Better By Morning

"Most things get better by themselves. 

Most things, in fact, are better by morning."

~ Lewis Thomas

And yes, I wear the sunrise, too...

Please visit my art for sale:

https://society6.com/mscator

See the Moon

"Glance at the sun.
See the moon and stars.
Gaze at the beauty of the green earth.
Now think."

Hildegard of Bingen

An unexpected distraction, 

A skylight surprise.

Two days from being full: 

this moon, setting golden to orange, 

cutting the indigo over the city of Birmingham, Alabama.

Something about the moon that welcomes dreams...

Some of my art for sale:

https://society6.com/mscator

Face Everything And Rise

"F-E-A-R has two meanings: 

'Forget Everything And Run'

or 'Face Everything And Rise.' 

The choice is yours."

~ Zig Ziglar

Beginning of a Beginning

"The past is but the beginning of a beginning."
~ H. G. Wells

Another beginning. How wonderful, to celebrate this moment with you.

Be True To Who You Are

"To live a good life is to be true to who you are. 

Always remember it. 

And be optimistic about where you're headed. 

Everything will somehow come together."

~ Aleksandra Scepanovic

More Strength

"Always remember,
there is more strength in you than
you ever realized or imagined.
Nothing can keep you down
if you are determined
to get on top of things
and stay there."

~ Norman Vincent Peale

Kayla and Tony are married and happy and I am back in Birmingham, Alabama. Always the spirit of a sunrise to inspire: Ready, set, go.

Grief Isn't

"Grief isn’t all tears."

~ Patti Smith

Good morning, Sweet Grief
I feel you, like the Tradewinds
And the smell of the ocean.

I cannot change what happened.
But I can celebrate what was good.
And be grateful
for everything.

Fire For Fire

"Honest criticism means nothing; 

what one wants in unrestrained passion, 

fire for fire."

~ Henry Miller

Dreams.
Holy morning 
My New Year: 
Bold colors
Freedom Fire
Endless sky
New adventures
Unrestrained passion.

Through the worst times,
I've earned this clean slate
Rebirth.

Now ask for it, make it:
the best year,
Ever.

Refining Moments

"We talk about defining moments, 

but I think nothing can define you. 

They’re all refining moments. 

You’re constantly refining yourself 

and refining your life."

~ Sheryl Crow

We are companions, you and me. 
Sharing
And thinking.
Growing.
Inspired by the sky,
what's in our eyes, what in our hearts.
Looking up, our lives go on forever.

Thank you 
for sharing 
this beautiful journey...

Love the World

"In loving ourselves, we love the world."

~ Mark Nepo

Finally:
A rich retreat 
to listen to Nature and my heart. 
Again, atop my #Asheville mountain 
where time is warm joy. 
The morning is wide,
so is the pain.
But the quiet roars sweet love
to melt the hardness. 
So much love, everywhere I look.
The world is love. 
I am grateful and happy.

Uselessly

Coosa River, Riverside, Alabama.

"Nature does nothing uselessly."

Aristotle

The sun shines on the Coosa River in Riverside, Alabama. I drink the light in. Of course.

Open Your Eyes

"I say to you, 

'Open your eyes and 

with your eyes your heart.' 

Dare to love. Dare to appreciate 

the loveliness all around you."

~ Julia Cameron

Take Voyages

Birmingham, Alabama dawn

"We do things ‘cause we believe they’re right. 

We’ll take voyages or we’ll move forward 

because we believe that 

they’re necessary to be active."

~ Nainoa Thompson

Life is precious. Today I will try to look up and be motivated by love.

♥ My Society6 Art Gallery \(‾◡◝ )/ 

Thus Or Thus

"‘Tis in ourselves that we are thus or thus. 

Our bodies are our gardens 

to which our wills are gardeners."

~ William Shakespeare

A new early morning ritual: I've begun weeding a small section of moss under a large maple tree. The air is cool. The birds sing sweetly. I am lost in the practice. 

