Prana Light

While I regain my step...

It's lovely,
but hard to live with.
Like one who hurts you
perhaps not on purpose,
yet it happens anyway.
It bites you.  It stings.

The heart
falters beneath
the cruelty of winter...

The winter doldrums have hit me.  Hence, my poem above... February is an especially tough month, I find. Some winter now past, but lots of winter yet ahead. Much as I do try to appreciate the seasons in all their glory, winter is my challenge. And today I'm not feeling too well. So I am quiet here, letting the images speak instead. Winter images taken a couple of weeks ago that I forgot were on my camera. These are from the area near the city of Drammen, south of Oslo. I will be back in a day or two with some special things to share!

P. S. Taking the train in to Oslo on Friday, due to a lenghty delay we very sadly missed seeing the ballet I mentioned last week.   So I have no photos to share this time. Hope we can see Giselle on another occasion...

Being Here Now: days of love

"LOVE... it surrounds every being and extends slowly to embrace all that shall be." --Khalil Gibran

• Taste--making better breakfasts with my own homemade cranberry-cinnamon granola, berry smoothies...mmm....
• Scent--wood burning, as the fireplace is getting a good workout since we're having super cold days just now
• Sound--The folk/alternative duo The Civil Wars' beautiful new offering, Barton Hollow; Maroon 5's fun & dance-licious Hands All Over; Anoushka Shankar's Traveller; and can't forget French classical composer Claude Debussy, it's 150 years since his birth, the composer whose "impressionistic" works are like painting with music
• Touch--smooth, dry--paper...a lot of my current creative project feature paper
• Sight--the FABulous Michael Fassbender in the two VERY different dramas, Shame and Jane Eyre; and DVD of Rush in concert Time Machine 2011 Live in Cleveland
• Intuition-- so many gifts found in silence, and surrendering more to quiet moments
• Delight--going to Oslo this evening to the Opera House for a performance of the ballet Giselle!
• Comfort--hot chocolate goes down a treat on chilly evenings
• Making--lots of hearts lately--paper heart confetti (today's photo), Valentine cards & notes, painting with love theme...the love continues!
• Inspiration--Pigments through the Ages, fascinating history on the colors of art
• Dreaming--a creative blog/site shared with my Dear Husband...thinking...thinking...
• Challenge--finding greater clarity, focus and direction with my paintings/subject matter
• Reading--True Love: A Practice for Awakening the Heart by Thich Nhat Hanh, also re-reading love poetry...The Captain's Verses by Pablo Neruda, and  the hauntingly beautiful, passionate and erotic River of Stars: Poems of Yosano Akiko 
• Gratitude--how much love transforms my every day
• Happiness--fun mail & Valentine greetings arriving the past couple of weeks from friends
• Love--LOVE to my Dear Husband, my family, and each and everyone of you good friends!

What's happening with you right now?  Tell me about the ordinary... and the extraordinary!  May LOVE grace your days...

* Being Here Now *  is a monthly celebration of the senses and the nuances of now...Take a moment to celebrate your now!  Would you like to join in?  Create a celebration list of your own and let me know--send an email or share your post URL.

You Are Love

"You are love.  You come from love.  You are made by love.  You cannot cease to love."
--Hazrat Inayat Khan

My heart overflows with LOVE for you Dear Husband, for you my family, and for all you kind friends...I am so thankful for all of you in my life!  A rose to wish you a beautiful, love-filled Valentine Week...

Behind the Scenes--Video Post

A little behind the scenes look into my creative space at home!  My apologies for the wobbly sound quality during parts of the video.  We seem to be experiencing a "sound issue" with our camera, which we hope is only temporary... So this is just for fun.

What's sparking your creativity these days?!  Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

"Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun." --Mary Lou Cook