Finding the Pacific and Following a Rainbow Home

On Monday I returned from a 4-day trip out to Seattle to visit my dear friend, Jessica. We took a day-trip out to the coast and Cape Flattery, the most North-Western point of the continental US. The entire day was filled with breathtaking skies, awe-inspiring seas, and wonder-filled wilds. I cannot count the amount of times we stopped along the road to take pictures and mingle with the beauty of creation. Since a picture is evidently worth a thousand words, I'll use those instead of fledgling descriptors to share with you pieces of our journey.

The Road to the Coast

Looking across to Canada

Curious creatures and . . .

curious sights.

Me gazing out to sea - photo compliments of Jessica Andrews

First glimpse of Cape Flattery and the powerful Pacific

We walked through ferns and past redwoods . . . 

. . . over roots and under evergreen bows . . .

. . . treaded softly over moss and around mushrooms . . .

. . . until our toes touched the Pacific.

Photo compliments again of Jessica and her handy-dandy tripod.

Then we climbed back through the bracken (from which one half expected hobbits to appear)
and followed this rainbow home.

Meet Helen: Cold, but Beautiful

It has been cold here. Frost-bitingly frigid, actually. And I've been hearing lots of people on Facebook and Twitter complaining about this lingering Polar Vortex. Which brings me to my first point: are these hyperbolic titles really necessary? Whatever happened to assigning a "real to life" name to weather systems, like we do for hurricanes?

So, instead of feeding into this ridiculous meteorological fear-mongering, I'm going to take the more reasonable route and give a more personal name to this cold snap. I will name it Helen.

Hi, Helen. You're cold. I'm going to wear a down coat and gloves when I greet you.

Helen has been with us for awhile now and she has taken her toll. However, while browsing Facebook, a friend, who is a superb photographer, has been posting the most amazing pictures that makes Helen seem beautiful and almost welcoming. Michelle Fritz is a long-time friend of mine, and it is always a delight to see what new Helen-pictures Michelle has captured. I want to share just a few of my favorites with you so that you too might find an appreciation for Helen.

This is one of my kids' favorites.

I LOVE her black-and-white pics.

My dad calls these "rapture clouds". Stunning, yes?

I hope you all have a fabulous Friday, everyone. And be kind to Helen. There's beauty to be found in her. Just bundle up when you go looking for it!

Secrets and Star-Gazing

In A Tale of Two Cities Charles Dickens' narrator states:

“A wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other.  A solemn consideration, when I enter a great city by night, that every one of those darkly clustered houses encloses its own secret; that every room in every one of them encloses its own secret; that every beating heart in the hundreds of thousands of breasts there, is, in some of its imaginings, a secret to the heart nearest it!”

This passage came to mind a couple days ago when my dear friend (and photographer phenom) Jessica Andrews posted this picture on Instagram:

A stunning picture, yes? 

Who lives behind those windows? What sort of secrets hide away from street-side eyes behind those cheery panes of glass? These are the thoughts this picture provoked.

Yet contrary to Dickens' assertion runs The Old Adage (TOA) that says: "the eyes are the windows into the soul." There is, according to TOA, something knowable about each other that surpasses our ability to articulate and our ability to hide. Our souls are visible to the world, despite our efforts to keep them shuttered. 

However, I think I'm going to have to disagree with both Dickens and TOA. I think there is a third possibility for whether there is truly a window into each of us. But first, let me start with a basic foundation that I think must be laid before I go any further: 

We are all broken. (Can I get an "amen"?)

I haven't yet heard this truth contradicted by, well, anyone so far--except maybe Thoreau (but it wouldn't be the first time Thoreau and I didn't see eye-to-eye). While there are always those who pretend to have their act together, we all know that "together-ness" is a fallacy. Therefore, this brokenness and the consequent need to protect ourselves from further brokenness is what creates separation (and secrets) from other people. To put it in the words of Oscar Wilde, "We are all in the gutter...." However, despite our isolated gutter-dwelling, Wilde goes on to say, "...but some of us are looking at the stars." And I think dear Oscar is on to something; he has articulated that third possibility for soul revelation.

A banner I saw in a bookshop in Dublin.

The window into our soul lies in the focus of our gaze.

The direction in which our eyes look reveals us for who we are. Moreover, it is what begins to draw us to other people with similar gazes (and them in return to us). Thus this shared perspective assuages some of the pain of brokenness and reminds us that we gutter-dwellers are not, nor ever will be, alone. 

-------------------

I am unspeakably thankful for those who have peered through my windows and decided that instead of walking away or--possibly worse--trying to clean and repair, they have taken up residence alongside me. These friendships--and you know who you are, fellow gazers--are irreplaceable to me, and I thank each of you for allowing me the privilege of gazing at the stars together.

Put the Kettle On, Mum, I'm Coming Home

In just a few short weeks I'll be headed first to Ireland, then on to Scotland. And my heart starts to hammer in excitement just thinking of it. I have never been to Ireland, so I eagerly await my first taste. But Scotland. Ah, Scotland. The home of my husband is home to me. Every time I clap eyes on my sweet Mum-in-Law's cottage overlooking the Cromarty Firth, my heart knows it has found its resting place. So while there is still time and much to do before lifting off over the Atlantic, I want to take a minute to revel. To saver. And to share with you just a sampling of the sweetness of The Motherland. And, fortunately for us all, my dear friend Jessica Andrews has taken some of the most stunning pictures of Scotland ever. So sit back and enjoy the view.

In Scotland, if you stand on a hillside, you can watch a rain storm and never get wet. And there's something about staring out at the horizon and seeing sea mix with sky til you can no longer tell them apart.

This is one of my favorites--the sea evokes such calm within me.

The Isle of Skye--fitting name, yes?

Balmoral Castle--see the flag? That means the Queen is in. When she leaves the flag is taken down. Seems a strange thing to do, announce to the world that the castle has emptied, so anyone set on burgling will know it's open season on the family silver. But tradition is, after all, of utmost importance.

Arthur's Seat--just outside of Edinburgh--this is where Jonathan used to run when he was in training for basketball. (This view would be quite the inspiration while running, I would think.) This is also where the scene in Chariots of Fire was filmed when Eric Liddell said, "When I run, I feel [God's] pleasure." (If you haven't seen Chariots of Fire, you must! Make it your weekend mission.)

Why do I love sea wrecks? Don't know, but I do! And look at that sky!

This is my other favorite. There's just something about Eilean Donan castle--or maybe it's just my jealousy because my castle is in ruins and this one wasn't burned to the ground in a frenzy of Scottish Highland pride. 

The view from Stirling Castle. Dang. I wouldn't mind waking up to this view everyday. This is truly God's country.

Corgarff Castle--I'm not as jealous over this one. This one's tiny. No room for all my books. But it was at one time used as a distillery, so I bet they know how to throw a good party!

See what I mean? Isn't Jessica--or, as most of us know her, Jessie--a brilliant photographer? If you want to be awed by more of what she's captured, you can find her on Flickr or Twitter. Be sure to check out her pictures of Australia. And of Germany. Oh, and of New York City--well, just check them all out. You won't be disappointed. 

Hope your Friday is sweet, dear friends!