Shades of Pink...

A small reflection of what I found in my yard today...

Reminders of how truly blessed we really are! 

The Cottage

As we walk down the lane, under the canopy of trees,

The spectrum of color, green, tan, and brown...  

A  mosaic below as the trees begin to drop their leaves,

All the hints of autumn, here in this wee little town.

Off to the right, the young one, standing next to the mare,

As we arrive at the pasture, he steps, stumbles, is down...

The mare reaches her long neck, nudges with care,

Those long wobbly legs, struggling,  his footing as the clown.

We meander further down the lane, enjoying our walk,

Taking in the colors, but the sky grey, showing it's frown,

The droplets beginning to fall,  surely ending our talk,

We scramble, the ground slick from the bucket down.

Then as suddenly as it started, the down pour slows to a sprinkle,

A path, calling from its end, a small delicate gate, leaning down...

She hesitates,  I look up into her eyes, there is the twinkle,

Looking back over time, she is remembering the gown.

This was their cottage, first house, so it felt like home,

Pitter patter of small feet, above brow a simple crown...

Together they grew, but then he would roam,

To the river he went, but only to drown.

And forever would this cottage be empty and bare,

Everyone impacted within this wee little town....

For the loss of this loved one, no one could share,

To the river he went, but only to drown.

 Written for Willow's Magpie Tales no. 29

Photo Upload Alert

This is not the original topic that I planned on posting about, but it caught my attention with GREAT CONCERN....

I don't know if all of you whom post pictures use cameras, cell phones or other devices to take your shots that you post.  If you are uploading from CELL PHONES or other devices that also have a GPS device in them, PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THERE COULD BE A GPS CHIP IN YOUR PHOTOS that you are posting that gives YOUR EXACT LOCATIONS.

There was a NEWS report in our area this weekend, that our photos coming from cell phones, etc. have a chip that pretty much anyone can read with very little internet knowledge.  If we are posting pictures from our homes, or of children, and then posting about a trip or being away for work, we are making information available to ANYONE who reads our post whether it be on a BLOG, FACEBOOK, TWITTER, etc. 

I don't know exactly how it works, but the report said to disable the GPS when using the CAMERA portion of these devices.  It said you have to go through several menus to get to it.  Definitely, for everyones SAFETY, please pass this on to anyone that you might know who does this.  There was an article about it in the New York times last Thursday, August 12, 2010 or at Yahoo!Finance.

TO EVERYONE, PLEASE STAY SAFE AND WELL...

Updated Monday morning....   For anyone trying to find out more information, I found out the chip in the photo is called a GEOTAG.

Garden reminders

Just a few of the reminders I found in my garden this afternoon,

to always look for the beauty around us.

I hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend filled with the joys of friends and family.

Remember that feeling?

The following poem was inspired  (a long time ago) by the residents that I work with  each and every day.    I am reminded often of how important this message is, not just for the time that I spend with the residents, but for so many of us in various aspects of our lives.   

Help Me

What's that? You say you want to help me,

Great, because honestly, I don't know how...

Stand back, watch...okay...but wait...we're done?

How... I didn't get to do anything...

I thought you said you wanted to help,

You did? But you don't understand what I meant...

"I don't know how" does not mean "I can't,"

It simply means that I never learned this...

To help me would be to teach me how,

I need to know all that I am capable of...

Take my hands in yours and guide me,

Step by step, I can learn how to do things...

Sometimes, I may get impatient with myself,

Or you... but I need your understanding...

Sometimes, I may want to quit trying,

But I need your belief in my ability to learn...

What's that? You say you want to help me,

Please then, show me how to do it for myself.

So often when I begin a new project, or try to learn something new,  I think it would just be easier to have someone else do it for me, someone who already has this skill or that skill.    But then, if I am diligent in my efforts and I actually manage to complete the task myself, suddenly I am filled with that wonderful feeling we all get when we have done something for the very first time.  The ego boost... the pride, the joy of getting the first flower to bloom in the garden (for us beginners).    You remember that feeling, don't you?   

What was the last new thing you tried to learn?    Did you struggle with it before finally "getting it" down right?  Could anything replace that feeling of accomplishment once you succeeded?    Were you fortunate enough to have someone, anyone, there, believing in your ability to master the skill? 

Or maybe you were the person trying to show someone else, maybe a friend, how to do something new...  Did you make sure they understood that you  knew they could get it done, get it right?   How did you let them know of your belief in their abilities?   When they mastered that something new, did you let them know what a great job they had done?  How proud you were of them for even trying?

As the storm cascades

Across the sea, it leaves the

Branch as it's footprint...

Sandcastle in the Waves

The young girl quickly built a small castle from the sand. She formed it quickly, yet it was very sound. The walls held strong against the waves as they beat gently on the sand.

