Open the Gate...

Open the Gate

Photograph by: Karen Holmes

"As for me," wrote Walt Whitman, "I know of nothing else but miracles."

Just think, in this very day, you could open the gate to new life... you could experience a miracle.

Open the gate... walk through...

Come Sit...

Come Sit...

Photograph by: Karen Holmes

"Where you stand depends on where you sit."

-Nelson Mandela

Sometimes it is helpful to take some time to take a seat and rest awhile, before you decide where it is you intend to stand. My grandfather and I passed a lot of time just sitting together and not really saying much of anything; from those times, I figured out that I wanted to align and stand for many of the same important things he stood for. You can learn a great deal if you are willing to just sit back for a bit... before you stand!

Happy Accidents

Happy Accident?

Photograph by: Karen Holmes

"Look for ‘Happy Accidents’ and appreciate them!

Seek to discover what has creatively occurred in spite of your influence –

you might find it to be most unpredictably stunning,

and will go far beyond your initial imaginings.” 

-VICKI FISH

Years ago, I attended my first quilt show. Perhaps I should have been more inclined to remember a certain intricate pattern or exquisite design, as there were many on display. Instead, I took away an unusual gift of understanding, and it has served me well throughout many years, most particularly at times when I find I have made a mistake (big or small)...

Quilters of long ago would intentionally create a “mistake” tucked within their quilt pattern. To the quilters, the mistake gave homage to Divine presence - God lived right there within the faltered stitch that diverted away from expectedness. When I happen to come across an aged handcrafted quilt, I look intently to discover if the quilter included, unreservedly, their mistake within the beauty of their creation – if I find it, I simply smile knowingly.

In my own life, I have learned to become far more open to the inspirational influence secluded within my mistakes. I am humbled, yet if I go beyond my initial humiliation, I seem to attract the prospect of something else that was best described as a "Happy Accident" by my former art instructor,Vicki Fish.

Sometimes, when I do see, or even remember, my mistakes… I realize it is okay to simply smile softly and recognize that appreciation just might be my very best response...

Forever Friends

Immersed in Friendship

Photograph by: Karen Holmes

"So, Mr. Ron, it occurred to me: If you is fishin for a friend you just goin' catch and release,

then I ain't got no desire to be your friend...

But if you is lookin for a real friend, then I'll be one. Forever."

SAME KIND OF DIFFERENT AS ME, RON HALL & DENVER MOORE

My grandmother, who was also one of my very first "forever" friends, owned a sweet antique shop, which I loved to visit. On the walls of her shop were dozens of carefully selected, beautifully handcrafted ancient clocks; they had literally and figuratively "stood the test of time." A lot like viewing my grandmother's precious timepiece collection, I can look back over my shoulder and gaze into the devoted faces of long-time friends, and become mesmerized by their distinctions and the time that has passed within the comfort of their steadiness. Those individuals have become a priceless collection of  mine... I am deeply, deeply grateful for how they have graced my life with their "forever friendships."

House of Belonging

Memory Porch

Photograph by: Karen Holmes

"You are warmed and sheltered.

You are completely at one in the house of your own longing and belonging"

JOHN O'DONOHUE, ANAM CARA

When I was little, I spent hours upon hours creating home environments for my dolls using books, blocks and other found objects. Therefore, it is not terribly surprising that much of my life path has revolved around identifying and securing comfortable home surroundings for others. What I have learned along the way is that we are a lot like birds - we are naturally equipped with our own sensitive and custom navigation and migration patterns; we innately know where and what home is in the depths of our hearts. I have also learned that even if you move and leave behind a beloved home, the imprint of that "heart place" will remain secure. Rest assured, nothing is ever lost... home, indeed, is where the heart is.

 Home Waits for You

Photograph by: Karen Holmes