HelenJr's photostream

Poem:
Lo! I am come to autumn,
When all the leaves are gold;
Grey hairs and golden leaves cry out
The year and I are old.
~~Gold Leaves, G.K. Chesterton
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From me:
New Year's never marks the spring or summer of my life. It is like autumn, a bittersweet moment of recognition: how much has past; the preciousness of what remains.

The lesson repeats, year after year, telling me to wring each wonderful moment out of what life offers. Yet, I never learn the lesson well enough to meet the new year without some regret. We humans learn slowly and have short memories. That is why I take pictures.

My wish to all my friends this year: many photo-ops, few regrets, always enough good light, battery, and memory card to try the shot again.

Quote:
The hero is the one who kindles a great light in the world, who sets up blazing torches in the dark streets of life for men to see by. The saint is the man who walks through the dark paths of the world, himself a light.
~~Felix Adler
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From me:
We all have a tradition of light's triumph over darkness. Perhaps the ultimate sadness is to know the light exists somewhere, but be unable to find it in ourselves. The ultimate happiness: to discover a glimmer within, and watch it grow.

Poem:
I shall foot it
Down the roadway in the dusk,
Where shapes of hunger wander
And the fugitives of pain go by.
I shall foot it
In the silence of the morning,
See the night slur into dawn,
Hear the slow great winds arise
Where tall trees flank the way
And shoulder toward the sky.
~~Carl Sandburg, from THE ROAD AND THE END
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From me:
There are places that make me feel small and alone. But small is not the same as insignificant. In the huge, open state of Alaska, I thought that an individual could own his destiny. Isn't that what heroic tales are made of? ...the triumph of a small person within a large world. In Alaska, I imagined I could be a small hero.

Quote:
What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace.
~~Agnes M. Pharo
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I wish you all sweet blessings this holiday season: Blessings to recieve, blessings to give, blessings to share and remember. May they replenish your soul and leave you with enough left over to begin again next year, as well.

Quote:
I go to nature to be soothed and healed, And to have my senses put in order.
~~John Burroughs
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Photography is a solitary pleasure for me. It is an opportunity to escape the clock, the interuptions, the chatter. For a little while, I can center my thoughts and consider my relationship to things that don't talk back. A truly wonderful afternoon would find me in quiet place, with good light, unlimited memory cards, and a battery that never dies.