Note to self . . .

Note to self . . . 

be kind to yourself, not everyone else will

respect yourself even when others don't

you have a kind heart, not everyone can see it

your opinions matter even if no one wants to listen

when you fall down, do your best to get back up

learn to trust yourself, even if others choose not to

love yourself, not everyone is going to love you back

don't let anyone define your self worth, they will put your value below theirs

when things seem overwhelming, keep calm and carry on

and, what you think of yourself is far more important than what others think of you.


Sometimes you start something and you don't exactly know what it's going to look like or how it's going to end up. And, what started out as a photo-art Friday "collage" prompt, quickly shaped up as my photo-heart connection this month. I didn't even go back to look at any of my other photos from the month.

I sat last night in front of my computer, in front of a blank screen with no idea or any feeling of creativity at all. Finally I had to just walk away...it was making me feel even worse than I was already feeling. And I was feeling sad, and somewhat numb and...a little lost. You see every now and again I let people treat me in a way that doesn't make me feel very good about myself. I lose my way, and start to doubt everything.

I let them take control of something that isn't theirs . . . my heart. But I'm taking it back, starting with this note to myself.

Love, Kim
xo

sharing with Photo Art Friday, Photo-heart Connection

Photo-heart connection, March

"Yes, I did, I mean I painted er, in a kind of abstract

expressionist way, because of course that was exciting."

-David Hockney

Several weeks ago I decided to try my luck after a lot of overcast and rainy days, to go to the sunrise. It was still just dark enough not to have a good take on it, and besides, eight miles can change everything on the other end. But, when I got to that other end of those eight miles it was pretty clear that the sun would be missing from my morning.

So, I took a slight detour, not just in direction, but in thought. I switched from one of frustration to one of thinking and seeing in a different way. A way of seeing that has become more familiar and one where the absence of good light doesn't matter as much.

One, that captures the feeling you get when your eyes go into a blurry blank stare, where you see intangible shapes and colors, yet simplicity in composition. You know the kind, where you don't want to break the connection because it teeters on the edge of exciting, and that dreamlike state of reality.

I have been completely fascinated by and love the way that it transforms ordinary into extraordinary and not just in subject matter but in mood. It has subjective expression which is intended to encompass and engage through parts of a subjects reality without always being realistic. And I think what attracts me the most is the ambiguity and openness in the process. One that speaks to me in a world that wants to be closed minded and very specific in its rules, and where it offers complete freedom in a space where contemplation and meditation is my intention.

Yep, it's a lesson to just go anyway even though you can't see the other side, because there is always a fall back plan, or a fall forward. It all depends on how you look at it.

You'll also find me today over at Focusing on Life, (it will post at 3 AM Central) where I have the pleasure of announcing our new theme for the month. We would love for you to join our Flickr group and add your themed photos - each week for the month of April I will be choosing a photo for our Focus on You page. 

Love, Kim

sharing with Texture Tuesday, Sweet Shot Tuesday, Photo-heart Connection

awake in silence . . .

"In the attitude of silence the soul finds the path in a clearer light,

and what is elusive and deceptive resolves itself into crystal clearness.

Our life is a long and arduous quest after truth."

- Mahatma Gandhi

{kk 2710}

"Silent Contemplation"

It doesn't need to be written

its song is unspoken

but it can be heard

in the keen observing

and felt

in deep contemplation

held in space

a moment at a time

it is a symphony

that lifts the veil between us and the truth

so that we can see

the world beneath the surface

without labels

or judgement

that we may be

awakened to life

We went to Victoria, TX for a day trip during spring break. It was anything but quiet, as it was lunch time in this Italian, family owned and operated, 120 year old cafe. We went because my daughter had located, in her genealogy research, the headstone of my great, great grandfather in a church cemetery. After his wife died, he accompanied his daughter and family to Texas where he lived his last 10 or so years before he died. It was just so surreal to stand there, gazing downward at the name of a virtual stranger to whom I was related. A tangible piece of my history.

And as my girl reminded me . . . since they most likely lived outside the city limits of Victoria, it would have been a treat for them to go into town, to eat at a restaurant no less. As we sat eating our lunch, I tried to take in all that was around me, wondering what it would have been like back "in the day" when they would have lived there. My camera sat on the edge of the small table, and I waited.

