a feeling

Sometimes there are no words
That explain a feeling
It is just there
And you know
And you feel
That you are where you are suppose to be
And when you try to explain that
You can not
It does not come out as you feel it
But deep inside you it is strong
And it is good
And so you stand deeply in it
Letting it wash over you

Currently that is where I am standing
With this song playing in the background
~ Don't Forget to Remember Me, Carrie Underwood
For reasons that are hard to explain
But keep me grounded in who I am

it was here

It was here where her ideas were born
Dreams were realized
And brought to fruition

It here that she felt strong
Supported
Loved

As she walked along the path
She felt guidance from her stars
Each one whispering words of encouragement

She was never fearful
She knew she was being held
Gently being nudged forward

It was in this moment
Where she felt anything was possibly
And the world opened up to her

sit with me

Come sit with me and share your story
I want to hear about what moves you
What makes you laugh
And what evokes that emotion in you that bring tears
Tell me your dreams
I will hold them safely in my heart
Share with me even the largest ones that you think may never happen
Together we can speculate on what it will be like when it comes true
If you are feeling brave
Share with me what scares you
I will hold your hand
And listen with compassion
We are all afraid of something
I will be there for you when you need me
Sit besides me and share with me your funniest tale
The one that makes your stomache muscles ache from laughing
Together we can relive that moment
Giggling long into the night
Life is better when you can sit and share the moments with each other
Come sit with me together we will remember

life

Embrace the beauty that surrounds you

By choosing to do this your heart will fill up with gratitude

Laugh during the moments you feel you cannot take another step

Simplify the chaos that keeps you from your passions

By doing so you will begin to bloom in unexpecting ways

Never stop wishing on stars

And realize that you hold the power to change what you are unhappy with



smile report

what made me smile

Jennifer:  "I have been wanting to get a shot of icicles all winter but there were never any close enough for me to get a good photograph.  I have contemplated walking up to some strangers house and start snapping away but figured that was not the best idea.  Coming home from work today, on my outside railing, there they were just waiting for me.  That made me smile."

what made Paul smile

Paul:  "I'm back home now and rested up after sleeping most of the day after getting home at about 6:30 a.m.  "Happy" to take a time exposure at JFK of one of it's notable buildings.  It was a 15 sec shot."  

What has you smiling today?

stepping forward

We always start where we are
And we have a destination in mind of where we want to go
But we never know where we will end up
Or how we will get there
We have to just continue putting one foot in front of the other
Trusting ourselves
Listening to our heart
And learning along the way

smile report

I pitched an idea to my friend Paul about doing some kind of photography project together.  He was willing to play along even though I was very vague about what it would be.  I had some ideas rolling around in my head but nothing I was able to articulate.  All I knew is it would involve both of us taking photographs.

The first assignment was simple.  Photograph something that makes you smile. So we both went out and did just that.  His first email contained his photo and a description of why he took it and what it was that made him smile.  Throughout the week more smile reports arrived in my email box.  Each time I received a smile report from Paul, I smiled myself.

The wheels inside my head began to turn with each "smile report" I received.  What if instead of changing the topic weekly we kept it the same ~ photographing something that made us smile.  Showing how two people, with two totally differently lives, living in different areas are stopping to appreciate that unexpected moment that made us smile.

I shared the idea with Paul and he was up for it, which made me smile.  So this little idea of mine seemed to find its form and has shaped up to be the "smile report" ~ a random dose of moments caught on film that made each of us smile.


Here is the first installment of the smile report in our own words:

                             what made me smile                                                                         what made Paul smile

Jennifer:  "Painting is fun for me.  A way to just let get and allow the brush to do the talking.  On Saturday I pulled out my paints, covered my table in newspaper, and began. This moment brought a smile to my face."

Paul:  "It's discovering a photo I didn't know existed until I came upon it.  The goose at the frozen pond at JFK airport.  I'd just gotten off the subway A train and I wondered if anything was happening on the pond and lo and behold there was the lone bird seeking a small opening in the surface.  It made me happy."


** What has made you smile today? **

upside down

You look at the world and only see what is in front of you
Keeping your eyes glued to what can fit into the box you hold
You do not think that anything is possible
You limit your dreams
You only believe in what you see
You stick with what you know
You stay where it is safe

You say that I am living dangerously
Jumping off a cliff blindfolded
You say that I not only look outside the box
But I see a box that is not even there
And when you spoke those word it was not a compliment
But that is not how my ears heard it

You think it is silly for me to dream up wild ideas
To believe that I can achieve anything
You do not understand why I can look at life so positively
You are waiting for me to make the leap
Before you even begin to dream

You think I am crazy for risking my heart
Putting myself out there
Walking the fine line between devastation and elation
You do not understand why I do it

You stand before this world and only receive what you are given
You do not go out and seek what can be found
You keep puttering along
Content, but not happy
You sit on the sidelines watching me dream big

And even though you think me a fool
I will continue to walk down this dangerous path
To feel life with my whole heart
And open up my soul to the world
I will continue to  submerge myself in what moves me
Laugh out loud
And dream what you consider to be the impossible dream


** this moment in time brought my life theme song (Upside Down ~ Jack Johnson) back to the front of my mind. Do you have a theme song for your life?

taken back

She had not looked at in so long
Forgotten it was even there
It kept it's place in the drawer
Until the moment she needed it

She had forgotten how many memories it held
She never realized how quickly it would take her back
She did not understand it's power
But it held so much for her

