Wild Possibilities

By Cathy 

"A friend is a loved one who awakens your life in order to free the wild possibilities within you." 

~ John O'Donohue, Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdon 

she reaches out to touch the branch

crushing the needles carefully between her fingers

their pine sent floating up around her

she closes her eyes 

::

she walks with her dog around the pond

a wet carpet beneath their feet, layers of scattered dying leaves 

and a cushion of dark green moss

she breaths deeply taking a moment to attend to her heart 

and to be alone with her thoughts

::

she has always tired to listened to her heart

but understands now she often only eavesdropped 

and what was overheard was deeply monitored

screened to protect herself  

afraid of the heart break or challenge

::

she has learned over the past year 

that her heart is not something to be ignored

and that if she pays close attention,

especially when it is uncomfortable or raw

that there will be growth

::

she has also learned

that she has value and substance and courage 

and that she is worth the fight

and so she promises herself, 

as she contemplates on the new year ahead

that she will continue to listen and fight if need be

with grace and gratitude

::::

Today will be my last regular post here. I say regular because I am hoping the ladies will invite me back from time to time to share. I am sad about leaving, but also know that I have to listen to my heart. My time here has been amazing and full of growth and friendships that I know will last.

I thank the amazing woman photographers here in this space. I thank them for welcoming me, encouraging me and accepting me into their fold. And to you our readers, holy smokes, I can't even begin to tell you what it is like to have one of you comment on something I have written or a photo I have taken. It fills my heart so.

So I am not going to say goodbye, but just leave it at thank you. I will be around here and there and I will be looking for you.

Isn't life grand!

Love, Cathy 

Lighted Compositions

By Cathy 

i gaze in awe at the flow of the seasons
the miracle of new paintings at my feet and overhead
new compositions outside my window

i wonder how many go through their day
without a thought to light
and the magic she holds;
how often it seems to land
just where a bit of luminence is needed
to complete the story

mindful awareness,
the deep understanding that nature
in all her simple beauty
is so worthy of our attention,
demands our diligence
and practice

and if we are loyal to the light
she will surprise us when we least expect it
and take our breath away.

:::

Inside and out I hope your world is full of light! 

xooox 

Pay Attention

 By Cathy

she sees the patterns of her life clearly now

something to do with her age no doubt

it was not always like this

but now she recalls. . . 

and when she does she understands the patterns  were always there

she just wasn't paying attention

the little girl walks past the wobbly old fence, her red flip-flops

beating out the rhythm of her own walking

flip-flop, flip-flop

her mother is close behind her

 reminding her to not go too far

they emerge at the ocean’s edge and she plays in the sun

while her father fishes on the shore; down the beach from them

later the three of them sit outside the camp site 

and examine her treasures  

tiny seashells, homes for clams and snails, a sand-dollar 

and a few crab claws

he explains how almost all of nature and life has its own pattern

if we only take the time to notice

but the little girl is too busy lining up her seashells in a row 

and hardly listens

  the chestnut brown braid of the teenage girl

almost reaches her waist

as she sit on the floor in the kitchen of her childhood home

she is tethered to the beige telephone

which hangs above her on the wall

and her fingers gently trace the diamond pattern 

of the worm linoleum beneath her

the cord bounces up and down creating a playful pattern 

on the wall behind her

and if she listened carefully

she would hear the rhythm of the rain 

as it hits the glass windowpane

but she is too engaged in the story of  her best friend's break-up

to hear anything but her voice

so again the patterns around her go unnoticed  

years later, as a new mother, she tells her husband she has figured  out  

the sleeping pattern of their new son

only to have to tell him the very next day that it has changed

she is in awe of their son's toes and the symmetry of his little body

perfect in every way and she can’t get enough of him

she reads to him, repeated words and sings songs

clapping out the rhythm

as the itsy bitsy spider climbs higher and higher

but she is so tired she can hardly manage a shower

and again the patterns go unnoticed

today the patterns of her life delight her so

the making of her morning latte, the walks she and the dog take, 

the flowers in her garden

her daily photo

patterns emerge all around her

winter crystal snowflakes

does he love me or love me not petals of the daisy

summer ladybug wings

and butterscotch orange leaves

her father was right and she understands this now

 and she wishes she could thank him

thank him for all he taught that little girl 

because today. . .

there is not a day that goes by 

that she does not pay attention

to the simple patterns of her every day life

:::

what patterns do you notice in your view finder? 

xoxoxo