We are volcanoes when we women offer our dreams and experiences as our truth. All maps change and there are new mountains. ~ Ursula K. Le Guin

Today's Joy: Remembrance & Contemplation.
You may have heard, Reader, Elizabeth Edwards passed away this week. I've been thinking a great deal about the graceful and gracious way she lived her life despite several very public & painful chapters. She refused to be defined by the things that happened to her. Instead, she turned each setback, humiliation and tragedy into an instrument of strength with which she made a difference in the lives of others.

What an example she set! If Elizabeth Edwards could accomplish so much as an advocate, political figure & mother--all the while walking in faith and hope--what can I accomplish in my own life with the time I've been given? What could you accomplish, Reader? How would your life be different? How many lives could we change?

I am moved by the words Elizabeth posted on Facebook Monday--they turned out to be her last offered publicly:

"You all know that I have been sustained throughout my life by three saving graces -- my family, my friends, and a faith in the power of resilience and hope. These graces have carried me through difficult times and they have brought more joy to the good times than I ever could have imagined.

...There are certainly times when we aren't able to muster as much strength and patience as we would like. It's called being human. But I have found that in the simple act of living with hope, and in the daily effort to have a positive impact in the world, the days I do have are made all the more meaningful and precious. And for that I am grateful. It isn't possible to put into words the love and gratitude I feel to everyone who has and continues to support and inspire me every day. To you I simply say: you know. With love, Elizabeth."

An amazing and well-lived life. May we all be so blessed and strive to make the most of what God has given us.

Shot at Planter's Palette, Winfield, IL.

A great secret of success is to go through life as a man who never gets used up. ~ Albert Schweitzer

Today's Joy: Taking a Time-Out From Scheduling.

Felt a little rumpled and unsettled all day, Reader. Even with adequate planning, rushing to and fro to meet my Monday obligations from 7am to 9:30pm leaves me twitchy (in a most unattractive way). A 30-minute lunch break becomes stuffed with errands and an hour+ commute in rush hour traffic can hardly be considered down time.

Don't get me wrong, I love the challenge my job presents each day and I really enjoy the fellowship of my women's church community group. Both of these valuable endeavors mean that I have to be "on" all day. So, when I finally get home at 10 pm, my brain becomes mush. I feed the cat and then slump in a chair and stare aimlessly for a few minutes. All I want is stagger into my jammies and curl up in bed with a magazine or watch Joyce Meyer until I fall asleep.

The older I get and the more responsibilities I accept, or rather, the more value I place on the things I choose to take on, the more I see how easy it is to become exhausted and allow yourself to be swallowed whole by your schedule. The precious moments I steal for myself--just to sit and do nothing or to tend my plants or read a magazine become even more important. I find myself getting up earlier in the mornings too, so I have a little time to start my day doing the small things that feed my spirit. It's nice to know that despite whatever boneheaded craziness I encounter during business hours, that I started out my day enjoying life and will finish it the same way.

Occasionally in life there are those moments of unutterable fulfillment which cannot be completely explained by those symbols called words. Their meanings can only be articulated by the inaudible language of the heart. ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

Quotes courtesy of wisdomquotes.com.

Today's Joy: Lines Worthy of A Movie.

Worked the early shift, Reader. Now I'm home and watching the sun go down over golden Illinois cornfields. Feels a bit like a scene from a movie, actually. Puts me in a thoughtful mood--wondering what it must have been like to star in an old Hollywood film, with some profound thought on life antzing around the tip of your tongue. Just waiting for the timing to be right so it could leap off and dazzle the audience sitting just out of frame. Drama, eyes welling with emotion, golden age wardrobe and campy romance scene kiss all included.

Alas, I can't think of any silver screen gems to amuse you. And my attempt to strike a Marlene Dietrich pose is failing miserably. So instead, here are some great lines about life that I found at The Quote Garden. Wonder how Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant or Katharine Hepburn would have delivered these...

Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can. ~Danny Kaye

Life loves to be taken by the lapel and told: "I am with you kid. Let's go." ~Maya Angelou

There is a lesson we learn early and harmlessly, or late and traumatically - that there are things we can break that our parents can't fix. ~Robert Brault

Give us Lord, a bit o' sun,

A bit o' work and a bit o' fun;

Give us all in the struggle and sputter

Our daily bread and a bit o' butter. ~ From an inn in Lancaster, England

I have measured out my life with coffee spoons. ~T.S. Eliot, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

God asks no man whether he will accept life. That is not the choice. You must take it. The only question is how. ~Henry Ward Beecher

The true harvest of my daily life is somewhat as intangible and indescribable as the tints of morning or evening. It is a little star dust caught, a segment of the rainbow which I have clutched. ~Henry David Thoreau, Walden

The aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware, joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware. ~Henry Miller

Living involves tearing up one rough draft after another. ~Author Unknown

Few of us write great novels; all of us live them. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960

My life has a superb cast but I can't figure out the plot. ~Ashleigh Brilliant

Life is a long lesson in humility. ~James M. Barrie

When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, "I used everything you gave me." ~Erma Bombeck

Today's Joy: Rising Above.

