Laine's Blog, Thinking Out Loud

Remember?

 

Sometimes it is impossible to remember

that we live on an improbable accidental planet

that might not have come into existence

without the perfect balance

of gravity and heat and cold and atmosphere and water

at the perfect distance from our star.

 

Spinning on its axis and orbiting around the sun

 with the moon and our sister and brother planets,

and traveling with our Milky Way Galaxy

through space as our Universe still expands -

our little spaceship Earth is in perfect harmony

with the forces that made it all possible to begin with.

 

And here we are, the "children of flowers" on an evolutionary journey

65 million years in the making and still going strong.

 

So relax,

Earth is on auto pilot and won't fall from the sky anytime soon!

 

This is our time to revel in being alive in a world of wonder!

We do live in a beautiful world!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo: NASA, Earth Rise one of the first photographs of Earth from space.

Children of Flowers, borrowed from Maria Papova and her Marginalian.

 

 

In Sync...

 

These two pelicans, flying and diving together in the shallow waters of Tampa Bay, 

in time to their own music -

Reminded me of the two humpback whales dining together off Cape Cod,

and the pilot whales, cruising in perfect harmony.

 

Occasionally humans can, without a word, step together harmoniously to the shared music of life.

It's great fun when it happens,

and like the dance instructor said,

"Don't worry if you misstep, it's part of the fun!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reprinted from LainesBlog February 2013.

©LaineQuinn2023

 

These two pelicans, flying and diving together in the shallow waters of Tampa Bay, 

in time to their own music -

Reminded me of the two humpback whales dining together off Cape Cod,

and the pilot whales, cruising in perfect harmony.

 

Occasionally humans can, without a word, step together harmoniously to the shared music of life.

It's great fun when it happens,

and like the dance instructor said,

"Don't worry if you misstep, it's part of the fun!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reprinted from LainesBlog February 2013.

©LaineQuinn2023

 

Gratitude...

 

 

Sincere, unapologetic gratitude

goes a long way towards

opening our hearts.

 

And there is lots to be grateful for,

lots!

 

 

 

 

 

Maple tree in Baltimore.

©LaineQuinn2022

Yesterday...

 

The beauty around us 

No matter where you are

 There is beauty around you!

 

 

 

 

The Inlet St. Augustine

©LaineQuinn 2022

Shedding...

 

 

Like snakes, lizards shed their skin.

This one is in the middle of that shedding,

frozen almost, not moving.

 

It must be a difficult process,

making them vulnerable,

like us when we go through changes -

shedding the layers of our defenses,

opening up to the world and love!

 

When I was much younger

I used to take vacation days from myself!

I would pretend to be the person that I really wanted to be!

 

It has taken most of my life

to shed the things that were in the way of my being that person.

But here I am, most days,

the person I always wanted to be!

 

(Too bad I couldn't get new skin too!)

 

 

 

 

 

©LaineQuinn 2022

 

Go Placidly...

 

Does anyone remember this?

 

You are a child of the universe,

no less than the trees and the stars;

you have a right to be here.

 

That worthiness is the thing that was missing in my early years.

There is a book that has convinced me that I am equally deserving of my life

as anyone or anything in the universe -

that the universe spawned everything and everyone to this moment and beyond -

each of us unique and meant to be here!

 

 

 

 

 

The book, is THE GREAT WORK, OUR WAY INTO THE FUTURE, by Thomas Berry

In this book you find the amazing story of the indigenous peoples of the Americas and how they revered their place in nature and the universe, and had deep respect for all life.

"Desiderata" was translated by Max Ehrmann in 1927

 

 

 

 

That Light...

 

 

The way the light catches the sails

at a certain time of day...

it's irresistible,

delicious,

wonderful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Schooner Freedom returning to safe harbor.

©LaineQuinn 2022

 

 

 

A Thing Among Others...

 

 

I am a thing

among other things.

 

That line from the book The Alphabet of Grace,

seemed to me to equalize everything.

 

Me, the lizard, the leaf, you-

We are all just here,

doing what we do

with all of the rest of nature and things!

 

Why be so serious?

Relax.

Enjoy!

 

You are just a thing

among other things!

