Overlooking the Saanich Inlet on Vancouver Island, August 2007
Aches and pains.
Yes, I've got a few.
Part of the aging process, or so they tell me.
Knees that creak,
heels that are tender,
hips that remind me they're there, working away.
And heartache?
Yes, I've known a bit here and there,
some of it permanent.
You never stop missing those you love.
But there is another ache that I live with,
day in and day out,
from sun up right through my dream life.
And that ache is a wonderful thing.
An ache buried deep within me
at the hand of my Creator -
an ache for...
home,
love,
beauty.
Yes - beauty.
and I've kept thinking about it ever since.
Turning a corner and finding...
a sunset,
a sunrise,
a cooing baby,
a soaring mountain range,
a field of wildflowers,
a couple in love,
the coltish antics of middle-schoolers,
leaping across a lawn,
the creative genius of a fine artist,
a musician,
a sculptor,
anything and everything
that makes that chord inside ring and resound.
Anything and everything that sings to that yearning,
that yearning for every single reflection I can find
of the beauty of God.
STOP
Some words in response to Lisa-Jo's prompt for 5-minute Friday this week.
And that prompt is "ache."
And that prompt is "ache."
This written reflection was done in 5 minutes -
links, photos and captions added later.
links, photos and captions added later.
Join the party over at The Gypsy Mama and check out how others have responded.
(And then you can scroll through a few samples of heart-thrumming beauty recorded by my camera over the last few years - and this is just a small sample. They range from scenic vistas to charming children, to delicious food to ancient cathedrals.)
(And then you can scroll through a few samples of heart-thrumming beauty recorded by my camera over the last few years - and this is just a small sample. They range from scenic vistas to charming children, to delicious food to ancient cathedrals.)
Puget Sound, WA, August 2007
Butchart Gardens, August 2007
Two-year-olds that same summer.
Whidbey Island views, 2007
Cathedral views, various places - stained glass on old stone; organ pipes and chandeliers; trussed ceilings lit by natural light.
Human structures, remarkable engineering and reflections.
All of these from a river cruise in Europe, 2009
And of course, a variety of Hawaiian views - from Maui and Kauai - places and people who are dear, dear, dear to me. (And a couple of creatures plus a whimsy driven color combo that knocked me flat one day at lunch.)
This last picture is similar to others I've posted in this space - one of them in the post noted above - and it is one of about FIFTY I shot of the most remarkable sunset I've just about ever seen. And that's saying something - I'm in my 7th decade, I live in a coastal town, I've traveled to HI about every other year since 1980. And this one was an absolute corker.
This last picture is similar to others I've posted in this space - one of them in the post noted above - and it is one of about FIFTY I shot of the most remarkable sunset I've just about ever seen. And that's saying something - I'm in my 7th decade, I live in a coastal town, I've traveled to HI about every other year since 1980. And this one was an absolute corker.
