Sunday, November 8, 2009

brightness falls

the evening clears --
on the pale sky
row on row of autumn mountains

issa



the holes in the wall
play the flute
this autumn evening.

issa



there is much in life to be devoutly thankful for.
it's my own belief that regardless of their nature,
life's experiences
are to be received with grace
and used to share whatever goodness and kindness
is possible
or necessary

without condition.

much as the light
that breaks
through the cloudbank
brings colour
and warmth
to the ground it passes over.

32 comments:

Jinksy said...

You just proved clouds have silver linings...

Tess Kincaid said...

Lovely holes in the ceiling of cloud! Glorious pics, Steven. Hope you and yours enjoy today.

Golden West said...

Heavenly!

Barry said...

The last photo is a masterpiece, steven. It needs framed and put on on a wall somewhere prominent.

Bonnie Zieman, M.Ed. said...

Love the shafts of light in your shots there Steven. Words and images marry beautifully.

hope said...

These kinds of shots are my favorite! It's as if God is shining a spotlight and saying, "Look! Right there! See that spot of beauty you missed by being in such a hurry."

Have a great week.

steven said...

hi jinksy - right you are!!! have a lovely sunday. steven

steven said...

willow thankyou. there's lots of housework and schoolwork to do today but time for my family is always front and centre - no matter what! have a lovely day at the manor. steven

steven said...

hi golden west - i love cloudbreaks like that so much!!!! i'm glad you do as well. steven

Unknown said...

I always think there are angels above the light shafts.

The clouds look so very heavy and full of the white stuff. It can stay in the clouds a little while longer....LIKE UNTIL APRIL!!!!!!!!!

The photography is stunning Steven!

steven said...

barry - thankyou. i posted these as much because life is so full of "clouds" (i like them so it's hard for me to connect to people who see them as unpleasant but i understand . . . .) that it's really nice to see light pouring through as metaphoric hope, goodness, "light" in other words. this kind of light doesn't seem to happen very often so i was thrilled to be able to get out and not only see the rays pouring through but also to share them. have a peaceful sunday barry. steven

steven said...

hi bonnie - issa can do no wrong and neither can mother nature. they are almost one and the same in that respect!!! have a lovely day. steven

steven said...

hope what a beautiful way of describing this experience! thanks for adding to this post!!! steven

steven said...

linda - thankyou! i noticed a few days ago on a particularly windy and cool day that the clouds looked like what i call snow clouds. they have a different look about them that i'd be hard-pressed to put into words. it's almost a feeling. there was wet snow mixed in with rain one day last week but nothing that "stuck". i'm still riding every day so i'm hoping it'll hold off for a few weeks longer. then, christmas eve mother nature can turn the big handle on the snow machine and bawhoosh!!!! drop the whole blessed load at once!!! have a lovely sunday linda. steven

ellen abbott said...

The sky is awesome.

steven said...

hello ellen - it so very is. almost all the time! steven

Lisa Ursu said...

Those pictures are absolutely beautiful. I took some similar ones recently, but only you could pair them with equally beautiful words. Wow. Your blog would make the most gorgeous book(s).
Thanks for sharing.
Enjoy your SUNday.

Jenny Stevning said...

In my former life (the hellish one) sky watching was what kept me sane. Clouds brought me much entertainment and my daughter and I would see who would be the first one to spot the God Light (as we called it.)
At first glance your photos bring bittersweet memories, but then just amazing beauty.
Thank you.

steven said...

hello liza - thankyou very much!! i do make books of my photographs - well my personal favourites - because i work on a mac they have a set-up whereby i can assemble a book and they'll print it for me.
it is very very sunny here today - ten celsius - which is comfortable for this time of year. i'm going to fit a bike ride in later so i can see and smell ad hear and feel the countryside. have a lovely day. steven

Pauline said...

No matter where you look - up, down, around - you see beauty! Thanks for sharing.

steven said...

hi jenny stevning - the outside world is what keeps me whole. so i get your cloudwatching - i very get it!!! there are experiences from my past that resonate through my present experiencing and sometimes colour it, but you know what? i fight to regain their beauty, their sacred nature, just because! have a peaceful sunday. steven

steven said...

hi pauline - that's how i think!!!! thanks for visiting... steven

Dan Gurney said...

Inspiring post! I agree that we are of greatest service and value when we see beauty and kindness and love and shine our corner of the world with it. It's great work and makes us feel better and everyone around us, too. It's what flowers and the whole of the natural world is doing all the time. We need only to unplug our media devices and look.

Delwyn said...

Hello Steven

I learned from Reya that these are called crepuscular rays, however I have always referred to them as the fingers of God.
The skies over Kauai are daily filled with such rays as the clouds rise to pass over the Na Pali Mountains on the north of the island.

Thanks for your concern at my absence. A little burn out coupled with many tasks and activities has meant a reshuffling of priorities..

Happy days

steven said...

thankyou dan - it's lovely to see you here. i appreciate your connecting my thoughts to the actions of the natural world. it's always there, free of expectation and filled with knowledge and wisdom to help me through this life. have a peaceful evening. steven

steven said...

hi delwyn, crepuscular rays / fingers of God. both speak to me! i've struggled myself of late with personal and professional demands impinging on my ability to be all that i am meant to be.
it's my wife's dream to visit or live in hawaii. i shied away from the idea until i learned that not all of hawaii is overrun with tourists or tourist-based experiences. for example kauai.
my love and peace to you delwyn tatton. steven

Butternut Squash said...

much as the light
that breaks
through the cloudbank...
I can see the golden light you shed from here and I am basking in its glow. Peace.

Butternut Squash said...

much as the light
that breaks
through the cloudbank...
I can see the golden light you shed from here and I am basking in its glow. Peace.

Dervish said...

absolutely gorgeous. your pictures demonstrate that even in disparate places, we are subject to the play of light and shadow.

steven said...

thankyou butternut - thankyou! have a lovely day. steven

steven said...

absolutly true alan. love from dad

Kathleen said...

How true, Steven. And sometimes, so hard.