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Posted in Abandoned,Gratitude,Mindfulness2 comments

A discarded pair of black men

When is the last time you wore shoes until they were completely worn out? I mean holes in the sole and holes in the heel.  I can’t remember a time like that.  I can remember wearing shoes until they were too loose on my narrow feet, too uncomfortable, too scuffed and dirty, or too out of style.  I can remember discarding shoes, because I was tired of seeing them on my feet.  I can’t remember wearing shoes until they looked like the ones in this photograph.  And because I can’t remember, I know that I have been truly blessed in my life with an abundance of things that I needed AND wanted.  So finding these shoes in the parking lot of the Starbucks in downtown Decatur (outside Atlanta, GA), reminded me of how fortunate I am.  I remember the stories my dad would tell me about living during the depression and putting cardboard and newspaper in his shoes to combat the holes in them. I wonder if the man, who wore these shoes, was in a similar situation–not having enough money to buy new shoes.  Well, whoever he is, I hope he has some better shoes now to take him where he needs to go.  I hope you have what you need to carry you to where you need to go.

 

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  • December 15, 2015 - 3:47 am

    Tracey Foxworth - My mother and other older relatives have shared stories about wearing shoes during their childhood with cardboard inserts and other things,too.ReplyCancel

  • December 15, 2015 - 7:26 pm

    Bess Harris - I do know what it’s like to wear shoes with holes, & I continue to be grateful for not being in that position every day. That’s why I take the opportunity to share with others whenever I can.ReplyCancel

Posted in Gratitude,Mindfulness,Night Scenes,Sunsets,Travel3 comments

Foggy drive on the Pennsylvania turnpike watching the sunrise at the end of the road

As I headed down the Pennsylvania turnpike at six in the morning toward a flight out of Philadelphia, I could barely see through the thick fog, but I knew I was headed home.  I was also leaving the home of my childhood, Harrisburg, and of my family, after the passing of my niece much too early.  Although a very sad time, a funeral is also a time to celebrate and enjoy family that you haven’t seen or spent enough time with.  A funeral is a time to revisit memories with loved ones, assess the present, and consider the future.  I couldn’t help but wonder what legacy I would leave behind and how I might be remembered or celebrated.  I knew my legacy wasn’t about “what” I left behind or “what” I had done; it was all about “who”–who I loved and who loved me.  When I left my home in Atlanta, I said I was going home for the funeral.  When I left Harrisburg, I said I was going home to Atlanta.  The words of Dorothy in The Wiz replayed in my mind, “Home is not where you live, it’s where you love.”  And so this road carried me from one home to another. I love and am loved in both places, and I feel very lucky to be able to say this.  So I didn’t really need to see too far ahead into the fog, because I knew my destination was home.  I just relaxed, kept my eyes on road, and enjoyed the beautiful journey.

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  • December 8, 2015 - 3:34 am

    Carolyn Miller - I am reminded of “The Station”. A poem that speaks to life being a journey, rather than a destination.ReplyCancel

  • December 8, 2015 - 7:43 am

    Chezia Carraway - You are lucky to have found peace in your home. I often feel disconnected and no longer akin to a place or a family. I have lost both parents, both sets of grandparents, all ten of my aunts and uncles, and several cousins to death. Several of my childhood friends, college buddies, and a bestie. I have learned to find solace in my son and an occasional FB post from a cousin. …but home is illusive. ..a moment or two of safety that I feel until the next insecurity of disconnection. If I do not rise..then there is no home.ReplyCancel

    • December 12, 2015 - 4:08 pm

      Miriam - Chezia, I imagine that home is where your son is, b/c that is where you love. He grounds you, loves you, tests you, and amazes you. I’m glad you have him, and he has you. MiriamReplyCancel

Posted in Mindfulness,TreesNo comments

In the pre-dawn darkness of the morning, a tree, made of small squares of sea glass, makes the most delightful sound.  “Tinkle, tinkle, tinkle” says the wind chimes with each gentle breeze.  As the sun makes its way across the horizon at the foot of my bed, the glass wind chimes sing their soft song to me.  They sing about flexibility, to move like the chimes in the wind as I face challenges in my day.  They remind me to be still and listen.  They sing about finding gratitude in my day.  These timeless, low tech wind chimes offer opportunities to practice mindfulness and to be in the moment with every tinkle.  The glass wind chimes encourage me to meditate on their beautiful song.  I slowly open my eyes and watch them glisten and dance in sun.  I look forward to ending my day in much the same way.

