Breathe [breeth]: to pause; to take rest. giving room to breathe.
But this is more than about photography...it's about life.
Do you give yourself room to breathe? Time to be still? Time to be present with life at the moment?
Ed and I are once again in West Virginia...taking time to pause...to decorate my grandparents' and great-grandparents' graves. A grave not decorated on Memorial Day is just too sad... This has been a tradition since my parents were living and unable to do so.
My mother modeled this ritual with my Mamaw. She would gather peonies, irises, and branches from her mock orange tree blossoms, wrap them up in wet newspaper, and annually take my Mamaw to go to her son's grave in Morgantown, West Virginia (my mother's only brother) who died at the age of 23.
West Virginia lends itself to pausing, resting, breathing. Life seems so much slower here. How to bottle it up? How to make room to breathe in the dailyness of life?
Any suggestions? My greatest encouragement to do this is found in the Psalms ~ "Be still and know that I am God."
Oh Denise,,,,I really love your image and your story today is so touching. Thanks for sharing these special moments in your life.
ReplyDeleteHow difficult it is to find these quiet times in our busy lives. I find that working in my garden gives me special quiet times if though I am working hard. I love that verse too,,,, I needed that today,,,,
Stunning image Denise and a great tradition to continue doing. That verse is definitely one of my favorites!
ReplyDeleteLove the color, lends it'self to pure stillness in my eyes. Lovely editing Denise.
ReplyDeleteWow just joined your blog Denise. What beautiful photographs and sentiments. Looking forward to posts.......
ReplyDeleteA timeless image Denise and such a wonderful idea to decorate the graves....
ReplyDeleteHeadphones and quiet hymns. That's how i wrap up my day when I go to bed. Instead of fretting over issues of the day, or planning tomorrow… i simply rest, focus on the music and good words, and purposely breathe slowly. Lovely photo. I didn't join in this round of Beyond. Will miss it.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous. I remember my Mother doing this in Indiana. It was hard for her. So she asked to have her ashes scattered. Thanks for coming by the blog.
ReplyDeleteSuch a wonderful class with Kim, isn't it?! Your rose image is just lovely...so peaceful, and truly says "Be Still". Enjoy your travels to the quiet state WV.
ReplyDeleteLovely image. You need to find a way to move to WV, your happiness is certainly centered there.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it? Perhaps when I retire...8 years from now. But would be hard to move away from my Caleb.
DeleteLovely, still, peaceful beauty.
ReplyDeleteMy daily recipe: Prayer, scripture, solitude...and time with loved ones.
xoxo
Oh, this is lovely! I have a swing in my yard that I try to make my way to at least once a day. I sit, watch, listen, and rest.
ReplyDeleteI take time every day to just be... and I avoid the tv ...
ReplyDeleteBeen doing more tv avoidance (especially news) of late...
Deleteoh my.... such a lovely be still 'room to breathe' image.... wonderfully done....
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely love this photo, and the verse is one I just used in my own post (before seeing yours, I promise!). Georgeous...
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