leaving the shire

"The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can."
                            ~JRR Tolkein, The Fellowship of the Ring

hinged

So, in the world of poetry, if my life were a door, I must ask myself "on what is it hinged?" For a door with no hinges is no door at all.  :)

resurrections

The world is full of resurrections.
Every night that folds us up in darkness is a death;
and those of you that have been out early, and have seen the first of the dawn, will know it--
the day rises out of the night
like a being that has burst its tomb and
escaped into life."
                                 ~George MacDonald

like looking through a window

“You don’t take a photograph, you make it.”  Ansel Adams

"There are always two people in every photograph, the photographer and the viewer."  Ansel Adams

Photography is so much more to me than just snapping a picture. It is a window through which i see the world; a calling, and privilege, for which I am grateful. If you are reading this, "thank you" for being part of the process.

hallowed place

and then i came upon
a meadow

watched over by the pines



"I frequently tramped eight or ten miles through the deepest snow to keep an appointment with a beech tree, or a yellow birch, or an old acquaintance among the pines."
                                                      ~Henry David Thoreau

little flock

When i saw this fluffy little flock of sparrows hunched together in the snowstorm i was reminded of a conversation i had with a friend last week. She was telling me about how much she enjoys observing birds and how they spark her imagination. …”especially,” she said, “seeing them lined up on buildings or wires…..how they scoot down for one another to make a space”. She said she could imagine what they were saying to each other. 

It made me think of a scripture passage from the book of Luke:

“I tell you,” Jesus said, “do not be anxious about your life….consider the birds, they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds…..and who of you by worrying can add one cubit to his span of life?

       …..Fear not little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” 


P.S. Being a part of a flock is a really good thing. :)

harbor in winter

This image captures quintessential Maine in the middle of winter; harbor, trees, water, the tools of the fishermen; all at rest. 

It’s as though winter is inviting everything to “be still” with her.

   

one thing (i love about Maine)

when i see 

how the trees

go right up to the sea

it inspires me

If you would know strength and patience, welcome the company of trees.  ~ Hal Borland

a home in the woods

on the other side of solitude is the company of friends…new or old. . 

On our drive north from Portland to Mount Desert Island we stopped on Westport Island to visit Susie and Nate. I had met them once in Topeka when they were there visiting Susie’s sister, my friend, Kathleen. Hearing that we would be in Maine they graciously invited us to stop by for lunch on our drive north. 

We parked at the bottom of a steep winding hill and walked up their drive to the house. Rounding the bend and seeing their cottage/remodeled carriage house tucked into the snowy woods was magical as was our wonderful lunch and time of talking around the fire.They made us feel long life long friends by not only opening their door but also their hearts.

"Open your heart--open it wide; someone is standing outside."  
                                      Mary Engelbreit