“Take almost any path you please, and ten to one it carries you down in a dale, and leaves you there by a pool in the stream. There is magic in it.” – Herman Melville Photo by Mary O’Connor © 2013
This iconic Stars and Stripes symbol of our country’s independence was seen in Hyannis, Massachusetts, at the annual classic car show on Father’s Day. Today, as the entire nation mourns the loss of the nineteen ‘Granite Mountain Hotshots’ killed Sunday in Arizona’s Yarnell Hill wildfire, the poignancy–and heart wrenching irony–of the nation’s flag of freedom flying at the sky-end of a fire … More Stars, Stripes and Firefighters
One of the sky theater’s most popular performances is that of the rainbow. An optical phenomenon of refracted sun rays reflected in air borne droplets of water, rainbows tell us a storm is over, a clear day is ahead—or, for the wishful thinkers and idealists among us, that there is a pot of gold at its … More Big Screen Performance
Sanibel Island, Florida, with its 17+ miles of beaches ripe with coquinas and sand dollars, is a favorite shelling beach. So, too, are is the sand of San Jose Island, Texas, with its olive shells and wentletraps, lightning whelks and sundials, and of Silver Strand State Beach on Coronado Island, California, littered with silvery oyster shells, … More Treasured sculptures of the sea
As originally written, Life Is Full of Sweet Spots was dedicated to those who might look to the sky and see its rays of hope, breathe the air of the sea, of the garden, of home, and be energized with open minds and joyful hearts. Sadly, events such as the Sandy Hook school shootings, the … More Sweet Spots in Glass Award Introduced to Help Keep Vision of Joy Alive
The Chinese name for the peony is sho yu. It means, simply, most beautiful. The poet Sensei Ogui finds a lesson in its moment of lifetime: Peonies bloom on peony trees. A cat doesn’t become a chicken. Tulips are tulips, not roses. Why can’t we realize this true fact? That to be me is great. … More A Lesson from the Peony
Appreciate the splendor of nature. This is what Thoreau would have us do. Look up and around, he would tell us, look to the west, to the wild, to the hills to the fields. Studies by professors Rachel and Stephen Kaplan of the University of Michigan support his philosophy, telling us that all it takes is … More Twenty Minutes a Day
Hope is the thing with feathers, that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without words, and never stops at all. -Emily Dickinson Photo, flamingo feathers, by Mary O’Connor, © 2013
Said simply, these are ferns, one of over 12,000 species of this plant that adds loveliness throughout the world. As told by the Maori peoples of New Zealand, their story is one of healing and new beginnings, of peace, tranquility and spirituality. In ancient African symbology, they bring rain, luck, and prosperity. Through their unfolding, they … More In the language of folklore
Of all the gifts you might desire, I offer one—a wish that speaks of wonder, bids you rest by the side of the wandering river, watch it idle through meadows and fields, be soothed by the opus of crickets and frogs, caressed with the velvet dust of flight song, and feel earth’s soul. Together, may you … More The Wedding Gift
Life Is Full of Sweet Spots 