What Does The Word Mean - Part II

Five more words from the challenge to photograph the "the solace, nourishment and underlying meaning of everyday words" from David Wythe's book, Consolations. 

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BESIEGED

Each morning as soon as my eyes open, my mind and heart are besieged with grief from the loss of my mother and the overwhelming problems of caring for my father who has Alzheimer's. Each morning I have a choice. Do I follow this pathway of besiegement or do I take a different path? This morning I chose to smile. I chose to not begin my day with worries. I chose a different path, a fragile one, but I chose to look for joys and to be content.

. 

* * * * * 

CONFESSION

As a Christian confession has a significant meaning in my life. Through confession I find healing and joy. Confessing is asking for forgiveness and forgiveness leads to inner peace. 

"Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."  ~ James 5:16

* * * * *

COURAGE

Whyte says courage is " to stay close to the way we are made." It takes courage for me to do that. To overcome the need to compare, to overcome self criticism. Only when I have the courage to be myself, to I feel real joy.

"The highest courage is to dare to appear to be what one is."

~ John Lancaster Spalding

* * * * *

CRISIS

a tree in crisis

surrounded and smothered 

by creeping ivy

it's branches weakened and dying

my life in crisis

surrounded and smothered

by a crucial event

my life weakened by 

depression

anger

guilt

or my life strengthened by

trust

acceptance

forgiveness

the choice is mine

* * * * *

DENIAL

she placed her pain behind a wall of denial

she could not acknowledge it

it might destroy her

she needed 

time to process

slowly she began to accept

slowly she let the wall crumble

she began to heal

* * * * *

Photographing my thoughts on certain words has challenged me like nothing has in a long time. Each Friday I read the next chapter in Wythe's  book and think, this is it, I'll never be able to come up with a photograph for this one. Usually it's about Wednesday of the next week before the inspiration begins to creep in and by Friday I'm ready for the new chapter. If you're interested in how I interpreted the first five words in Wythe's book, you can find the post here.

Sunday Sundries - Edition 66

"Even if something is left undone,
everyone must take time to sit still
and watch the leaves turn."
~ Elizabeth Lawrence

Sunday Sundries - Edition 65

"Joy comes in the morning"

Psalm 30:5

Climb Up, Slide Down

There it sat under the tall pine trees all by itself looking a little forgotten and lonely. The children were all playing on the brightly colored plastic slides a little further down the park. Those bright primary colored slides and swings don't appeal to me, but this shiny metal one drew me near and flooded me with childhood memories.

My favorite memories were those with school friends during recess. We'd quickly run across the playground to the slide, hurry up the steps, fly down, and run around to get back in line for another turn. When I saw this slide I didn't quickly run over and go down the slide. I slowly walked toward the slide and then around it discovering things I missed as a child.

As a child I never stopped long enough to see the reflection at the top of the slide or . . .

the reflection of the sky and trees at the bottom of the slide.

I never saw the way it was bolted together or . . .

the repetition of hundreds of small squares

that create the non-slippery surface at the top.

I never saw the slide from ground level or . . . 

 the graffiti under the steps.

I missed all those things and that's all right. I only saw a shiny slide that I wanted to go down over and over again. Is it still fun to slide? Yes, it is, except maybe the slide could have been just a wee bit wider!

Taking the time to really look at an object and photographing it from several view points was an exercise for the group I belong to that's working through David  Duchemin's book The Visual Toolbox. 

I want to dedicate this post to our group leader, Sarah, in thanks for her hard work keeping us motivated and learning. So, this is for you, Sarah, as I know you love old playground equipment. 

Sunday Sundries - Edition 64

"Flowers are the music of the ground

from earth's lips spoken without sound."

- Edwin Curran 

Sunday Sundries - Edition 63

For flowers that bloom about our feet,

Father, we thank Thee;

For tender grass so fresh and sweet,

Father, we thank Thee.

For the song of bird and hum of bee,

For all things fair we hear or see,

Father in heaven, we thank Thee.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

What Does The Word Mean?

WORDS

We speak them every day. We make a sound or a combination of sounds that communicates a meaning. We write them. We read them. WORDS carry immeasurable significance. The universe was created with WORDS.  "God spoke the world into being by the power of His words."  Hebrews 11:3.

I know how to read words, to write them, to speak them, but photographing the meaning of WORDS is a big challenge. A group organized by one of my favorite photographers and teachers, Kim Manley Ort, is trying to do just that. We're using the book Consolations, The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning Of Everyday Words, by David Whyte for our prompts. Whyte turns our attention to 52 ordinary words "each it's own particular doorway into the underlying currents of human life. Consolations invites readers into a poetic and thoughtful consideration of words whose meanings and interpretation influence the paths we choose and the way we traverse them throughout our lives." (from David Whyte website.)

This has been a very challenging experience for me. I have been known to say that I don't "philosify" about my photos. I take them for pure pleasure, but this gathering has taught me to look at things differently. To take the week's word, mull it over in my mind, decide how I could represent my feelings of the word in a picture, and then actually find and take the picture; as I said very challenging! I'd like to share these words, my thoughts or sometimes just a quote, and my photos with you.

ALONE

where I can hear my thoughts

where my mind can rest

where I can feel delight

"In solitude

the mind gains strength

and learns to lean upon itself."

~ Laurence Sterne

AMBITION

Ambition is the inner force needed to propel me to my goal even though there may be struggles and hardships. I've always been amazed at how a delicate mushroom can push through the hard ground as it seeks the light. Nature is a wonderful teacher.

ANGER

"Anger is like a storm

rising up from the bottom of your consciousness.

When you feel it coming,

turn your focus to your breath."

~Thich Nhat Hanh

BEAUTY

I am a seeker of nature's beauty.

I am in constant awe of God's creation.

"He who seeks beauty will find it."

~ Bill Cunningham

Beginning

"All glory comes from daring to begin."

~ Eugene F. Ware

Do I dare often enough?

"Words mean more than what is set down on paper.

It takes the human voice to infuse them with deeper meaning."

~ Maya Angelou