Light-Filled Tomorrow

"I believe a radiant, light-filled tomorrow 

should be normal to the experience of living."

~ Thomas Kinkade

Never Spoken

"What is religion? That which is never spoken."

~ Henry David Thoreau

Poet

Philosopher

Naturalist

Historian

My life-long inspiration, 👏

Henry David Thoreau

And yes, often words fall short for me.

I Rediscover

"I don't observe and I don't describe; I rediscover."

~ Francois Mauriac

Tony and I walked about 8,000 steps on Birmingham's beautiful Vulcan Trail. My happy heart loved the sunrise, forest, and stunning city views discovered along the ridge of  Red Mountain. 

Keep Watching

"Always keep your eyes open. 

Keep watching.

Because whatever you see can inspire you."

~ Grace Coddington

Deep Awareness

"If you touch one thing with deep awareness, you touch everything."

Thich Nhat Hanh 

Peace

"Peace is our gift to each other."

~ Elie Wiesel

Around In Awareness

"Let us not look back in anger, 

nor forward in fear, but around in awareness."

James Thurber

By Life

Loudon, Tennessee

"The sky is made by life."
~ Carl Sagan

Where All Creativity Is Occurring

"The unknown is the safest place to go. If you're ever wondering, 'what do I do next?' and one option is toward the status quo and the other option is toward the unknown, that's the safest place to go because that is where all the creativity is occurring. That's where all the adventure is happening. That's where the mystery lives."
~ Light Watkins, Good Life Project

Whatever Pieces

"Arrange whatever pieces come your way."
Virginia Woolf

Specificity

"All that is alive 

tends toward color, 

individuality, specificity, 

effectiveness, and opacity."

~ Johann von Goethe

Manage Change

“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent 

who will survive 

but those who can best manage change.” 

~ Leon C. Megginson

Every morning the sun rises.

A new day, a chance for me to begin again. 

Today is my opportunity to change what needs to be changed.  Adapt to what is changing, use change to my advantage. Figure out how to manage the necessary changes in my life with strength... And hope.

It is not always easy and might take time to re-calibrate, but right now I can try to understand, accept what is, and do the necessary work to move forward.

Everything changes. As the Greek philosopher Heraclitus once said, “Change is the only constant.”

♥ Change, like the sunrise, can be my daily rebirth.

All Things Pass

"Let nothing trouble you, 

let nothing frighten you, 

all things pass."

~ St. Teresa of Avila

Your Creative Vision

Birmingham at dusk

"A dream is your creative vision for your life in the future. 

You must break out of your current comfort zone 

and become comfortable with 

the unfamiliar and the unknown."

~ Denis Waitley

Soft and Hot and Foggy

"The light in the South is soft and hot and foggy. 

I cannot imagine waking to anything else."

~ Elizabeth Cox

A new morning and I am lucky to have a beautiful view of downtown Birmingham, Alabama. The lights from the city dance with the headlights of cars converging on I-20, I-59, and I-69. The fog and sky add their own colors to the mix.

Qualities We Possess

"We attract hearts by the qualities we display; 

we retain them by the qualities we possess."

~ Jean Baptiste Antoine Suard

Dignity and Importance

"Life is an unanswered question, 

but let's believe in the dignity
and importance of the question."

~ Tennessee Williams

Define Yourself

"Accept no one’s definition of your life; but rather define yourself."

~ Harvey Fierstein

In the Mood

"I am in the mood to dissolve in the sky."

~ Virginia Woolf

The Value of Doing Nothing

"Don't underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, 

of just going along, 

listening to all the things you can't hear, 

and not bothering."

~ A. A. Milne

New Hopes of Heaven

"New perils past, new sins forgiven, 

New thoughts of God, 

new hopes of heaven."

~ John Keble

Birmingham, Alabama

While the Sun Still Shines

Honolulu, Hawaii

Oi kau ka lau, e hana i ola honua 

"Live your life while the sun still shines."

~ Hawaiian Proverb