 

No better

and no worse either!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book by Frederick Buechner.

Photo of lizard on a thing, at the edge of the garden, in St. Augustine Florida.

© 2021 Laine Quinn

Parts reprinted from Laine's Blog!

What's Up is Down...

 

What's up is down!

 

And what's down is up!

 

 

It stretches the mind...

 

 

 

Reflections

©LaineQuinn2022

 

Wonder!

 

Small Wonders

 

Snails together on

the sidewalk, two tiny snails, one

larger - Mother and son? Sisters?  Brothers? Friends?

 

Where are they going?

Together?!

 

 

 

 

Kindness...

 

Try not to resist an urge toward kindness -

kindness and compassion-

especially towards those closest to you.

 

Kindness has a way of smoothing the edges and easing the way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lucy the cat spreading the love!

©LaineQuinn 2022

Golden Sun...

 

 

There are songs that we sang forever

and perhaps never noticed the poetry of the lyrics,

like this line:

..a drop of golden sun.

From which song?

?

 

 

 

 

Thanks to J.M. Akers - The song is from "The Sound Of Music", ...do a dear a female dear, ray - a drop of golden sun!

Reprinted from June 2013 from LainesBlog

©LaineQuinn

Flowers...

 

"...flowering plants were revolutionary in their appearance on the earth

some two hundred million years ago,

are dominant on land from the arctic to the tropics,

and are crucial to our survival."

 

Since reading those lines in Rebecca Solnit's book, Orwell's Roses,

I haven't been able to look at a flower without a deep sense of wonder

and gratitude!

 

Without flowers and their seeds,

birds and humans would not have evolved.

Period!

 

Without flowers and their seeds,

birds and humans would disappear from the earth.

 

Amen!

 

 

 

 

Quote from Orwell's Roses by Rebecca Solnit

Flowers from Baltimore and St. Augustine, Mums, Lilies, Hibiscus

©LaineQuinn 2022

 

 

 

Rock Solid...

 

 

This solid chair, situated in a garden beneath a huge live oak tree is made up of trillions of bouncing molecules,

just like you and me.

Sometimes we feel as grounded as a boulder.

Other times scattered as the northern lights.

Most days fall somewhere in between.

 

Having unshakable faith that life is unfolding exactly as it is meant to do is difficult at times,

but worth whatever effort it might take to arrive there.

So, sit, and be grateful for who you are, no less than the moon and stars and the mighty oaks.

 

 

 

 

 

Photograph taken at the Cummer Museum and Gardens in Jacksonville, Florida

Reprinted from LainesBlog, January 4, 2012

©LaineQuinn2022

 

This solid chair, situated in a garden beneath a huge live oak tree is made up of trillions of bouncing molecules,

just like you and me.

Sometimes we feel as grounded as a boulder.

Other times scattered as the northern lights.

Most days fall somewhere in between.

 

Having unshakable faith that life is unfolding exactly as it is meant to do is difficult at times,

but worth whatever effort it might take to arrive there.

So, sit, and be grateful for who you are, no less than the moon and stars and the mighty oaks.

 

 

 

 

 

Photograph taken at the Cummer Museum and Gardens in Jacksonville, Florida

Earth Day!

 

There we are

on that little blue ball

happily floating through space

 

that gorgeous blue ball

we call our home planet

spinning out the seasons

and the days and nights

as we delight in the joys of being alive

 

seeing the flowers and birds and sunsets

oceans rivers mountains and valleys -

our very own earth.

 

 

 

 

 

NASA photo of the earth from outer space.

What Comes Next...

 

 

Collectively it is time that we imagine a better world.

No matter what happens in the next months or years,

it is time to put our minds on better things.

 Call it the power of positive thinking,

of visualizing,

of collective prayer -

it all works and can change the world.

 

Psychopathic leaders of politics and industry - be warned -

it is time for the Human takeover of our world.

Time to imagine a world where we live harmoniously with the earth,

harmoniously with each other - near and far,

harmoniously with all creatures -great and small.

A world in partnership.

A world of compassion and love and generosity.

 

If it fits in your mind,

it fits in your world.

 

We are more than what we can imagine.