And then in that room full of people, among the chatter . . . I heard the silence. The image of the table may not be a glamorous shot, but in my quest for openness and intention it fully reflects the quiet of being completely present and receptive in matters of the heart. It became more than just a souvenir to take home with me, I was transported.

I feel awake in silence...what about you?

Love, Kim xo

sharing with Texture Tuesday, Sweet Shot Tuesday

Photo Heart Connection, February

Why, oh why, oh why....

do we not, until we can't,

 ask those questions,

about the things we didn't know

we would want to know until now.

Answers to the questions

we didn't know to ask, until we couldn't.

Because we didn't know we would want to know

until later.

{KK textures 1216 and Anna}

I was drawn in by the gold edges on the pages that reflected back on the table.

This was my grandfather's bible, the leather cover around the edges quite worn and tattered. But the all pages and binding are still in really great condition. On the front of the bible it has his name imprinted in gold lettering and on the side it says that it's a teacher's edition . . . I can't help but wonder if it might have been a gift. And on the occasions that I went to church with my grandparents on sleepover weekends, I do vaguely remember him carrying this bible with him.

You know, when we're young we just have no earthly idea how important family legend is. Story, with all the connections, and traditions that will eventually give shape to who we are and where we came from. A unique sense of who we are through history, through a span of generations.

When I see the reflection of those gold pages, it just reminds me of all the questions I wish I had known to ask. Even the simplest of things like what life was like when they grew up, advice on marriage and raising kids, to writing down how my grandpa made his vegetable soup and their best gardening tips. I am fortunate enough to have my grandmothers 5 year dairy which gives insight to their dating years. You can read an excerpt of it here. (Patience is a virtue, a love story)

Within the last year or so, after receiving some ancestral information on my dad's side my daughter became quite interested and has done extensive research on my moms side specifically my grandfather's {"Poppy"}. And much to our surprise she found a book on Amazon about my 6x great grandfather Adam Spach, which includes a short autobiography and memoirs of he and his wife and 170 pages worth of his descendants through a span of six generations. That's 2,488 in total of direct descendants and another 1,699 people who married into the family.

That's a lot of people from one couple and it certainly makes one think considering everyone we meet has a past and connections and a story. You can't help but wonder if you have ever unknowingly met someone that you have a real connection with and then wonder if you might be part of their story too. 

And speaking of reflections, its our new theme over at Focusing on Life, and I'm continuing the muse over there today with a slightly different twist. I would love for you to join me over there today as well. 

Happy Tuesday all-

Love, Kim

Sharing with Texture Tuesday, Sweet Shot Tuesday Photo Heart Connection

Photo-heart Connection, November

{KK happy heart}

I have approached this month's photo-heart connection a little differently

and decided to put my thoughts into a poem.  

 Dragonfly Tears

I am part of an intricate

tapestry of life

and if only you would look

you would see it written on my wings

I am not like another

we are each made to be unique

but you can find beauty in the mystery

you need only listen closely for my sound

I soar above

a connection between earth and water

until all movement ceases

when tangled in your many strings

I am here

why can't you see me

I too was made in the face of our creator

and now the time has come; I'm leaving the battleground

©Kim Stevens

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving . . . I'm hoping that today I can start my

Christmas decorating . . . all those boxes of decorations are screaming  calling  my name. They have been sitting there since before Thanksgiving. 

Love, Kim

Sharing with Texture Tuesday, Sweet Shot Tuesday, Nature Notes

Texture Twist, Photo-Heart Connection Kat Eye Studio

Photo-heart connection, October

(KK day)

My connection this month is so much more than a connection of the heart kind to the photo itself

and rather to an experience. This male Black Swallowtail debuted last week. Yes this has happened before,

but . . . this was different.

In fact it was nothing short of miraculous. You see, it was a chrysalis that looked much like this one

only it was on the frame of the butterfly enclosure and it had pupated there. . . 5. . . months ago!

And have I mentioned that the typical time frame for a swallowtail to emerge after pupation is more

like 2 weeks.

And honestly I think the only reason I noticed it was because I had put the Tersa Sphinx Moth caterpillars in the tent on a stalk of Pentas I cut from the plant, because they were eating faster than I could pick the leaves.

