Monday, October 31, 2011

All Hallow's Eve


Nothing says scary like lamb costumes for grown women.

May the spirits be with you.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

leaf and stone






it was a peaceful morning walking with the dead.
i can see them from my window.
  today, in the soft october light they beckoned.
mighty yellow leaves and the blue sky of dreams
sheltered and lit their sorrows.

there must have been sorrows.
ruth, wife of henry, you left days before 49.
grace and arthur~
you barely skimmed the surface;
do you remember this earth?

and fannie.
you came and went in 17 months.
your sister after you in 34 months.
your brother after her in 16 months.
how did your mother survive?

but, fannie, that was 146 years ago.
i hope you came again and lived a full life.
i hope you walked with yellow leaves and stone.
i hope you found out for yourself
that amid the small tragedies of living 
the blue sky of dreams is shelter and wildness at once.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

52 Photos Project~ October 26th

The Octagon House here in Mayberry

...Because there are always many sides to a story.


"Look Up"~ for Bella

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Monday, October 24, 2011

i can almost see them



doors close, one upon another.
there is no going back.
i don't want to.

time will tell if it was wasted.
or if simply more character needed to be built.

i will not see you and you and you again.
but, thank you.

i await the windows.
pain forming panes that fly open,
sunshine and glory streaming through.

answers. freedom. purpose. life.

the little birds are leaving.
the owls will come.
i can almost see them.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Monday, October 17, 2011

wind and water



safe in the roots of the sitting tree,
i sat with wind at the edge of water.
there was shifting and change.
it was cold.

do not be uneasy with the changes,
said the sitting tree to me.
if everything were to leave you,
if you feel you are alone
and cast off,
you are not.

you are safe in the winds and
the turbulent waters,
for your anchor, your roots 
lie not outside,
they begin and end in your soul.

Friday, October 14, 2011

The Soul In Bloom~ gratitude


page 45


The Soul In Bloom is on sale!!
25% off October 17th through the 31st!

"I've been savoring my copy of soul in bloom ~
Graciel, honestly... it is just gorgeous.
The quality, the photos, the intimate words.
I love it - and I thought you should know
that I think you've created something magical."
Bella

"Your magazine moved me to tears - and I don't cry very much."
Emmy

"My mom asked me to thank you for the magazine,
she absolutely loves it!"
Kelly

Thank you to the many dear souls who have taken a chance on
my 3rd issue of The Soul In Bloom.
Thank you for the generous praise.
Thank you for sharing this issue with your friends and family.
You have all made my heart immensely full.
And you give me strength to do more.


To purchase a copy of the Autumn, Summer or Spring issues of
The Soul In Bloom, go HERE to sign up.

Should you have any difficulties in the signing up process
(it can happen, ask my Mom), send me an email at
evenstarart@gmail.com and we'll figure out how to get a copy to your door.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Sunday, October 09, 2011

Ready Or Not


I remember the time I knew everything. It was such a short time, that brief blip in history, when I understood and I could explain. But then age advanced; more chemicals laced my hair, collagen began collapsing and people I knew started dying. It was when the dying began that I understood I knew practically nothing at all.

Today, I learn of the passing of a good, good man. He celebrated his 54th birthday and died, unexpectedly, the very next day. Platitudes masked as well meaning wisdom haven't a place in this scene. In fact, there is nothing to say. The wisdom, if there is any, lies in the honoring of emotions and a deep and abiding inventory of what there is to be grateful for. There is also the vow to use whatever wisdom I think I may have to get on with it. To unfurl. To bloom as big as I can, ready or not.

Saturday, October 08, 2011

The Obession Continues, part 2



blue ribbon farms percherons












I am afraid of horses. And I am mesmerized by the largest of their kind. I cannot explain this sudden desire, this need, to be near them, to learn what this wagon-hitch business is about.

Lisa and me, we are bitten and smitten. We are willing to travel to get the next fix. So we went one state east and found joy unimaginable in the ring.  Then after, finding the barns, (the barns!) and melting into the background watching, watching the dismantling of giants.

Somewhere in the tangle of hoof and wheel and harness is the message of power. Of companionship. Of teamwork. Of happiness that cannot be explained, and yet must be followed unblinking. It is the message of new worlds to be explored and reverence, sweet reverence for the pull of the natural world.

The Obession Continues, part 1



belgians

percherons

10 teams x 6~ wouldn't fit in the frame...

18 teams of 6 draft horses each competing
for the $30,000 first prize at the
Eastern States Exposition
in Springfield, Massachusetts,
October, 2011.