a (through the lens) walk . along the sound

this is my in photos answer to the question maddie posed on her blog today (where do you feel most like yourself?)

i would love to know where you have been walking these days and feeling most like you...

the random thoughts of the last few minutes

strawberries + cream. what more could a girl want really?

today has been too quiet. 

i wrote a rambling complaining sort of a paragraph here and deleted it.

i keep humming "hallelujah" after hearing it on the "hope for haiti" special tonight.

sometimes i wish i could flip a switch and cause my mind to simply settle in for a nap.

when the baby moves, sometimes i feel like she is pulling right on my heart.

sometimes i forget i am pregnant and then the baby will move and for split second i wonder why i am having such odd indigestion.

having a clean house is really the best thing ever.

i wish i could wave a magic wand and all would be okay.

there are still some strawberries and cream in the fridge from last night and i might go have some right now.

though i kind of want a chocolate milk shake.

i wish you were here. 

i hope i am going to be a good mom.

i am taking another breath right now.

and another.

i am trusting in what i know.

i am terrified.

i hope we have blue sky again tomorrow and if we do, i promise to leave the house.

millie is just staring at the door waiting for jon to get home.

may (only) sweet dreams visit you (and me) tonight.

PS more information about the week of pink (that i mentioned in the previous post) to come this weekend. i am thinking photos, stories, whatever you want to share. will post more thoughts soon.

a photo list: pink

Photo credits: 1. Green in the pink, 2. Target Tuesday: Pink Glasses, 3. The Bells Are Ringing!, 4. Tea/Coffee and Books..., 5. Lotus Pink & Green, 6. Pomegranate in pink, 7. Yarn Stash:: Malabrigo, 8. vintage pillowcases, 9. Pink tulips, 10. 181/365: Pink and green should never be seen, 11. vintage pink buttons , 12. 182/365: Purple haze, 13. Spools of Pink, 14. one more time, 15. _MG_0039, 16. a pretty pink bellis tuesday !

As a pink hyacinth begins to bloom in the kitchen windowsill of my newly clean and much more organized home, I am thinking about making next week a week of pink. The truth is that my favorite color is blue. But a dash, just a dash of pink makes me very very happy. And don't get me started on pink buttons. But a dash of pink during a time of year that seems to sometimes be steeped in grey? Yes, I think that sounds just about perfect.

Want to join me for a little pink next week?

pieces of this day

nine {with Stefanie Reneé}

The Nine is an interview series with creative folks that began on my blog, Be Present, Be Here, in the Spring of 2009; the interviewees are asked to respond to nine questions in photographs (or video). All the interviews can be found here.

Today's Nine interview is with the creative, beautiful spirit who is Stefanie Reneé. Stef's blog was one of the first I read in the summer of 2005. Her honest outlook and brave truth sharing pushed me to think about starting to share my own words later that year (and I am pretty sure she introduced me to the poetry of Mary Oliver). It was a joy to be able to finally meet her in person at Squam last fall and to shyly share the truth of how she has inspired me. Now, I turn to her book when I need a dose of that brave truth that she shares through her photos and words.

Enjoy this insight into the world of Stefanie Reneé...

*****

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?

*****

Stefanie Reneé is a photographer, writer, dreamer and an artist in training. She lives in Northern California with her husband and two beautiful, hilarious daughters.

You might find her commuting over the Bay Bridge to her day job, roaming the hills of San Francisco with camera in hand or having dance parties with her kids.  She loves the sound of waves crashing on the beach, sand between her toes, juicy peaches, purple converse all stars, cozy cafes, the sun on her face, gumball machines and creating magic in a tiny corner of her apartment.

Visit her at www.stefanierenee.net

holding compassion and love {a guided audio meditation}

 

On a day like today, when many of us wish we could do more for the people suffering the devastation in Haiti from yesterday's earthquake, I would like a share a meditation with you that can be used to hold people in your heart with compassion and love.

There are some good resources out there that share information about organizations accepting donations and other things. This article at USA Today seems particularly clear and helpful. Denise has also shared some great links in this post. Please share any other links or information you have that you trust.