The girl spent the next few years working on the interior. She furnished it with the best that she could find. The furniture was immensely soft. The walls presented exquisite paintings from all over. Each room was separate and apart from all the others. It was as if you were walking to the most beautiful gardens God had ever created.

As the years passed, the girl let people come into her castle. They brought new ideas to her. Their encouragement was inspiring beyond belief. But then, when the girl went out to find the materials for the improvements of her castle...

These people smashed her furniture, tore the paintings from the walls, and worked hard to destroy her hopes. They also drilled tiny holes in the foundation.

When the girl returned she found her castle in a shambles. The damage was endless. The girl was absorbed by the pain. She tried to understand why they had done this. But she couldn't, she couldn't explain why.

With this the girl decided she mustn't let anyone in - for they would destroy all that she had. She spent the next years fixing everything that had been destroyed. When the damage was repaired she went on with the new ideas. Then one day, after the castle enlarged a little, she realized she was out of ideas.

She knew then she must let people in to share their ideas with her. Well, she had met new people. They were different somehow, but she couldn't comprehend what that meant. So she let them in to share with her new ideas and then quickly chased them out.

Over the next years people came and went. The castle grew bigger and bigger. With each new room, the castle became more beautiful. But she never let the people stay for very long.

Then came the year of the storm.

The waves came harder and more often, smashing down on the sand walls. As the water ran down the outside of the walls, the sand began to wear away.

The girl struggled and fought to keep the walls in tact. But soon they began to crack under the pressure. The   people came again offering help.

But she couldn't...

                                    

She couldn't let them in. She was still sure they would destroy the interior. If the waves destroyed the walls and the people the inside, there would be nothing left of her castle.

As she struggled the storm became more powerful. Slowly over that year, her castle was washed away under the waves. She watched each room crumble under the weight of the water. She watched her precious possessions pulled out of sight by the tide.

When the storm calmed and the clouds vanished from the sky, the girl stood alone on the flat sands of her beach. She stood alone listening to the drums of the water as it beat upon the beach in beautiful song. She stood alone looking out to the peaceful serenity of the ocean top. She stood alone lost in-between the sand and the water. She stood alone...

As she stood alone she was engulfed by the loss. Everything was gone... Then she realized she still had her beach. She began looking back to when it all started. Her beach, it had been a gift. Suddenly, she realized what had been different about the people who came later. They were like the ones who had given her the beach. With that, she realized it wasn't the waves or the storm that destroyed her castle. She could have saved it with their help.

As she stood alone on the flat sands of her beach, listening to the sounds of the water rushing up... then back away again... the moon... almost, but not quite full, shown brightly over the dark blue of the ocean top... This was a peaceful night... or so it would appear to anyone who might wander by this beautiful place.

She stood alone for what seemed to be an eternity... looking... listening... crying... the aloneness overwhelmed her. Not realizing it, she fell to the sand and as the drums beat on, she fell into a deep sleep...

As the sun rose, warm with the reds and oranges of a new day, she awoke from her deep sleep. She lifted her head, but the bright light of a new day blinded her and she turned to the water. The blues and greens cascaded for as far as she could see. Little white caps rippled the stained glass picture she saw before her.

Again she stood alone... Again she was engulfed by the loss... Again she began to cry...

One single tear fell to the corner of her mouth... the salt bitter... she wiped her eyes and tried to focus on the picture of blue and green before her. But her eyes wouldn't focus... she could no longer see the white caps... all she could see was a grey-blue blur. Still trying to focus her eyes, she turned to her left.

There, off in the distance, at the edge of her beach she could see something... but what was it? Her eyes still not completely focusing, something was there, but she couldn't quite make it out. She slowly walked in the direction of this thing she saw before her. Again she wiped the tears from her eyes trying to make out what was ahead of her...

Then she realized... she was standing at the beginning of a small path that was being overgrown by bits of grass as the sands of her beach ended... Where would the path lead her? Should she leave her beach? But her castle?

Then she knew... she needed to get away from this beach... away from the pain of losing her castle... she must get away, at least for a little while.

She slowly forced her right foot forward, then her left. And again the right foot... Each step seemed as though she was lifting a million pounds. But she continued on.   As she rounded a bend, suddenly she saw vibrant color before her...

Ahead, lining all parts she could see was a hill. No, better called a mountain. It had crevices lined with bold yellows, oranges and browns. Near the top, every possible shade of green radiated toward her. This mountain, these colors... all seemed to be calling to her... drawing her closer...

Then she knew... she had to start over. She had to begin a new castle. The new castle is not yet finished. But the plans hold a dream to be more beautiful then ever...