Happy Father's Day

  Sherman made the terrible discovery that men make about their fathers sooner or later… that the man before him was not an aging father but a boy, a boy much like himself, a boy who grew up and had a child of his own and, as best he could, out of a sense of duty and, perhaps love, adopted a role called Being a Father so that his child would have something mythical and infinitely important: a Protector, who would keep a lid on all the chaotic and catastrophic possibilities of life.  ~Tom Wolfe, The Bonfire of the Vanities

Tomorrow is a big day for those celebrating Father’s Day. My own father would have been 100 years old this year if he was still alive.  He was born in 1913.

When both my mother and father were alive, all the cards they bought for birthday or other celebrations said “our daughter” and when my mother died, all the cards said “a daughter.”  These collages comprise cards of both kinds.  The first collage includes a poem my Daddy wrote called “My Daughter.”  He was “Daddy” to me.

There are all kinds of father-daughter relationships and it all depends, too, on the era in which you were brought up.   In my father’s generation, men were not present to witness the birthing process.  They were not even present at the hospital when the baby was born.  They came to see the baby after it was born. They were very much excited and looking forward to the new arrival but it wasn’t the tradition for them to be present.   The fathers of today are present in the delivery room for this life-changing moment in their lives and they wouldn’t miss it for the world.

When I was a little girl, I believed my father knew everything.  I loved him and I feared him.  He was gentle and kind to me but he could be stern.  However, I knew that he was always there to protect me.  Daddy could do no wrong.  As other children often do with their parents, I idolized him.

It’s only when I got older that I realized that he didn’t know very much at all – especially when I became a teenager.  He was so old-fashioned. Once, when I was very obnoxious, my father quoted Mark Twain to me: When I was fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have him around. When I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years. Even then, what he said was way above me – except the part about ignorance.  We only realize that our parents have acquired some real life experiences along the way when we ourselves are much older.  For me, it was very late in life.

My father, like many other fathers, did not attend any parenting classes.  He “adopted” a role and was the father he was through biology, conditioning, culture, and many other variables.  His main role was bread-winner since my mother didn’t work outside the home.  Yet, he spent time with us and was interested in all that we were learning and doing.  He loved us and cared for us and took on the responsibility of being a father – even though he had not been trained for this role.

When I was younger, I thought that there were perfect parents – but my life experience tells me that there aren’t any.  On a day like Father’s Day, it’s good to be grateful and honor our fathers or father-figures. It’s also important to remember that in any role we assume, we go through a process of familiarizing ourselves with the role and learning it.  My father was learning this role as he went along.  I’m very grateful and happy today for my father and the important part he played in my life.  I know, however, that from the day he first became a father, to the day that he died, he was still learning that role.  I was a witness to the process of “fathering” that he was still learning. He knew he didn’t have all the answers – not only about fathering, but about many other things as well.

Only a dad but he gives his all, To smooth the way for his children small, Doing with courage stern and grim The deeds that his father did for him. This is the line that for him I pen: Only a dad, but the best of men. – Edgar A. Guest

Cards for a Daughter

Happy Father’s Day, one and all!

]]> http://www.ronaldjanki.com/lateblooms/2013/06/16/happy-fathers-day/feed/ 0 http://www.ronaldjanki.com/lateblooms/2013/05/30/doors-open/ http://www.ronaldjanki.com/lateblooms/2013/05/30/doors-open/#comments Fri, 31 May 2013 03:10:09 +0000 Jean http://www.ronaldjanki.com/lateblooms/?p=1006 Continue reading →]]>         “In the end, the character of a civilization is encased in its structures.”  (FrankGehry) 

Doors Open was held in Toronto last weekend.  Many buildings noted for their historical, architectural, cultural, and social significance were open free of charge so that Torontonians and tourists alike could visit.  All the images in this post are from my visit to the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres in Toronto. I’ve been to shows in many other theatres in Toronto but never to this one.

There were informative and educational talks about the theatres.  It was a magical visit. I got to choose where I sat so, of course, I chose the front seat of the orchestra section in both theatres. Many people were taking pictures and enjoying their visit just as much as I did.