It was a day full of challenges, Reader. Most notable, was the moment when I found myself miles from home at a gas station pump, with my truck fuel gauge on 'E' and my debit card mysteriously out of funds. After a phone call to the bank and then one to my cell phone provider, I determined that I'd been double-charged for my monthly phone bill. Unfortunately, no refund will be available for 7-12 business days and then only if I will fax proof of the original payment.

I should have asked my phone provider, if they can verify that I was over-charged, why I must submit documentation to back up what they already know. But, I'm 5 days into the second week of my No Grumbling, No Complaining Challenge and so took the high road of politeness. Besides, it's not the poor out-sourced customer service rep's fault that my provider's policies are evidently ridiculous. Still, that left me high & dry at the pump and it's difficult to fill the gas tank on wishful thinking. So, a phone call to Mom got me just enough go-juice to make it home, where Aunt had kindly provided a plastic solution.

Now, with a full tank and a few hours distance from the whole thing, I still think it stinks. But, crappy, out-of-my-control events are NOT the boss of me! This is a test and I am not allowing the enemy to ruin the rest of my day. I went to work, came home to do farm-sitting chores and am now happily installed indoors with a cool glass of iced tea while I write to you, dear Reader. P.S. I'm also wearing fabulous earrings. Which, of course, make everything better. Thank you, Lord, for giving me this opportunity to exercise my positivity and rise above (even when it's difficult). Amen.

Coral Rose.

The best place to seek God is in a garden. You can dig for him there. ~George Bernard Shaw

Today's Joy: The Garden, Revisited.

Whew! After a wonderful but crazy-busy weekend, it's so nice to be able to relax again. I popped out to see the garden after working a very early shift this morning, Reader. It was like visiting a new and gorgeous oasis. I can't stop marveling over the changes that take place in nature and Creation, right under our noses. Today, the delphiniums are in full, fabulous bloom around the house and the roses are wide open to the world, having burst into their full glory sometime over the weekend.

There's both pride and humility in watching a garden evolve through the season. When your plants bloom right on cue, treating the neighbors to a show-stopping display, your head can't help but swell a little. However, it quickly deflates when you realize, after a few days away, that the garden does just fine without you, thank you very much. Just a reminder that you may be the founder of this little growing enterprise, but your plants are busy staging a benign takeover.

Enjoy your afternoon, Reader. Hope your Tuesday is full of unfurling joy.

Aunt's Herb Garden.


It pleases me to take amateur photographs of my garden, and it pleases my garden to make my photographs look professional. ~ Robert Brault



Chamomile & Irises in Herb Garden.


I think that if ever a mortal heard the voice of God it would be in a garden at the cool of the day. ~ F. Frankfort Moore, A Garden of Peace


God Is In The Details, Delphinium, June, 2010.

Delphiniums, June 1st, 2010.

Gerbera Daisies in Galoshes.

Tortoise Under the Birdbath.

Gardens are a form of autobiography. ~ Sydney Eddison, Horticulture magazine, August/September 1993

Garden Quotes courtesy of The Quote Garden.

My Garden O' Galoshes, May, 2010.

Today's Joy: Watching Things Grow.

A crazy, hectic day, Reader. Came home from work and dove right into helping the family get ready for their big day at the St. James Farm Forest Preserve Homecoming Celebration tomorrow. With the announcer's script written and emailed, a fab gourmet lunch packed for tomorrow and my camera gear ready to catch them in all their show-fabulousness, it's nearly midnight and I am pooped!

Realized I forgot to water my flowers this morning, so I popped outside to check. Sure enough, they're a little dry. Will remember to water them extra well tomorrow. They sure are growing well though, and bursting with vivid blossoms. Hard to believe they've grown so much in less than a week! Isn't it amazing how life continues to work its little miracles every day?

When I think about all the energy in our bodies and how all the mysterious processes of life are constantly going on to keep us alive, upright and breathing, it really is mind-boggling. Especially when you multiple that by all the processes going on in the plants and animals around us--and around the world! What an awesome, complicated, well-orchestrated system of cycles and neurons firing...however God does it, it's a beautiful thing to behold.

