wordless Wednesday

she's got passion in her plant and she's not afraid to show it

                                                                                                  ©Debbie Friedrich

This red passion flower vine  has naturally taken itself 12 months to produce such a gorgeous display. 

Just for a moment, take it all in and let your eyes feast on the colors, the textures, the lines, that SQUIGGLE! 

I am so thankful for these treasures in nature that continually teach me about my own self.

This discovery taught me:

Trust in divine timing

Support is needed for growth

A multitude of gifts can come from one seed

I have a desire to dance to LMFAO

Peace, death and a strawberry shake

Yesterday morning I woke up at 8am with an overwhelming sense of peace. It was a feeling like everything is just right. Right at that very moment, every little thing was ok. I didn't have to rush to make anyone breakfast, or get my lovebuckets up and out of bed for school or work. 


I got up, let my dog outside, prepared his food and poured myself a cup of coffee. He ate quickly then ran to my oldest daughter's room, jumped on her bed and greeted her with kisses. She started to tell me about a dream she had so I snuggled in bed with her to warm up and fully listen. We interpreted her dream until we were satisfied with the reasoning of the subconscious. We both got up to start our day - she got in the shower, I grabbed my iPad and was still cold so decided to read my daily news feed and check emails under the covers of my own bed. 


That feeling of peace was still lounging in my heart. I put down my morning reading, opened the drapes behind my bed and gazed at the young Hong Kong Orchid tree we've been nurturing. 

My mind starts to question this overwhelming sense of peace this morning. I am learning to let go of questioning during the quiet and just listen. I closed my eyes and listened for a few minutes then I wondered what does my peaceful self look like? So I took a self portrait:

I smiled at my peaceful portrait and got up to carry this feeling throughout my day. I plugged my phone in to be charged, walked into my studio and started working. After a while I went to check my phone and saw I had missed calls and text messages. They were messages of my dear Aunt Rita's death. She left her body behind at 7am that morning. She was one hell of a courageous woman. Her body fought with the painfully dreadful disease of scleroderma for over 20 years.

Now, her soul knows only peace. 

She was an amazing artist and always fully supported my own art ventures. She knew I loved the paintings of Georgia O'Keefe so she bought Georgia's autobiography for me to learn about the woman behind the art. When I was 12, my Aunt Rita walked me out the front door of her home in the Bay Area and pointed to a mountain ridge - Mt. Tamalpais, also known as the Sleeping Maiden. At 12 years old, right before my family moved from the only home I knew to out of state and into the unknown - she showed me a new way to see and look toward the mountain tops. I never forgot that. 

My Aunt Rita is actually my "Great" Aunt. She is my Grandmother's sister. They lived just two miles apart and were so very close. My Grandmother was her sister, her best friend, confidant and as the years went by she became her care giver. A few weeks ago I had the most valuable time of spending a day with my Grandmother. Just her and I talking story. One of my favorite stories she shared with me was of my Aunt Rita's last outing. 

My Grandmother decided, then demanded her sister needed to get outside. Aunt Rita was so frail at 90 lbs, she just never had the energy nor the will to go out anymore. My Grandmother helped her get ready, bundled her up and said they were going out for a drive. They drove around the hills of their neighborhood in Nipomo. Two sisters in a beautiful white Cadillac - cruising the 'hood. 

They ended up at McDonald's because my Grandmother felt her sister needed a shake. A strawberry shake. And everyone knows, you can't have a shake without some fries. So the two sisters got their shakes, a small fry and headed home for a picnic in the sun. My Grandfather dusted off chairs and assembled them in the patio. When the sisters got home, they made their way to the patio and had their picnic. The sun warmed Aunt Rita's back while she enjoyed her last strawberry shake with her sister. 

I was so touched by this story. The simplicity of joy from an afternoon drive and a strawberry shake in the sun. I shared this story with my youngest daughter yesterday after we heard the news of Aunt Rita's passing. Later that afternoon she came home with two strawberry shakes. It brought me to tears.

We sat in the sun and toasted to Aunt Rita, sisterhood, love and life. Live fully, love fully.

Thank you Aunt Rita, for everything. We love you.

Wordless Wednesday

                                                                                                   ©Debbie Friedrich

weeds beneath my wings

Today on this lovely blue sky, bird chirping Spring Equinox Day I did something dirty. I pulled weeds. I think people were waiting to see what kind of vibrantly juicy gift I was going to find in nature today but the only thing I found were snails and a lime green inch worm. 

The last time I pulled weeds was sometime last year after a phone conversation with my mother-in-law (whom I truly adore). The phone conversation went like this:


me: "hi mom, just checking in about dinner tomorrow night - wait are you ok? You sound winded."


her: "I've been pulling weeds for the past 4 hours"


me: "oh wow. Brian's been working outside all day too - mowing, raking, sweeping" 
and then I said ... "I only like to do the pretty things outside, like photograph" 


nervous laughter on my part and I ended the phone call. 


It was one of those moments were you can almost SEE your words come spilling out in slow motion and try to SUCK them back in. I felt bad.


I realized there was only one thing to do - PULL WEEDS!  

I have a little walkway beside my coveted studio that was abundant with weeds so I got to pullin'. I pulled a few and saw that I left a stub in the ground so I had to get in there and dig it out. After a few more tries, I would pull and get the WHOLE root. That felt good the way it came up from the Earth ROOT and ALL. I could smell the earthy ground and hear the birds cheering me on.

Be gone weeds. You're blocking my path.

 As I was pulling the weeds and  clearing the path I had a total ah-ha moment. I realized I was making room for new growth, new beginnings, a new story. I got to those roots. The roots of pain and self suffering. I let go. I worked at it and healed. I made new beginnings and living in them. I am telling a new story. 

I can see my path. 

I pulled weeds that day until the sun went down. After I was done, I called my mother-in-law to let her know that I appreciate all the time she spends in her garden. The gorgeous flowers she grows, the vegetables she shares with us, the special yellow tomatoes she grows only for me and all the love she cultivates. I am thankful. We are thankful.


I felt today would be a good day to pull those weeds along my path again as Spring is a great time to declutter, reorganize and weed out what no longer serves you. Having my epiphany while pulling weeds was great but there's always maintenance. 

Working inside the studio and on the computer all time - it felt so good to get outside again and put my hands in the Earth, get dirty and get clear. I stopped all the mind chatter to just listen and reconnect. Just what the soul needed!

Wishing you all clarity and time to get your own hands dirty.

Happy Spring!! 

listen

Sometimes there are no words. I just listen.

butterfly ascension

Mother Nature always calls me outside. I am fortunate to be nestled amongst trees, greenery, beautiful growth and all kinds of nature. I keep a camera near by at all times to capture the gifts she brings so I can share them with you.

The other day this beauty came fluttering by

There were actually two butterflies but this one stayed to be photographed and teach me a lesson. 

As I got closer I realized her wings were a bit torn and frayed. Scarred. She may have struggled to come out of her safe cocoon and show the world her transformed self and she has the scars to show it but this does not stop her. She still flutters happily amongst the jasmine, drinking the nectar. Living. 

The memory of her struggles does not weigh her down. It makes her stronger. She is even more beautiful with her character and her uniqueness. Her determination is noticed and her strength becomes mine. Her work amongst the jasmine is done.

and she ascends.