I had to wait a bit before releasing him outside as it was raining cats and dogs and after being asleep for 5 months I sure wanted to give him as much of a fighting chance as possible. It was last Thursday . . . and as soon as the monsoon rains stopped the skies parted and the sun came out. Heading out for a football game and knowing that we wouldn't be back until dark, I took him outside where he could rest until he was ready to take flight.

And much to my surprise, again, there he still was . . . completely covered in beautiful, sparkly, dew drops.

Right where I had left him. After a little photo shoot, he let me pick him up and I took him to a sunny spot on the trailing purple lantana to sun and dry himself. It wasn't long before he flew off.

Can you imagine if I had given up hope that he would ever emerge and removed it from the enclosure?

Yep, these photos, this happening, just remind me to not give up hope during those times when hope feels

lost. Not the hopeful "wishing" kind of hope, but the confident expectation . . . the trusting God for

the results kind of hope.  

Because hope is still moving forward even when you feel weary and uncertain and gives life to things that

are so questionable, an outline of sorts to things we cannot see . . . 

. . . and waiting for them with patience.

Love, Kim

linking with Texture Tuesday, Sweet Shot Tuesday, Tuesday Around the World

Photo-heart Connection, I Heart Macro

Photo-heart connection, September

Sometimes love comes from the most unexpected places

Sometimes love shows up right in front of us but we do not see it

Sometimes we just need to take it by the hand

and

Then sometimes we need to give it back through the plate of offering

Because I do believe the universe seeks to spread this passion

And if we tried a little harder and paid more attention

The world just might blossom into a garden of love

Guess what, today I'm over at Focusing on life where I'm sharing a little story about

what I learned from a fisherman. I would love, love, love if you came over (red rover)

to visit me there!

Love Kim, xo

Sharing with Texture Tuesday, Tuesday Muse, Sweet Shot Tuesday, Photo-heart Connection

Tuesdays Around the World

Photo-heart connection, August 2013

"Home is a name, a word,

it is a strong one; stronger than

magician ever spoke, or spirit ever

answered to, in the strongest conjuration."

- Charles Dickens

{KK traverse}

I went home this summer, to the area where I grew up and although it wasn't to the house I grew

up in, it was home none the less. Or more like home away from home after being gone for over twenty years.

And, in going home, there have been a handful of addresses between childhood and my visit this summer to see my mom. In fact, I saw her new place for the first time. 

And you know what? 

Even though this was my first visit to this new address it felt just like home...instantly.

Because even though the street name or city may have changed, the contents have not.

Oh sure, there may be a few things missing and a few things added in their places, but the memories 

regardless of where home is haven't changed.

And even though things are arranged differently or moved to different rooms, she has the same beautiful, yet simple style, and no doubt any style I have I got from her.

This photo reminds me that home isn't as much about a physical place, but about the people who come back to the table. And that's just what we did on a Sunday afternoon over a family tradition of homemade egg noodles (made my moi).

Yes, home is wherever the heart is.

It's a strong word indeed, one made of bricks, and not one easily blown down by the winds of change.

Miss ya mommy!

Love, Kim

P.S. I'm still gathering myself from the college drop off and finishing up an online jewelry class

(I hope to have some fun things to share with you)

Linking up with Texture Tuesday, Tuesday Muse, Photo-Heart Connection

Photo-heart connection, number 4

I don't know about you, but I love the movie, "Finding Nemo",
there are so many great lessons . . . and from a fish no less.

Dory says to Marlin (Nemo's father) . . .

"Do you know whatcha gotta do when life gets you down? Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, Just keep swimming swimming swimming."

I took this photo last weekend at my favorite place, Maas Nursery. It's part of their new "blue room". But little did I know that this week I would feel a lot more like this little blue fish, going against the current being chased by something bigger.

Even more so, I'm sure my son feels like that fish too . . .going against the current, chased by some big mean fish and wondering why, why did it single him out.

You see, we got a call from the doctor yesterday that his inflammation marker has gone back up to 20 times what it should be. It means that this was not a one time thing that would eventually just go away, possibly caused by an infection as we had hoped. It now means a change of medication that comes along with a new set of risks, and more frequent visits to the doctor. And it now means we pray for a remission.

As a parent I feel somewhat helpless (okay a lot) . . . I can't change the direction of the current and I surely can't stop the big mean fish that is chasing him. All I can do is be there to support him, love and comfort him. But maybe more importantly be an example of perseverance and of not giving up and of having continued hope through faith in God.