 

Collectively it's time to imagine

what comes after -

to dream big and have faith in the human heart,

in the human desire for connection.

 

 

 

 

Photo of Park in Godollo Hungary, outside Budapest.

Reprinted from Laine's Blog, October 2020

©LaineQuinn2022

Peace of Mind...

 

 

An old Spring House in San Miguel, Mexico -

a reminder to be grounded -

in our friendship with ourselves,

with nature,

with each other.

 Grounded in uncertainty, and upheaval,

and accepting the times we find ourselves in.

Grounded in whatever way you get grounded,

for your very own peace of mind.

 

 

 

 

 

Reprinted from LainesBlog October 20, 2020.

©LaineQuinn 2022

What If?

 

 

What if you are here on this beautiful, physical, gravity based planet,

simply because you want to be here?

 

You like a challenge!

 

 

 

 

 

Reprinted from LainesBlog 

©LaineQuinn 2022

 

What if you are here on this beautiful, physical, gravity based planet,

simply because you want to be here?

 

You like a challenge!

 

 

 

 

 

Reprinted from LainesBlog 

©LaineQuinn 2022

The Language of Love...

 

 

Resembling luminescent jewels,

the colors of the ocean at sunset

on a calm evening,

raise the spirit,

like the sails of a great ship filling with a welcome breeze.

 

Filling the heart with Love!

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

 

 

 

St. Augustine Beach, 2.10.14.

Reprinted from Laine's blog, 2014, with additions!

©LaineQuinn2022

More Pelicans...

 

 

Landing gear down...

Check.

 

 

Landing gear up...

 

 

Check.

 

These Brown Pelicans, up close enough to see the accordion wings against the sky,

are proof positive that we live in a very beautiful, complex,

and fascinating world.

 

You are clear for takeoff!

 

 

 

Saint Augustine Beach Pier, once again hosting the people who fish and the birds who love them.

Reprinted from LainesBlog, February 2015

©LaineQuinn 2022

 

Love Letters...

 

   

 

Remember when people used to write letters to one another?

A lost art, to be sure.

 

 

 

 

 

Love letters on Flagler's Fishing Pier.

Reprinted from LainesBlog, February 2015, with additions from Laine! 

©LaineQuinn2022

Pelican Sets Sail...

 

Does a pelican in the water ever doubt that he can raise his sails and take to the air?

In three powerful strokes, this huge bird is airborne and glides away.

 

 

 

 

 

 

©LaineQuinn 2022, Republished from LainesBlog January 2012.

Keeping It Simple...

 

My Christmas Tree this year is a Live Oak Tree!

 

The tinsel is silvery Spanish Moss.

 

The ornaments are Squirrels and Birds and Lizards!

 

The Star at the top is our very own Star, the Sun!

 

 HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE! 

 

 And this is my Christmas Card to Everyone! 

 

With Love,

Laine

 

 

 

 

 

Sign created by Aden with Lizard lazing on top!

Birds are, Black and White Warbler, Red Bellied Woodpecker and unknown maybe sparrow or warbler!

©Laine Quinn 2021

Home...

 

 

 

A lot of people will be traveling over the coming weeks,

going home.

 

Where is home? 

 

Is it where you spent your childhood?

 

Or where you choose to live?

 

Is home a moveable feast?

 

Do we carry it within us?

 

 

Is it a place we cherish or a person we love?

 

Is it all of these things?

 

A place, a person, where you've been and where you're going

 

and where you are right now?

 

 

The heart and soul of home

 

seem to be everywhere!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Airplane window, setting sun, clouds.

Reprinted from Laine's Blog, November 2012, long before traveling became so precarious because of the pandemic.

©Laine Quinn 2021

 

 

 

 

 

A lot of people will be traveling over the coming weeks,

going home.

 

Where is home? 

 

Is it where you spent your childhood?

 

Or where you choose to live?

 

Is home a moveable feast?

 

Do we carry it within us?

 

 

Is it a place we cherish or a person we love?

 

Is it all of these things?

 

A place, a person, where you've been and where you're going

 

and where you are right now?

 

 

The heart and soul of home

 

seem to be everywhere!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Airplane window, setting sun, clouds.

