The Cathedral of Summer

"I walk without flinching through the cathedral of the summer.  My bank of wild grass is majestic & full of music.  It is a fire that solitude presses against my lips."  Violette Leduc (1907-1972), France

If you look hard enough, you can find beauty almost everywhere.  All you have to do is look at the world through the eyes of a child, because children see beauty and wonder in the simplest things.  So, try to find that child-like quality  in yourself when you look at the world.  It will look like a better place if you do.

A Glance of the Eye

"An eye can threaten like a leveled and loaded gun, or it can insult like hissing or kicking;  or, in its altered mood, by beams of kindness, it can make the heart dance for joy . . . .
One of the most wonderful things in nature is a glance of the eye; it transcends speech; it is the bodily symbol of identity." Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), USA

When you were a kid, did your mom ever give you one of those looks that made you know, without her saying one single word, that she meant business and that you'd better move?   Or, did your child ever look up at you, with such loving eyes, that you didn't really care about the mess they'd made?  Our eyes can express anger, frustration, sadness or love.  They can tell another person what kind of mood we're in.  They can be so intense that they stop us in our tracks.  They can give us away if we're lying and they can tell someone that we love them.  They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul.  I hope that today your eyes will express happiness, peace and love to all those who you meet.  Have a wonderful day!

Camp of Man

"How hard to realize that every camp of man has this glorious starry firmament for a roof! In such places, standing alone on a mountain-top, it is easy to realize that whatever special nests we make - leaves and moss like the marmots and birds, or tents or piled stone - we all dwell in a house of one room - the world with its firmament for its roof - and we are sailing the celestial spaces without leaving any track." John Muir (1838-1914) Scotland/USA

This picture was taken in Hawaii. It's part of the Waimea Canyon. It's a beautiful area with a variety of colors. There was a haze present most of the time we were in Hawaii and I should have used my polarizer to cut through the haze, but I didn't. So, if you're in a similar situation, get out your polarizer and put it on your lens. It'll give you a better picture.

Possibilities

"What has happened is not nearly as important as what can happen. Look to the possibilities of your future for direction, forsaking the burdensome limitations of your past." Keith D. Harrell

As we go through life, we often think about things that have happened and regret that we didn't act differently, say kinder words, etc. If we stay in that frame of mind, however, we're preventing the possibilities that are ahead of us from occurring. It's important to move beyond the regrets and the guilt that is tied up with the past. We can't change what has already happened, but our attitudes can have a tremendous impact on our future. So, keep your head up and look towards the future, not the past.

Being Together

"Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Staying together is success." Henry Ford

Being together isn't always easy. There are compromises to be made and you don't always get your way. It may seem like you're always giving instead of getting, but perhaps that's just your perception of the situation. The other person may feel the same way. The rewards of staying together may sometimes seem elusive, but if you work at it, they can also be oh so sweet.