Contemplating the River

You can’t push the river, a teacher once told me. So true. I’ve had a lifetime of trying to outrun the river, and consequently, the shattered pieces  of my efforts litter life’s banks. With illness, I have come to appreciate that it is not about flowing with the river, or keeping up, but being open.  The […]

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V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #20: River

Everyday, in the aftershock of losing a seventeen year marriage, I sought out the river.  I would say a prayer, then walk off the grief and strife, until I came to a bench, where I’d sit and contemplate the message of the flowing water.  “Finding my inner peace”, is what my son called it. A […]

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Lens-Artists: Changing or Changeable

Seasonal changes alter the landscape, deep greens give over to vibrant amber, flaming reds and oranges, and cold… A photographer alters the light, shifts the focus, tempers the colour and perfects the image’s final delivery. In the same way, I look within, search for the beauty, adjust flaws, accept what I cannot change, and strive […]

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V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #19: Distance

Distance by Archibald Lampman To the distance!  Ah, the distance! Blue and broad and dim! Peace is not in burgh or meadow, But beyond the rim. Aye, beyond it, far beyond it; Follow still my soul, Till this earth is lost in heaven, And thou feel’st the whole. How do we measure distance, between hearts […]

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Reflections on Gathering

The forecast for last night was a frost warning. “The rooftops were white this morning, did you see?” a neighbour asked me at our communal brunch. I hadn’t noticed, but I am feeling it in my body.  Things are seizing up. We’ve had a week of get-togethers, starting with Thanksgiving.  Tuesday, we drove into town […]

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V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #18: Gathering

It’s a long weekend for us here in Canada.  Traditionally families come together, partake of a large meal and give thanks for the blessings in their lives. It is not difficult to feel blessed when family is gathered together. What else is gathering at this time of year?  How does ‘gathering’ factor into your current […]

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V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #17: Attention

The quality of our lives is determined by the focus of our attention.  – Cheri Huber As a child, I had a recurring dream: I’m crouched under a large, wooden chair, and Mickey Mouse is headed my way with a kettle of boiling water, intending to scald me, and no matter how much I scream, […]

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Exit Strategy

One more train. Then she’d be away.  Far enough to lose all communication.  Far enough that he could not find her. “Can I help you Ma’am?”  a porter reached for her luggage. Passengers crowded in behind. “Just a moment, thanks.” Pulling her suitcase aside, she fidgeted with her purse, pretending to be searching for a […]

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CFFC: Pastels

Softness of coral, paired with misty green creates tranquility,  pleasing garden scene. A sleeping dove captured by surprise, reveals tender blue lidding the eyes. The sweetest of pastels, pink light at day’s end – water and sky, pre-slumber, gracefully blend. (Photos from private collection, submitted here for Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: pastel colours.)

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Lens-Artists Challenge: Path

Who can resist a path’s allure?  Not I. Quinta Mazatlan, McAllen, Texas offers manicured paths, through lush green gardens, carefully groomed – a bird watcher’s delight. (Featured image). At Piper’s Lagoon, my weary legs climbed to the water’s view, and would go no further.  This path, beyond, called to me, but would have to wait […]

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