Reprinted from Laine's Blog, November 2012, long before traveling became so precarious because of the pandemic.

©Laine Quinn 2021

 

 

It's A Lie...

 

It is a lie - any talk of God

that does not

comfort

you.

 

 

 

 

 

Poem by Meister Eckhart, 13th century mystic, translated by Daniel Ladinsky.

From the Penguin publication, Love Poems From God, Twelve Sacred Voices from the East and West.

Copyright © 2002 Daniel Ladinsky and used with his permission.

 

Re-Posted from Laine's Blog, November 2012

 

It is a lie - any talk of God

that does not

comfort

you.

 

 

 

 

 

Poem by Meister Eckhart, 13th century mystic, translated by Daniel Ladinsky.

From the Penguin publication, Love Poems From God, Twelve Sacred Voices from the East and West.

Copyright © 2002 Daniel Ladinsky and used with his permission.

 

Gratitude...

 

Grateful for all the people who have come and gone in my life

and helped me to become the person I am today -

for better or worse!

 

Grateful for all the things that are going right in my world -

and there are many.

 

Grateful as always for the sun and moon and stars,

for blue skies and rain and trees and flowers.

 

We are all made of the same star stuff -

the same stuff.

 

All one.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

 

 

 

Sunrise, St Augustine Beach

©LaineQuinn2021

Just Because...

 

 

Just because light and color conspired to spread joy!

 

 

 

 

 

Reprinted from Laine's Blog November 2020 with added photo!

©LaineQuinn2021

 

Friends...

 

 

 

Life can be overwhelming at times - aging parents, sick children, losing a treasured pet.

Even joy can flood the heart, so much beauty, so much love, so complex.

That's where our friends come in.

They walk with us even when we are apart and help us to make sense of our mortal lives.

Where would we be without our friends?

Here's to old friends, new friends and the friends we are about to meet!

Thank You!

 

 

 

 

Reprinted from Laine's Blog, November, 2011

©LaineQuinn 2021

Sculpture found at Cummer Gardens in Jacksonville, Florida.

 

Let The Autumn Light Reach You

 

What nourishes you

in the middle of a Pandemic?

 

What nourishes you

when political forces take a dark turn

and plunge us into a past that should be long forgotten?

 

 

For me it is Poetry -

Poetry and Music that soothe my soul

and the beauty all around me -

flowers still blooming in our Florida gardens and

the angle of the sun in the trees at a certain time of day,

and of course the beach!

And happy dogs and peaceful cats!

And friends, young and old!

 

Let the autumn light reach you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

©2021 Laine Quinn, photo of Spanish Moss in Live Oaks at Washington Oaks State Park.

 

 

 

Egret With Fish...

 

 

Does the Egret apologize to the fish?

Is the fish feeling like a victim, getting angry and huffy?

These two marvelous creatures are

  living and dying on the same page.

No apologies.

No blame.

When we seek honestly that which nourishes us,

we thrive.

 

 

 

Reprinted from Laine's Blog, October, 2011

©LaineQuinn 2011

I'm ok 2...

When memories pop up that remind you of your mistakes, missteps and lost opportunities -

do they come to make you feel bad all over again?

Or are they coming to maybe help you?

Help you to find forgiveness and compassion for your self?

To finally move off - move on - to the happiness you found in life -

the happy memories?

 

Sure it's all intermingled but remember the kindness, the love and the friendships,

the comraderie and the joys you found in nature - in being alive,

in reading a good book and sharing a good meal,

the good work that you did.

In the BIG tapestry of your life

the missteps  would shrink beside all the good all the joy and happiness -

all the little things that made your life whole.

 

Funny that they come, those haunting memories,

but next time flood them with the joys and maybe they will cease and desist

eventually.

 

Maybe after forgiveness and compassion there is acceptance.

"Yeah, I did that , but I also did this and this and this...

I'm okay!"

 

You're okay!

I'm okay.

 

 

 

 

©2021 Laine Quinn

Tapestry, "Tree of Life", Astoria Grand at Wayfair.

 

A note to my email subscribers, the email address Laine@lainesblog.com is no longer active, an I have corrected it so that you can reply to my blog in your email and I will get it in my google account.

Thanks for all!