Saturday Morning Post

It's Saturday already!!

Sophie inspecting driftwood at the park.

Sophie at Prince of Wales Tower at the park.

Surf's up!

At the 'container pier' in Halifax.

At the Northwest Arm with sister Mim.

A couple of pieces of artwork at Mim's.

Mim's own Caesar salad.....yum!

At Lawrencetown Beach.

Moss.

Clothesline.

Very easy to please!

Sandpipers 'fueling up' before their flight south.

Lone cyclist ascending this hill.

Sea-foam bubble.

Hiding in the rocks.

Sandpiper.

Through the dune grass.

Getting To Know Me

Geez, Fridays come around quickly!

Here are a few things you may not have known about me:

* when I feel strongly about something I will not let up.

* I have a lot of patience.

* but if pushed to my limit, get ready for battle.

* I love to observe people's behavior from afar. I find it fascinating.

* I was bullied by a school principal out of a teaching  job I loved.

* I am very political. In a way, I feel politics affects everything we do.

* Cruel/mean people are so difficult to deal with but need our help.

* Chocolate can be addictive. I know.

VROOM! VROOM!

Not quite sure what it is! But whenever I see a 'souped-up' older truck

it is like it's talking to me!!

Should I be worried?!

Beach In August

August is such a beautiful month in Nova Scotia.

There is more sand on the beach than any other month.

The late afternoon light is crystal clear.

The ocean is all aglow.

Time to take a good look at yourself!

The breezes are almost perfect.

Therefore plenty to photograph.

In A Split Second

While I was visiting my father on the weekend
he got a phone call and was informed that
his sister-in-law, my aunt, was in the hospital
next to his veteran's hospital.

She had broken her leg due to a fall in her nursing home.

This was not good to hear as she was already becoming

very weak because of health issues.

She had always been a vibrant woman and she is my last remaining

aunt to whom I am close. I went to visit after I left Dad's.

She is the only surviving sibling in her family. 

As I entered her room her two daughters were

standing by the bed.

My aunt was groggy and not too aware of her surroundings.

The family had decided to go ahead with an operation the next day.

And my cousins were of course worried about the outcome.

It will require a lot of energy for this 88 year old woman

to recover from this fall and subsequent operation.

As I stood next to my aunt I reached for her hand and held it.

She squeezed it gently.

Thinking she had fallen asleep again I took my hand away.

She then began grasping into the air looking for my hand.

I took her hand again and felt an incredible calmness 

come over me. I realized it had been a long time since

I 'connected' with my mother's family. I mean really connect.

It was almost like channeling that side/line of the family.

I feel certain that my aunt felt this too, as she became very calm.

Besides never forgetting this moment I shared with her,

it made me realize how quickly things change and that a lifetime 

may seem a long time but it is over in a second.

(My aunt got through the operation and now the recovery
process begins.)

Contemplative Monday

The following quote is taken from, 'Heart Advice, Weekly Quotes From Pema Chodron'.

THIS IS NOT A FAILURE

" You can cruise through life not letting anything touch you,

but if you really want to live fully,

if you want to enter into life,

enter into genuine relationships with other people, with animals, with the world situation,

you're definitely going to have the experience of feeling provoked, 

of getting hooked, of shenpa.

You're not just going to feel bliss.

The message is that when those feeling emerge,

this is not a failure.

this is the chance to cultivate maitri,

unconditional friendliness toward your perfect and imperfect self."