Quiet Reflection Sunday- Listen

Put your ear down close to your soul and listen hard.


Anne Sexton

Hope you all have enjoyed the holidays.
I spend the time between Christmas and New
Year in reflection. I briefly look back and then move on to the coming year.


This year my focus is on joy. What brings joy
to my life and how can I, in my own small way, 
share that joy.

I thought it would be fun to hear from you about
joy. What brings joy to your life?

Have a wonderful, safe New Year.

Susan Hemann

QUIET REFLECTION SUNDAY-Holden Arboretum

 Life isn't about finding yourself.

Life is about creating yourself.

George Bernard Shaw

I choose this quote because creating myself is about my connection with nature. When I was a young, single mother, I knew I would not get the chance to be in my studio 24/7. At that point, I realized that being an artist was much more than studio time. It is a way of life.

My family and I went to Holden Arboretum in Kirtland Ohio to celebrate my birthday. It is a marvelous place. They have a canopy walk which was wide enough for my wheelchair. 

Well, I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday!

Thanks for stopping by,

Susan Hemann

QUIET REFLECTION SUNDAY

Watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you
because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most 
unlikely places.

Roald Dahl

Quiet Reflection Sunday

     Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul
     and sings the tunes without words
     and never stops at all.


      Emily Dickinson
      

Quiet Reflection Sunday

And Spring arose on the garden fair,
Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere;
And each flower and herb on Earth's dark breast
Rose from the dreams of it's wintry rest.


Percy Bysshe Shelley


Ah Spring and poetry go together. I can hardly wait
for the leaves to turn. Saw a robin the other day!
This photo was taken at a park not far from my home.
It is my favorite spot. Hope you have a wonderful
Sunday. I will be busy painting with my grandson.

Quiet Reflection Sunday- remember when....

Life isn't a matter of milestone's, but of moments.

Rose Kennedy


Sometimes I get so wrapped up in finishing,
without paying attention to the process.

It isn't about how many, but of quality.

Sue Hemann

have a great week!

QUIET REFLECTION SUNDAY- May the stars...

May the stars
carry your sadness away,
May the flowers
fill your heart with beauty,
May hope forever
wipe away your tears,
And above all,
may silence make you strong.

Chief Dan George


Good Sunday morning to you all.
Hope you all made special memories
this past holiday season.

January is a reflective time of year
for me. A quiet time for listening in.
A time for the stillness of nature as
it rests, that is until a clipper arrives.

I do not set goals or make elaborate
plans, instead I make a priorities map.
I take a large sheet of paper and 
randomly write my priorities.
ex: spirituality, family, artist etc..
Throughout the month, as I reflect,
I will write under the headings things I may want to do to move along my path.

It is not a path of change, such as I will loose 50 pounds, but rather adding quality to my life, as defined
by me.

Is there something you would like 
to do this year that would add to 
the quality of your life? Please share,
I enjoy reading what others are doing.

Have a good week! Keep warm!
For those of you in warm climates,
I could use your sun.

Sue

Christmas gifts

I would like an attitude adjustment
for Christmas this year. Strange gift,
I know, but when you have major
depression, the holidays can be difficult. I love this time of year and everything about Christmas. It is a time for renewal, the giving of gifts and being with friends and family.
I am blessed with all of that and yet
I cannot sustain a joyful temperament.

How do you stay joyful?

Nature brings me close to God and 
helps sustain me. My soul is refueled.

So, I'm wishing you all a joyful holiday season and blessings in the
new year. 

Quiet Reflection Sunday- Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day is my favorite holiday. A time for
family and friends and taking care of others. It's a time
for feeding birds and animals. A time for giving thanks.
A time for food!! I love food. I am fortunate that I am
able to select what I would like for Thanksgiving dinner.

Thanksgiving is also a time when I remember those who
have moved on. I miss them so.

This year there is a new addition to the family, my son
will be flying in from San Francisco and my daughter
is cooking.

