In the back of my mind
there is a river
That flows quietly.
Echoes of the water
carried by the wind
Sung so beautifully.
Silently from the moonlight
Down into the ocean
May our eyes see.
From the mountains
tempting the dawn
Caressing the sky
Precious moments
last but only a blink of an eye.
(c) MSK
The moon is high
The river is wide
The feeling is right
Everything has its place.
Gorgeous colors
From Spring to Fall
Changes year to year
Each at their own pace.
The sky is blue
The sun is hidden
The grass is growing
Everything has its place.
We miss so much
Turning in circles
Looking for fortune
Everyone makes mistakes.
It’s easy to do, I’ve done it too.
Everyone makes mistakes
It’s easy to do, so will you,
Everyone makes mistakes.
There is a park on a hill overlooking the river and the bustle of downtown. The fog was rolling in waves from hill side to hill side as it simultaneously engulfed the valley. The sun light hitting the fog on the hill side I had chosen was finally blocked by the isolated tree. I hope you enjoy a second of calm as you step back and look at life from a distant perch.
As you follow the river the fog thickens and becomes a wall of clouds that constantly shifts as it surrounds different sections of the city. Above it all you can see the shifts of blinding fog to sunlight-pierced clarity. Each scene lasting for brief moments and then carried away, re-shaped – as more city blocks are swallowed in a tsunami of white. Inside the fog the sunlight is reflected all around you; every where you look is toward a bright light…. what us novices might think of as ‘snow blind’. Thicker fog will darken and then block off the sun with a moving illusion of unknown forms appearing and disappearing, melting and rising with the breeze.
Back before it was the thing to do, my wife and I took this picture. Literally. One of us aimed it and the other one snapped the photo. But this was a special occasion. This is one of the few photos of our wedding. We got married in the winter in a local park overlooking the city. It was an extremely small wedding, but we did have a few uninvited guests. There were a couple of reporters looking for something to write about on a day when there is nothing to write about. They saw my wife and myself, with our daughter Alisa in hand, as we were reading the wedding vows that we had written to each other and exchanging roses. We were standing under the small gazebo in the freezing cold; as calm as you please.
They came up and started a conversation, I figure they thought we were just a couple of crazy people that wanted to know what the heck we were doing. When they realized it was a wedding ceremony, they decided this was something to write about! They took our pictures – the only others taken of our wedding – and wrote an article that ended up on the 1st page of the People – Events section. The article was warm and friendly and captured the humor that you can see in our selfie. If it is true that the bigger and fancier the wedding, the shorter the marriage will be…. we got it made!
In frequent conversations with my family we talk about articles and posts from fellow bloggers and how glad we are that we have met an amazing group of talented people. Many of us have challenges to deal with and we use creativity to describe and/or deal with those challenges. You never fail to amaze and inspire me. From articles that are so funny I can’t stop laughing to personal experiences that are so moving I try not to cry, I look forward to your blog posts and comments. There are those in this community I will keep learning from. The more we learn of each other, the more natural it would seem if we could actually meet.
That is when our conversation shifts to what would you do if you won the lottery or big inheritance (the latter is not possible for me – but still more likely than winning the lottery!!)? We discussed that it would be really cool if we could arrange a common time and place on the globe where we could all meet. Or travel the globe and meet you each one at a time. It would be amazing for me to compare my internal images of fellow bloggers and compare them to actually meeting you. I feel like I know many of you already and I do not think that I would be very surprised by the ‘person’ you are. But I’ll bet in spite of my internal images, I would not recognize any of you if I met you on the street! I would love to record and document the entire meeting. Interview everyone, even have you sing on a few of my songs if you are up for it. Create a community blog of the event. Give promised hugs to a number of you. To see the eyes behind the words. To hear you laugh.
Don’t get me wrong. I love the blog and the openness we can achieve by that same separation. I don’t want a bunch of you knocking on my door at all hours – though I might want to knock on yours!!
Gotta go now and buy my lottery ticket!
I would like to post another set of pictures from a Maui trip years ago. It reminds me again of the power and force nature puts behind everything on this planet. As an observer, viewer or bystander, we sometimes miss the true impact. But when you are in its presence the impressions can be astounding. My wife and are were standing on our porch a few nights ago watching a lightning storm pass over our house. Heavy rain at times kept us close to the house. We watched the storm move – pointing out lightning strikes and the strength of related thunder We noted of their distance. I had just said something about bolts traveling a good distance before going to ground as the last distant thunder receded.
As we looked in the direction of the storm, we were both immediately jettisoned into hyper-awareness as a bright ball flared and jumped between the rain clouds and a huge oak tree in our yard. We were frozen by a sound I cannot describe and the combined impact of thunder and electricity so close to us. It looked like the massive trunk of the tree pulsed or absorbed the bolt. The next day we saw long strips of bark blasted out in front of the tree, which otherwise continues to appear as if it was not affected at all. I wish I had my camera at the time but the odds are poor and it would not describe the event. Our ears were ringing for a along time.
These pictures also try to show you the force behind the waves hitting the rough coast line. Caves and then chimneys are created over the eons as water blasts against the walls of the cave and the resulting giant water gun looks like a geyser spouting out of the rock. From above, I thought the water was inviting and almost gentle. As I stood on the top of the cave next to the chimney spout, it was calm and peaceful and I let my guard down. Every rock and terrace suddenly underwater created a wide pool, with a huge drain in the middle! Difficult to show in pictures or describe here, but when a strong wave hit inside those cave walls It forced a small lake of water up in the air directly above me. As it returned to earth with me in its path, it rose from a stream to a tidal wave and I barely had time to crouch down and get a good solid stance. It almost toppled me over and for all I know could have washed me back into the blow hole or over a wall that might as well have been to oblivion!
Pictures can only remind us of that power. Predictable and gentle events are mild and you can prepare for them, and learn.
Although I did not take this picture, it is one my wife took that I think you will enjoy. If you have not had this perspective it is hard to fully appreciate the feeling of being above the clouds – while your feet are still on the ground! If you have been able to see this for yourself, you probably want to have that feeling and view back again and again.
We were on vacation in Maui, HI. There were so many beautiful and awesome areas I must have taken hundreds of pictures and my wife took many more. As we gawked at the beauty in front of us, invariably we would turn around and see something just as spectacular. That became the theme of our vacation; if you see something beautiful……. TURN AROUND!
Recently traveling for business I took pictures of the Navy Pier and the Windy City for my daughter, Teneca, as a reminder of her time there in the Navy. I wanted to share a couple with you.
Encouragement – the action of giving someone support, confidence, or hope.
This also applies to writers, artists, poets, performers, photographers and so on… Let’s build each other up instead of competing with one another. Once you’ve reached the next level, reach down and lend a hand to everyone still striving to get where you are. Be thankful to each and every person who encourages you and GO OUT OF YOUR WAY to support and encourage others.
“Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.”
They are fairly rare, but not mysterious. Any time you have two full moons in a single calendar month, the second full moon is called the Blue Moon. It was a very pleasant evening in the city.
MidiMike 