Tea time

"There are few hours in life 

more agreeable than the hour 

dedicated to the ceremony 

known as afternoon tea."

Henry James

Last Saturday my friend Helen invited me to spend the day in Victoria.

This photo was taken at Butchart Gardens, where we enjoyed Afternoon Tea,

while enjoying the gardens & the water through this window.
This was our Downton Abbey moment.

Here are 2 other photos that Helen took in Butchart.
She takes marvelous photos!

 

tiptoe through the tulips

Today my friend Karen took me to trip through the La Conner tulips to celebrate my 60th birthday.

What a glorious day.  I have no words for the beauty of these flowers. 

Enjoy!

 

 

Deep in their roots all flowers keep the light.

-Theodore Roethke

Life is a celebration of passionate colors. - Leialoha Cator

 

If you've never been thrilled to the very edges of your soul by a flower in spring bloom,

maybe your soul has never been in bloom. ~Terri Guillemets

 

Sometimes I imagine colors as if they were living ideas, being of pure reason with which to communicate.

Nature is not on the surface, it is deep down. - Paul Cezanne

 

Color is joy. One does not think joy. One is carried by it. - Ernst Haas

 

Everything is blooming most recklessly; if it were voices instead of colors,

there would be an unbelievable shrieking into the heart of the night.

-Rainer Maria Rilke

Make a Wish

 

"The strength of the genie comes from

his having been confined in the bottle."

- Richard Wilbur

 

I read that Richard Wilbur was referring to the structures of poetry,

but what about the various forms of  confinement we face in life

that hold the possibility of making us stronger and more determined?

Another milestone

 

Someone asked me recently what my plans were for my 60th birthday. 

My response?  "I'm getting my shingles shot!" 

I don't think that was the response they were expecting,

but having watched several of my friends suffer through the shingles

and knowing that the recommended age for the shot is 60,

this is a no-brainer! I'm off to get that dang shot!

 

And yes, I do plan to do other awesome birthday type activities

which include blowing out birthday candles and 

delighting in my friends and family.

 

I am one very blessed gal!

It's a Good Friday

 

“If you want to see just how far

God has fallen in love with you,

then look at Jesus – look at Jesus on the cross.”

 

Rev. Alan Jones, Passion for Pilgrimage

quote from today's Good Friday sermon

The Prodigal Pup

Today's gospel is from Luke 15 in which Christ continues to shock both pharisees and scribes by hanging out with the less desirable members of society.  In response Jesus gives them the parable of the Prodigal Son. 

Below you will find a reprint of my blog post from three years ago.  I loved it then and I love it now.  And frankly (no pun intended), my wiener dog is the perfect prodigal prop.

"Every time I return home my dog, Lucy, goes berserk. First there's that sweet moment when she realizes that I have returned from wherever I've been. Then there is that mad dash to get to me. This can occur at a dizzying level of speed. This is followed by the jumping up on me, the piddling, the squeaking, and the frantic tail wagging. And the length of time that I'm away doesn't seem to factor in to her uber-excitement. I can be gone a week or 20 minutes. It's all the same to Lucy. And I love it for who else is so consistently overjoyed just by my walking into their range of sight?

Here's what I know about my dog. She is the spittin' image of the Father in the parable of The Prodigal Son. You know the story, boy is unhappy with his lot in life, asks dad for his inheritance, dad hands it over, boy blows it all and has to crawl back home. He is expecting to hear a litany of "I told you so's" but instead his dad acts just like my dog. Running, kissing, hugging, and I am undone by such a display of love - as I'm sure that son was. Like the Prodigal Son's Father, Lucy's mercy is neverending. I continue to learn a lot from her.

P.S. Oh yeah, and about that "put-out attitude" of the older brother. Definitely cat behavior."

Our Mothering Hen

Today’s Gospel reading from Luke 13 has the Pharisees trying to convince Jesus to run away from Herod in fear.

But Jesus doesn’t give in to the “what ifs” because there is nothing that will stand in his way of heading towards Jerusalem.

Speaking of Jerusalem, Jesus laments:



"How often have I desired to gather your children together

as a hen gathers her brood under her wings,

and you were not willing!"

I took this photo and the following prayer

(which was based on the Lord’s Prayer) from a previous blog post

because it was just that good!

"Our Mothering Hen

Who art brooding over us

hallowed be thy sheltering wings.

Forgive our unwillingness to come into your embrace

And gather us in, reluctance and all.

Free us from fear of foxes

And the sharp bite

of anything that separates us from you.

Open our eyes

To the plenty around us.

Open our hearts

That our plenty be shared.

Lead us not into contention

But into the dance of connection.

For thine is the grace that wakes us each new day

And thine is the mercy that puts our souls at ease

And thine is the love that sets our hearts alight.

For ever and ever, amen."

Tammerie Day - posted at Day at a Glance