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at the Cathedral Basilica,
the last night,
Mozart and more Mozart!
Sublime.
The sound of the strings in this church is so wonderful,
it transports you to another time and place.
Oboe and horn are also just as wonderful!
Piano too.
Thank you to SAMF Chamber Orchestra,
the Church and all the performers.
And it's free,
for 6 nights in the summer.
Time well spent.
No flash photography and tripod in car...
Have you ever listened to someone's life story and thought,
this can't be true?
How could she have done all of those things in 55 years?
Well, wait until you are 60,
you realize that - yes -
it was all possible and true!
The butterfly lives for a very short time,
but we get to do a lot of lot of things
in our relatively short lives.
Pretty cool!
Butterfly shot at the Butterfly Exhibit in Key West by Paula Post and used without her permission!
(And my knee is much better today, thank you!)
Pain.
Physical pain.
Whenever it happens to me,
I know it is going to kill me.
Then I remember the little tricks I have in my bag to relieve it -
and cure it.
Some tapping. (EFT)
Checking in with Louise Hay's book, You Can Heal Your Life.
Sleep.
Ice.
Dit Dut Jiao. (herbal concontion a friend made)
Ibuprofin.
Rest
and
repeat.
All is getting better and better.
Thank the goddess!
Sand fences, St. Augustine Beach, keeping the tide and winds at bay.
The very best advice that I have given myself lately has been
to be open and loving,
and honest about my own needs and desires.
Like the new fronds of the Sago Palm,
open to the light and air and love all around.
The other side of the screen-
the painted fern.
Happy Summer Solstice!
Enjoy the long day.
Is it any wonder that humans took to painting and drawing?
Here the sun paints the fern onto the screen.
When we are young, it is more difficult not to have regrets.
We like to think that there are none,
but usually there is something niggling in our hearts that we wish we had done better,
or been stronger or kinder.
These will pass into oblivion once we see that the story of our lives
is an entire novel
and
not disparate chapters that don't fit together.
Having no regrets is a measure of how far we have come on our journey
to self-acceptance and self-love and compassion.
It is an indication that we have honored the spirit of our hearts and souls
on this adventure called life.
Three egrets, on the rocks near the Fort in St. Augustine, © 2011.
No egrets.
Oh,
one egret.
No regrets.
(Mostly.)
Great Egret at sunset.
Borrowed from LainesBlog, June, 2013.
There is a charming young person who is painting our house,
whose smile is so sunny that its effect stays with you for hours,
and you find yourself smiling to yourself just remembering it!
Don't forget that your smile can do that for someone.
It can even brighten up an already bright morning,
and end up on the other side of town,
or reflecting in some clouds at the end of the day.
Sunset, St. Augustine Beach, Florida.
Full moon,
where the inlet and the Atlantic ocean meet,
creating a moon road
that leads far out to sea.
From Vilano Beach, St. Augustine, Florida.
Palm trees,
so evocative of sunny days and warm nights, and easy times.
Is life ever that simple?
Some days - Yes!
In Spring and early Summer the Right whales feed just off the beaches in Provincetown.
You can spend an afternoon with them,
watching and listening to their unusual sounds,
receiving the blessings freely offered.
The ancient whales have observed human evolution for millenium,
and know things that we can only guess at.
Although we might be a bit of a dissapointment to them,
they seem always to bless us and raise our spirits,
teasing us to higher ground.
Photo of a Humpback Whale, out of Provincetown, doing what the humans call "tail slapping". The whales probably have another name for it!
Once in a while,
we need the help of a friend,
to see the other side of a conundrum.
A friend who leads us to safety -
away from wrong turns,
and renegade emotions,
that could potentially muck up everything!
A friend who helps,
not in a heavy handed - hit you over the head way,
but who gently provides the missing piece of the puzzle,
that makes perfect sense,
once it is in place.
Crazy that we can't do it alone.
Lucky we can admit that (finally).
Even luckier to have that friend.
There's something about a sandbar
that beckons you to come out past your comfort zone,
to tempt the tide and time,
just a little farther,
a little longer...
all will be well.
Promise!
Matanzas River, between the inlet and the fort, reprinted from LainesBlog, June 2013.
A year ago,
a wedding.
Lots of flowers and friends and fun.
So much has happened
since those flowers.
So much in one year.
Did you have a year like that?
(Happy Anniversary!)
The colors of summer!
Under the umbrella, St. Augustine Beach.
So, you want my recipe on how to relax?
Find a shady, sunny spot.
Spread out on a comfortable leaf,
that sways gently in the breeze,
and is close to something wonderful.
Like this.
Voilá!
Perfection!
(This recipe can be customized to meet you specific specifications,
such as, a hammock will step in for a swaying leaf,
and the something wonderful, of course is in the eye of the beholder.
Feel free to experiment
and
g'day!)
St. Augustine Lizard and Lily.
Friends, paddling along together through life's currents.
It's a calm evening and mild in between the storms and troubles.
There's peace and quiet and a kind of welcome ordinariness,
a rightness about things that begins to include the storms and troubles
and the peace and quiet.
All's well.
Reprinted from LainesBlog, June 2012, with permission!
Brown Pelicans paddling together.
A mile or even a half mile in shoes that don't, won't, can't possibly fit you,
would cause a lot of pain.
It's a nice thought, to put yourself in someone else's shoes,
but it is an impossible task that requires many assumptions.
Better to honor another person's path,
knowing that you don't have a clue about what they are
really thinking or feeling.
That's not to say we can't understand each other
when we truly listen and communicate,
we can and do.
It's more about honoring the mystery of the other,
the way that we honor
the mystery of life.
Aden's shoes, my feet. My shoes, Aden's mysterious self.