Scripture tells me to find joy in my trials and to let it be an opportunity, James 1:3, "For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow."  He doesn't want me to find joy in suffering, mine or my son's, or my family's but rather to rejoice because He is using life's difficulties to build our character. To help soften our hearts and to give us compassion towards others that find themselves in similar situations. Trials bring us humility and a bigger awareness of who is really in control.

I also know, that God does not cause suffering, but will use it to create something good from it.

I have a choice to see the glass half full or half empty, to stand on the ledge and wonder when I will fall off  or accept the peace and endurance that only comes by trusting in God. 

Today I choose to just keep swimming, swimming, swimming!

Love, Kim

XO

Sharing with Little Things Thursday, Thursdays Favorite Things, Friday Photo Journal, 

Finding Serendipity  {1440}, Photo-Heart Connection, Favorite Photo Friday

Searching for the writing on the wall . . . photo-heart connection, number 3

"Searching for the writing on the wall"

I've typed, deleted, typed some more and deleted again. 

I just can't quite put what I'm thinking, feeling, into the right words.

As a parent, the moment your child is born you do the best you can to protect them all the while preparing them for life away from the nest. Keeping them under your protective wing as they learn to fly, giving them a soft landing when they fall. But try as we may, there is just no way to protect them from everything. Some things are just not in our control. 

 I've mentioned a few times here that my son has been really sick. Fever, weakness, extreme fatigue, body aches and joint pains. Not the flu, or a sinus infection, or a recurrence of bronchitis. But the kind of sick when you know something is just not right. 

On Monday we had our second set of blood work done, and on Tuesday night the doctor called and was quite concerned about the inflammation marker that was 30 times what it should be. And the next thing out of her mouth was, "I need you to go straight to the ER at Texas Children's Hospital, they are expecting you." Wait did she just say ER?  And not only were they expecting us, but they took us over an entire lobby of waiting people . . . where a few short hours later we would be admitted and on the 15th floor complete with our own "team yellow" set of doctors.

The thing is about this inflammation marker, is that it only tells you that you have inflammation, it just doesn't tell you why. And unfortunately his symptoms fell into a slush bowl of things it could be. When they don't point to a specific path it then becomes a process of elimination, one slow thing after another. We are now home, still without any definitive answers, but our path and direction has been narrowed to Rheumatology. 

 You're probably wondering what this photo has to do with a heart connection. Well, this was the photo I was working on for photo art Friday (prompt being graffiti) on Tuesday and finished literally minutes before the doctor called. And after this week I wasn't even thinking about a blog post, but because I had already done this photo I thought I would just go ahead and share it. But when I looked at it again, it spoke to me in a completely different way, I saw it immediately. Trains and tracks became the narrowing of answers, and the brick wall texture I added became the uncertainty of a diagnosis. The graffiti on the train is illegible and there is no writing on the wall as to what this will all mean in the future. 

All I know is that I have an almost 16 year old boy, an incredible young man, student and athlete, that has been stopped in his tracks. Who struggles right now to pop open a can of soda, or to unscrew the lid on the Gatorade,  who is fatigued just walking up the stairs. 

It's so hard to watch,

 and completely breaks my heart.

Proverbs 3:5-6  Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.

Next week we have a follow up with the Rheumatologist, hopefully with some completed blood

tests and a little closer to an answer.

Until then, I wish you a blessed Easter weekend,

Love, Kim

XO

Some of you already knew this, and I can't thank you enough for your prayers and concerns!! 

Sharing with Photo Art Friday, Little Things Thursday,  Friday Photo Journal

Finding Serendipity {1440}

Photo-heart connection, number 2

"We have to believe that even the briefest of human connections can heal.

Otherwise, life is unbearable."

- Joss Whedon

I actually started out this morning thinking I had already chosen my photo, but as I was looking for something else, and as I came across this photo from last weekend again, it tugged a little lot harder.

It could be that these girls from my kids high school won the 5A Division III Basketball Championship and are now state bound, playing today, for the chance to play for the state title tomorrow night.  