Winter Garden Theatre Screen (taken from back of Orchestra Section)

Winter Garden Theatre Screen (Museum Matte)

This building that houses the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres is the last of its kind in the world that is still in operation.  The Elgin Theatre is on the lower level and opened in 1913.  It is very beautiful with its gold plaster and marble effects as well as damask fabric on the walls.  There’s a richness to being in a building with such beautiful architectural details.

My favorite, though, was the Winter Garden Theatre (seven stories above the Elgin) which opened in 1914.  If you like gardens, you too will enjoy this one very much.  ”Decorated to resemble a rooftop garden in full bloom, its walls were hand-painted with garden scenes, its columns disguised as tree trunks and its ceiling and balcony soffit hung with an astonishing combination of real beech leaves, cotton blossoms and garden lanterns. For its restoration, over 5,000 real beech branches were harvested, preserved, painted and painstakingly woven into wire grids suspended from the theatre’s ceiling.”

Costumes On Display at the Elgin & Winter Garden Theatres

Elgin & Winter Garden Theatre (Yonge Street, Toronto)

I just remembered what the great bard, Shakespeare, said about the stage and feel that these words are a fitting end for a post on the theatre.  We are all actors and actresses in the theatre of life – although we don’t often think of our lives this way.

“All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages. At first, the infant, Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms. Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel And shining morning face, creeping like snail Unwillingly to school. And then the lover, Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad Made to his mistress’ eyebrow. Then a soldier, Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard, Jealous in honor, sudden and quick in quarrel, Seeking the bubble reputation Even in the cannon’s mouth. And then the justice, In fair round belly with good capon lined, With eyes severe and beard of formal cut, Full of wise saws and modern instances; And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts Into the lean and slippered pantaloon, With spectacles on nose and pouch on side; His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide For his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice, Turning again toward childish treble, pipes And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all, That ends this strange eventful history, Is second childishness and mere oblivion, Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.”      

Going to the ballet is always a fun way for me to spend an evening.  For most ballet lovers, it’s usually the traditional ballet classics that one doesn’t want to miss.  I was in the mood for something different last week when the Eifman Ballet from St. Petersburg, Russia, was in Toronto, and so it was that I saw Eifman’s ”Rodin.”  The pictures in this collage are photographed from the program except for two which I took while  the performers were taking their last bows.

There were over fifty talented dancers in this performance and the lighting and the staging enhanced their brilliant technique.  The music was magnificent and included compositions by Ravel, Saint-Saens, Debussy, Massenet and Satie.

According to the program notes, “Boris Eifman is a choreographer-philosopher. He is concerned with the problems of the modern world; with the secrets of creativity and the magic of geniuses,which uncover themselves in his interpretation of the fates of Tchaikovsky, Spesivtseva, Moliere, or Rodin.  He makes experiments with such dark and fearful spheres as the human psyche (Idiot, Murderers, I, Don Quixote, Russian Hamlet, and Anna Karenina) creating the images of stage psychoanalysis.”  This was my first modern ballet that covered such deep emotions. I had not known the term “psychological ballet” before this performance.

Rodin and Claudel, his mistress, were both amazing artists – he a marble sculptor and she a bronze.  She was a great inspiration to him and led him to create masterpieces and develop his talents to his greatest ability.  She too was evolving in her own way and developing her own talent.  After their break-up, Claudel became insane.  The whole performance was based on this theme – the high price that such geniuses have to pay for the creation of masterpieces.

I knew before going to this ballet that the dancing would be excellent – but I never expected such a masterpiece.  It was just amazing to see how the human body could be made to look like sculptures.  The performance was theatrical art at its height.  The dancers portrayed different characters and complex ones at that. While we may all be aware that human life encompasses all varieties of experience and all manner of human conditions, we don’t often see this played out in a ballet.   It was an eye-opener for me to see Boris Eifman take on “Rodin.”

