Monday, May 31, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Paper Rose
Creative Every Day/Flickr Project 365 photo for 5/30/2010:
Brooke sent this paper rose to Emma for her birthday recently.
So pretty!
So pretty!
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Greater Celandine
Creative Every Day/Flickr Project 365 photo for 5/29/2010:
Read more about Greater Celandine at GorhamGarden.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Pansy...and being seen
Creative Every Day/Flickr Project 365 photo for 5/25/2010:
Depending on how I look at this flower, I can see a butterfly, an old man's face,
a fairy, and a tree frog. If I look a certain way, I don't see any of them.
I awoke in the night thinking about the importance of being seen.
Really. Seen.
I realized for me it is very important that I be seen and
I'm thinking I'm not the only one.
I'm not referring to seeing the various roles, hats, masks, behaviors,
moods, tasks, and such.
I'm talking about seeing {just me}.
Sometimes I just want to be seen -
actually, and, maybe more importantly, I want to know I'm being seen.
I will act out in all sorts of ways just to be seen -getting more and more desperate if it doesn't seem to be working -- if I don't *know* I'm being seen.
And, in a bizarre twist of the Universe,
the more desperate I get, the harder it is to see me, I think.
I get hidden by all that.
But, when someone sees through that, sees me and lets me know it,
just like that...a calming takes place.
I'm thinking of an infant gazing into it's parent's face and being gazed back at.
Recently I've had the privilege of spending time learning from Eileen O'Hare, medicine woman, healer, and Shamanic Practitioner, and Monica Dyer. Twice now, Eileen has led the group I've been in through the process of "rattling in." We sit in a circle, hands shaking the rattles we hold, we chant along with Eileen's beautiful beautiful voice, and we gaze...we just gaze...at each member of the circle.
Looking into each others eyes and holding it long enough to let our own baggage melt away, long enough to see through to the person.
The first time we did it, I just wept.
I gazed and wept.
I was seen, not my faults, not my accomplishments, not my past behaviors, not my ideas, opinions, or talents. Not the me others want me to be.
Just me.
I experienced how it felt to be seen and it was so powerful.
I also saw, saw another person...just like me...no better, no worse, not the same, but not different...a person.
I spend a lot of time hiding, when all I want is to be seen {and loved for it}.
Interesting.
I'm working with a new-ish public school teacher as she hones her craft and names the magic she is creating in her classroom. More than the interesting activities, lessons, projects, collaborations, books, assignments -- what makes her a powerful teacher is the connection she makes with the class and more importantly the connections she makes with the individual students. She really sees them and they know it. They know it because she uses what she sees to meet their needs. She is able to look past the cool facades, the frightened faces, past mistakes, the ambivalent body language, she can look right to the heart of them. And, it all melts away.
Concurrently, she allows them to see her.
Magic.
Powerful.
Beautiful.
And, seeing is not a one time event.
Life gets busy, we put on hats, tasks, roles, behaviors that obscure us.
It is important to look through that every once in awhile and just gaze.
Take the time to see someone today and allow yourself to be seen --
it is a gift you can give with just a moment of your time and attention.
(My inner perfectionist is now going into full-blown edit mode
-- I'm publishing this before it takes over!)
a fairy, and a tree frog. If I look a certain way, I don't see any of them.
I awoke in the night thinking about the importance of being seen.
Really. Seen.
I realized for me it is very important that I be seen and
I'm thinking I'm not the only one.
I'm not referring to seeing the various roles, hats, masks, behaviors,
moods, tasks, and such.
I'm talking about seeing {just me}.
Sometimes I just want to be seen -
actually, and, maybe more importantly, I want to know I'm being seen.
I will act out in all sorts of ways just to be seen -getting more and more desperate if it doesn't seem to be working -- if I don't *know* I'm being seen.
And, in a bizarre twist of the Universe,
the more desperate I get, the harder it is to see me, I think.
I get hidden by all that.
But, when someone sees through that, sees me and lets me know it,
just like that...a calming takes place.
I'm thinking of an infant gazing into it's parent's face and being gazed back at.
Recently I've had the privilege of spending time learning from Eileen O'Hare, medicine woman, healer, and Shamanic Practitioner, and Monica Dyer. Twice now, Eileen has led the group I've been in through the process of "rattling in." We sit in a circle, hands shaking the rattles we hold, we chant along with Eileen's beautiful beautiful voice, and we gaze...we just gaze...at each member of the circle.
Looking into each others eyes and holding it long enough to let our own baggage melt away, long enough to see through to the person.
The first time we did it, I just wept.
I gazed and wept.
I was seen, not my faults, not my accomplishments, not my past behaviors, not my ideas, opinions, or talents. Not the me others want me to be.
Just me.
