The new decade was brought in with a blue moon and a partial eclipse, how special is that?
A wish for the new year and this new decade... May it bring you true joy and contentment, all you hope for and all you dream of...
And when I looked my moon had turned to gold...
This has been a year of many realizations and discoveries. Of letting go and moving on. Of finding joy and for once, reveling in it. Completely.
In these last few days of this decade let us hope for better things; for peace, for positive change and happiness. Simple gestures... make it better.
Love is real, not fade away...
This photo brings back memories... it was taken at my aunt and uncle's mountain house in North Carolina following my mother's death, in December 2000.
We spent Christmas week there, and although the mood was not festive, it was still joyful. We had snow, we had a great hill, a couple of sleds and each other. A warm fireplace at night, no interruptions from TV, internet, phones... just peace. A chance to reflect and remember.
I recently wrote of the cloud of witnesses on CaringBridge.com... the people who participated and shared their thoughts during Alice's father's journey. The love and support expressed was open, loving and honest. For me, it was reliving my mother's journey, but it also gave me a lot of perspective and, after nine years, has allowed me to find my own inner peace.
There has been a lot of building, and rebuilding, in these past few months. One such project is a new website that Alice and I are pleased to announce: LetsBounceBack.com, an online community for members to share their experiences of coping with and overcoming adversity.
Adversity can come at you in many ways... job loss, depression, the loss of a loved one... Sharing the experience can be a healing process, and others, in turn, can gain insight and lend support.
Sometimes, all it takes is a kind word to see you through... sometimes, that kind word leads to friendship, and isn't the world a better place when you are among friends?
This is a place where I feel at home...
My resolution at the beginning of this year was to "make it better"... whatever it was or in whatever small way that I could. I'm not sure how well I stuck to that resolution, but I'd like to introduce you to some folks who are "making it better" right now.
A little bit of history; the above photo was taken in Sri Lanka, I was there in November 2007 for a work related project. We had the opportunity to see the island and spent an amazing 12 days there. This photo was taken at Kotdoowa Raja Maha Vihara, Madu Ganga, an island temple located in the middle of a lagoon in southern Sri Lanka. This day changed my life forever. We arrived at about noon... we were given a tour and took quite a lot of photos... the boys were very interested in all that we were doing. It was wonderful to see their joy as we showed them the images...
I recently met someone through Twitter who is doing something I can only dream of for the moment. His name is Jeff Speigner, he is a graphic designer and the founder of Design4Kids.org, "...an opportunity for creative professionals to experience international travel and make a real difference in the fight to end the cycle of poverty. Design4Kids helps talented but underprivileged teens in developing countries learn the technical and business skills needed to establish and operate successful design studios."
Right now, they are beginning their third workshop in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala. You can learn more and follow their progress by visiting the Design4Kids.org website. You can also follow Jeff on Twitter at http://twitter.com/inspiritu.
As this year comes to a close, I am wondering where next year will take me. I do know there will be changes, that is inevitable. It is my hope that I will be in a situation to be able to give something back and "make it better"...
Now's the time that we need to share...
... always look forward, and never quit...
This was the advice given to me by my hero, Mr. Ivan Chermayeff, whom I had the great pleasure and honor to meet at the home of a friend here in Paris this evening. What a wonderful man!
I brought some of my work with me and asked him for an honest critique.... and he gave it. Overall, my work is good, he shared some tips and advice with me that I have taken to heart and will remember for future projects. He was sweet enough to let me ramble a bit and he was very open with what he was working on. This is a man who is passionate about his work and he said he could never think of retiring... Amen for that!
I grew up with his work, we all have... when you look at the scope of what he has done in his lifetime... and you'll know it when you see it... it's coming from him. NBC, National Geographic, Mobil... the list goes on... I told him that what I love about your work is that it is so basic in its shape and form, and yet so simple and so symmetric. He said that is very hard to do... to keep it simple, yet keep it to the obvious.
What have I learned from this? I will quote the man himself, "Draw a lot. Work hard and be as self critical about what it is that you are doing. Don't be put down by not doing something. Don't let it stop you from going further."
I want to thank my dear friend, Barbara, for her hospitality and generosity... gros bisous et merci beaucoup!
Oh, I see myself in a brand new way...
These past months, and more particularly, these past few days, I, and many others, have had the honor and very special privilege of being witness to an amazing man's life, Alice's dad, The Reverend G. Daniel Little.
I only had the opportunity to meet him once, at Christmas dinner with Alice's family. He immediately embraced both Christopher and me, with a warm hug and welcome. His obvious joy at spending time with his family was matched by his wit and laughter. It was a wonderful evening, one that I will cherish.
Over the past year and a half, but especially during these final hours the family has been able to stay in constant touch with each other and their many friends and colleagues through several social networking sites: CaringBridge.org, Facebook, and Skype. The outpouring of love and support has been uplifting, not only for the family, but also for those of us who have been caring from afar.
His grand-daughter, an awesome woman in her own right, wrote the following as her FB status:
When the cloud of Witnesses becomes the witnesses on the Cloud, their power is so much more tangible. If only virtual hugs could be real...
If only they could be. My thoughts and prayers are with the entire family. Thank you for sharing this very inspiring and touching moment, and for allowing us to give back the love we have all benefited from throughout Dan's journey.
...something's lost, but something's gained, in living every day...
My answer to that is to always hold my muse close. The creative spark and all that goes with it, when it is elusive, is frustration to the extreme. It has been way too long; writing, shooting, designing... I finally feel free to express again. And, THAT, was the whole reason to start this blog... to give me a place to get my yayas out.
This past year has been shit on shit. One thing after another. And just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, it did. Take a look at how many posts I have made these past months and read them. Seriously... read between the lines.
Well. What happened? What turned it around? Without giving it all away... Me. I happened. I needed to practice what I preach. I needed to pull myself up by the bootstraps. I needed to kick my own ass. I'm good. I love what I do. I just needed to remind myself of that.
I need to thank a few people. Alice. Alison. Kathleen. Catherine (for your youth and life before you... AWESOME!). Brad, LYE... UB & AS. I also need to thank someone from the past. Mr Dennis Warner. My high school photography teacher. Apparently, he took quite a few lost souls under his wing and, recognizing a passion, taught us to see, how to look at things differently. And, he cared. One-on-one discussions. He was truly a teacher.
I've recently reconnected with an old high school friend via Facebook. I know, I know... Facebook, again. This was a good friend. To me, he has always been JohnMan. We hung out. It was the 70s. We were all young, we got high, we laughed a lot. We had a good time. He was also another student of Mr. Warner's. He's now an excellent photographer in his own right. Through brief conversations, he told me he was doing a show in Maine and would I be interested in contributing a few of my photos? He saw my Sri Lanka photos (see side bar). No hesitation. Yes. The proceeds will go to the local Good Shepherd Food Bank.
If you happen to be near the CMMC, Central Maine Medical Center, stop by and visit the Annual Craft Fair on High Street, Lewiston, Maine on November 20th from 8am to 4pm. Take a few minutes to look around. Say hi. And, even if you don't buy a photo, consider dropping a buck or two in the can. Hard times; a simple gesture can make it better.
I still have a lot to go through. Legal BS... meh. The courts will decide. I have some big, fat decisions to make. BIG. FAT. Can anyone say crossroads? Rebuilding my foundation is my top priority right now. My passion has always been networking and friends. And real, true friends, will always be there, no matter. This has been a reflective year. Thank you, my friends, for being there. Really. You made a difference and one day, I hope I can give it back.
How to end this one? No question! :-)
Or, a baby's arm holding an apple...
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This work by Dianne Henning is licensed under a
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