Today.....I am grateful

to live in this land....

to breathe this air....

to sit in this sunshine....

to hear children playing outside....

to be free....

smiles.

Freedom...

to tweak...

to manipulate...

to create...

to make a mistake....

That's what I love about 

not being the photographer "on-duty"

every once in a while.....

Creativity is stifled by pressure....

there is such freedom in

doing something for fun....

without expectations...

What FUN!

smiles.

God Bless America

While the storm clouds gather far across the sea,

Let us swear allegiance to a land that's free,

Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,

As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer.

God Bless America,

Land that I love.

Stand beside her, and guide her

Through the night with a light from above.

From the mountains, to the prairies,

To the oceans, white with foam

God bless America, My home sweet home.

No matter who you are,

where you are from,

what your color, creed or allegiance 

if you live here....you know....

This is a great country,

we make big mistakes,

we make large errors,

we are a bunch of goofballs, at times.

But we are united in this

idea of freedom. 

Be grateful today....

smiles.

Out of the fog...

My life is so good...

sometimes, when I am very still...

quiet to the point of hearing my breath...

and feeling my heartbeat...

I simply cannot fathom

the immense goodness found in this world.

I know this is not necessarily a popular point of view...

it seems that pessism is a much more accepted outlook.

But

in my life...

I feel so blessed.

As with most impressions,

details are not particularly important.

But, let's just say that

the last couple of days have bought

a revelation...

a release...

and finally,

a renewal.

My experience has been that sometimes

we don't even know how bogged down we are until

we stick our heads out the window and

check out the scenery.

Once we know that there is a

different, freer, more beautiful option...

well,

taying "mucked up" in the

well.....

muck

is just not an option any longer.

So...

like the feeling you have when

 you are on board an aircraft...

ready for takeoff....

waiting for the fog to lift...

just a bit..

and then it happens...

you are speeding down the runway

faster and faster until

the nose of the aircraft lifts...

and soon you are up...

and momentarily...

you break the cloud layer.

Breaking out of the cloud layer

that's it.

That is what has happened to me.

New challenges..

New outlook...

New purpose...

New freedom...

Blessed...

that's what I am.

smiles.

How do we grieve?

Grieving....

Are we actually participating in the grieving when we do not feel especially sad?

When we are sort of grateful for the passing of someone......

whose life was swallowed up in pain?

Are we disrespectful of the memory when we are glad for the relief?

Who is the expert on grieving, anyway?

Someone who has lost a great abundance?

Who wakes up feeling empty?

Are there parameters for the grieving process?

I know that there are the recognized stages....

I am very familiar with that process, but this feels so different.

I am not sad, but actually thrilled for him. As he is no longer in a desperate mode.

He will no longer spend his energy, time, money and brain power trying to prove his significance to the ones he loves......He will no longer loose sleep over "perceived slights". He will no longer ache for the loving arms of the women he loved. He will know that there is freedom.

Freedom from the wheelchair...

Freedom from his thoughts....

Freedom from fear, haunting and subtle...

Freedom from gravity.

We will miss you Roger, but only for a short time.

We will see you in a new light someday...

Freedom.