But really, it's so much more. It's the way they have their arms around each other that just says, we aren't just a group of girls on a team, but we are connected to one another, and we care about each other. Some of them may graduate this year and will go their own way, but the connections that they've made even though they may be brief, mean something, and they will take that with them along the rest of their journey.

Now at 50, I've made many connections on my journey in life, some that have been by choice, and some that have not, and many that were just not long enough. But those connections, all strung together, the good, the bad and the ugly, have to mean something . . . and not just to us, but to the person on the other end of that connection too. 

That quote just rings so true to me, and I'm reminded of the many brief connections, some just fleeting moments in time really, of encounters with strangers who have touched my heart at the very moment it was needed most. But I'm also reminded most of all, that unless I pay attention I may not be the connection that someone else needs when they need it most either.

Love, Kim

XO

Sharing with 

Photo-heart connection, number 1

"The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes."

- Arthur Conan Doyle

{ Pixel Dust Photo Art texture warm glow }

Choosing my photo-heart connection this month has proved to be a little difficult,  not because I wasn't connecting, but instead because I was having too many. I simply went back and forth and round and round. But I can say that they all had something in common in that they were all from the same experience.

We've had quite a few foggy mornings recently and one day after dropping off the kids at school, I went home, grabbed my camera and headed to a park with a pond, and wetlands and wide open spaces. The fog was heavy and thick and the visibility was extremely low. I got out of my car and and made the decision to walk towards the field in the dew laden and muddy grass. There was something about that field that felt curious and mysterious and when I finally came to its edge I could see it too was lit up by dewdrops . . where spiderwebs came to life, appearing like miniature strings of twinkling lights.

That foggy morning was beautiful and peaceful and also helped to isolate the things around me, but in a good way. The fog allowed only the things right in front of me to become more obvious, my senses were heightened, and I became a keen observer. But sometimes in life we can become so caught up in things that don't matter that it causes a blanket of fog that prevents us from seeing the obvious, the necessary, the really important things.

This image just reminds me to be aware, to observe, and to keep life simple.

Love, Kim

XO

Sharing with This and That Thursday, Little Things Thursday, Thursday Favorite Things,

Cool-Clicks Thursday, Photo Art Friday, Friendship Friday, Friday Photo Journal, 

Finding Serendipity {1440}  

Photo-heart connection, number XII

Old man Winter....is not really my favorite time of year.

I long for the sun,

for longer days,

and for walks on the beach, the sand in my toes,

for green things popping out of the ground,

for flowers,

and bees,

and for my beloved encounters with the lizards.

I miss all of it...

...this bird looks like he misses it too.

But he also looks a bit secluded, sheltered but not completely from view.

I wonder if there is enough room for me, right next to him.

I could use a quiet place to rest, to think, to just be.

Because even though I've been quite here lately, it's been because this past month

has been busy with all the holidays. And I can't quite manage too much busyness at one time

like I used to. I wish I could say that it was because I had secluded myself on a branch

somewhere, because right now, I could use a quiet place to nourish my soul.

Anyone else need to join me on the branch?

Thank you again Kat, for this wonderful monthly practice, and for all who share.
I have truly learned wonderful things from all of you through this connection.

P.S. - I am honored to have been chosen to share what the photo-heart connection has

meant to me this last year, here, over at the Kat Eye Studio.

Love, Kim

XO

Photo-heart connection, number XI

This photo is not me . . . 

. . .  but it very well could be, and although I have no idea what she is thinking . . . I see deep thought

in the way she stands, contemplation as she stares into the distant horizon.

No, this is not me, but it may as well be.

I'm a deep thinker and I do quite like my quiet time to let my mind wander where it can or should. To

dream or just be. But for me there is a fine line between solitude and contemplation. Between feeling

peaceful and lonely.

  I've crossed over that line.  Too much thinking has made me second guess some things lately (yes, think pity party). As someone who doesn't get paid for my photography or the time it takes me to write and share my thoughts, there are days when I wonder why - why I continue to do it. But I surely don't know if at this point I could just stop either. I've thought about it - seriously thought about just walking away from the computer. Calling it done.

And here is where my truth comes in, and my insecurity. It's really about expectations, about what someone might say, or the fact that they didn't say anything at all.

But here is the thing...when I started blogging, I came here without those expectations, and for the very act

of sharing. I didn't even know what to expect. Somewhere along the line the expectation that wasn't, grew into one big expectation that by being here others would just show up and have something to say.

