Ramblings by Dawn: July 2011

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Kaleidoscope

colored shards of glass

reflections of the past

slowly turning

reinventing

bits and pieces of my life

memories i hold dear

slowly swirling

recreating

new perspectives

new streams of thought

slowly rotating

redefining

always changing

rearranging

this kaleidoscope

called life

Each life a kaleidoscope and yet a small part of the kaleidoscope of humanity. What is today, will be different tomorrow. Treasure the beauty of today.

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Lightning

lightning strikes

life changes

energy surges

revitalized

new direction

new hope

new dreams

new heart

Special thanks to Brenda.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Still Me

dust flies

the world spins

foundations are rocked

when the dust clears

i am still me

and my heart is true

Many things challenge our beliefs and our existence. Believe in yourself and stand firm in your convictions.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Follow Your Heart

The best part of life's journey comes from following your heart.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

One Heart

it takes one heart

to change the world

it takes one idea

to start a revolution

it takes one act of kindness

to overcome anger

it takes one voice

to change world views

it only takes one

Monday, July 25, 2011

Escape

a small island

cool waters

beautiful sunset

waves lapping the shore

birds soaring

wandering thoughts

no clocks

no responsibilities

escape

Between the heat, a fire to close to home and everyday stuff...I could use an escape.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Yesterday a fire ravaged an entire building in our apartment complex. The fire started thirty-six hours ago and firemen are still on the scene. The embers are still smoldering. The smell of smoke still fills the air. Thirty-four families have been displaced. Everything they owned gone except for the clothes on their backs. One man lost his life. I am saddened by this event. And my heart goes out to all of the families.

At the same time, I am thankful. My daughter and her roommate lived on the third floor of this building one year ago. The girls and I walked by to see the damage. As I looked at the empty, smoking space that used to be there apartment, I was overcome with relief and gratitude. I immediately hugged both of them. Today I am thankful for my family, my friends and the blessings of my life. Though I struggle from time to time, I am thankful.

Thank you to Jaimee' Allman for the photograph.

Copyright 2011 Ramblings by Dawn. All rights reserved.

Friday, July 22, 2011

Ripples

one drop

one word

one action

one thought

one feeling

one step

one spark

one idea

one person

good

bad

angry

indifferent

judgemental

ignorant

compassionate

kind

loving

change a life

change the world

your choice

what's it going to be

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Small

small

insignificant

useless

tired

spent

lethargic

sluggish

washed up

indifferent

melting

fading

drowning

slow

stunted

fearful

readjust

tomorrow will be a better day

It is very easy to get stuck in the muck. Reach out to those around you, they can pull you out. Not in the muck? Reach out those who are. Kindness heals and strengthens. Kindness also grows the more you practice it.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

A Child's Smile

A beautiful day today. The sun is shining. Not too hot in the shade. So we wandered out to the back patio with a bucket of sidewalk chalk.

Alex was on the move. She was so full of energy and so quick that catching pictures of her was a challenge. I am not sure whether there is more chalk on the sidewalk or on Alex's face.

The best part of the day...the pure joy on Alexandra's face.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Withering

pushing through
the hard cold ground
reaching for the warmth
tossed about
by harsh howling winds
beaten down
by driving torrential rains
opening to greet the sun
triumphant

plucked from the vine
drowning in water
dropping petals
turning brown
withering
dying

love

I don't understand why love dies, but sometimes it does.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Crash

free weekend

list of projects

coffee on

computer fired up

ready to go

crash

computer goes down

all files lost

pictures floating in cyberspace

overwhelming panic

weekend shot

I woke up Saturday morning excited for this weekend to begin. All week long I compiled a list of things to do this weekend. Organize pictures and files on my computer, back them up to external hard drive, edit some writings, do some accounting etc. As I started organizing and getting ready to hook up the external hard drive, my computer screen goes blank. I restart my computer, try to pull up my files...all folders empty. Needless to say, I panicked. I packed up my computer and went in search of the geek squad. They assured me, it was an easy fix. However, it would be 24 to 48 hours until I got the computer back.

In that brief moment all my best laid plans gone. I hate to admit how much I missed my computer, but I did. I would be reading and want to check something on the computer. Alas the table was empty. So I spent the weekend trying to entertain myself in different ways. And while I enjoyed reading and sleeping a little later, I am thrilled to have my computer back.

Much like life, we have plans made and crash...something changes. Lesson learned...don't take anything for granted.