I found the dancers spirited and the performance mesmerizing and I would go to see the Eifman ballet again if they return to Toronto.  Eifman is a choreographer par excellence.  In Eifman’s own words:  “Throughout all my creative life I’ve been expanding the boundaries of the ballet theatre’s abilities and in the first place – searching for the body language that can express the life of  spirit. Dance isn’t the physical process for me, but the spiritual one.  Body language is more ancient, more profound communicative means.  Reflexes of sensual life of many generations are fixed in it.  To decode these signs, to transform them into the emotionally rich ballet piece – that’s our goal.”

At the end of the performance, the audience applause and appreciation was spontaneous and it was obvious that Eifman had achieved his goal through the body language of the performers.  Their spirits had been touched too.

TheThree Graces (with forsythias - in bright sunshine)

“Each of the arts whose office is to refine, purify, adorn, embellish and grace life is under the patronage of a muse, no god being found worthy to preside over them.”  (Eliza Farnham)

The Three Graces (in greenery - in shady location)

The lovely bright, yellow forsythias, were in full bloom in our garden a few weeks ago.  I don’t know how the idea came to me, but it did, to take my painting of “The Three Graces” and put it in the forsythia bushes and take some pictures.  I also decided to try it in some greenery and you can also see the effect of this idea.  I did this acrylic painting about ten years ago since dance and dancers have always had a special appeal for me.  I was captivated by the beauty, elegance, and the poses of these ladies in their white, flowing dresses, in this work of art. I liked how their hands were intertwined and since the visual appeal was so great, my “muse” got to work.

Forsythia Bushes

Sandro Botticelli did the Primavera (Allegory of Spring) in 1482 and “The Three Graces” represent a detail from this painting. This picture celebrates the arrival of spring and is filled with mythological symbolism.  I read that Botticelli put over 500 plant species and about 190 different flowers in this painting.  In the painting, Venus, the goddess of love, is in the middle and the “Three Graces” stand to the left.  It is believed that this painting was commissioned by a member of the Medeci family for the wedding of a family member.  It hangs in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence to this day. I hope to get there one day to see this painting for myself.

Although, I like the “Three Graces” very much as a work of art and was inspired to do my own painting and photography, I never knew or bothered to find out the history behind the painting.  However, after deciding to do this blog, based on the forsythias being in bloom, springtime, and my own curiosity, I found out the names of the three ladies in the painting:  Euphrosyne, Thalia, and Aglaia.  I was able to also find some other interesting information that sparked my attention and I have added it below to share with you.

Close-up shot of the Forsythias

 Mythological Explanations of Creativity

       1.  The Muses: CALLIOPE,  CLIO, EUTERPE, MELPOMENE, TERPSICHORE, ERATO, POLYHYMNIA, URANIA, THALIA

But the Greeks also had an  unusual concept about the process of art and especially about the inspiration  process in art.  The Muses were nine goddesses, daughters of the god Zeus, king of the gods, and of Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory (if  my memory serves me correctly).  The Muses were believed to inspire all  artists, especially poets, philosophers, and musicians.   (The Greeks  also saw the arts and sciences as being related, from which we still use the  division of university colleges as “Arts & Sciences.”)  They were said to come at special times of reverence or in  dream states and whisper in the ear of the artist – the divine inspiration.   Today’s artists and musicians often stilll use the phrase, “A visit from the  muse,” in reference to this need for inspiration. We get our words “amusing, and musician” from this concept.

       2.  The Three Graces: EUPHROSYNE (Mirth)  JOY; THALIA (Good Cheer)  CHARM; AGLAIA (Splendor)  BEAUTY

But it didn’t stop there.   The Greeks also believed in The Three Graces, who were the three  goddesses of joy, charm, and beauty.  They were the daughters of the god  Zeus and the nymph Eurynome.  The Graces presided over banquets, dances, and all  other pleasurable social events, and brought joy and goodwill to both gods and  mortals.  Like the Muses, they were believed to endow artists and poets with the  ability to create beautiful works of art. The Graces were rarely treated as  individuals, but always together as a kind of triple embodiment of grace and  beauty. In art they are usually represented as lithe young maidens, dancing in a  circle.  This is a metaphor for a trinity of heavenly power, it’s manifestation  of earthly beauty, and the divinity needed to transform one into the other.  

Hope you enjoyed all the forsythia photos and the Mythological Explanations of Creativity.   May your muse be with you wherever you go!

