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“—With me, the present is forever, and forever is always shifting, flowing, melting. This second is life. And when it is gone it is dead. But you can't start over with each new second. You have to judge by what is dead. It's like quicksand...hopeless from the start. A story, a picture, can renew sensation a little, but not enough, not enough. Nothing is real except the present, and already, I feel the weight of centuries smothering me. Some girl a hundred years ago once lived as I do. And she is dead. I am the present, but I know I, too, will pass. The high moments, the burning flash, come and are gone, continuous quicksand. And I don't want to die.”
― Sylvia Plath, The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath
Soundtrack : www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4kzGhDEURA
IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES – RONAN KEATING
Live in the present
forgive the past
but do not forget
learn the lessons it gifted to you
move ever forward into the light
of new horizons beckoning
do not look over your shoulder
lest you see the shadows of your former self
clinging to you like dark harbingers of doom
like crows picking at a carcass
stretching out your skin and feasting at an open wound
shed them as a tree in Winter sheds it's leaves
bare yourself to the bone; let your inner core ring true
silhouetted against the sky; stand tall
cast doubts to the four winds and with as many seasons
count your blessings and give thanks for all
you are still here
there is still time to make a difference
it may seem strange to say but what I want
is not to be singled out or highlighted in a hall of dubious fame
but what I wish is to go largely unnoticed beneath the radar
to walk among you with reticence mostly
when I have nothing much to say
and innermost thoughts serve better those around me
or scribe profound messages from time to time
that lift the hearts of those
for whom such words are well-intended
I wish to be small and still and quieter than a mouse
devoted to my art and music and poetry and life itself
in short I wish to clean my house albeit in part metaphorically
possessions of any kind stifle the creativity that lies within me
over-familiarity may breed contempt
or leave us temporarily blind
we come into this life with no expectations
we often leave it with such deep regrets
I want to leave it better than I found it
having enriched the earth and nature and people that I met
of course I am flawed by all the human frailties
that are common to us all
and so I set myself up to fail again and again and again and fall
but surely it is worth the risk of failure
if I can grow with each experience and overcome the pain
for in doing what is always easy
nothing can ever be changed or learned or gained
it is in doing the seemingly impossible
leaving nothing out; no stone unturned
and living life as fully as we can however much remains.
I wish you all a very Happy and Healthy New Year.
May all your wishes be fulfilled.
“So tell that someone that you love
Just what you're thinking of
If tomorrow never comes.”
- Ronan Keating, If Tomorrow Never Comes
- AP - Copyright © remains with and is the intellectual property of the author
Copyright © protected image please do not reproduce without permission
During a twelve hour process, this cactus flower blooms and begins dieing at the arrival of moring daylight. So much BEAUTY is shown by a whole life cycle in half a day. With each of our lives lasting longer than that, WHAT do we each have to show as our life's achievements, many or few? How should or will we each be remembered, if at all?
EXPLORE 2008 # 186 on Tuesday, 09-09; # 234, 331, 355 on 09-07; # 208, # 348 on 09-08
THE ANIMAL CRUSADE
One day all the sties and burrows opened
And out came the cave-bear the mammoth the seafaring
cormorant, that poetic diving bird, the white-headed vulture
the rock-goat from the mountains, the sea unicorn
You could see by their snouts that they meant business
You could hear by their flapping wings and their burr
They had thrown off their humility, cast down their yoke
once imposed by Adam’s secretive hero
the one with the garden
They were, to cut a long story short, fed up
And the morals of the shotgun had been cast off
the flayed skin of flight had faded
The viper walked tall and the swine wore polaroid glasses
that lent him pleasant looks. The beavers
gnawed down telegraph poles and so cut off any form of communication
Predictably enough, the lion led the way black black
as black gold and gold-coloured as deep black
It was a magnificent procession, blinding to the eye
At the back the unicorn reported as missing, the dodo the passenger pigeon
as well as various viruses and the elated spermatozoids
So the holy animals
travelled the holy world
And do you know how or why?
Oh no, they just went travelling, they didn’t have a flag!
Sometimes ripped up laws out of sheer happiness
or bled a city dry
Now and then trampled on a Jesus
or struck down a prophet or a princess
They were beginning to get tired
Haste no longer necessary
The one day’s deities left the fire
H.H. ter Balkt
Translation: Willem Groenewegen
On the left, on the edge of the pylon from the side of the central nave, the holy great martyr Prince Mikhail Yaroslavovich of Tver, who was martyred in the Horde. In the left hand of the prince, as a sign of humility, a sword is sheathed, and in the right - a cross. Canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1549 as a member of the faithful. Artist Viktor Mykhailovych Vasnetsov.
