Winter is nearly here and with Christmas approaching, I am reminded of passing quite a few holidays in a mire of grief and heartache. I know I am not alone in this. When life’s got you down, there’s nothing worse than being bombarded by refrains of “it’s the most wonderful time of the year” every time you step out of the house. Winter tends to send me searching inside myself for the root of imbalance and this year has brought an extra dose of that, yet another reminder that no matter how much I may think I can control in my life, the grand majority is a total crapshoot.
On a more positive note, I am so grateful to have a full and rich life that is enhanced through creativity and connection with others. This month I participated in my first Wonderkitten show (showing at Larkin Arts through December), where adult artists are paired with a child to create portraits of each other. Liwam and I were partnered based on our love of green, being outside, and helping others. She was a true delight to work with and her positive energy was contagious, which I hope is evident in her portrait.
Liwam
16 x 20 | acrylic on canvas
Speaking of kids, here are some lovely young ladies I had the privilege of photographing a couple of weekends ago at their beautiful home in the mountains. It was a chilly day and they were good sports.
After this photoshoot, I headed west to hike to High Knob Fire Tower and found the most gorgeous surprise at the top where the treetops were encased in ice. Being in nature always centers me and this was one of those days that just knocked my socks off.
And I’ll leave you with two quotes that have resonated with me recently.
“Sometimes it takes darkness and the sweet confinement of your aloneness to learn anything or anyone that does not bring you alive is too small for you.” – David Whyte
…and…
“We all start out knowing magic. We are born with whirlwinds, forest fires, and comets inside us. We are born able to sing to birds and read the clouds and see our destiny in grains of sand. But then we get the magic educated right out of our souls. We get it churched out, spanked out, washed out, and combed out. We get put on the straight and narrow path and told to be responsible. Told to act our age. Told to grow up, for God’s sake. And you know why we were told that? Because the people doing the telling were afraid of our wildness and youth, and because the magic we knew made them ashamed and sad of what they’d allowed to wither in themselves.” – Robert R. McCammon