And then, this past week doing a Google search for what I can't remember, I came across an audio by Guy Finley, and it was as if he was speaking directly to me . . . 

He was talking about preparing for a banquet which really could be a metaphor for just about anything in

my life that I prepare for in advance. He was talking about preparing for a banquet and not having anyone show up. And isn't that always such a fear - I know it is for me - preparing for something,

taking the time and to have no one come.

And then what he said next, was like sliding down a slide with my name on it into a brick wall. He said, "The first one who celebrates the banquet is the one who prepares it." That the real preparation is the sacrifice that precedes the banquet. And he went on to say, "So the one who prepares the banquet whether or not anyone appears for it, if they have truly prepared something for the sake of the goodness of the preparation and the sacrifice involved, then such a person has lost nothing, in fact they have gained something whether or not it's attended."   

OH MY!! That completely spoke to ME!  And the more I thought about it the more I realized that it's in the process of taking photographs, of my thinking, and in my writing as well as in the sharing - that it IS in these exercises I do, that I grow as an artist, and as a person, whether or not they are seen or read.


Love, Kim
XO

{P.S.- The entire audio is a little under 7 minutes}
Sharing with Communal Global, Sweet Shot Tuesday, Tones on Tuesday

Photo-heart connection, number X

I watched a man fish . . .


{KKlassen texture that I forgot to write down}

I spent a lot of time by the bay last week watching the sunrise,

and,

I watched a man fish.

 

One morning after the sunrise, I went to the boardwalk overlooking the bay to walk

and watch the pelicans, and to just observe whatever the morning had to offer. It was a beautiful

crisp morning, sunny and with a slight breeze. Sailboats were coming and going through the harbor

and I even picked up a few bird friends who literally followed me on foot along the way.

And then up ahead as I turned around the corner I spotted an older man in a very small boat, and
he was fishing. I paused for a moment, and watched, and curious as I am I asked him if he was fishing for a specific kind of fish, and although he answered I didn't quite understand him. I'm not sure if it was because he didn't speak English or I just didn't hear him very well. I continued to watch him, in awe really, as he was

catching a fish about every minute or so, sometimes less. And, ever so often he would look up at me and I would give him two thumbs up and tell him he was doing a great job and we would exchange smiles.
(As if this man, who had a bucket full of fish needed me to tell him that. )

{KKlassen portrait}

But the longer I watched I began to realize, that he wasn't using a pole, just a fishing line with a weight and
shrimp for bait. And it seemed that just as soon as he was dropping the line, he was pulling another fish from the water. He had this wonderful rthymn that just made it seem effortless. He would hold that tool in his right hand, slipping the line into the slot while pulling the fish up to the top of the tool until he could no longer pull. And then with a quick downward motion he released the fish into the bucket.

It was when he ran out of shrimp and needed to cut up some more, that I noticed his missing thumb.

{ My chosen photo for photo-heart connection - KKlassen texture warms sun}

This months photo-heart connection is unique for me in that there were really two connections.

My first connection is to the first photo and my realization that he was fishing in what many would consider a rather primitive way, without a fancy fishing pole but instead with just the line. He was simply catching fish

based on his technique and not based on equipment and he was getting great results. 

I began to relate this in my mind to photography. Because even the best equipment won't help if we don't first understand technique. I also know that my lack of equipment doesn't take away from my imagination, because no amount of money will buy that. This just reminds me that what ever our chosen craft, it is more about the crafter than what we use to make it. But that's not to say that we won't ever need different equipment as our vision or technique's change, just as if the fisherman wanted to catch a shark he would definitely need something more than just the line. I do believe it's more about our vision through technique rather than our equipment that defines art. And I don't think the man I watched is any less of a fisherman because he didn't use an expensive pole.

The next connection, and the last photo connected me with my heart.

After about twenty minutes of watching this man fish, he filled his entire bucket! And when he released

the last fish into that bucket, he promptly grabbed onto a rope that dangled from his boat and as he began to

pull on it, he turned and looked at me and smiled and said, "time to go home." As he pulled that rope, it took him about twenty feet away and as he pulled some more it brought up an anchor that he hoisted into his boat. And as he sat down and was driving away he looked up at me again and gave me a wave. We had a little bond that morning, a connection between two strangers. He didn't know it but he was for those twenty minutes a teacher, and I a student, both of us practicing our chosen craft.