God Almighty first planted a garden. And indeed, it is the purest of human pleasures. (Francis Bacon)

 “The many great gardens of the world, of literature and poetry, of painting and music, of religion and architecture, all make the point as clear as possible: The soul cannot thrive in the absence of a garden. If you don’t want paradise, you are not human; and if you are not human, you don’t have a soul.” (Thomas Moore)

I do not understand how anyone can live without one small place of enchantment to turn to. (Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

In this hectic and busy world we live in, a garden provides a sacred space for the renewal of our bodies, minds, souls and spirits.  Although I enjoy my own garden at home, the garden featured in this post is one very close to my home.  It is the church garden at St Martin-in-the-Fields in Toronto.  The church itself is a sanctuary for tired souls and spirits but the garden is in its own special way a  sanctuary.  I haven’t seen a church garden anywhere as beautiful as this one.  It’s one of my favorite places to be close to “Paradise.”

The garden must be prepared in the soul first or else it will not flourish. (English Proverb)

It is especially glorious in the spring and I was there two weeks ago enjoying myself in the garden and taking these images.  I wasn’t the only one doing this.  The cherry blossoms were out and many passers-by couldn’t resist their beauty.  As part of our human condition, we are always looking for beauty.  In St Augustine’s own words: “The soul is weighed in the balance by what delights her.  Delight or enjoyment sets the soul in her ordered place.  Where the delight is, there is the treasure.”  I always come away from my visits there in a clearer space within myself and more delighted.

In the cherry blossoms shade there's no such things as a stranger. (Kabayashi Issa)

  St Martin-in-the-Fields is located at 151 Glenlake Ave. in Toronto.  There is a church in England with the same name.  I was fortunate to visit that church when I visited England. However, I didn’t see any garden.  St Martin’s in London, England, is in the heart of the city.  Below is a short history of Martin of Tours – the saint.

I must have flowers, always and always. (Claude Monet)

Martin of Tours (Latin: Sanctus Martinus Turonensis; 316 – November 8, 397) was a Bishop of Tours, whose shrine in France became a famous stopping-point for pilgrims on the road to Santiago de Compostela.   Around his name much legendary material accrued, and he has become one of the most familiar and recognizable Christian Saints.  As he was born in what is now Szombathely, Hungary, spent much of his childhood in Pavia, Italy, and lived most of his adult life in France, he is considered a spiritual bridge across Europe.  He is a patron saint of soldiers.  (Wikipedia)

“Sanctuary, on a personal level, is where we perform the job of taking care of our soul.” (Christopher Forrest McDowell)

Some of you may want to visit our own St  Martin’s church here in Toronto after seeing the pictures and hearing a little bit about the history. Hope you enjoyed my paradise.

]]> http://www.ronaldjanki.com/lateblooms/2013/05/21/a-garden-paradise-a-sanctuary/feed/ 0 http://www.ronaldjanki.com/lateblooms/2013/05/12/downton-abbey-day/ http://www.ronaldjanki.com/lateblooms/2013/05/12/downton-abbey-day/#comments Sun, 12 May 2013 22:51:12 +0000 Jean http://www.ronaldjanki.com/lateblooms/?p=928 Continue reading →]]>

Downton Abbey Celebration - Ashley's Toronto

Culture  relates to objects and is a phenomenon of the world; entertainment relates to  people and is a phenomenon of life.  (Hannah  Arendt)

Downton Abbey Fashion

Ashley's Fine China - Toronto

We all enjoy watching certain television shows and Downton Abbey is a British series that is very popular with many people.  Ashley’s in Toronto hosted a magnificent Downton Abbey Day yesterday at their store in the Manulife Centre and I was lucky enough to stop by and get these wonderful images.

Throughout the afternoon, there were talks on different themes such as setting a table Downton Style, Period Fashions, History of Great Food, Servant Life, Perfect Household Tips and Techniques (with Eric Robertson, Butler) and also a talk on table manners and etiquette.  I arrived there in time for the talk by the Butler and for the Etiquette Challenge.  There were displays of clothing that servants wore back then and also a very stylish gown that was worn by one of the elegant ladies of the period. In the photos, you will see that there were two beautiful ladies who were dressed for that period and were milling around the store. It was nice to be in this grand setting for even the short time I was there.