Today I think about my mother and the past. We always
had a large crowd at Thanksgiving. All I'm going to say
is Catholic. I'm sure you get the idea. It would take days to plan, shop, cook and ugh, the clean up.

I see Thanksgiving as a process, an installation of love.
There is beauty and art from cutting the vegetables to
serving a feast.

So I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
I'm praying for those who will not be eating and
enjoying company on Thanksgiving.

One more thing, it would seriously be remiss of me not mention football!!  When is kick-off?

Quiet Reflection Sunday

I
only went out
for a walk, and
finally concluded
to stay out till
sundown, for
going out, I
found, was really
going in.


John Muir

Quiet Reflection Sunday-Sandy Ridge Wetlands

I go to nature to be soothed and healed,
and to have my senses put in order.

John Burroughs


Did you see the bald eagle?

These photos were taken at Sandy Ridge Reservation, Part of the Lorain County Metro Parks

Quiet Reflection Sunday

Live the full life of the mind,
exhilarated by new ideas,
intoxicated by the romance of the unusual.

Ernest Hemingway



In this world of constant stimuli, it is nature that slows my pace.  I practice the art of seeing when I'm outside. It is easy to
have life pass by in a flash. Do you every stop and wonder what 
you did yesterday, last week etc...? Doesn't it seem that this year
has flown by? Well, for me, nature slows life down. It gives me 
time to reflect, to stop whatever bullet train I've been on and 
examine whether I truly want all that constant motion. Being 
outdoors allows me to see the small things that matter the most.
To ask questions. Perhaps to quietly be with those I love.

Quiet Reflection Sunday

So, what if, instead of thinking about solving your whole life,
you just think about adding additional good things. One at a
time. Just let your pile of good things grow.

unknown

Well I cannot believe it is the end of June already!! This month
has flown by. Goodness, I want to say wait a minute, put the brake
on, let me get caught up, so I can enjoy the summer.

This past month I have been busy in my garden. Prepping the soil, planting seeds and moving existing plants around. I planted my garden ten years ago, so plants need to be moved to new locations.

Pretty soon it will be time for dyeing. I like to dye fabric using the
plants in my garden and vegetables
from the farmers close to my house. I consider dyeing my experiments. Sometimes they work, sometimes nothing happens, but I love it just the same. I'm known for throwing many things from nature in the pot. One day my daughter stopped over, she saw the pot on the stove and asked if I was making soup because it smelled so good. When I told her it was my dye pot she just groaned.

Well I hope you all are enjoying the summer so far and have fun plans ahead. 

Quiet Reflection Sunday

Happy Mothers Day!

As we express our gratitude. we must never forget
that the highest appreciation is not to utter words,
but to live by them.

John F Kennedy

Good morning and happy Sunday everyone. I went out early this 
morning, when the sun was rising to take pictures and enjoy
the sights, sounds and smells of nature. Quite a gift this Mothers
Day. Kennedy's quote was not written in reference to Mothers Day, but how appropriate for the today. I miss my mother so much and would give anything to be able to give her a hug this morning.
I did not always agree with my mother, but she was human after all. Sometimes it's best to just remember the good. She did the best she could and as a mother myself I can appreciate how difficult it is to be a parent. So for today I choose to remember her smiles, her hugs
and the best memories. Love you Mom!!

Do you have a favorite memory of your mother?

Quiet Reflection Sunday

The limits of the possible 
can only be defined
by going beyond them into
the impossible.

Arthur C. Clarke

Quiet Reflection Sunday

All the art of living lies in a fine mingling
of letting go and holding on.

Henry Ellis

Quiet Reflection Sunday

One ought, every day at least, to hear
a little song, read a good poem, see a
fine picture, and if it were possible,
to speak a few reasonable words.

Goethe

Quiet Reflection Sunday

We gain strength and courage and confidence by each experience
in which we really stop to look fear in the face.
We must do that which we think we cannot.

Eleanor Roosevelt

Quiet Reflection Sunday

When you pray move your feet.


African proverb

Quiet Reflection Sunday

Raise your words, not your voice.
It is rain that grows flowers not thunder.

Rumi