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Hurry

we are so caught up

in instant gratification

we want everything now

we want quick answers

we nourish ourselves

with fast food

we hurry from one thing to another

we rush through our life

we multi-task

for what?

to finish the race first?

to have the most?

when we reach the end

will it matter?

or will we have missed the best?

life is in the living

Friday, July 15, 2011

Love Stands

come or go

believe or not

leave me behind

my love stands

try new things

meet more friends

travel the world

my love stands

raise your voice

shed some tears

refuse to speak

my love stands

walk your path

i'll walk mine

with every step

my love stands

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Out of Sorts

out of sorts

lines blurred

floating

drifting

winds of change

limbo

uncertain

confusion

precarious

hesitation

hazy and unsure

disconnected

erratic

vague

searching

adjusting

limbo

rediscovering me

redefining life

pursuing love

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Tissue Flowers

Making tissue flowers with a 22 month old child, a challenge and a delight. Of course, it took three of us to accomplish this project.

Alexandra knows that when Marc comes over art projects follow. She ran anxiously to her chair, ready to begin. Marc and Kaycee taught her to wrap the tissue paper on the pencil and glue it on the paper.

My job take pictures and enjoy the process. Turns out, she learns fast. I shouldn't be surprised, all of mine were the same way. How fast these precious moments pass us by. This is one for the memory files.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Just a day

No art work, no clever words today. Just a day. My motivation, insight, curiosity and drive decided to stay in bed today. A day to just float, until I got the call. Alexandra fell from about five or six feet. Not sure whether she hit her head or landed on her back. So off to the emergency room we go. My heart racing, my mind suddenly very alert. My friend adreneline kicks in.

Doctor says she is fine, back to floating through what is left of this day. Giving myself permission to have just a day.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Anticipation

anticipation

anxiety

apprehension

dread

fear

foreboding

nervous

tension

uncertainty

waiting for the other shoe to drop

change is in the air

i can feel it coming

just around the corner

no way to prepare

all i can do

wait for the other shoe to drop

Change makes most of us uncomfortable. But everything always changes. Change indicates growth. And yet we often dread it. Maybe we should embrace it.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Fragile Hearts

Hearts are beautiful

when filled with love

floating through the air

no cares, no fuss

When hearts are pricked

by pain and strife

love leaks out

and hope seems lost

Hearts are fragile

treat others with care

your kindness now

will come back around

and fill your heart

when you're down

All too often we take love for granted. We would do well to honor the love we have and the love we receive. Otherwise, it may leave us unexpectedly.

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Erase The Pain

I wish that I could erase

The pain that's in my heart

Rub away mistakes

That foolishly I've made

I wish that I could just forget

The ones that walked away

I'd like to have a fresh new heart

Treat it with more care

I can't go back

Even if I could

I'd probably make the same mistakes

Wind up in the exact same place

I don't know how

To hide my heart

It overflows with love

And though it aches

And bears the scars

Of choices I have made

I offer love and kindness

To those who cross my path

Though the past offers us wisdom along with the scars, we cannot shut down the flow of love. Bottle up your love, starve your soul.

Friday, July 8, 2011

Questions

A flurry of questions

swimming about

A flurry of questions

clouding my mind

A flurry of questions

confusing my heart

A flurry of questions

blocking my progress

How do I change

What do I do

Where did I go wrong

When will things change

How did I end up here

What is different today

When do struggles end

Where do I go from here

Why did this happen

Why did I do that

Why can't things improve

Why was I made this way

Why do I keep making the same mistakes

Why can't we move on

Why can't I forget

Why can't I forgive

why why why

Sometimes the biggest obstacle to moving forward, all the questions we try to answer. Some questions simply have no answer. And sometimes it doesn't matter what the answer. The important thing, keep moving forward.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Hats

hats

a language all their own

they speak of

who you are

what you believe

your occupation

your hobbies

this moment

one person

many hats

changing with your life

changing throughout your day

much like your heart

much like love

changing as we grow

what hat is your heart wearing today

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Shape-shifting

Regardless of the shape you see

Doesn't mean it's really me

I shift my shape to try and please

A way of life and done with ease

dropping expectations

thinking my own thoughts

crying if I need to

saying what I should

being true to myself

finding my own way

trying to find my purpose

searching for my worth

choosing my guidelines

leading with my heart

Easier to define someone's "shape" than to let them discover it.