There were refreshments and I had some nice Earl Grey tea.  I got to choose my own fine teacup and saucer.  Some people were drinking wine.  There was a table which, I believe, had some treats – but by the time I got there after the talks, only grapes were left.  This was a lovely touch to all things fine and elegant and I’m grateful to see that a store such as Ashley’s could do something like this.

Tea to the English is really a picnic indoors.  ~Alice Walker

Hope you enjoy the collages and for those of you who haven’t watched Downton Abbey, I found a short summary that you might find interesting.

The series is set in the fictional Downton Abbey, a Yorkshire Country House, the seat of the Earl and Countess of Grantham, and follows the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants during the reign of King George V. The first series spanned the two years before the Great War beginning with news of the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, which set the story in motion. The second series covered the years 1916 to 1919, and the 2011 Christmas Special covered the 1919 Christmas period, ending in early 1920. The third series picks up soon thereafter, covering 1920 through the autumn of 1921.

Downton Abbey is aired on Vision TV Wednesday nights at 9 p.m.  You can catch the series that is on now if you want to take a look.   Here’s a final insight into Edwardian society:

Edwardian Society Menus

Caviare, truffles, snipe, partridge, oysters, quail, ptarmigan (white grouse), pressed beef, ham, tongue, chicken, galantines, lobster, melons, peaches, nectarines and specially imported jams and biscuits could always be acquired in the hope of pleasing him.  His desires set the tone of extravagance associated with the era.  A typical society dinner menu for twenty persons cost approximately £60. That was much more than the annual income of a maid.  

Conspicuous consumption by the rich was seen as normal and even desirable. That consumption varied from extensive menus, to newly decorated interiors, costly travel abroad, and sartorial art at its most complex. Rich ladies were dressed elaborately and with great variety which was costly. Society hostesses wore different clothes for every occasion. The ultimate consumption was that the art of dressing was so complex that they could not even dress properly without the help of a ladies maid. They epitomised the mood of Edwardian high society.

What a life, wouldn’t you say?

Mother's Day

“A mother is not a person to lean upon, but a person to make leaning unnecessary.” (Dorothy Canfield Fisher)

Tomorrow is Mother’s Day and it was a busy day in downtown Toronto.  I visited Chapters which is a big bookstore in the Manulife Centre and many young children and older children, as well as grown-ups were there shopping for cards and other gifts for Mother’s Day.  As I rode the subway, I also saw many people carrying flowers - although Mother’s Day is not until tomorrow.  I passed a  fine chocolate shop where many people were buying chocolates.  There was definitely an excitement to all this shopping.

I left home with a somewhat cynical feeling about the whole commercial aspect to this day and this is what my post would have been mainly about.  I would have been saying that it generates too much unnecessary shopping.  My trip out, however, changed my mind and my feelings completely and this is a very different post.

There was no time while I was out and saw people shopping that I got the feeling that they were purchasing the gifts that they chose out of obligation.  There was a long line at Chapters to pay for purchases.  A definite holiday feeling was in the air.  I came to the conclusion that the mothering role is definitely an appreciated one for most people.

Mothers wear many hats in the home and in the outside world and are sometimes the main nurturers of their offspring.  As in all other relationships, it isn’t always a smooth road.  However, the main task of motherhood is to teach the child, to the best of their knowledge, how to live in the world so that someday they can take their own place in this vast universe.  Alexandra Stoddard in her book “The Shared Wisdom of Mothers and Daughters” says:  “The sooner we face the reality that we raise children in order that they might grow up and leave us to explore vast opportunities all over the world, and not worry about what their mother will do without them, the happier and healthier we will all be.” 

Leaning on mother is just for a time.  The time comes when a different kind of relationship between a mother and her child emerges – one that is no less full – but in which both can learn  from each other and hopefully enrich each other’s lives through different phases and stages.  All the cards in this collage were given to me and I saved them. Happy Mother’s Day!  Hope you enjoy the collage.

