Orthodox Holy Week

Greek Orthodox Holy Week . . . Blessings to all . . . I shall return after Pashca (Easter)

Kali Anastasi!

I will be writing more about Holy Pashca in my Sacred Footing blog - for all who are interested.

Looking Back . . . My Photo Montage

MY NEW YEAR'S PROJECT

Photo montage in and around Detroit, the suburbs and Michigan...featuring the Detroit River and Lakes Michigan, Huron and Saint Clair; urban decay and the regeneration and renaissance of Detroit; the cycles and seasons of life - from winter to winter.
The montage, set to the music of Moby, includes photos of my family, my friends, my city, my state...including: legendary bike-builder: Ron Finch; guitar great: Jim McCarty; WRIF Radio Host: Big Daddy Arthur P; Mike Fasano (drums) with Jani Lane in concert at "Pine Knob;" local artist: Chris Kime; local club DJ: Adam Lenk...
The montage also includes places and events: The "Renaissance Center;" The River Walk - celebrating Detroit's 300th Birthday; The Belle Isle Bridge; The 2007 Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix; Alice Cooper playing to his home town crowd at the Michigan State Fair; popular vacation spots: Caseville, Frankfort and Traverse City; The Trowbridge House - The oldest house in Detroit (post fire); The oldest church - Saints Peter and Paul; Dr Bob's Innate Cafe and Center for Holistic Healing; Campus Martius at Christmas time; Greenfield Village...
"TO EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON. A time to plant...a time to heal...a time to die...a time to weep...a time to laugh...a time to dance...a time to LOVE..."
Rest in Peace with GOD: Diana J. Lenk (my beautiful, loving mom) and Steven Michael Smith (my gentle, kind son-in-law)
PS To Detroiters, some things shall remain carved in stone...Hudson's, The Renaissance Center, Pine Knob, Tiger Stadium...they may change the signs but never our memories.

cHRistMas PAsT and PreSENt

MERRY CHRISTMAS . . . MAY THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS BE WITH YOU DURING THIS HOLIDAY SEASON . . . MAY YOU HAVE ALL THE EXCITEMENT AND WONDERMENT AND JOY THAT YOU HAD AS A CHILD!

A whiter shade of cold

A few weeks ago the grass was still green, the squirrels were still dashing between cars to cross the street: I think I even saw a mosquito still flying around . . . and I was blabbing, I mean blogging, about the strangely warm temperatures. Well, subzero has finally arrived. I thought I'd be better prepared given all the unexpected extra time. I thought I'd have all my acorns in a row. But all the extra time gave me was the illusion that I had a lot more extra time. I guess true preparation needs a deadline of sorts . . . it needs a reason, real or imagined. I used to have the Girl Scout mentality and discipline of preparedness. I carried, with me, everything I thought I'd need 'just in case.' I could have lived out of the trunk of my car. Of course, it never rains when my car is dirty. I never got to light my emergency flares. Of course, I always remember the way when the map is in my hand. I never needed my water-proof matches. Of course, my emergency overnight supplies are only used at my girlfriend's house. So I have changed my attitude, leaning towards the superstitious beliefs . . . and now I float through life with nothing more than the basics. I want to feel surprised, occasionally caught in the rain without my umbrella, without a definitive plan or hopeful agenda. (But not caught in the lady's room without a spare square, please!) I want to open myself up to possibilities that only exist under Murphy's warped Law . . . the day I don't shave my legs . . . Mr. Right (or now?) will show up to my horror! Reverse the curse of the expectation. I expect it will be mighty cold in the coming weeks!
(The photo is Lake Saint Clair, Michigan)

Thank you for the flowers

In joy or sadness, flowers are our constant friends - Kozuko Okakura

Where flowers bloom so does hope - Lady Bird Johnson

The Earth Laughs in Flowers - Ralph Waldo Emerson

They are not long, the days of wine and roses:
Out of a misty dream
Our path emerges for a while, then closes
Within a dream - Ernest Dowson, 1867 - 1900

There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom - Anais Nin

It is at the edge of a petal that love waits. - William Carlos Williams

I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers - Claude Monet

We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses - Abraham Lincoln

Let us open our leaves like a flower, and be passive and receptive - John Keats

And 't is my faith, that every flower
Enjoys the air it breathes - William Wordsworth

One of the most attractive things about the flowers is their beautiful reserve - Henry David Thoreau

Flowers leave some of their fragrance in the hand that bestows them - Chinese proverb

Footfalls echo in the memory
Down the passage which we did not take
Towards the door we never opened
Into the rose garden - T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets

Still Waiting for the Winter Fairy

January 3 . . . this is winter, right? I do love the sun and the heat, and I am not a big fan of freezing temperatures, but I did grow up here in Michigan. Winter time always conjured up words like blustery, sub-zero, wind chill factor, snow flurries, ice storm, ski conditions, snow days, etc. And although my body is never truly prepared for the arctic blast, my mind is feeling out of sorts with this warm weather.
I let my dog outside this morning, sun shining, grass still green, and something did not feel right.
Winter has always been a quiet and peaceful season for me. I slide into a state of hibernation both within myself and within my home, my cave.
Some may call me crazy for actually liking the winter season (and I can't say I actually like it - it forces me to let it in and live with it), for it represents death, gloom and a sense of aloneness for many. But for me, it is a time to slow down and rest, to take inventory of my life, regroup and then recharge in time for the arrival of spring. There are no high expectations during the winter. If one doesn't like to ski or sled or ice-skate, that is acceptable. If one does not want to venture out into the ice and snow and cold, it is understandable. We live at the mercy of the weather conditions (which takes the pressure off of having to make so many choices throughout the rest of the year). And we all have something worthy to collectively complain about if we so desire.
The winter, ironically, brings us together - the commonality of our feelings of separateness. We come together to help each other during the snow storms, we care about the elderly living alone, the homeless living in the cold streets. We shop and shovel or blow snow for neighbors who can't get out (I don't think I've ever seen anyone just mow a neighbor's lawn as a favor). No pressure to keep up the yard, keep up a tan or look good in a bathing suit. Just throw a big sweater over the extra pounds, curl up by a warm fire, wrap up in a down comforter, embrace a hot cup of coffee and read a classic (See Stewart's blog).
Now, when this winter weather kicks in, as I'm sure it will (this anticipation is worse than the plummeting temperatures and icy conditions will ever be) please . . . I don't want to be reminded about how great (I said) the winter can be. The pain and the hate are part of my process.