...9.25.11...

“and you would accept the seasons of your heart

just as you have always accepted

 that seasons pass over your fields and you would watch with serenity

through the winters of your grief.”

~kahlil gibran



accept it.

or be crippled with nonacceptance.

embrace the moments.

be ever present.

be.

here.

now.

welcome to coffee hour.

welcome to this Sunday morning.

just BE.

robin.

ps.

no sign of the robin.

but also no sign of

anything getting it before it flew away.

i am going with the fact that it is

on it's journey south.

i am blessed with the fact that i was able to spend

the day watching over it.

...we interupt sss...

to bring you this update...

after about 6 hours.

it moved from near the window

that it hit.

to the railing edge.

after about 8 hours... 

it flew to the fence rail. 

and there it sat for a while longer.

until it flew a few branches up.

into the covering of the tree leaves.

i will stop worrying about it for now.

and hopefully i won't see it.

but hear it again tomorrow. 

and my heart will smile.

just BE.

robin.

...be present...



how does a part of the world leave the world?
how does wetness leave water?

don't try to put out fire by throwing on more fire!

don't wash a wound with blood.

no matter how fast you run, your shadow keeps up.

sometimes it's in front!

only full overhead sun diminishes your shadow.
but that shadow has been serving you.

what hurts you, blesses you.

darkness is your candle.

your boundaries are your quest.

i could explain this, but it will break the
glass cover on your heart, and there's no
fixing that.

you must have shadow and light source both.
listen, and lay your head under the tree of awe.

when from that tree feathers and wings sprout on you,
be quieter than a dove.

don't even open your mouth for
even a coo.

~Mewlana Jalaluddin Rumi

shadows are present on all surfaces.

vibrant colors are present on the trees.

coolness is present in the air.

heavy dew is present on the grass.

happy singing is present in the hearts of the birds.

a softer blue is present in the sky.

fall is present.

i am present.

be.

here.

now.

******

light + objects = shadows

HEY HARRIET

may you be present today.

just BE.

robin.

ps.

one of the birds i heard singing

this morning was a robin.

they have been gone since the middle of august.

i was thrilled to hear it.

but.

as i was finishing this post there was a thud

on my livingroom picture window.

it was a very loud thud.

it is usually a morning dove.

but to my sadness.

it was a robin.

this makes me very sad.

...inward, outward...

either i will find a way,

or i will make one.

~philip sidney

playing with macro and manual focus.

must. learn. more!!!

just BE.

robin.

...9.18.11...

matthew goodenow - number 24 - for the bucks

the kind of tackles that make a momma cringe

final score-didn't win, but it was a great game

power of gold

western michigan university

vs.

central michigan university

destinee-marching band

western wins!!!

learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself,

and know that everything in life has purpose.

there are no mistakes,

no coincidences,

all events are blessings given to us to learn from.
Elizabeth Kubler-Ross  

gratitude, like faith, is a muscle.

the more you use it,

 the stronger it grows,

 and the more power you have to use it on your behalf.

if you do not practice gratefulness,

its benefaction will go unnoticed,

and your capacity to draw on its gifts will be diminished.

to be grateful is to find blessings in everything,

this is the most powerful attitude to adopt,

 for there are blessings in everything.
Alan Cohen

fall season is underway.

and our blessings are many.

beginning with our three children.

...find your blessings in everything...

welcome to coffee hour.

welcome to this Sunday morning.

just BE.

robin.

...mums the word...

The Origin of the expression "Mum's the word"

This expression dates from about 1700, but mum, meaning "silence," is much older. In 2 Henry VI (1:2) Shakespeare wrote, "Seal up your lips, and give no words but mum."

********** 

When fall arrives, it's hard not to regret the passing of all the summer blooms we love so much: pompon dahlias, Shasta daisies, African daisies, little zinnias, asters, coreopsis, and calendulas.

But take heart, for the fall garden offers all these flower shapes from just one plant, the chrysanthemum. Hundreds of hardy cultivars provide an array of colors and bloom shapes, making mums the divas of the autumn garden. The blooms last for weeks, not days, and the sheer number of flowers per plant will convince anyone that this flower really likes to show off. Add the mum's impressionistic abilities to its longevity, and you have a plant that pulls its weight in the garden.

Because of their tight, mounded habit and stunning bloom cover, garden mums are perfect for mass plantings. To get the maximum effect from far away, stick to only one or two colors. Another possibility is to arrange a gradual transition of related colors. Look around your yard to see what colors would best complement the existing landscape. If you decorate for fall with pumpkins and gourds, choose orange, bronze, yellow, and creamy white mums. If you have a lot of evergreen plants that provide a backdrop of varying shades of green foliage, try bright pinks, lavenders, pure whites, or reds. With such bold colors, a large grouping of mums can excite even the most drab of fall landscapes.
~better homes and garden

headed to a football game.

in kalamazoo.

western vs. central.

what a wonderful.

fall time activity.

so is chasing shadows.

HEY HARRIET

have a great day.

just BE.

robin.

...9.11.11...

just watched 102 minutes.

ten years.

seems like yesterday.

may the healing continue.



welcome to coffee hour.

welcome to this Sunday morning.

just BE.

robin.