Sand Castles

What seems tough and built to last, may not survive the storm.   We must keep trudging through to be stronger than before.

 

Blessings

For every blessing in my life I can tell you at least one person that has helped make it happen. The ones in our lives are the true blessings. 

Ancorā impāro

 I’ve gone through a lot in the past year, I ended up some place I would have never guessed would be a place for me to be.   Here are some things that I’ve learned in the past year believe me this is not all inclusive.

Sometimes bad things happen to good people and no matter how you want to help the best help is just being there.

When one door closes another one opens, it just takes you looking to see it.

Never underestimate the stupidity of people as some will let their kids swim in the surf of a tropical storm with waves that hit the bottom of a 20 ft high pier, while the red signals are flying.

Take the scenic route home, it may be longer… but the stars are prettier.

Some family is by birth… some family is forged in fire.

It is possible to idolize someone for their good traits and recognize the bad traits… and accept them for what they truly are.

Opportunity comes where and when you least expect it and can change your life. 

Soul mates do exist and you can fall madly in love with them… and have to acknowledge that the timing is wrong and you can’t be together just yet.

Sometimes things that are too good to be true really are… however not always.

The amount of time that it takes someone to etch themselves on your heart can vary from a short amount of time to an inconceivable amount of time.

Children can speak words with such truth that it can make you cry.

The ocean is a powerful living being that can humble you in your most prideful moments, and it can cleanse you of all that is troubling you… and it can take your very life away… all in an instant.

It is possible to love again when you never thought that it would be possible.

The past year has been an adventure and it is no where near over… I am still learning. 

(Images representing the three states I have lived in this year.   Florida, Mississippi, and North Carolina.) 

Felis qui nihil debet

There are people that come into your life that you know without a doubt you would bend the heavens for.  No thinking, no hesitation, they ask and suddenly the word, “yes,” falls from your lips without a single regret.   Loyalty like no other… something rare and beautiful in itself.

Becoming One

Two hearts combine into one,

something that can not be undone.

The beauty that begins,

when two hearts glow with the love within.

Souls intertwine into something more,

a new love that outshines what came before.

Back to the Start...

Through our lives we encounter endings constantly, whether it is just the end of a day or something much larger.  We must take the chance to embrace these endings, they may be something sad… however, in the same sense they can be immensely beautiful. 

Washed Away...

Life can be as turbulent as the seas on a windy day; strong currents can take you away from familiar shores.  In July life currents carried me far away from my home of Mississippi to the beautiful Florida panhandle.  I never expected to me washed away so soon, but later this month I will find myself well away from Florida’s Emerald Coast or Mississippi’s familiar trails… I will find myself in North Carolinas piedmont, new territory to explore.

My Florida

This is a view of Florida's Emerald Coast from my eyes through just a few of my favourite photos from 2011.

Sunset

We often avoid endings we are too afraid at what they represent.  However endings can be just as beautiful as the beginnings that are to come. 

Shimmering Reflection

Reflections shimmer in the water adding a touch of magic to all that it captures. These fleeting moments mirrored on the calm abyss distorted as the wind ripples across the surface. 

Underneath It All

Walking along the Blackwater River in Milton, FL you cross underneath the US90 Bridge.   This is the side that you don’t always see on bridges that cross water, we tend to keep to the top side of those.   However I love the perspective it offers, a glimpse of something different. 

Figuring It Out

So, I came across where a stream meets the ocean. Though the sand looked solid through the water, I lifted my pants legs and stepped in to cross. No! the sand and water bogged me to my knees, so I had to backtrack and find another way around. Now I am at the other side a little sandier and wetter... And a bit cold. But I made it. Now to do this on a larger scale.

Find the Color

The world is filling with color, the leaves are turning and the shades of green are slowly being replaced with different hues.   I’m familiar with this cycle, it is one that continues on and on through our lives… and in us as well; we all grow through cycles, some more beautiful than others.

WonderWorks

Sometimes your world is turned on its head, but not always does this mean a bad thing.   Every ending is a chance to begin anew, it is up to you to seize the opportunity and make the best of it.

WonderWorks in Panama City Beach is a perfect example of this, the outside is a building turned on its head… but the inside is a place of learning made fun for children everywhere. 

A Thing of Beauty

Things happen for a reason there are times when it looks like you can’t really see the reason… but then you are suddenly face to face with what you’re looking for.  

Trail Blazer

Falling into formation is the easiest thing to do, to do what all the others are doing.  It allows for no thought or creativity on your part, you see what others do and you imitate.   I refuse to live this way; I believe that it is important to follow your heart.  The adventures that you have will make it worth all the uncertainty and fear.   If you are unwilling to blaze a new trail, there will be no new trails for people to follow.  

Transformation

We tend to focus on the moment, how bad things always happen to us.  We never step back to look and see who we become when we are faced with seeming insurmountable obstacles.   We become a thing of beauty, something to be admired.

Ave Maria

Part of Wordless Wednesday.

The Venezellos

Sitting in the small seaside town of Apalachicola lays a boat, I am unsure of the history of this boat except its name, the Venezellos.  It reminded me of the SS Hurricane Camille, a shrimp boat that washed up in Gulfport, Mississippi during the infamous 1969 storm and lasted until after Katrina when it was removed.   Considering the amount of disrepair, I doubt that this boat will remain in the city for much longer, unless someone steps up to save it.

Change of Seasons

The air grows cooler and the wind changes directions, the leaves on the trees change color and fall from their posts.   Fall is definitely in the air and soon the world will become a bit darker and the chill will once again bite to the bone.  

In just a few weeks the darkness will become festive as we embrace the things that frighten us and we celebrate moving through the cold and dark to the warmth that comes with spring.