To be so strong

“Promise Yourself

To be so strong that nothing
can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness, and prosperity
to every person you meet.

To make all your friends feel
that there is something in them
To look at the sunny side of everything
and make your optimism come true.

To think only the best, to work only for the best,
and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others
as you are about your own.

To forget the mistakes of the past
and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times
and give every living creature you meet a smile.

To give so much time to the improvement of yourself
that you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear,
and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

To think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world,
not in loud words but great deeds.
To live in faith that the whole world is on your side
so long as you are true to the best that is in you.” 

-Christian D. Larson Your Forces and How to Use Them

Maybe these words will enfold you in their warmth. When I read them I was filled with inspiration, and the strong desire to be true to the best that is in me.

The photos were taken at Annahof, an organic farm we like to visit whenever we get a chance. 

xoxoxo

High Summer

One of the many things that has changed since I had Rafael is, I actually enjoy and appreciate Summer. Up until now, it has always felt too hot and sticky, and I would spend the summer months yearning for autumn. Now I am grateful for days where he can run around barefoot, and where you don't have to make any special plans in particular. You just open the back door and your son will run out into the garden, and be content for hours on end just playing outside under the blue summer sky.

Today I took Raffi down to the river that curls through our town. We found a shallow spot with lots of rocks to toss into the water. While Rafael threw stones, I snapped photos and found a little boat someone had made out of bark and leaves. There was birdsong, and the sounds of children playing and dogs barking in the distance. I was filled with a deep sense of calm and contentedness watching Rafael laugh and play with the only things a little kid really needs to be happy: sticks, water, stones, and mud. 

Whenever I take photographs of Rafael, I am aware that these are time capsuls. I am capturing moments so fleeting, and so precious. 

One of the things Raffi loves to do at the end of the day, when he's in the bath, is tell me what's in his belly. I'll say, "Oh my goodness, look at that big round belly! What's in it?" And then he recalls everything he ate that day. "Pancakes. And bluebellos (his word for blueberries). And...what else? Pretzels. And himbellos (his word for raspberries). And....what else? Ice cream." He has an incredible memory and gives me quite a detailed list.

Lately he plays so wonderfully on his own. Either in his room, where he looks very carefully at books or empties his basket of cars one automobile at a time; or in the garden, where he takes his tiny watering can from plant to plant, or fills his red wagon with stones. I can clean and cook in peace, and every few minutes I tiptoe to wherever he is, and check up on him, trying not to distract or disturb him. One of my favorite things is when he is completely immersed in a book, with a wrinkled brow and pouted mouth. 

He has been sleeping in his own room since we returned from vacation, in his little white bed with the cowboy blanket and teddy bear. He's growing up so fast.

Wishing you cloudless, magical summer days.

xoxoxo

Rivers Know This

"Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there someday."

-A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

Just a quote that made me cry today.

xoxoxo

Rebuild

Another rainy day, and I'm taking a little bit of time to post while Rafael naps. I know my last posts have been gloomy, and I understand that some of you are worried. Something happened in my life that has made me question everything, and has blown my idea of what my every day existence means into pieces. It doesn't mean I'm broken. Just my illusion of what I believed my life to be. 

So now it's time to rebuild.

What is important to me? What do I need to include in my life, and what do I need to let go of? These are the questions I am asking myself right now. You know, while folding laundry and wiping yogurt off the floor. I can't get too philosophical while my little guy is awake. 

I hear him yawning, waking up, in the next room. So this post is coming to a close. 

I mainly wanted to say.....don't worry. 

I am very strong, and I am bent on being happy. So I will be, eventually.

In the meantime: thank you.

xoxoxo

Every Hundredth Of A Second

"Taking pictures is savoring life intensely, every hundredth of a second."

- Marc Riboud

I am savoring these autumn days, intensely. Taking many, many pictures. I had to delete things from my computer to make room for more photographs. I am addicted to capturing the beauty that nature is displaying.

My mother leaves us tomorrow; it was a great visit, as we bounced around the woods, parks, farms, and zoo. Now things will go back to a more quiet rhythm, and cold weather is on the way. There may even be a first snow fall on the weekend. Autumn always seems so incredibly short, and I try to take it all in before winter closes in, when I face another year of waiting for the next fall foliage.

I have so many more autumn shots to share with you. Soon!

xoxo