On the right, on the edge of the pylon from the side of the central nave, from the side of the southern nave, in princely clothes, the holy great martyr Hleb - son of the Grand Duke of Kyiv Volodymyr Svyatoslavich, prince of Kyivan Rus, representative of the Rurik dynasty, younger brother of Yaroslav the Wise. His eyes are raised to the sky. He illuminates himself with the sign of the cross with his right hand, a cross with his left. One of the first Russian (ancient Ukrainian) saints. Canonized by the Catholic and Orthodox churches together with brother Hleb as a martyr. Artist Viktor Mykhailovych Vasnetsov.
Ліворуч, на грані пілону зі сторони центральної нави, святий великомученик князь Михайло Ярославович Тверський, який прийняв мученицьку кончину в Орді. У лівій руці князя прибраний, на знак смирення, у піхви меч, у правій – хрест. Канонізований Російською православною церквою в 1549 в лику благовірних. Художник Віктор Михайлович Васнєцов.
Праворуч, на грані пілону зі сторони центральної нави, з боку бічної південної нави, у княжому одязі святий великомученик Гліб - син Великого князя Київського Володимира Святославича, князь Київської Русі, представник династії Рюриковичів, молодший брат Ярослава Мудрого. Його очі піднесені до неба. Правою рукою він осяює себе хресним знаменням, у лівій – хрест. Один із перших руських (давньоукраїнських) святих. Канонізований Католицькою і Православною церквами разом з братом Глібом у лику страстотерпця. Художник Віктор Михайлович Васнєцов.
Незабаром після смерті батька в 1015 році Гліб та його старший брат Борис були вбиті, згідно з літописом, своїм старшим братом Святополком. Борис загинув на річці Альті 24 липня, а Гліб 5 вересня біля Смоленська. У результаті чотирирічної війни Святополк був переможений своїм молодшим братом Ярославом Мудрим. Очевидно, при Ярославі і була почата перша спроба канонізації святих братів. Тоді ж почали складатися перші оповідання про їхню загибель.
Життю та мученицькій кончині Бориса і Гліба присвячений ряд давньокиївських пам'яток. Це так звана «Літописна повість» — розповідь про загибель князів, що читається в складі «Повісті временних літ».
Paper, Ink 2021
Illustration to poetry of Natalya Hrebionka devoted to Japan.
Shadow of humility
A path in the dark.
I don't know where they lead
Reflections.
Striving for heights,
I lose earthly comfort.
Shadow of humility.
Fates are fickle,
Fate is mysterious.
The world inhaled deeply
A faded leaf.
© Natalya Hrebionka 2021
Тень смирения
Тропа в темноте.
Не знаю, куда ведут
Размышления.
Стремясь к высоте,
Теряю земной уют.
Тень смирения.
Переменчивы судьбы,
Загадочен рок.
Мир вдохнул полной грудью
Поблекший листок.
© Natalya Hrebionka 2021
In the center of the picture, the holy icon painter Alipius of Pechersky is depicted on the edge of the pylon from the side of the arch that leads from the central nave to the side northern nave.
On the fresco, Saint Alypius is depicted in a cell, he holds an icon of Our Lady Hodigitria in his hands, an angel above him, who, according to life, helped him paint icons, paints are at his feet.
Artist Viktor Mykhailovych Vasnetsov.
To the left of the image of St. Alypius, on the edge pylon from the side of the central nave, a fresco with the image of the holy pious prince-martyr - the son of the holy Grand Duke Volodymyr, the holy great martyr Boris. He is wearing princely clothes and a crown, but his eyes are humbly lowered. He has a spear in his right hand, a cross in his left.
Artist Mykhailo Vasyliovych Nesterov based on sketches by Viktor Mykhailovych Vasnetsov.
On the right side of the photo, on the edge of the pylon from the side of the central nave, the holy great martyr Prince Mykhailo of Chernihiv.
Prince Mykhailo of Chernihiv, together with his boyar Feodor (who is depicted in a medallion on the under-dome arch), was martyred in the Horde, not wanting to bow down to fire, which the Tatar-Mongols revered as a god. In the left hand of the prince, as a sign of humility, a sword is sheathed, and in the right - a cross.
Artist Viktor Mykhailovych Vasnetsov.
