Gems 5.165

I hope you’re having a beautiful day. ♡
Here’s another light-filled ¤ Gem ¤

5.165

Photo by Niki Flow

“In order to see birds it is necessary to become a part of the silence.”
― Robert Lynd

I took this photo yesterday from my car while waiting for my son.  I caught both the bird and the plane (the tiny dot above the bird) without realizing it.  The sky is endlessly changing and beautiful to me.

♥.

Gems 3.60

I hope you’re having a beautiful day. ♡
Here’s another light-filled ¤ Gem ¤

silence macrina wiederkehr

Photo “LBI Jetty” by Niki Flow

I found this quote today while looking for a quote that combined vision (to go along with the photo ^_^) and “silence.” What a gift that search became! It not only led me to this beautiful excerpt from “Seven Sacred Pauses” (which is now on my “want to read” list) but it led me to Macrina’s website. This is how she describes herself in her about section which is so lovely I included the entire thing on today’s Gem on under1000skies:

About Macrina Wiederkehr

Windows are openings to life, providing scenic views for inspiration. If you come to my window I hope you will find the blessing of a scenic view that inspires you. Perhaps it will be a supportive message from my blog, a poem, a quote or a prayer. It could be the discovery of a good book to read, or a movie to view—perhaps an invitation to attend one of my retreats.

When someone asks where I’m from and who I am, this is how I like to introduce myself: I come from the meadows, vineyards and forests of Altus, Arkansas. The country is a cherished memory of what I call first home. My childhood companions were animals, birds, insects, trees, plants, wild flowers and angels. I come from a family that was not without flaws. By today’s standards we may even qualify as a bit dysfunctional yet in spite of our defects I have always felt a unique and beautiful bond with my family.

My second home is with my Benedictine community of sisters, St. Scholastica Monastery in Fort Smith, Arkansas. We follow the rule of St. Benedict with the gospel as our guide.

from About Macrina on MacrinaWeiderkehr.com

Journey Notes and News

Monday June 19 to Saturday June 24, we’ll be offline (medical stuff).  We’ll return on Monday June 26th.  The theme for this last week in June is “silence,” “listening,” “stillness,” and “sacred space.”   If you have a favorite quote about any or all of those, please let us know.  Also, we don’t currently have a theme for July.  If you have any ideas, please let us know.

Your Creativity

As always, we would love to feature your creative visions! If you would like to contribute photos, art work, short poems/stories, quotes, time, etc., please see our “About Us” page for details.  When we show each other what we find beautiful, we get a glimpse into each others’ hearts.

May you find joy every day of your journey through life,

under1000skies logo 1
☼ A “Giftivism” Initiative ☼
We are photographers,
writers, artists & advocates
serving and connecting
homeless creatives.

Gems 3.59

I hope you’re having a beautiful day. ♡
Here’s another light-filled ¤ Gem ¤

closed mouth spoke silent rumi mick

Photo “Age of Silence” by Niki Flow

About Rumi

Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī (Persian: جلال‌الدین محمد رومی‎‎) (30 September 1207 – 17 December 1273) was a 13th-century Persian Sunni Muslim poet, jurist, Islamic scholar, theologian, and Sufi mystic. Rumi’s influence transcends national borders and ethnic divisions.  His poems have been widely translated into many of the world’s languages and transposed into various formats. Rumi has been described as the “most popular poet”and the “best selling poet” in the United States.

Rumi’s works are written mostly in Persian, but occasionally he also used Turkish, Arabic, and Greek in his verse. His Masnavi (Mathnawi), composed in Konya, Turkey, is considered one of the greatest poems of the Persian language. His works are widely read today in their original language across Greater Iran and the Persian-speaking world. Translations of his works are very popular, most notably in Turkey, Azerbaijan, the United States, and South Asia.

His poetry has influenced Persian literature, but also Turkish, Ottoman Turkish, Azerbaijani, as well as the literature of some other Turkic, Iranian, and Indo-Aryan languages including Chagatai, Urdu, Pashto, and Bengali.

from “Rumi – Wikipedia”

Journey Notes

Our upcoming Spotlight Saturday will be really special. I had the chance to speak to Dr. Bell of Sheltering Grace in Georgia and can’t wait to tell you about that interview.  It just filled me with joy.

News

Monday June 19 to Saturday June 24, we’ll be offline (medical stuff).  We’ll return on Monday June 26th.  The theme for this last week in June is “silence,” “listening,” “stillness,” and “sacred space.”   If you have a favorite quote about any or all of those, please let us know.  Also, we don’t currently have a theme for July.  If you have any ideas, please let us know.

