Haiga 365
A Year's Journey through Photos and Poetry
Emerald Grandeur
Happy New Year 2013! I was recently walking in the remnants of snow speckling the woods and the trail, and I came upon this “speck” of green moss. The contrast with the snow made the green so much more vibrant and beautiful and my spirit danced. Seeing contrast, color, uniquenesses, simplicity in the things around me are all moments for me to stop, marvel, honor, appreciate, and be grateful for the beauty around and within me.
May you dance in your uniqueness and your ordinariness all at the same time today.
Happy New Year
Happy New Year (Eve)… The last day of 2012. Wow! I did it. I posted every day of 2012 on this blog… I surprised myself. There is much ambivalence with this post…excitement for the accomplishment, sadness that the commitment is over, and yet joy in the continuing… I will see you soon…going to take a few days away from posting, not writing hopefully.
May 2013 be a year of healing, living in joy, grace, and unity. May you find the peace of knowing who you are, in whom you are, and that we are united with one heart no matter where we live. Blessings, many blessings . . . and much joy. Love to each of you.
Reflecting Light
I wrote two variations of this haiku. I thought I would share the other one with you. If you have thoughts or opinions and would like to share, I would love to hear your thoughts:
reflections of blue
under the cellophane tent
our path journeys
Tomorrow is the last day of 2012. I made a commitment to myself to do a year of daily blogging last year, this day. I am no longer radical about commitments, deadlines, or to-do’s, so I made the commitment with the idea that if it was no longer fun or ok to do, I would end it. I came close to ending it in September – I lost the fun in doing it – and the creativity. A friend encouraged me to do another day, if I could – and I did. Week after week for a few weeks, perhaps a month, I leaned on the encouragement of others. I would have people throughout the week say, your haiku spoke to me, and I would write for another day. It got to be sometime in October, and my friend said, you can quit if you want, but you are almost to the end of the year. Like a marathoner, I hit that point where I saw the goal, and the sprint began – and there was no turning back – and the enthusiasm was more than before – I was grateful. So tomorrow is the last day of the daily commitment to myself. I will take the pressure off of a daily post, but I will continue with the blog. I am so grateful for the many friends I have met along this journey – wonderful writers, artists, friends, thinkers. I am grateful for she who kept spurring me on. I am also grateful that these words that I have written have encouraged others along their journey – and they have taken them, passing the baton of encouragement to others. Thank you. I have learned so much and have so much to learn – lastly I am grateful for the grace extended to me from the poetry community as I began a year ago – not really understanding haiku, haiga, or the intricacies of the art . . . I am grateful that every once in a while I catch a good one.
Blessings today as our paths journey.
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Silence
I love snow. It is beautiful…a gift of coziness. A day of solitude, warm blanket, good book, lots of warmth, and an occasional cup of tea. Are you with me? If you were with me, though, it would be snowshoes, a snow creature, and a warm cup of hot chocolate. Both experiences are cherished.
For those of you whose world looks like this – I hope one of the above scenarios is true for you today. If you are in a climate where the sun is shining and you are lounging on the beach, I am jealous of that too…just kidding. Have a great day.
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New Presents
Today is the last of my holiday series – did you know I did a series? I did not either. It just seemed that way. I was out and about this morning and enjoying the winter chill. I am so grateful to live in an area where seasons change. As I type I sit and look out into the woods. This time of year for me is my favorite with the woods, because I can see deeper into what goes on – the occasional deer, the fox walking down the wall, the squirrel gathering leaves and playing catch me if you can – scenes I miss when the leaves hide the depths…
Are your needles falling on your tree? Hope not. Hope you have a few more days of the richness of pine. Blessings today.
Caroling Along
I thought one more day of Christmas would be fun. Aren’t there 12 days of Christmas? Smile.
I hope today you get to rest in the rememberings, if they were pleasing. If they were hard, I hope that you have a moment to rest in knowing this very minute all is new…a new start…a new approach to relationships…a new feeling. I have talked to so many in the past days whose holidays were tainted by hurts, and I hope that is not true for you, but if it is, know you are not alone and this moment, as I said, is new.
If you are in the northeast US, step outside, smell the air and let your cheeks turn pink. Blessings today.
