Seasons of Change......

"The only thing constant in life is change"

As the trees drop their remaining leaves and the colors turn from bold, beautiful reds and oranges to dull browns and grays.  As the days grow shorter and there are fewer hours of light.  As the skies turn from pastels to greys and midnight blues.  As our physical energy moves from rambunctious and playful to sleepy and melancholic.

We take the time to slow our minds and rest our bodies.  Time to reflect and rejuvenate.

They say the darkest hour is just before dawn.  The greatest opportunities for change come from the dark moments.  As with the seasons, darkness always makes way for light, casting only shadows for a time, and eventually fading.  As winter turns to spring, there is new light and fresh, new growth. And with spring, comes summer, a time for  blossoms to fully bloom and reflect their beauty to the rest of the world. Simultaneously, we follow this path.

And so it is, the cycle of change.

Mantra....

You inspire without knowing others are watching. You touch people with your big, bold beautiful way of being in the world, without ever knowing because this is just who you are by nature.  You make a difference without ever knowing that you are.  You are amazing and beautiful and matter, even when you don't think so. 

The world is a better place because of you.   

Captured Moments.......

EACH MOMENT OF THE YEAR HAS ITS OWN BEAUTY.....A PICTURE WHICH WAS NEVER BEFORE SHALL NEVER BE SEEN AGAIN. 

 ~ RALPH WALDO EMERSON

Autumn.....

Delicious Autumn......my favorite time of year.  When the skies turn shades of purple and grey, the nighttime skies crisp and clear,  the trees burst with a mosaic of color, and the smell of moist earth beneath me.  

It's a time of change.  A time to slow down to rejuvenate and regenerate.   All of the year's bounty becomes compost for  next year's bloom, a new journey of growth and discovery.

the little things........

It is a rich and beautiful experience to slow down and awaken your senses with the little things, the tiniest of details that make up the whole.  Breathe into your every step and take notice of that which brings you peace and comfort, beauty and joy.  

Change.......

"The journey of who you once were, and who you are now becoming, is where the dance of life really takes place."

- Barbara De Angelia

Life is about change, opening and closing doors through transitions, finding balance, defining and redefining ourselves.  I am not the person I was at 10, 20, 30, 40, or even 50.  I am a work in progress.  Every day a new beginning.  Forever changing. 

This door caught my eye while at a photography workshop in Maryland during Hurricane Irene. We were out exploring Chesapeake City, discussing how to develop a creative eye.  The instructor was talking and I couldn't take my eye off this door.  I'm not sure I heard a word he said.  Instead, I kept staring at this door, framing it in my mind's eye.  I knew I had to capture it for a lasting impression.  So much symbolism and meaning in one place.    It was only after I snapped the picture and brought it home to download my memory card that it came to me why I felt such a strong pull toward this one small framed scene.   

I love the color red. - vibrant, energetic, and playful.  I dream of dancing in red shoes, or showing up at parties in a red dress, or wearing red cowboy boots to work.  And I love morning glories. I love their fresh, vibrant colors, and their  temporal existence.   Morning is my favorite time of day - quite, reflective, meditative.   And there is something about doors.  They provide so much symbolism.  I see an interesting door and I ponder questions such as - what is happening on the other side of this door?  How would I be changed if I were to open and look, or even be so bold as to enter?  What would I be leaving behind?  What changes in the opening and closing of a door in one's life?  What lies ahead?  What is left behind?  And what happens at the intersection between these two places?  

When one door closes, another one opens."  " With every ending comes a new beginning." Cliches like this frequent my thoughts as I've gotten older.  I've learned to appreciate change.  To slow down and breathe into it.   My life is not the same as it was yesterday.  Today and every day, I open the door to new opportunities, new gifts, new adventures, new learnings, new possibilities.   Each day is a building block to the next...a continuuous structuring and restructuring, building and rebuilding and reconfiguring pieces of my foundation.  Today and everyday, I wake up to a journey of who I am becoming.

BACK TO REALITY.......

Two of the greatest joys in life are children and pets.  The innocence and unabashed curiosity, playfulness and laughter of a child.  The unconditional love of pets.  I can think of nothing that brings me back to reality, puts things in perspective, takes away my angst about the little things that bother me in life,  than being in the presence of both.

Tomorrow I get to do a photo shoot with 2 year old twins.  I am already smiling about the thought of being in the presence of two little beings, in a natural environment just doing what they do without any thought to what others are thinking.   It is such a sweet experience when I can hide in the background with my camera  and just capture the beauty of a moment that can never be re-created, to be able to provide a memory that can be cherished for many years to come for the family, and a series of moments that bring me the most incredible joy.

These are a few of my favorite shots from very early on.  Some of the pics are not that sophisticated and the quality not so good, as they were done in film and then reproduced from paper copies.  But I love the emotion they evoke and the sheer spontaneity.

 They always make me smile.  Kids just being kids.  Puppies just being puppies.  And me just watching with admiration and awe at their utter joy for life.