Radical Self-Expression ☼ Radical Acceptance

This is the first and probably last self-portrait I’ve ever done for under1000skies but this is a subject close to my heart. It’s ridiculously terrifying to post this all over the place which is why I knew I had to do it.

From today on, I’m practicing something my friend told me about recently, a Burning Man way of life that encompasses everyone and everything. It’s simple, wise and really beautiful:

* Radical Self-Expression
* Radical Acceptance

He wrote,

“Embracing those two principles starts with [‘Radical Self-Expression’] — being introspective to figure out how to be yourself. What do I want to do? To be? How can I express that? And then you try stuff on. And some of it fails miserably. And some of it is awesome. But all of it can be fun. You always learn something… “Meanwhile, ‘Radical Acceptance’ requires you to suspend judgement of others–to give them room to express themselves. It’s pretty hard to do that and to attempt ‘Radical Self-Expression’ without learning how to give yourself that same room…”

I love simple wisdom because it is the kind that sinks into your bones and extends across ages, cultures, all borders. Like Rumi’s poetry.

Your Creativity

As always, we would love to feature your creative visions! If you would like to contribute photos, art work, short poems/stories, quotes, time, etc., please see our “About Us” page for details.  When we show each other what we find beautiful, we get a glimpse into each others’ hearts.

May you find joy every day of your journey through life,

under1000skies logo 1
  ☼ A “Giftivism” Initiative ☼
We are photographers,
   writers, artists & advocates
   serving and connecting
   homeless creatives.

Gems 3.58

I hope you’re having a beautiful day. ♡
Here’s another light-filled ¤ Gem ¤

Silence AngelaLong Gems 3-5-8 Photos NikiFlow 2

Photos “Oh Beautiful,” “DC Sunset,” “LBI Gull” and “Son at Sunset” by Niki Flow.

 

 

About Angela Long

Angela Long is the author of Observations off the Grid.

Angela Long had never heard of “off-the-grid” until she found herself living there. In a cedar-log cabin on a remote archipelago, she collects rainwater and fuels her laptop with windpower. Here, a collection of poems has emerged – the product of twenty years spent wandering through different countries and cultures. From Chicacao to Varanasi, Milan to Haida Gwaii, Observations from Off-the-Grid explores life beyond conventional demarcations. Here reader meets author as English teacher in war-torn Guatemala, meditation student in India. The collection gives voice to victims of torture, beggars, the homeless. It gives voice to the heartache of a Sunday afternoon. With its simple language and universal insights, this is a collection that welcomes everyone.  – Goodreads.com

Journey Notes

Special thanks to Mish or Wavingatyou for today’s quote (and all those submitted in the past). ♥ The theme for June is “silence,” “listening,” “stillness,” and “sacred space.”   If you have a favorite quote about any or all of those, please let us know!

Your Creativity

As always, we would love to feature your creative visions! If you would like to contribute photos, art work, short poems/stories, quotes, time, etc., please see our “About Us” page for details.  When we show each other what we find beautiful, we get a glimpse into each others’ hearts.

May you find joy every day of your journey through life,

under1000skies logo 1
  ☼ A “Giftivism” Initiative ☼
We are photographers,
   writers, artists & advocates
   serving and connecting
   homeless creatives.

Gems 3.57

I hope you’re having a beautiful day. ♡
Here’s another light-filled ¤ Gem ¤

silence J Francis leaves

Photo “Back Yard Mystery*” by Niki Flow.

 

Botany Question!

Check it out! I just found the coolest botany site. I uploaded ^ this photo and they identified my plant. How awesome is that? So now I’m going to do like I promised and share their site all over because I have been bugging everyone about this plant! 😀

So this is the site:
https://gobotany.newenglandwild.org/plantshare/questions/all/2017/#q1342

And this is what they said:

Answer
Dear jazztizz, your plant looks like a species of Ampelopsis (peppervine). In our part of the world, Amur peppervine (Ampelopsis glandulosa) is the most common species with lobed leaves. Best wishes.

About J. (John) Francis, Planet Walker.”

Journey Notes

Special thanks to Ann C. for today’s quote.  The theme for June is “silence,” “listening,” “stillness,” and “sacred space.”   If you have a favorite quote about any or all of those, please let us know!

Your Creativity

As always, we would love to feature your creative visions! If you would like to contribute photos, art work, short poems/stories, quotes, time, etc., please see our “About Us” page for details.  When we show each other what we find beautiful, we get a glimpse into each others’ hearts.

May you find joy every day of your journey through life,

under1000skies logo 1
  ☼ A “Giftivism” Initiative ☼
We are photographers,
   writers, artists & advocates
   serving and connecting
   homeless creatives.