В центрі світлини Святий преподобний іконописець Аліпій Печерський*, зображений на грані пілону зі сторони арки, яка веде з центральної нави до бічної північної нави. Погляд з хор південноі нави.
На фресці Святий Аліпій зображений у келії, в руках він тримає ікону Богоматері Одигітрії, над ним – ангел, який, згідно з життям, допомагав йому писати ікони, біля його ніг – фарби.
Художник Віктор Михайлович Васнєцов.
Позаду, з правого боку від Святого Аліпія, на грані пілону арки північної нави Никола Святоша.
Художник Вільгельм Олександрович Котарбінський.
Зліва від образа святого Аліпія, на грані пілону з боку центральної нави, фреска з образом святого благовірного князя-страстотерпця – сина святого Великого князя Володимира, святий великомученик Борис. Він у княжому одязі та вінці, але очі його смиренно опущені. У правій руці у нього спис, у лівій – хрест.
Художник Михайло Васильович Нестєров за ескізами Віктора Михайловича Васнєцова.
З правого боку світлини, на грані пілону зі сторони центральної нави, святий великомученик князь Михайло Чернігівський.
Князь Михайло Чернігівський, разом із боярином своїм Феодором (який зображений у медальйоні на підкупольній арці), прийняв мученицьку кончину в Орді, не бажаючи вклонитися вогню, якого татаро-монголи шанували як бога. У лівій руці князя прибраний, на знак смирення, у піхви меч, у правій – хрест.
Художник Віктор Михайлович Васнєцов.
“Yesterday, Day of Recollection, realized again above all my need for profound and total humility—especially in relation to any work I may do for peace. Humility is more important than zeal. Descent into nothingness and dependence on God. Otherwise I am just fighting the world with its own weapons, and there the world is unbeatable. Indeed, it does not even have to fight back: I will exhaust my self and that will be the end of my stupid efforts. To seek strength in God, especially in the Passion of Christ.”
“On the night watch, hurrying by, I pushed open the door of the novice’s scriptorium and flashed the light over all the empty desks. It was as if the empty room were wholly full of their hearts and their love, as if their goodness had made the place wholly good and rich with love. The loveliness of humanity, which God has taken to Himself in love, and the wonder of each individual person among them. This is of final and eternal significance. To have been appointed by God to be their Father, to have received them from God as my children, to have loved them and been loved by them with such simplicity and sincerity, without nonsense or flattery or sentimentality: this is completely wonderful and is a revelation...”
- Thomas Merton, The Intimate Merton (December 11,1961)
''..Shine your soul with the same egoless humility as the rainbow and no matter where you go in this world or the next,
love will find you, attend you, and bless you..'' ~ Aberjhani~-
SL location: maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Between%20Rages/113/133/21
...Please, hold me close and whisper that you love me
And promise that your dreams are only of me
When you are near, everything's clear
Earth is a beautiful heaven
Always I hope that we follow the star
And be forever floating above
I know a falling star can't fall forever
But let's never stop falling in love....
.
After Midnight. Hong Kong streets, China, November 2024
After midnight, under the light of a red Chinese lantern at a modest Hong Kong fast-food stand, the pots and pans produce the aroma and smoke that rises with the same unhurried pace with which JJ Cale plucked the strings of his guitar. In "After Midnight," you find, after midnight, the essence of a man who chose to remain in the shadows, who chose to stay away from money and fame, while all the great musicians wanted to see and hear his light. Cale's story is an anomaly in the roaring world of rock. He was the "anti-hero" of rock. While others sold their souls for a minute of fame, he preferred the silence of his trailer and the sound of his guitar. His first album was enough to bring giants knocking on his door, wanting to "buy" his "talent," buy his songs and cover them... Santana, Johnny Cash, Poco, Waylon Jennings, Lynyrd Skynyrd... the list of musicians who have covered Cale is long. And among them was the consecrated Eric Clapton, who saw in Cale a different, special, and unique composer, guitarist, and musician. It's not common to become a "musician's musician" so quickly; that privilege belonged only to JJ Cale, who was born a legend because his musical style didn't imitate anyone; it was unique and personal. Clapton discovered in Cale a language he himself didn't know how to speak. He found in Cale a humility that disarmed him. What began as musical admiration became, in Cale's later years, something much more moving. Watching their last performances together, the camera doesn't lie: a reversal of roles is evident. Clapton, the man who has everything, the demigod... moves around Cale with the delicacy of someone guarding a fragile treasure. On those stages, Clapton is no longer the star; he becomes the son who looks up to and admires his father, the son who then decides to become a father and protector of his mentor, attentive to Cale's every gesture, with eyes full of admiration. In the final years of Cale's life, Clapton went out of his way to bring him out of his modest retirement, driven by a "debt" of gratitude that can only be repaid with devotion to a musician as special and unique as Cale. JJ Cale was the origin of it all. He provided the music, and others achieved fame. Cale kept his peace and left the world the unhurried, timeless rhythm of someone in no hurry to get anywhere. When you're not looking for anything at all... that's when you can find everything. And that's precisely what JJ Cale found... everything. Like this unassuming Hong Kong food stall that you'll never find with Michelin stars, JJ Cale was the secret ingredient of rock, someone who never wanted to be the main course at any dinner party, but without whom the table of rock's greats would have been orphaned, empty, and without food. Cale didn't need to be famous because he was the wellspring from which all other musicians drew. The next time you listen to JJ Cale, remember that you're not just listening to a legend, but a demigod of music... sorry, I meant... to the "god" of music... the one who was never in any hurry to get anywhere.