“The living self has one purpose only: to come into its own fullness of being, as a tree comes into full blossom, or a bird into spring beauty, or a tiger into lustre.”

D.H. Lawrence

“When we go out among nature, clay is returning to clay.  We are returning to participate in the stillness of the earth which first dreamed us.”  (John O’Donohue)

High Park was packed with lovers of the natural world and beauty last Friday when I visited.  It was a spectacular sight to see the Sakura in bloom.  We all enjoyed nature’s bountiful beauty.  We weren’t happy to just see the sight, we wanted to take it away with us.  Photographers were everywhere.  I had my camera along with me and the collages you see here were from that wonderful time.

In case you don’t know the history behind the High Park Cherry Blossoms, here it is.  “In 1959, the Japanese ambassador to Canada, Toru-Hagiwara, presented 2000 Japanese Somei-Yoshino Sakura trees to the citizens of Toronto on behalf of the citizens of Tokyo. The trees were planted in appreciation of Toronto accepting re-located Japanese-Canadians following the Second World War. Many of these trees were planted on the hillside overlooking Grenadier Pond (southwest of the Grenadier Café) and around the east shore of the pond.” 

I decided to do this collage with a black background so that there would be contrast here with the colours of the cherry blossoms. I rather like this one.

This lady was touching the cherry blossoms.

Cherry Blossoms in Pink and White

Nature displays her beauty in all its splendor!

The High Park train was going by and I took this image. You can see the cherry blossoms behind the train. The other images depict young cherry blossom shoots and branches.

There is a beautiful song about the Japanese Cherry Blossoms that touched me and for those lovers of lyrics, this is the English translation.  After this year’s blooms, we will all indeed have to wait another year for this spectacle of Nature’s Gifts to grace us again.

                                                       Sakura

Time fades away, we wait for the day For the day when you come back home  again We’re standing here, no more crying, no more fear On the lane  where cherry blossoms bloom

You were always there when a friend needed care Just one smile and you  could cure their pain Because of you, we could always make it through The love you gave erased all of our gloom

So now here we are But no matter how far Away you go we’ll always be  with you

Sakura sakura As these cherry blossoms bloom Even they realize that  one day a goodbye will have to come So farewell my friend But this is  not the end Please stay the same until I see you again

Forget the past, make this moment last And speak only words we truly  feel Wish you the best, may your future be blessed And all of your  dreams become real

Moments pass us by As we try not to cry Wherever you go never forget  me

Sakura sakura As these cherry blossoms fall They dream silently of  next spring when rebirth will come to all Don’t you cry now, my friend For this is not the end Keep up that smile until I see you again

Sakura sakura As these cherry blossoms dance Blown in all directions by the wind, their fate is left to chance So farewell, next time, my friend Let’s meet right here again.

Rachel Persaud - Vocalist and Composer

“Music is the purest form of art…therefore true poets, they who are seers, seek to express the universe in terms of music…The singer has everything within him/her. The notes come out from his/her very life.  They are not materials gathered from outside.”  (Rabindranath Tagore)

There is nothing that brightens my spirit like music.  Last Saturday, I was treated to a concert experience that was uplifting for both soul and spirit and provided an avenue for healing as well.  The vocalist was Rachel Persaud and her accompanists were a guitarist and an accordian player. Rachel was at peak performance as this concert was sung in memory of her grandmother who died a few weeks ago. The images in this collage were all taken  at St. Matthias Church in Toronto, which was the venue for the concert.

Rachel’s selections were carefully chosen to reflect her grandmother’s taste in music as well as her loving and playful spirit.  Early in the program she sang ”Red Roses for a Blue Lady” which was a song her grandmother taught her and that they sang together many times.

There’s a wonderful flexibility and capacity in Rachel’s voice that enables her to belt out a Spanish song like ”La Cucuracha” and then switch to a rendition of “Amazing Grace” which requires a more subdued style of singing.  I loved “Don’t Cry for me Argentina” which called for more serious expression and to which Rachel gave her all.

Throughout her performance, which covered all styles and genres of music, including some of her own compositions, Rachel spoke about her grandmother. Even if you didn’t know her, you got to know her, little by little, as the evening went by. I was very fortunate that her life had touched mine and I was doubly touched by this beautiful and loving tribute made by a grand-daughter for her grandmother.