Love, Kim

XO

Photo-heart connection, number IX

{KK warm sun, overlay}

Gathering . . . doesn't it always seem that society, and our culture wants us to be illusioned

into feeling the need to gather things. Things that break, and need dusting.  A bigger house and a bigger yard, mean more up keep, or money to pay someone else to do it. Things, that just suck away all of our time. Time we could be spending on gathering not things, but simply that of experience and memories and of time with each other.

  I grew up close to my grandfather, who grew up in the great depression. They had to rent out their house and live in their garage to survive the times. You carry that with you later in your life, and as I grew up and spent time with him, I watched him use envelopes from the mail as notepaper for grocery lists, and mark the dates on can goods, etc. He didn't know it, but he was a recycler well before his time.  I have carried some of that with me too, and once I have gathered something, it's much harder for me to ungather it. I am always thinking I may need it later.

But this image reminds me of what I want to gather in my life right now and that isn't trinkets for my home, or for a closet full of things I can't wear in this lifetime, or for things that make me a slave to time. I want to gather the simple moments of life like watching a butterfly lay eggs in the garden, or watching the sunrise, or feeling the sand beneath my feet and making memories with my family and friends. The things I want to gather now do not need the aid of a basket, just my presence.

Love, Kim

XO

P.S. - Today I am over at Focusing on life introducing our new theme for the month of October.

Come check it out, and join in on the fun in our flickr group for a chance to be the weekly InFocus

selection featured on our blog!

Sharing with, Communal Global, Sweet Shot Tuesday, Texture Tuesday,

Photo-heart connection, number VII

We do not live life in the big picture,

we live it moment by moment in the small details.

It was on our vacation in Florida that I captured this. He was walking with his mom, it was

early morning and quite overcast, and on the verge of raining. And as little boys do, he stopped often to check things out along the way. That is until this moment,  when he stopped and very purposely went and stood in the surf. I remember it like it was 5 minutes ago. The way the air smelled and the sound of the crashing waves, the beautiful reflections in the sand, and the misty pastel like colors of the morning all etched into my memory.

But most of all I remember that there was intention in how he stood. His body language gave way to what seemed like much thought and contemplation with some wonder and awe.

I wondered what he was thinking, what he was feeling. What made him go and just stand there.

But perhaps it was just that, the sounds, the smell, the entirety of it. And because he is a small child and most likely does not yet live in the big picture, he was just simply enjoying the moment in a way a child

does . . . naturally, unconsciously,  and moment by moment.

This image reminds me how of important it is not to let that inner child in me grow up too much. Because really, what good is the big picture if there are no details, no pauses to look back on.   

Love, Kim

XO

P.S. - I would love for you to join me over at my collaborative blog today, Focusing On Life,

as I'm sharing a little confession.

 

Photo-heart connection, number VI

This image, simply, just grabs my heart!

Women, of different color and ethnicity, but really just women first.

With dreams and aspirations.

As women we are daughters, sisters, mothers, wives, friends . . .

We are nurtures by nature, but not very good at nurturing ourselves.

We need to nurture each other . . .

This image reminds me that we, I, need to be better at nurturing my friendships with other women.

It also reminds me of this verse in Proverbs 27:17, As iron sharpens iron, a friend sharpens a friend.

I always feel a certain mental acuity when I'm engaged in good conversation with a friend. I have a good friend that I have kept in touch with since we moved four years ago, and although we don't talk as often as we both would like, I always come away from our conversations with new insights. And I have had some great conversations with fellow bloggers, one in particular who always poses some really interesting questions at the end of her posts. I find that when I take the time to reciprocate to others ideas, I almost always find new clarity with my own.

Yes, this image for me is a powerful one that reminds me that no matter our age, our color, our cultures, that we are all beautiful women and that we should embrace our differences and nurture and support each other. Because I believe that even despite some of our differences, we all share similar desires, and that when we bring our ideas together we can help each other become sharper. 

Love, Kim

XO

P.S. - I would like to encourage you to go through your images and find one that you have a heart connection with. It's not about technically correct, just simply one that speaks to you, and connect up over at The Kat Eye Studio.

Also linking with Communal Global