After Midnight - J.J. Cale / Eric Clapton (Crossroads Guitar Festival 2004)
Sometimes, a simple gesture can summarize an entire life. Sometimes, a simple gesture can explain a long relationship between two people. Sometimes, a simple gesture can write a thousand-page book. The song "After Midnight" catapulted Eric Clapton to fame and cemented his status as one of his best-known and most iconic songs. But "After Midnight" isn't actually by Eric Clapton; it was written and composed by JJ Cale for his debut album, "Naturally." Eric Clapton paid royalties to acquire the intellectual property and reproduction rights so he could create his own version of the song. Cale was a musician who always wanted to stay out of the media spotlight; he didn't want interviews, tours, or concerts. He was a man who didn't care about money or fame, prioritizing his modest and quiet life, his music, and perfecting his electric guitar technique. Despite actively avoiding fame, his legacy is immense through the songs he wrote, which other artists turned into worldwide hits. The Crossroads Guitar Festival is arguably the most prestigious music festival. The 2004 edition was etched in history. Clapton managed to get the "lazy" JJ Cale, a man far removed from mega-concerts and fame, to perform alongside him. When the song "After Midnight" began to play, JJ Cale made a symbolic gesture to Eric Clapton, nodding for him to come closer to the microphone to sing the song, because he had made it famous. And Eric Clapton, laughing but shaking his head, said no, no, no... Without saying a word, he was telling Cale... you are its creator, and I would never dare sing it in front of you; you are the man who gave this song life. It's a gesture of elegance, of mutual respect, a reminder that there are sacred places one can only enter as a guest. Sometimes, a simple gesture can encapsulate two people's entire lives. The song was sung by... JJ Cale.
.....
Naturally - J.J. Cale (1971)
Magnolia is perhaps JJ Cale's best song, and his "swampy" voice, his "tobacco" voice.
.....
Dire Straits' first album was a tribute and homage to the best... to Cale. An album that sounds just like JJ Cale.
.....
Después de la medianoche... todo será melocotón y crema.
.
“Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more, Or close the wall up with our English dead! In peace there’s nothing so becomes a man As modest stillness and humility; But when the blast of war blows in our ears, Then imitate the action of the tiger: Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood.”
"When we see that humility is something infinitely deeper than contrition, and accept it as our participation in the life of Jesus, we shall begin to learn that humility is our true nobility, and that to prove it in being servants of all is the highest fulfillment of our destiny."
~ Andrew Murray
- James M. Barrie.
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When I initially planned our short spring trip to the Death Valley National Park, I only budgeted a quick visit to the Devil’s golf course location. We were there just before the golden hour officially started, and I thought it would be an excellent place for my medium-format camera. I had too much fun using my Bronica SQ-A and didn’t notice that the sun was going behind the mountains well before sunset. When I realized my mistake, it was too late to get to our planned location, and I decided to stay on. I put away my Bronica and started prepping for the evening. One of my proudest shots from this shoot was this Wide closeup of the salt crystals as the sun went behind the mountain. Stopped down to f14, the 24-120 produced a decent sunstar while maintaining perfect exposure to the salt crystals in the foreground. The stunning golden highlights on the salt crystals were my favorite about this image.