We, the audience, were definitely out of chronos time during the performance. The music came right out of her and her expressions, feelings, qualities and movements transported me, and I’m sure, the rest of the audience, to a heart and soul space that only music can do.  As humans, we are all connected and in relationship on one level or the other. This resonance was definitely there as she shared the gift of her beautiful voice with us. I’m sure many different but very human feelings came to the fore.  “Feeling is where the heart lives.  In claiming the heart so swiftly and totally, the beauty of music crosses all psychological and cultural frontiers.  There is a profound sense in which music opens a secret door in time and reaches in to the eternal.  This is the authority and grace of music:  it evokes or creates an atmosphere where presence awakens to its eternal depth.” (John O’Donohue)

Wherever eternity resides or whatever it is, we were all privy to a little portion of its evoking presence during this performance. Rachel’s last song was “Wind Beneath My Wings” and she was completely surrendered to the music – a fitting final tribute in song to the grandmother she so dearly loved.  I’ve heard it said that “to live on in the hearts of those we love is never to die.”  I’m sure this grandmother lives on.  Thank you, Rachel, for using your gift to touch so many lives.  Keep on singing and blessing.

I have put the words to “Wind Beneath My Wings” below for those of you who may not know them.  Enjoy the collage!

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. It must have been cold there in my shadow, to never have sunlight on your face. You were content to let me shine, that’s your way. You always walked a step behind.

So I was the one with all the glory, while you were the one with all the strength. A beautiful face without a name for so long. A beautiful smile to hide the pain.

Did you ever know that you’re my hero, and everything I would like to be? I can fly higher than an eagle, ’cause you are the wind beneath my wings.

It might have appeared to go unnoticed, but I’ve got it all here in my heart. I want you to know I know the truth, of course I know it. I would be nothing without you.

Did you ever know that you’re my hero? You’re everything I wish I could be. I could fly higher than an eagle, ’cause you are the wind beneath my wings.

Did I ever tell you you’re my hero? You’re everything, everything I wish I could be. Oh, and I, I could fly higher than an eagle, ’cause you are the wind beneath my wings, ’cause you are the wind beneath my wings.

Oh, the wind beneath my wings. You, you, you, you are the wind beneath my wings. Fly, fly, fly away. You let me fly so high. Oh, you, you, you, the wind beneath my wings. Oh, you, you, you, the wind beneath my wings.
Fly, fly, fly high against the sky, so high I almost touch the sky. Thank you, thank you, thank God for you, the wind beneath my wings.

~ Impatiens Flower

   Synchronicity is an ever present reality for those who have eyes to see. (Jung)

While I know that “patience is virtue” and it’s better to be patient than impatient, I can’t seem to bring myself to the possession of this virtue right now.  This led me to looking at some of last year’s Spring and Summer garden photos that I had taken.  The “impatiens” flowers with their bright colours caught my attention and the results of my impatience can be seen in this collage.

It is also said that “one thing leads to another.”  I got to thinking about my impatience, and how, of all the images I would choose to make a collage, it would be the “impatiens” flower.  I wondered if the name had anything to do with the human quality of impatience.  This is what I discovered.  “Dubbed the number one shade annual, impatiens take their scientific name from the Latin for “impatient”, which refers to the way that they shoot out their seed from their turgid seed pods. They are the largest member of the balsam family, and brighten the garden with their hot colors and quick spread. In fact, it’s not unnatural to see mass plantings of impatiens act as a sort of groundcover in a border garden.”  The discovery of the Latin derivative of this “impatiens” flower –  meaning impatience - led me to thinking that all this was synchronicity.

My impatience for spring blooms led me to looking at my garden photos, which then brought me to making the collage, and then discovering that “impatiens” meant impatience.  ”Synchronicity is the bridge between matter, mind and the eternal. Synchronistic events are those subjective experiences that make up life’s meaningful coincidences. Some seem more meaningful than others; some are “just so” stories.”   I’ll let you be the judge here about my story.

Whatever you decide, enjoy the “impatiens.”

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