Words Bring Calm

This past Thursday I took the "initiative" to discover the Babson Boulder Trail in Dogtown, an abandoned inland settlement in Gloucester, with my two sons in tow.

Although we were encouraged to "be on time," the etched boulders we encountered were really beyond time.

 The route to "intelligence" was simply nature...

...."work" was something we did to become better human beings...

and "courage" was something we followed...

...in order to soothe fear...

...while "kindness" brought nothing but happiness...

...with "truth" lighting the way.

Words are always there for us when we need them, calming our deepest core.

Flowers Convey Hope

In Victorian times, flowers were sent to convey romantic expressions or coded messages. For example, foxglove conveyed "insincerity"...

...larkspur conveyed "lightness"...

...and lupin conveyed "imagination." As I walked the grounds of Kimball Farm admiring their collection of (stalk) flowers, I felt hopeful.

Morning Light Blesses Us

Morning light blesses

the orange poppy blossom,

igniting me too

Bonsai Mimic Our True Nature

A couple of weeks ago, when my mom and siblings were visiting, we went to one of my favorite places, Bonsai West in Littleton.

Today I went back and relived our collective excitement for these precious "Bonsai," which is both the Chinese and Japanese word for "trees in a pot."

Some Bonsai were flowering, like this azalea...

...or standing tall, like this jade...

...or embracing themselves, like this gnarled Bonsai...

...or living life to the fullest and longest, like this 300- to 400-year-old Juniper...

...or clustered together, like this Bonsai forest. Bonsai become more beautiful with time and, as we appreciate them, they implore us to do the same.