Today's Joy: Taking Stock.
I spent some time rummaging thru my flickr photo archives today, Reader.  Wanted to see what kind of material I'd amassed and what images might be suitable to sell.  Very interesting (and productive).
It was enlightening to see how the work has evolved over the years.  I'm still amazed that God directed me down this path (for years I assumed writing would be my only creative love). 

Isn't it something to look back and see how the events of your life flow and wind before coming together and pointing the way toward your next adventure? 

I can't wait to see how this one turns out! One thing is certain, there will be pictures of it.

Photo: Pink Ranunculus          

Today's Joy: Sharing a Lesson. I forget sometimes, Reader, when I'm going through a hard time in life that each obstacle I overcome is actually a lesson I will need later on. Sometimes the lesson isn't just for me either.

Today, a friend-in-need situation prompted me to share some private details with someone else who's going through a similar rough patch. It is my hope, she too will be able to benefit from my experience. At the very least, she will know someone else has been through it and understands. More importantly, I hope she sees that it's possible to thrive, not just survive, after life blows up in your face. Case in point, I have been back in Chicago for less than 3 weeks and I already have a great job prospect, creative irons in the fire and feel like my spirit is growing in new ways each day (like I'm breathing in God's resilience!).

I believe everything happens in the right time and the right order. Today's lessons are the foundation for who we will become. So, even though some lessons hurt like mad in the moment, they're really just growing pains. And nothing I can't handle with a couple Tylenol and some new lip gloss. God Bless you, Reader! May you find the strength you need to get through the next lesson.

On Good Dogs

Yesterday I said goodbye to the best dog I've ever had.

For 13 years, Maia (MY-UH), my cocker spaniel, has been my constant companion and the dearest, funniest four-legged friend a girl could ask for.

From that October day in 1996 when she came into this world, until the moment yesterday evening when I felt her last heartbeat, she made my life full and rich and colorful in a way that I will never forget. So today, I want to thank God for all the good dogs in our lives. How blessed are we, their humble human companions!

I can't recall a single event since I was 20 that Maia wasn't part of. In 2000, she moved with me from the Chicago suburbs to college in western Maine. Five years later, we moved back to Chicago, then again this spring to our new home north of Dallas, TX. Each time, she has taken life in stride--stopping just long enough to make sure I packed her toys. Maia was along for most of the cross-country road trips I've taken. She also attended many of my college classes as well as graduation.

Maia's life has been full and amazing by any dog's (and most people's) standards. The first time she swam in the ocean was at Rhode Island's Beaver Tail State Park. She watched the tide come in dubiously before chasing the waves in and out, growling. She hiked part of the Appalachian Trail with me and paddled around clear rivers and spring-fed lakes in Maine. She went kayaking, island-hopping and motor-boating in her special doggie life vest.
Some of Maia's adventures were nefarious. She discovered how slippery a slanted roof can be after falling from a third-floor fire escape at an apartment building I once lived in (her only injury: a scraped chin). Maia secretly learned to drink beer at the raucous college parties my rugby-playing neighbors threw on Thursday nights. Fortunately, after the guys snuck her a few mouthfuls, the bubbles made her sneeze. But she developed a taste for PBR that lasted the rest of her life. Maia even attended whole semesters of classes at the request of my professors. They never seemed to mind when she interrupted class discussions by rolling around on the floor and snorting.

Everywhere we went, Maia knew how to get something yummy. When we lived in Maine, she knew every place downtown she was likely to get a dog biscuit. We would run errands on foot so she could saunter into the post office, pharmacy and the bank to troll for treats. For $1.25, Gifford's Ice Cream stand offered her favorite Dog Bone Sundae: a scoop of vanilla with a dog biscuit on top. A dog's life didn't get much better than that!

There wasn't a broken heart Maia couldn't mend or a tough day she couldn't make all right with a few sloppy licks. Of course, there were trade-offs. I had to be okay with gargantuan snoring and sleeping with a squeaky shoe every night. I had to be vigilant when we went to the river or lake, lest she irritate hapless bathers up and down the beach by rolling on their clean towels and poking through their unguarded picnic baskets. Above all, I better lock up the cat's litter box before leaving the house. Otherwise, I was guaranteed to come home and find Maia had removed some of its contents and placed them on the entryway floor. (Her way of telling me she thought I was shitty for going to school, work or wherever that day instead of staying home with her.)

Too cute for her own good, Maia's photogenic poise was irresistible. From the time I began taking pictures, she was my favorite subject. I was her own personal paparazzi and press secretary and she indulged me, if somewhat condescendingly.

There are zillions of other stories and moments I could share about her. She was my dog-child, my person-with-fur, my favorite thing ever. She touched every part of my life and taught me to be a kinder, gentler person.

Like all good dogs everywhere, she was sent to me--not so much because she needed taking care of, but because I did. God Bless her.