Heaven on Earth...

Heaven on earth - difficult to put into words, but a feeling so deep, so real that it is felt in every cell in the body.  There is no greater joy than having the capacity to experience this.  Life becomes so rich.

I am so grateful to be at a place in life where I get to know this feeling.  Where I am so acutely aware of every interaction, every experience, every emotion, every detail, to the point where my spirit soars and my heart sings, even when it hurts.  

This weekend was simply amazing. I met a wonderful group of photographers and spent the morning playing with new ideas, stretching myself out of my comfort zone and learning a ton of new information - about photography and about me.  Funny how there are life lessons in most all of what we do.

 I ended the morning with a series of photographs of a particular flower that just blew me away!!!  There was nothing unique about this particular flower, but it was filled with little sacs of water and the sun was glistening off the top of it, leaving an image that looked like rock candy, or tiny little crystals.   I couldn't take my eyes away from it.  I must have snapped over 100 different pics from different angles.   I am forever in AWE at the incredible detail and beauty of nature.  It takes my breath away.

 Later in the day, I was out on the lake in my kayak and watched the clouds roll in, with a wall of what looked like fog along one side of my kayak.  As I was talking to my friend, I heard a loud rush of what sounded like gushing of water, almost as if we were sitting near a waterfall.  And the sound was getting louder and louder as we paddled.   It was a wall of rain moving clear across the lake.  It was the most spectacular  show ever!  As the raindrops fell, they pelted the water and bounced off the surface into the air, liked millions of little diamond jewels. And the sound as it reached us and blew above our heads, was like someone quietly tapping little snare drums.    It was such an incredible sight.    More beautiful than ever.  We were soaked, but it just didn't matter. I felt as if I was in one of the most breathtaking scenes of a movie and was wishing I could have somehow captured it all on film .  Two women in kayaks, drenched in the rain with diamonds falling from the sky all around us!

Then it was dinner  at Pumpkin Hill Bistro, one of the most welcoming and wonderfully relaxing places I've ever eaten.   Wonderful conversation with a close friend above life and love, in a most serene and picturesque setting.  Every morsel was delectable.  There is something so very special about sharing a good meal and meaningful conversation with another.  And on the ride home, the pink/purple clouds in the sky gave way to a beautiful rainbow!  A fantastic ending to a most amazing day.

Today, I was at an intersection and witnessed a woman running. She stopped at what appeared to be her midway point, turned around, put her hands together like she was about to pray,  looked up to the sky and bowed, as if to give thanks to some higher power.  And then she turned, looked at me and did the same.  I felt humbled.  And I smiled.  A deep, heartfelt smile.

That snapshot captured what it is that I feel each day when I rewind through all the tiny little moments that add up to the 24 hours that make up a day in the life of me.  Thank you higher power for all that is put in my path, all that I am surrounded by, all that I get to experience.  For it is most days that I feel I am living in a heaven on earth.