Tuesday, August 11, 2009

pages from the summer journal ~ august 11


click the image to enlarge so you don't end up squinting and making wrinkly lines around your eyes!!!!

24 comments:

Goldenrod said...

Oh, Steven! SOMEone, somewhere on down the line, is going to cherish your wonderful daily journals far more than their worth can po$$ibly bring. They are absolutely priceless, dear man!! I have often wished that we were closer so that I could meet you in person ... not for your sake, but for mine! I'm so glad to have discovered you, albeit by surfing the net.

Dan Gurney said...

So did you really ride with him a couple of days ago? Is your dad still alive?

steven said...

hi dan, my dad flew away on dec. 6. 2008. as a devoted buddhist he had spent the year prior to this in preparing his soul for leaving his body and moving on to whatever it needed next. it was his presence that rode with me two days ago. but today is one year since i celebrated his last birthday and he rode his bike. thanks for asking. steven

steven said...

well goldenrod, my children look at these now and my daughter loves them. she's very appreciative. my boy isn't sure what to do or say about most things these days. he'll come around!!! thanks for your sweet comments - you're such a good and generous person!! have a lovely evening. steven

Delwyn said...

Hi Steven

that must have been a lovely experience and a comforting feeling to have him near...

I am off to NZ to see my ailing Dad this weekend...and my mum too of course, who has broken her foot - I told her she didn't need to do that to keep me company...

Happy days

Eryl said...

I just love your journal, it looks so beautiful even before reading a word, and then what you write is beautiful too.

I sometimes feel my mother's presence when I'm cooking, that's what she loved to do, especially bake cakes. When I bake a birthday cake for one of the boys I feel her there most strongly of all: sitting at the kitchen table telling me how glad she is that at least one of her daughters likes to bake!

steven said...

hi delwyn, you know what - it truly was really nice!! i miss him a lot and then some times not at all. but there are times when i wish i could share with him so many of the little things that i used to. your poor mum - your poor dad!!! oh i bet they're really looking forward to you coming to be with them!!! have a lovely day by the river. steven

Dan Gurney said...

Ah, I am glad to know your dad a little better. It doesn't surprise me too much that he was a Buddhist. I hope he found rebirth in a heavenly realm. Do you know what sort of Buddhism he practiced? Tibetan? Theravadin? Zen?

In regard to the months, I'm sure you know July and August were added by the Roman emperors, Julius and Augustus respectively. That's why September is 9th instead of 7th, October is 10th instead of 8th, etc.

I always thought it strange that the months Sept through December kept their names even though they're 2 off their count thanks to those emperors.

steven said...

hi eryl, thanks for your generous comments. it's really fun and relaxing to write and draw. i give myself an hour on summer days. the schoolyear's a whole different matter!! once a week if i'm lucky. it's really cool to be able to share something as intimate as feeling our parent's presence. there are people who wouldn't quite understand that!! thanks for your visits and thoughtful comments eryl. steven

ellen abbott said...

What a delightful journal and much much later when you pass on, your kids are going to love them.

steven said...

hi dan, he practiced tibetan buddhism. he worked with a group in his hometown, one in toronto and then was connected to a monastery in tibet.
he was very devoted to his practice.
thanks for the insights into the calendar. the roman emperors were a law and a world unto themselves!!!
thanks for dropping by dan. steven

steven said...

hello ellen, thankyou for that. you know it's funny - i love writing my blogs, but i especially love writing my journal. perhaps because i can draw and add coloured details, put photographs where i want them and text that looks human. hmmmmmm. i wonder if blogs will ever get that home made feel about them?? have a lovely evening and thanks for visiting. steven

Totalfeckineejit said...

What a great Journal.I love the illustration of the bike and the crows and what a nice cosmic meeting with your Dad, it must be a great comfort to feel his presence that way,but still I am sorry for your loss.

steven said...

cripes tfe - i just about fell off my seat!! aren't you supposed to be sick and hoovering back meds and everything?!!! i'm glad you could drop by and leave generous comments like that. thanks. by the by, i've got a meme day offered and its about a transformative moment in your life. write about it. up it on your blog and i'll let other amazing people know and they'll come and wonder at you!!!!!! it's scheduled to go live on august 19th! let me know if you're in!!! steven

Joanna said...

I just discovered your blog, not quite sure how I got here. Maybe via The Gold Puppy. Anyway I really like it here. Love the journal entry about your dad. I've heard my mom's voice a time or two--very sweet. I'm interested in your transformative moment meme. Shall have to think of that one. Isn't that Paul Klee's painting? Or something similar.

steven said...

hi joanna and thanks for dropping in. i love the gold puppy! i'm glad you like it here. me too!!! i ignored voices or didn't tell people about presences around me until my dad flew away but i have nothing to hide and every reason to be truthful!!! i would love to have you aboard the transformative moment meme. let me know if you decide and then i'lllink you on the grand unveiling day!!
it's paul klee's painting. it's where this blog really begins wayyyyyy back in 2007~!!!!!! it's lovely to meet you. have a peaceful evening. steven

Tess Kincaid said...

What a lovely tribute to your dad on his birthday. I'm sure he is smiling!

Kay said...

Love the journal...I've never managed to keep one for longer than a couple of days..and so glad that you felt your Dad so close...I love those unexpected glimpses into another world,the feeling that someone has pushed their arms through the barriers we put up and given you a hug! I loved Eryls comment about her Mum, that is a lovely picture she paints..Kay

ps very envious of your wildlife photos on next blog!!

steven said...

hi willow, thankyou. it was pure coincidence really but then again maybe not! i told my mum and she concurred with my dense from him that he's alright in whatever incarnation he's in now!! have a lovely day at the manor. it's gonna be hot!! steven

steven said...

hello kay . . . the journal is a luxury that an entire summer off work affords! the autumn is a different matter but it shows up once a week or so. eryl's comment was very sweet . . .mmm hmmm!!! i haven't veen able to get that close to little creatures before but i'm borrowing a special lens from a friend which makes me look all clever!!!!! have a lovely day kay. steven

Pauline said...

stumbling on such posts is so cool! my dad always coaches me through a scary maneuver on the highway - a place where an on-ramp, and the off-ramp I need to take, are quite close. He was an excellent driver and has never failed to be there in the passenger seat in the 33 years since he passed, talking me safely off the highway.

Unknown said...

I would love to be part of your Transformational Moment blog, too Steven. Your journal entry about your dad was very touching. It reminded me my mom is "very alright" now. Thank you for a piece of peace.

Sixpence and A Blue Moon said...

Hi Steven! Thanks so much for the kind words you left on my blog today - they are appreciated.

Now, I have to tell you, you are a man after my heart, keeping a journal, and a creative one at that. I also journal, and will post some of my pages one of these days.

Such lovely memories you are recording - a treasure that cannot be bought.

Have a wonderful week. I should be back around on Saturday.

xoxo

steven said...

hello sixpence, thanks so much for dropping by. i love my journalling through the summer. it's nice to have something that isn't entirely digital but - it takes time and when the school year starts up again then my journalling fades down. i look forward to seeing some of your journal work some time in the future. have a peaceful week. steven