I experienced how it felt to be seen and it was so powerful.
I also saw, saw another person...just like me...no better, no worse, not the same, but not different...a person.
I spend a lot of time hiding, when all I want is to be seen {and loved for it}.
Interesting.
I'm working with a new-ish public school teacher as she hones her craft and names the magic she is creating in her classroom. More than the interesting activities, lessons, projects, collaborations, books, assignments -- what makes her a powerful teacher is the connection she makes with the class and more importantly the connections she makes with the individual students. She really sees them and they know it. They know it because she uses what she sees to meet their needs. She is able to look past the cool facades, the frightened faces, past mistakes, the ambivalent body language, she can look right to the heart of them. And, it all melts away.
Concurrently, she allows them to see her.
Magic.
Powerful.
Beautiful.
And, seeing is not a one time event.
Life gets busy, we put on hats, tasks, roles, behaviors that obscure us.
It is important to look through that every once in awhile and just gaze.
Take the time to see someone today and allow yourself to be seen --
it is a gift you can give with just a moment of your time and attention.
(My inner perfectionist is now going into full-blown edit mode
-- I'm publishing this before it takes over!)
Monday, May 24, 2010
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Friday, May 21, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Chives...
Creative Every Day/Flickr Project 365 photo for 5/18/2010:
Learn more about using chive flowers in cooking at Calendula & Concrete
Monday, May 17, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Iris
Iris after rain...
Creative Every Day/Flickr Project 365 photo for 5/15/2010:
About Iris
Creative Every Day/Flickr Project 365 photo for 5/15/2010:
This was lots of fun!
First time with the "big tripod" was a blast.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
But alas...life is short and my love is long
Creative Every Day/Flickr Project 365 photo for 5/13/2010:
Short as life is, we make it still shorter by the careless waste of time, Victor Hugo
The purple of this flower just feels so right to me.
I'm moving energy today...if I don't, I'm wasting time.
It's uncomfortable, a bit. I grieve, a bit.
I've glimpsed what I would not have liked to see, a bit.
I've learned lessons I almost wish I could unlearn, a bit.
But alas.
I'm moving energy, from a place of immobility -
where relationship and humanity are not valued -
to a place of beauty and growing and learning and living.
Did I choose this, I don't know, but alas...it is a good teacher.
I choose to listen and to trust as I forge this path.
Life is short. And, my love is long. I best get busy.
The purple of this flower just feels so right to me.
I'm moving energy today...if I don't, I'm wasting time.
It's uncomfortable, a bit. I grieve, a bit.
I've glimpsed what I would not have liked to see, a bit.
I've learned lessons I almost wish I could unlearn, a bit.
But alas.
I'm moving energy, from a place of immobility -
where relationship and humanity are not valued -
to a place of beauty and growing and learning and living.
Did I choose this, I don't know, but alas...it is a good teacher.
I choose to listen and to trust as I forge this path.
Life is short. And, my love is long. I best get busy.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Strawberry Blossom
Creative Every Day/Flickr Project 365 photo for 5/11/2010:
I'm disappointed with this shot - it's a bit blurry.
I struggle with hands that tend to shake and
it's been windy around Connecticut these past several days,
so the flowers are moving too!
The girls (and Paul) gave me large and small tripods for Mother's Day.
I'm looking forward to fooling around with the new tools.
Tripods should help eliminate the impact of my shaky hands.
In any event, this blossom will be delicious in a bit!
We really look forward to Paul's strawberries each year.
Yum!
I'm disappointed with this shot - it's a bit blurry.
I struggle with hands that tend to shake and
it's been windy around Connecticut these past several days,
so the flowers are moving too!
The girls (and Paul) gave me large and small tripods for Mother's Day.
I'm looking forward to fooling around with the new tools.
Tripods should help eliminate the impact of my shaky hands.
In any event, this blossom will be delicious in a bit!
We really look forward to Paul's strawberries each year.
Yum!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Friday, May 7, 2010
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Roar!
Creative Every Day/Flickr Project 365 photo for 5/4/2010:
Here's a simple and fun dandelion craft idea for kids at SimpleKids:
Rae Grant's Dandelion Flower Paintbrush Cards.
Enjoy!
Monday, May 3, 2010
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Chicken Tractor
Paul and the girls recently built a chicken tractor. It's essentially a coop on wheels. Encompassing an enclosed space as well as a protected outdoor space, it can be wheeled to a new grassy spot each day. This allows us to pasture the chickens and keep them safe from predators. Here are some photos from the first days the chickens were outside this spring:
Ruff, ruff...
Creative Every Day/Flickr Project 365 photo for 5/2/2010:
Click for more information from Paghat's Garden: Pink Flowering Dogwood
Saturday, May 1, 2010
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