“The laws of the Spirit are laws of humility and love. The spirit speaks to us from a deep inner sanctuary of the soul which is inaccessible to the flesh. For the “flesh” is our external self, our false self (we obey the “flesh” when we follow the norms of prejudice, complacency, bigotry, group-pride, superstition, ambition, or greed). The “spirit” is our real self, our inmost being united to God in Christ. In this hidden sanctuary of our being the voice of our conscience is at the same time our own inner voice and the voice of the Holy Spirit. For when one becomes “spirit” in Christ, he is no longer himself alone. It is not he who lives, but Christ lives in him, and the Holy Spirit guides and rules his life. Christian virtue is rooted in this inner unity in which our own self is one with Christ in the Spirit, our thoughts are able to be those of Christ and our desires to be his desires.”
-Thomas Merton
Don't miss the L Y - The last couple of years have been very challenging for all of us indeed. Pandemic, Politics, and Polarizing social media. The wolf in sheeps clothing knows that he must divide in order to conquer. Strong family ties and long friendship binds will be tested..Humanity, humility, hold on to Family, hold on to friends. Love, compassion, understanding, and acceptance is not always easy, but hatred is.
He heals the brokenhearted
And binds up their wounds.
Psl 147:3 Psl 51
Whatever the cause of broken-heartedness
the solution is the same
Casting all your cares upon Him because He cares for you.
Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest even unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Matthew 11:28-30
Who takes ownership of the nations sin calling it their own and pleading to the LORD in humility, we should be brokenhearted over all the innocent bloodshed, over sexual perversion, these two sins defile the land. The sword(war) avenges innocent blood, but God delights in mercy and justice
To be the servant of the world does not mean being a slavish imitator of the world. Quite the contrary: it is to be so free from the world’s definitions that you’re free to offer God’s love quite independently of your own security or success...
...To be ‘blessed’ is simply to be where God would have you be: if you are aware that there is a place where God would have you be, then your state of mind, your achievement in occupying that place, the effects of your labours, all become irrelevant. ‘Rejoice, and be exceeding glad’ (Matthew 5.12, KJV): you are where God is, in the place of poverty, humility, peacemaking, suffering and longing for justice, and what matters is to be there faithfully.
--Rowan Williams, Luminaries: Twenty Lives the Illuminate the Christian Way: Michael Ramsey 1904–88 True humanism
Bared my soul
Striped it clean
Raw emotions
Suppressed, beneath life, deep where no one sees
Now there is nowhere to go
Nowhere to hide
Tears rolling like a river free
Every sadness
Every hurt
Every broken heart
Every let down
Till there are no tears left and I lay there in silence
And once again I get up like a ghost rising up from its shell
With a calmness
Knowing I have lived
I have loved
I have felt great pain and sadness
I have no idea what lays ahead
Only that I will walk it alone
May I do it with grace and humility
With a heart that stays open and forgiving for those that have wronged me
Humility, Restraint, Simplicity,
Worn, Weathered, Imperfect,
Softened and transcended by tea to a simpler philosophy :-)
The shoeshine boy shines…
It's that amazing time of year again when one of my favorite events returns to our universe. Yes, I'm talking about 6º REPUBLIC!
Filled with incredible decor and inspiring delights, take a journey to the past and the present, and discover something exciting and new!
Skippy envisioned his universe with the help of the following incredible creations, all available at 6º REPUBLIC:
Balaclava's Shoeshine Stand, Shoeshine Stool, Shoeshiner Signboard, Shoeshine Kit, and Kingslay Lockers!
Thor's Baseball Glove, Baseball Bat, and Baseball Ball, which are all part of the Forever Young Set!
Tentacio's Take Away Sandwich and Take Away Milk, which are both part of the Vintage Party Collection!
Krescendo's Ferme de Bourdons Clock!
Serenity Style's Valentino's Barber Shop Basin!
Insurrektion's Barrel, Bench, and Clock, which are all part of the Not For Girls Bedroom Collection!
In addition, Skippy created his world with the help of his trusty
"All My Stuff" Luggage Trolley by 8f8!
Keep shining so bright out there, my friends!
And if you need a little extra "shine",
do stop by, and I'll see what I can do!
“Humility consists in being precisely the person you actually are before God...humility brings with it a deep refinement of spirit, a peacefulness, a tact, and a common sense without which there is no sane morality. How do you expect to arrive at the end of your own journey if you take the road to another man’s city? Heroic humility is to be yourself and to be nobody but the man, or the artist, that God intended you to be.”
-Thomas Merton from New Seeds of Contemplation