Tree-shaped glass wind chimes

Glass Wind Chimes Tinkle in the Wind

 

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Posted in Exhibitions3 comments

We’re doing it.  Yes, we’re really doing it! Kelley Alexander and Miriam Phields (me) are having our first solo (or is it duo) photography exhibition, entitled HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT.  The opening reception for the photography exhibition will be held on Friday, September 5 at the Fulton County West End Performing Arts Center in Atlanta, GA.  We’ve imagined this day for each of us, but I’m not sure that we imagined that we would share the moment as co-exhibitors.  Given that our interests are similar but our photography is not, we enjoyed the challenge of creating an exhibition with a common theme for both our work.  We really appreciate having friends like Connie G. Cross who encourage us to show our artwork and create opportunities to do so.  Here’s the flyer for the exhibition and opening reception with all the details.  Thanx to Michi for creating this great postcard/flyer for us.

Atlanta Photography Exhibition by Kelley Alexander and Miriam Phields | Sept. 5 - 30, 2014

Atlanta Photography Exhibition by Kelley Alexander and Miriam Phields | September 5 – 30, 2014

 

We’re working hard to get everything ready and framed perfectly.  I love cutting the mats with precision and lining up the photographs behind the mat window just so.  Patience,  good measuring skills, and reading glasses are requirements for this job.  I’d like to give a special shout out to Barbara C. G. for teaching me how to cut mats and other framing techniques.

Cutting the mat for the frame | Atlanta Photography Exhibition by Kelley Alexander and Miriam Phields | Sept. 5 - 30, 2014

Cutting the mat for the frame | Atlanta Photography Exhibition by Kelley Alexander and Miriam Phields | Sept. 5 – 30, 2014

 

The last part is connecting the hanging wire to the frame.  This requires special care not to stab oneself with the wire.  Don’t you love how I accessorized with yellow framer’s tape?

Attaching the framing wire for the Atlanta Photography Exhibition by Kelley Alexander and Miriam Phields | Sept. 5 - 30, 2014

Attaching the framing wire for the Atlanta Photography Exhibition by Kelley Alexander and Miriam Phields | Sept. 5 – 30, 2014

 

With intrigue, I watch Kelley put the finishing touches on her mixed media masterpieces, adding a little of this and a little more of that.  Just when I think she has finished, she puts a little more secret sauce on it.  Please pretend you don’t see the AARP water bottle in the background. It was free, okay.

Getting it just right for the Atlanta Photography Exhibition by Kelley Alexander and Miriam Phields | Sept. 5 - 30, 2014

Getting it just right for the Atlanta Photography Exhibition by Kelley Alexander and Miriam Phields | Sept. 5 – 30, 2014

Adding a little more here and there for the Atlanta Photography Exhibition by Kelley Alexander and Miriam Phields | Sept. 5 - 30, 2014

Adding a little more here and there for the Atlanta Photography Exhibition by Kelley Alexander and Miriam Phields | Sept. 5 – 30, 2014

 

Well I hope I’ve peaked your interest in our exhibition.  Please come and join us at the opening reception.  We’d love to meet you.

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Posted in Abandoned,Flowers,Gardening,nature1 comment

Those beautiful sunflowers that are chosen have it so good.  Someone gathers them up from the field of sunflowers and admiringly takes them home to enjoy or gifts them to another.  I feel sorry for the sunflowers that are dropped on the way out, discarded, or just aren’t chosen.  I see them fallen by the wayside, sometimes trampled.  Some are not chosen because they have passed their prime, are showing the wear and tear of time, or just weren’t perfect enough.  So I honor them here with these photos.  I appreciate their beauty and their contribution of pollen and natural matter that supports our ecosystem.  They are perfect in their own way.

Sunflowers left behind | Sunflower Festival, Rutledge, GA

Sunflowers left behind | Sunflower Festival, Rutledge, GA

Old sunflower has lost her petals | Sunflower Festival, Rutledge, GA

Old sunflower has lost her petals | Sunflower Festival, Rutledge, GA

Sunflower lost in red Georgia clay | Sunflower Festival, Rutledge, GA

Sunflower lost in red Georgia clay | Sunflower Festival, Rutledge, GA

Sunflower past her prime stands tall | Sunflower Festival, Rutledge, GA

Sunflower past her prime stands tall | Sunflower Festival, Rutledge, GA

 

 

 

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  • November 26, 2013 - 8:27 am

    Troye Phillips Fennell - I see their beauty, just like mature ladies. Flowers, it is said, are at their fulllest glory at this stage (Calendar Girls)ReplyCancel

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