postcard from michigan (august 1, 2009)

(front)

Sliver of bright burning fuschia sneaks through grey plus white puffy, thick pillows as the lake tosses and trips below.

(back)

The wind pushed through me today as I stood atop the bluff. Pushed and threw me as I watched the gulls float instead of fly even though they pushed to move through; the wind pushed back as they soared in one place. Like me with feet planted, no grounded as I soar with each push and pull, as I float while grounded.

postcard from indiana (july 31, 2009)

{front}

sunbeams dancing through summer-heavy oak leaves dripping from reaching branches

{back}

they say you can never go home

again

but in this moment,

i believe,

you can find yourself

relaxing inside comfort and laughter

and breathing in the unexpected moments

of being the you

you never thought you might be

in this home.

know.

south carolina coast long ago.

i want to know this person smiling right at me. i want to hear her laughter as she looks toward someone she loves who has managed to snap this moment of perfect joy.

i want to know her.
this is what i said each time we watched this and came to this photo.
i want to know her, i would say to jon.
and sometimes tears would knock at the back of my eyes as my mind would catch up with my words.

what is she thinking in this moment? who surrounds her? she is not quite two and on the south carolina coast. more than thirty years ago. thirty years. she did not know that more than three decades later she would wish that she had memorized every second of this moment. we never realize how much we will want to remember each sound, touch, breath.

i see hope and a heart open to all that is to come. i see love. i see a little girl who already knows love.

i want to know her.

she is a teacher this one. she is a teacher and those around her on this day know this truth. yes. they do know as they look at her wide open heart taking in each moment, each sound, each touch, each breath. in the quiet places where they are safe being themselves, they know she is here to teach them to open their hearts even if only for one breath. open up, she whispers as the wind blows and she smiles with love on her face.

i want to know her.

i want to reach my hand through this photo and touch that soft cheek and say, please tell me all you know. please tell me what it feels like to love with such a softness, with such hope.

i want to know her.

and the tears tap at the backs of my eyes as my mind catches up with the truth,

and the wisdom within whispers...

nine {with stephanie lee}

Today's interview is with the radiant soul who is Stephanie Lee. She is an incredible artist, a beautiful woman, mother, and friend, and she has a way of inspiring others through the written word. Get to know her a bit more through her blog Semiprecious Salvage. Stephanie and I seem to cross paths when we most need to, and I honor that she is a true seeker on her journey. Today, we are lucky to be able to see pieces of what she finds on her path...

*****Question 1: Who are you?

Question 2: What do you love about where you live?

Question 3: What might your perfect afternoon look like?

Question 4: If you had an hour alone in your studio/creative space, what would you do?

Question 5: Right now, what are some of your favorite things?

Question 6: What foods nourish your soul?

Question 7: When you need to simply take a breath and reground yourself, what do you do?

Question 8: How do you nurture your creative dreams?

Question 9: Does your heart have a secret wish you want to share?

Stephanie writes: I'm a seeker and a finder, an asker and a listener, a poet and a mute. I try my best to live consciously. I live for the biggest little things - for wide skies, staying up late, getting up early to see the sun rise, my girls' laughter, my man's faith in me, and for learning. Learning, learning, learning. I love sewing, cooking, making things for friends, generally being domestic, reading and writing and writing about what I'm reading. I eat peaches over the sink, my insides like to boogie while my outsides keep a cool front. I love green shoes and wearing them while perhaps driving a little too fast because I like the way my stomach tickles when I go over that one little hill.....

(All photos copyright Stephanie Lee)

*****

Nine is an interview series with creative folks that began in the Spring of 2009; the interviewees are asked to respond to the interview questions in photographs (or video). You can scroll through all the interviews here.

ask yourself.

florida sunset . many years ago

The simplest questions are the most profound. Where were you born? Where is your home? Where are you going? What are you doing? Think about these once in a while and watch your answers change.

Richard Bach

finding my way...

cooling off in the evening during the heat of last week . back porch, july 2009

life whirls and breaths and laughs and cracks me open.

yes.
this is where i am.
whirling
breathing
laughing
cracking open

life is full, much fuller than it has been in years. it is full of good things. it is full of things that are, to be honest, work. good work. the work of dreams being lived into reality, but work all the same.

which finds me walking the path labeled balance. finding my way, sitting to rest, and looking up and wondering "how the hell did i get here?" and laughing at myself as i realize i made my way here. to this moment. yes, i did. finding my way and seeking shade and then in the next moment standing in the light with my face turned up as i smile into the truth. finding my way and realizing that asking for help is part of the path labeled balance. finding my way and knowing that collaborating brings the goodness. finding my way and realizing that finding my breath is the way to the path that is balance.

yes. it is good. breathe in. breathe out. open. whirl. laugh. breathe.

how are things in your world? i would love to know...

senses view: a moment alone

{touch}

{see}

{smell}

{taste}

{hear}

{and know}

*****

who :: kirsten michelle . liz

where :: park . front stoop (and kitchen)

when :: a july afternoon . a july morning

senses view is a collaboration series.

read more about how it began.

see all the senses view collaborations.

yes.

pike place market singer . june, 2009

Every day we slaughter our finest impulses. That is why we get a heartache when we read those lines written by the hand of a master and recognize them as our own, as the tender shoots which we stifled because we lacked the faith to believe in our own powers, our own criterion of truth and beauty. Every man, when he gets quiet, when he gets desperately honest with himself, is capable of uttering profound truths. We all derive from the same source. There is no mystery about the origin of things. We are all part of creation, all kings, all poets, all musicians; we have only to open up to discover what is already there.

Henry Miller