KALEIDOSCOPE

I never cease to be enthralled with the continually changing kaleidoscopic images.  As a child, my grandparents had a cylindrical metal kaleidoscope.  I spent hours on end turning the end to watch the colors continually change.  The patterns seemed endless.

Today,  I was sitting on the porch with a different type of kaleidoscope. A diamond shaped tunnel ends with a long stick full of floating colors and shapes. The spectrum goes from crystal clear images to deep rose, as the color filled stick is pushed to one end and pulled back again. 

Another option is to hold it so the stick goes up and down. Shaking the colors in the stick,  or turning the end downside up from where the colors have settled, or moving the stick back and forth diagonally, all result in magnificent arrays of circular patterns.

One difference between beholding the wonder of the changing patterns as a child and playing with a kaleidoscope today is that I can see the patterns through which the colors come pouring through in all their magnificence.

Nevertheless, the wonder of it all makes for an entirely intense experience of an afternoon on the porch.

LENT

Ash Wednesday was always intriguing.  My Catholic friends went to church to get smudges of ashes on their forehead. It wasn't until I was an adult that I gave in to that long coveted ritual.

I lived in Chicago at the time and worked in the Loop. On my lunch hour, I went to a nearby Catholic Church and got my long awaited ashes. Then, also on my lunch hours, I did the Stations of the Cross for the entire Lenten period.

 The daily rehearsal of the Stations was a daily retelling of the story of the journey to the cross and beyond.

I go back often to the daily journey of that particular season in Chicago. I am reminded with each visit that the truth is, To Die is To Live.

What does that mean?

To give up expectation of what I prefer reality to be and live reality as it is can be an occasion of great joy.

PAINTING

I love to paint in acrylics. I believe we are all artists.

 I only paint images which come from deep inside my heart and soul,  each creation  an emotional expression.

One time, when I was filled with anger and frustration, I purchased 12 small canvases, and  a new set of primary colored acrylics. I spent the weekend painting swirling, unfolding circles.  Each was entirely unique.  In each painting, I evolved toward a feeling of balance.  If If it didn't feel balanced when I looked at it, I kept at it until I felt balance in the swirl.

Early in my adult life, I worked with inner city poor women, a reality which I was very close to being myself. I taught them how to paint from within and watched as their sense of self-worth improved while, at the same time, the interaction of colors on their canvases became less muddied.

 At the time I didn't know what I was doing.

Maybe I don't know what I am doing even now. Nevertheless, I encourage free form painting of images that come from heart and soul space.

The inner artist within each of us can paint,  unfolding images from within, onto a canvas.

Recently at the CC farmer's market we provided an artist's corner.

Kids of all ages came over to paint their hearts away.

Only in CC can you come and paint your feelings in acrylics on donated newsprint!

AZALEAS

I left my porch to walk around my small piece of the earth to assess damage from an untimely storm the night before.  As I turned a corner, my world stopped as I beheld the pink azalea.

While it had shown signs of  "strutting its stuff"  a few days earlier, it had literally burst into full bloom over night. I had to run back up the stairs for the camera to capture the moment, so to speak.

I love this time of year, whether it comes in February, March, or April. The whole town fills with the lovely colors of the azaleas. Citrus trees bloom prolifically and especially the orange blossoms fill the air with a delicate fragrance. Everything begins to turn green again. Bulbs sprout, eager for the change in season. It's garden planting time again and things grow quickly.

Walks are especially enjoyable, with the crisp breezes of morning or the sun's massage on the back of the neck in the afternoon.

Cardinals have nested in two of my citrus. Bees are plentiful and busy pollinating the blossoms. There's a group of baby sand hill cranes over on Lake Stella. I see them every day on the way to the gym and back.

My heart is filled with gratitude for being able to have this experience of Spring returning.

Even if its stay is so very brief, it sets the stage for a whole new year of life continuing on its way.