The following meditation is one that I turn to when I learn someone is experiencing difficult times or grief and I cannot be right there to offer support in person. I light a candle and imagine them and close my eyes and begin to find my breath. This meditation can also be used when you want to send compassion and love to someone on any day. The truth is, we all need compassion and love and sharing it is a beautiful gift we can give one another. 

When you are ready to begin, find a comfortable place to sit where you will not be distracted or interupted. Then click on "Holding Compassion" below. The meditation takes less than ten minutes. If you have questions, please feel free to email me.

Blessings and light,

Liz

Holding Compassion

you will.

i can hear you laughing as though someone might just be about ready to tickle you. you laugh so loud and long until you can hardly breathe. i wonder what time of day it is and what happened five minutes ago, five hours ago in your world. i see you, a little girl who has a little brother as evidenced by that plush ball perfect for a crawling baby brother in the photo. i see you and know that in this moment you felt just as loved as you did before he came into the world. before you wished on a penny at geno's and came back to the table to inform everyone you had wished for a baby brother. i know that sofa that pulled out into a bed where your grandparents would stay when you moved to the house on oak road. but now, now that sofa is in the family room and i can see the green chair and the built-in bookshelves and hear the rolling stones or is it neil diamond now playing on the record player. i see that you are safe in this moment of from the depths of your soul laughter. i see that you are smiling that huge showing the gums smile that people who really know you see when you feel safe. i can see you and hear you and imagine how soft your cheek might feel if you rushed up to the person taking this photo and hugged that person so close so you nuzzled your cheek against his neck and breathed in aqua velva and love. 

i think about all this as i sit here feeling a baby move inside me. this baby we've been told is a daughter moves inside me tonight and i call my mother to tell her and then, i sit inside the circle of it all and remember how loved you are, how loved we are. and even though the road to this moment of contentment and truth will be filled with so much you cannot even imagine and it won't always be safe to smile and be you and wish on pennies, in this moment of giggles and looking into the camera, know that you will find your way. 

yes, baby girl, you will find your way.

the moments (of the last few days)

point defiance park view of puget sound . january 10, 2010

i have been more tired than productive (and productive is something i need to be) this weekend and last week was filled with quite a few emotional highs and lows in that way life is sometimes, but tonight, i am moved to share the moments of the last few days...

soaking up every word of a homemade life: stories and recipes from my kitchen table by molly wizenberg (i will write more about it soon. it is more like a gift than a cookbook. i am simply smitten with every page and am savoring the last few chapters like the last godiva chocolate).

watching julie & julia for the first time. what a joy that movie is. signs point toward me spending more time in the kitchen soon (hopefully when my mom visits next week, we can cook together and i can push away from nausea and lean in toward the goodness of cooking for and with my family).

taking a walk along puget sound with jonny. spotting a seal. sharing a few dreams. watching a little boy with his parents, so quick to explore on legs that have probably not been walking for too many weeks.

curling up with millie on the new red sofa. she seems to be very interested in my belly these days.

feeling grateful for friends who listen (especially when tears are falling on this end of the line).

angel hair pasta. really, i simply cannot get enough. and luckily i have a husband who doesn't mind cooking it (and everything else we eat around here these days).

enjoying a (new to me) movie called possession. the title invites one to think it is much different than it is. i found it to be a beautiful movie weaving two stories, one from the past and one now. a little poetry, a lot of romance, some heartache, wonderful music. i must investigate the book i think.

letting go of needing to answer email right away. i know it can be maddening to wait for someone to reply, but just remember, sometimes that someone is taking a break from the computer or just trying to get by or growing a human or spending time with family or breathing in and out or doing the best they can. (i will write back when i can. promise.)

spending time on etsy adding some things to my favorites, such as this and this and this.

naps under vintage quilts, one made by my great-grandmother and others thrifted. vintage quilts invite the best naps i think.

and in this moment, i wonder how things are in your world. what things did you fill up your weekend with? how are you? what are you wishing these days?

blessings and light, liz