Soon to be a revolution – or maybe a revelation! – or then again, just another dragon tale. Either way, thought you’d enjoy the illustrative progression. (see prior dragon entries)
Garth / © Patricia Saxton
proactively punctuating life with the plausible, powerful possibilities of positive thought presented through a plethora of “P’s”.
I know, not the image you might expect… Power often connotes masculinity; a certain brawniness. It also gets mixed up with things like control and willfulness. Or conjures up motors and engines, watts and voltage.
But the essence of power is energy. It’s that energy that creates the ability to do great things. It’s a force that inspires and sustains. And it’s a force that’s strongest when it comes from the heart. Uncontrived and elevated.
Power is neither masculine nor feminine, and doesn’t care if you’re rich or poor, fat or thin, black, brown, white, red, yellow, green, purple…. We all have power within ~ power to give, to heal, to love. We have power to generate, and accomplish, the stuff of dreams.
(Tell that to your mind.)
Carolyn Naught Saxton / 1920 - 1980
When I was a little girl, my mother was “my world”.
She did all the things you’d expect a Mom might do, like hold your hand, read you a story, fix meals, teach manners, dry tears, cheer you up and on.
As I grew, I saw that she loved to give. And that she loved to laugh. She loved people and loved life, and tried to worry only on Tuesdays.
Lucky for us, she also happened to be an accomplished poet. Her works appeared in anthologies as early as her teens, and her last, perhaps greatest work, was the collection of sonnets published in her book The Pine and The Power.
My mother left the world much, much too soon ~ but she left gifts. Treasured, timeless words; gifts from the heart, mind and spirit.
So on this day reserved for mothers, I’d like to share some of those words. I share them, as I did last year, in honor and life-giving celebration of mothers near and far, here or remembered. Happy Mother’s Day!
…………………………..
God help our children to transcend the dark
And walk the earth with dignity and cheer;
God help them seek the mountains, persevere
The road that twists through thorn and tanglebark,
Ascending finally where eagles mark
Their point of vision. Help our children find
Two masters ~ one the spirit, one the mind ~
And rediscover constancy of heart.
Help us to find cathedrals in the skies,
A will to walk the long uncharted mile;
(The will to find in winter’s legacy
The ochre sands from which the lime trees rise!)
Help us to know the measure of the child ~
To live in time and in eternity.
© Carolyn Naught Saxton
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I think I’ll keep this one as a pet. Maybe I’ll name him Ted. Although he looks more like a Bartholomew. Or maybe Garth. Yea, Garth.
Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi is known for his engineering genius, but there are clearly so many other elements at work in his work that he is far more than “architect”.
He was an artist. Buildings were his canvas. And those buildings are grand treasure troves of design and unbridled creativity.
Revered worldwide as one of the most important modernist style architects, Gaudi lived from 1852-1926. “Over the course of his career, Gaudi developed a sensuous, curving, almost surreal design style which established him as the innovative leader of the Spanish Art Nouveau movement. With little regard for formal order, he juxtaposed unrelated systems and altered established visual order. Gaudi’s characteristically warped form of Gothic architecture drew admiration from other avant-garde artists.”*
Gaudi takes “thinking outside the box” to whole new levels. His extraordinary works, many of which reside in Barcelona, are movement and dance, they’re delicious sugar-laced monuments with creamy frosting; they’re all marshmallows and gingerbread, sand-castles, stone, glass and iron; they’re original, dramatic, striking blends of angle and color.
I marvel at the ingenuity and the boundlessness. Fantastic. Illogical. Stunning.
This is quite the book trailer! An illustrated visual journey, this video “takes you somewhere” … intriguing … for sure.
I have to admit, it’s a little hard on the eyes at times, but coming from the highly acclaimed author of one of my all-time favorite books (The Alchemist), it’s worth the ride.
A sincere compliment, a recognition of good deeds, admiration, applause… “a gold star for good behavior”, a high-five.
Praise knows no boundaries, no judgments. It can be as quiet as one appreciative word, or a thunderous, symphonic tribute. And there’s no one amongst us – saints to sinners, paupers to kings– who doesn’t benefit from receiving, or giving, a genuine expression of praise.
Praise lifts us up. Sprinkle it around your world, and high-five generously.