Even just the site of it made her remember
It fit so perfectly in her hand as it had before
It was a passage way through time now
When before it connected her to the world

She sat with it for awhile
Reliving some of the moments
Smiling at the good ones
She was grateful for being linked back

To another time
Another place
To a part of her
That will always live within her

arriving

I spread my wings and fly
Seeking the adventure
Listening to the sounds of nature
Traveling the long way home
I take six trains instead of three
And giggle while it happens
I jump in the puddles
And climb up mountains covered in snow

I listen to people stories
Soaking in where they have been
And what they have done
I observe the world
Taking the time to simply sit, watch, and listen
I seek out moments to learn something new
Trying something I have never done
And discover how it moves me

I try hard
Play as often as I can
Laugh, mostly at myself
And embrace the beautiful world around me
At least once a day I thank the world for how lucky I am

I was not always this way
I did not always see the light
And I am not exactly sure how I got here
But I have arrived
With my head held high and gratitude in my heart
And I will continue to push myself forward to my next destination

self love

My journey through life so far has taught me many different things
But one of the most important lessons I have learned
Is that above all else
I must love and cherish who I am
Tending to my heart
Speaking words of kindness to my soul
And fully believing that I am enough
This type of self care
Allows me to open myself up to the world
Smile from deep within
And step forward with confidence

Today I am sharing my words about self love
Over on Vivienne McMasters blog

Vivienne is an incredible individual
With a radiant smile
And a powerful way of expressing herself with her camera
Her self portrait photography will blow you away
She offers two amazing e-courses
Where you can step into the world of self portrait photography with support and love
I am keeping my fingers crossed that she will still be offering this course in the spring
When all of the snow has melted around these parts
If you have any doubts about self portraiture this will surely change your mind

the past lives on

Sometimes it is not easy
The memories live on within me
The moments are still there
Deep in my mind
The laughter, the smiles
They feel as if they happened yesterday
It is amazing how quickly time passes
How time can drift us apart
Yet how deeply we still remember

lessons

There is always a lesson
Something to be learned
There is always someone else out there
Pushing you to recognize something
You may not have noticed
Something you need to see
Sometimes it takes a couple of trys
A couple of people
Sometimes it is more like a battle
But in the end
It happens
The light bulb goes off
It clicks in your brain
You wonder why you never knew this before
It all makes sense
It all seems so easy
You realize the struggle was worth it
The pain has subsided
And beauty is before you

thank you

I shy away from photographing people

I get nervous to ask someone to pose

Feeling so much pressure to get it right

So I snap away at nature 

And myself

I can easily photograph myself

But I avoid videos

There is something so vulnerable

About seeing myself on the screen

And hearing my voice

But I am trying to push myself

Dig a little deeper

Go a little further into that realm of uncomfortable

So I hit record with me in front of the camera

The result is this video

I thank all of you

For being there

And supporting me on my journey

I know I can reach higher and do more

Because you are by my side

hang in there

There are moments
When we feel
Like we are struggling
To hold on
And keep it all together

There are moments
When we feel
Isolated
Alone in this universe
With no one to help us through

In those moments we must realize
We are never alone
Ever
There are others
Hanging in there with us

Each moment that passes
There is someone
Cheering us on
Holding our hand
Looking out for us

In some of these moments
The support is in the background
Other times it shows up and scoops us up
We wonder how they knew we needed them
But they just know

Life is amazing in that way
Our deep connections with others
Makes words unnecessary at times
It is just a feeling
And it is powerful

So know that
No matter how far down you feel
You are not alone
There is someone watching over you
Ensuring you will make it through

Hang in there

now is the time

It is not about fitting into a certain mold
Mingling with a select group of people
Not feeling comfortable in your own skin
It is not about who you can be at any given moment
Fitting into any situation
It is not about that at all

It is about being your truest self
Doing what it is you love
Fully submerging yourself into the things that make you happy
It is about looking at life through your eyes
Soaking in the feelings that come with the moments
Really knowing yourself
And being happy with who that person is

It is about dancing when you feel like it
Even if no one else is busting a move
It is about pushing forward
Even though others may not agree with your choices
It is about standing firm in who you are
Even when you are challenged

This is your opportunity
To play
Dream
Dance
Laugh

This is your moment
To create
Exactly what you desire
Do not hold back

Listen to what your heart is telling you
And go for it
Do not worry about others
Listen only to that tiny voice that whispers
When all else is quiet
What is that voice telling you?

Artful Blogging

I am a dreamer
A really big dreamer
Usually my dreams are just that, dreams
But sometimes things happen in my life
That I never could have dreamed up
Magical things
That blow my mind
And fill my heart with love
Today one of those things happened

A dear friend of mine, Mindy Lacefield wrote a story about me
And it was published in Artful Blogging
With two of my poems
I am stunned
Amazed
And keep pinching myself to believe it actually happened
When I saw the magazine in the bookstore I almost fell over

I met Mindy two years ago on the Oregon Coast
At the time I never realized so much magic would unfold between us
But it has
And is incredible
I have a feeling this is just the beginning of more magic to come
It gives me goosebumps to see my writing next to her artwork

It is amazing what can blossom out of love and support
Friendship opens up the door of possibility
We are able to spread are wings and soar
Knowing that we have someone to lift us up if we fall

Mindy has held my hand and gently nudged me along the way
Opening my eyes to things I never knew possible
She is an extremely talented artist
And has this incredible warm heart
I am so blessed to have her as a friend

Thank you Mindy
For your love
Support
And sunshine that you carry with you
xo