen member of the family, but I think it is just that my fight or flight response is off the charts.

That said, the last two weeks have felt like a rollercoaster ride to me.  Several positive possibilities have arisen, not come through, followed by more possibilities.  Nothing has actually worked out yet, but maybe.  I have felt excited, appreciated, competent, frustrated, disappointed, and excited again.  Whew!

The most interesting part of all to me has been my response.  I have had the full range of sometimes intense emotions; however, I have taken it all in stride and not let the emotions of any one moment get set into a more lasting mood problem.  I have somehow stayed grounded in my center and just let it be.  I am actually letting my life unfold and maintaining a sort of curious detachment.  The word that best describes it for me is transcendence.  It feels good.  I like it; and, I hope I can hold on to it.