Shimmering Night
Merry Christmas day after. Happy Boxing Day. Happy today to all. I was having fun with a camera, speeds and settings when our family walked through Longwood Gardens at Thanksgiving. I loved the way this photo turned out – what doesn’t look perfect sometimes makes for fun outcomes…hmmm. Enjoy the day.
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Found Present
Merry Christmas… Happy Holidays… May you be blessed to be with friends, family, and the beauty around you today.
Night Star
Make sure today there is time to delight and take care of you! I will do the same and we can compare notes – smile.
December Journal
Good day to each of you. I hope in whatever you do today, you live in the trueness of who you are, in peace, grace, and love. Keep it simple…this can be a very complicated time of year. I hope you find time to nurture and rest in you. If you get to doodle or “ku’dle” then all the better. Smile.
In Her Hands
Isn’t this a wonderfully colorful tree? I love color. This tree was one of many school decorated trees at Longwood Gardens, Chadds Ford, PA. I had the opportunity to walk through the gardens over Thanksgiving with my family – it was a wonderful night with so much seasonal beauty. If you are ever in the area, it is worth your while to visit there – any season of the year.
I hope that there is lots of sunshine in your life today.
Friends’ Friday 51
Very much blessed this week to share some haiku and poetry from Bill W. Bill has faithfully responded to prompts from the photos and haiku on this blog. So grateful for your contributions, Bill.
One more week, folks. I am so excited to think that I will soon have completed a year of daily blogging. If you know me, I am a visionary, a creator, a starter…I like to pass things on, once they are started and create new. This journey, and it was a journey, was different for me, and I am grateful. I have learned so much, and have so much to learn. This process has been healing in many ways, a stimulation to have my hands in writing everyday – and has been a part of my “being more present” moment by moment with less drive to be in the “race” in the world – I am so very grateful.
I hope in some way as you have followed over this past year, you have been inspired to slow down, look around, enjoy, rest, be present with the world around you. Many blessings to each of you.
I would love to have you share a haiku for next week’s last Friends’ Friday – even if you have never written a haiku, please try, and please share…I want to honor and appreciate your following this blog.
Bill, thank you…wonderful poetry this week!
Rebel Elegance
I thought a little color would be good – for it has been cloudy here for a few days. I hope today you get a few minutes to find the color in your life.
Just as a FYI, I am posting a longer poem on the Integrative Thought site, in case you were interested. Enjoy the day.
Letter Writing
I was sitting at my desk the other day writing letters to folks over the holidays that could use some cheering. I joined the many who were participating in “More Love Letters” a concept started by Hannah Brencher – I put a lead to her TED Talk on the other blog. So for twelve days I wrote letters of love to people who will receive bundles of letters of encouragement in the days ahead. It was a fun endeavor, and I look forward to staying involved.
So I was sitting at my desk writing and this little guy who resides outside my window was sharing his thoughts. At one point I leaned back and thought his words are so much louder than mine – and so this haiku. I know a haiku is not meant to be explained, I suppose that is what I am doing in telling you this story, but more so I was reminded and continue to be daily to listen not just to words, spoken words, but to the unspoken as well through nature around me, the distant trains, and even silence. There is much to receive and learn in being present with the unspoken words.
Drought
It is so interesting to me to see the various views from writers on the concept of writer’s block. Some successful writers on writing, say that you don’t allow it, you write through it. Others say that you write something. Others say that you keep a practice regardless, like a job. I see myself as a very novice writer, so I suppose I don’t feel that I have enough experience to have a professional opinion, however writing has become so much a part of my life and my journey that I will share the way that I have been handling writing in these months of dedicating time to writing: I allow droughts, I honor the process, I go in – invite the opportunity and allow the outcome. I am a believer of “a time and a season”. I am writing for the journey, the process, hopefully one day with rewards, but my livelihood does not totally depend on it at this point, so I suppose I can take the journey approach. I think that is why I am surprised in one way, that I have completed a daily blog post with a haiku, haiga, or other poetry, every day thus far of 2012. I am a visionary, a journeyer, an allower, and yet I have written something each day. In one way it is very different from the commitment of 500-, 1000-, 5000-words a day, and in another way it is similar, sometimes it takes the same amount of time to create 17 syllables as it does 1000 words. Hmmm…thinking out loud. I think I will go have refreshment…smile.
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Based on a work at haiku365.wordpress.com.
Haiga 365 