June’s been a rough month. Think I’ll grab a handful of these. Because after all, as Charles M. Schulz so eloquently said, “All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.” : )
When I first started in the industry, I took some teasing about my love for purple. “New design, Pat? Is it purple?”
No, not everything was purple, but it’s an awesome color when used well ~ and nobody does it like Mother Nature. Here’s more evidence of its fabulousness:
hyacinth
iris
iris
iris
iris
can’t remember what this is called
petunia
How can you not love purple?
Peace has been traveling far and wide! Thank you for sharing these fabulous images of “52 Weeks of Peace” from around the world!
“Graduation Peace, Love and Happiness”, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY
Peace graces a spring garden in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Cheers! ~ in Johannesburg, South Africa
Antananarivo, Madagascar
“Peace Out” for the summer from an Athens, Ohio house that holds a treasure chest of memories for 9 college guys.
Where to next?
(ps: you can see all “where in the world is peace?” images compiled on our special “where in the world is peace?” page. Our book is on Amazon, our totes, mugs and things are available here. Send your own pictures to 52weeksofpeace@gmail.com or post them on our FaceBook page. Let’s see where peace goes!)
“Love is nothing in tennis, but in life it’s everything.”
~Author Unknown
Give it your all. Play hard. Slam that ball right down the line, ace the serve, feel the exhilaration from getting the impossible shot, the satisfaction of a great rally with a well-matched opponent.
The trick, of course, is to stay steady. It’s not always the lowest, hardest, fastest shot, (which is, perhaps unfortunately, the way I like to play!), but the ability to consistently direct that fuzzy little yellow ball at your command …. and to do that, you gotta have not only practice, heart and energy, but a strong psyche. Just like off the court, you don’t want to get thrown off your game by a self-defeating attitude, right? Where’s the peace in that?
I won’t deny, winning feels great ~ but, playing your best, regardless of the guy across the net, brings a level of peace you just can’t beat. And that’s a good personal Match Point for anything you do.
“Who kept the faith and fought the fight; The glory theirs, the duty ours.” ~Wallace Bruce
This one bears repeating….so, as last year, we thank you and we honor you, all the fallen ~ for your bravery, your love, your principled, unselfish courage ~ from the wells of our hearts, with a gratitude that knows no bounds.
“Paint Strip 2” / © Patricia Saxton
Dear Paint,
I have missed you. Missed your colors flowing on the end of a brush; the way you make magic at my hand’s command in sweeping strokes or smart little dabs with brilliant yellows and burnt umber and sienna-tinged greens and luminous blues and vibrant reds. Your tones, creamy, rich and ripe, acquiescing to the dips and swishes of well-used bristles and merrily slathering across a nicely stretched canvas, as if to say “Yes! I’m free! Let’s shake it up!”
Sure, sometimes you get ornery, but don’t we all? Maybe, sometimes, I want you to go this way when you really want to go that way. But in the end we work it out ~ we’re a team, going where the spirit moves.
I haven’t abandoned you, it’s just been a really long pause having to do with “responsibilities”. You know, keeping the roof overhead and all. It’s most definitely not for lack of inspiration or desire. So, thank you for being patient, and I promise we’ll have many, many more years together.
I’m also pretty sure that the best is yet to come. Hang in there!
P
Peace (~ and life ~ and beauty ~) exists, yes, even within life’s rough surfaces, craggy edges and crumbling emotions. It’s up to us to discover and allow, with eyes, heart and mind open.
“Peace Wall” / 52 Weeks of Peace [squared]: Week #67 / © Patricia Saxton
“Night and day the river flows. If time is the mind of space, the River is the soul of the desert. Brave boatmen come, they go, they die, the voyage flows on forever. We are all canyoneers. We are all passengers on this little mossy ship, this delicate dory sailing round the sun that humans call the earth. Joy, shipmates, joy.” (Edward Abbey, The Hidden Canyon – A River Journey)
Peace hanging out on the banks of the Delaware River, PA
New Hope, Pennsylvania
“High-Tea Peace” at The Plaza Hotel, New York City
“Bladey” runs the show at the rollerskating area of Manhattan’s Central Park, and beams his joyful spirit.
Where to next?
(ps: you can see all “where in the world is peace?” images compiled on our special “where in the world is peace?” page. Our book is on Amazon, our totes, mugs and things are available here. Send your own pictures to 52weeksofpeace@gmail.com or post them on our FaceBook page. Let’s see where peace goes!)
“A book is made from a tree. It is an assemblage of flat, flexible parts (still called “leaves”) imprinted with dark pigmented squiggles. One glance at it and you hear the voice of another person, perhaps someone dead for thousands of years. Across the millennia, the author is speaking, clearly and silently, inside your head, directly to you. Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people, citizens of distant epochs, who never knew one another. Books break the shackles of time, proof that humans can work magic.” ~ Carl Sagan
• • •
What can I possibly add to that? Except that I agree. And we humans can indeed work magic.
It helps, of course, to get the writing in front of a reader. Which is pretty easy if you’re dead and famous, or if you’re still among the living and happen to have a lot of fans. But if one doesn’t have a lot of fans yet, how do you get people’s attention; how will people know what wonderful tapestries your words have woven, what prose you’ve spun, what wit you’ve unraveled?
Ah, yes. The cover.
Many a good book is bypassed because it’s poorly dressed, just as there are those books regrettably dolled to the nines whose inner workings disappoint ~ but, by far, the latter has the better chance of some face time. Of course, you know this. Just keep that in mind, especially when self-publishing: your book’s cover should be given some serious artistic consideration, if you want your book to be seriously considered. (and, yes, I can help with that!)
In any event, the Sagan quote above got me thinking it was time for another posting of good-looking book covers. So here are some I’ve plucked from cyberspace to add to previous book cover posts. I can’t speak to their magical qualities, but the designs pass my test. See if you agree.
She’s a champion and a warrior. She’s the sweetest flower. She’s tender, she’s tough, she’s imperfect and wise. She loves you when you’re winning, she loves you when you’re losing. She loves you whether you’re muddy or clean, too skinny or too fat, or cranky or witty or dull or smart.
She’ll hold you tight, like there’s no tomorrow, and when tomorrow comes, she’ll send you off to fly with your own shiny wings.
And as you go your way ~ and even when she’s no longer here ~ you are forever, and ever, in her heart.
…………..
Happy Mother’s Day to all us Mom’s everywhere. And remember: “If at first you don’t succeed, do it like your mother told you.” ~Author Unknown
