Category Archives: Uncategorized
Occupied by jellyfish
“The real world is in a much darker and deeper place than this, and most of it is occupied by jellyfish and things. We just happen to to forget all that. Don’t you agree? Two-thirds of earth’s surface is ocean, and all we can see with the naked eye is the surface: the skin.” ― …
To west of West
“Lands there are to west of West, Where night is quiet and sleep is rest. Guided by the Lonely Star, Beyond the utmost harbour-bar, I’ll find the heavens fair and free, And beaches of the Starlit Sea. Ship, my ship! I seek the West, And fields and mountains ever blest…” — J. R. R. Tolkien …
Reasonable and right
“…it is reasonable and right that men should strive to make the useful wares which they produce beautiful just as Nature does; and that they should strive to make the making of them pleasant, just as Nature makes pleasant the exercise of the necessary functions of sentient beings. To apply art to useful wares, in …
A condition of survival
“If you do the same thing every day at the same time for the same length of time, you’ll save yourself from many a sink. Routine is a condition of survival.” – Flannery O’Connor One of the most insidiously risky aspects of dealing with chronic illness and frequent hospital trips is the disruption to routine. …
To welcome and help
“One of the marvelous things about community is that it enables us to welcome and help people in a way we couldn’t as individuals. When we pool our strength and share the work and responsibility, we can welcome many people, even those in deep distress, and perhaps help them find self-confidence and inner healing.”― Jean …
You fall in love
“You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat. Losing after great striving is the story of man, who was born to sorrow, whose sweetest songs tell of saddest thought, and who, if he is a hero, does nothing in life as becomingly as leaving it.” ― …
Amid the trials
“How fair is a garden amid the trials and passions of existence.” — Benjamin Disraeli We’ve now owned our York home nearly ten years, longer than we have ever owned any property. Among the many features of the home I’ve treasured, the azalea garden in our back yard is a favorite. Countless times that little …
The way you see
“Your past is important because it brought you to where you are, but as important as your past is, it is not nearly as important as the way you see your future.” ― Tony Campolo Some of us are fascinated with history, seeing many lessons in the past, and finding much to like there. Others …
That faint semblance
“That faint semblance of Eden, the picnic in the greenwood.”— Herman Melville If there’s anything more festive than a picnic, it’s a picnic at a fabulous outdoor theater just before a stellar production. The California Shakespeare Theater in Orinda, California, invites audiences to bring their own feasts (or buy food available there) and enjoy al …
The last best hope
“The fiery trial through which we pass, will light us down, in honor or dishonor, to the latest generation…We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best, hope of earth.” —Abraham Lincoln First time visitors to Washington DC often notice that the various monuments located near the mall appear much closer to each other …
Our consolation
“Gladly do we quit the dust and din …to go and breathe peacefully in some far-off nook of the woods, all surprise that the brook is so limpid, the forest so still, the solitude so enchanting. Thank God there are yet these uninvaded corners…The realm of silence is vaster than the realm of noise. Herein …
In the heart
“Truth is not reflected in a mirror, but contained in the heart. It is often obscured by reality.” — Alan A. Malizia One year ago today, my post mentioned Don Quixote, a literary character I’ve been hearing about all of my life. Our father is a fan of Quixote, especially as brought to life in …
Failures…were successes
(Photo by Dani of Teddy and Tottie) “Some of the biggest failures I ever had were successes.” — Pearl S. Buck One year ago today, my post was about the beauty that is often present in imperfection. A couple of weeks ago I had a most unusual experience which underscores the point that some setbacks …
Part of the silence
“In order to see birds it is necessary to become part of the silence.” – Robert Lynd Today’s photos are NOT mine, as much as I’d like to take credit for them. I’m re-blogging some amazing photos by Michael of talainsphotographyblog. Michael is a talented and prolific photographer who gives us a closeup view of …
The best way
He says the best way out is always through. And I agree to that, or in so far As that I can see no way out but through— Leastways for me… …Bless you, of course, you’re keeping me from work, But the thing of it is, I need to be kept. There’s work enough to …
Hard to plan
“I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.” — E. B. White I am writing this post in advance as usual, but I have a better-than-average idea what we will be doing on the day …
In every picture
“There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer.” — Ansel Adams Looking through family snapshots, it’s usually pretty easy to tell who took the pictures. It’s the person who isn’t in many of them. With the advent of “selfies” it’s changing somewhat, but generally speaking, photographers don’t spend much time …
Many ports
“There are ships sailing to many ports, but not a single one goes where life is not painful.” ― Fernando Pessoa Sea voyages make good metaphors for life, because they encompass the adventure, daring, uncertainty, beauty and danger that are part of living. It might be easy to dream of a journey as a means …
The everyday struggle
“One wrestles with one’s dragons until the end of one’s life — it is a constant and eternal process. The crises in one’s life only show up in intensity what is going on every day. The crises are there, perhaps in order to illuminate the everyday struggle…so that one may be better prepared to fight, …
The singing of birds
“For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come…” — Song of Solomon 2:11-12 Let’s hope the winter is mostly past by now, and the rain, while not over and gone, will surely give way to more …
The first spring day
“The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another. The difference between them is sometimes as great as a month.” — Henry Van Dyke On March 17, St. Patrick’s Day, we returned to Alexandria to find six inches of snow on the ground. Really! I had just left behind …
Our noblest hopes
“Our noblest hopes grow teeth and pursue us like tigers.” — John Gardner Tigers may be my favorite wild animals. Their beauty and power fascinate me. I like this quote, because I believe hope can be a formidable weapon against despair. I tend to think of hope as a passive, almost delicate quality; something silent …
Open arms
“A library should be like a pair of open arms.” ― Roger Rosenblatt “So why on earth would you take an eight-month-old baby to a library?” my mother asked me, when I told her how Matt and I had spent the previous day with Grady. As a retired librarian who specialized in youth services, I …
Defeat Despair 