Let It Find Us

 

i cannot tell you how the light comes

what i know is that it is more ancient than imagining

that it travels across an astounding expanse to reach us

that it loves searching out what is hidden

what is lost, what is forgotten

what is in peril or in pain

that is has a fondness for the body

for finding its way toward flesh

for tracing the edges of form

for shining forth through the eye

the hand

the heart

I cannot tell you how the light comes but that it does,

that it will

that it works its way into the deepest dark that enfolds you

though it may seem long ages in coming

or arrive in a shape you did not foresee

And so, may we this day turn ourselves toward it

May we lift our faces and let it find us

May we bend our bodies and follow the arc it makes

may we open and open more

and open still

to the blessed light that comes.

--How the Light Comes, Jan Richardson

*photos from Paris, France, April 2019

*these are some of the Paris street photos I took on holiday--Paris is so "much of a muchness", to quote good ol' Alice while she was exploring Wonderland, that it's not easy to absorb and capture all the beauty and splendor, no matter how many times you return. A big thank you to my friend Arnaud for taking us on a magical walk through the hidden parts of Paris, and for the lovely time we shared over drinks --after so many years of visiting and commenting on each other's blogs, meeting in person felt so much like meeting an old and familiar friend--i hope to meet again and, maybe someday to meet all my blog friends :)) p.s. click on the photos to enlarge them. 

This Quiet Joy

I spent some time exploring a little bit of downtown Brisbane, Australia while I was there to visit my brother and his lovely family. 

It was my first time to go and I really loved it--the trip was good for my soul and just what I needed to get out of Chicago's bitter cold. 

It was also very nice being on my own and on unfamiliar grounds--there's a freedom to just take it all in, take one's time, and do exactly as one pleases.

Lately I've been thinking how I waste so much time just mulling over decisions, and then giving up, and hurrying on the next thing. 

It seems the more choices I have, the longer it takes for me to make any kind of decision

 and the more in a hurry I have to be

-and on and on, a never ending cycle. So I tried something else while I was there

I took fewer photos and instead tried to focus on each little moment's quiet joy.

So now these are pretty much almost all of the photos I took downtown.

We did go up and down the Gold Coast of Australia

a very beautiful part of the world, 

but those are for another post. :))