Remember...

Whenever you get the chance.
Whenever there's there's that little space
between what's happening and what's coming next...

Remember to breathe...

Breathe in love, peace, calm.

Remember that in this life, we're learning to live.
This is meant to be, that the things you need will come to you.

Let go of fear, control and negativity...
Find the balance in the present.

Remember to live in the moment...

People are more important than things...

Moments are all we ever have.

Look for good and believe that
good things are what it's all about in the end.

Also remember that it's never the end.

There's going to be so much to get on with...

We are all connected, we share now and forever
in some complicated, mysterious way.

Building Bridges, Crossing Bridges, Burning Bridges...

Which bridge am I willing to burn
in order to cross the one that leads to more connection and deeper meaning.
A bridge built on the foundations of freedom and trust,
where the constants are relax and enjoy
and the only rules are to aid and abet.

The bridge to burn has many names, like security, fear, self doubt, judgementalism,
expectation and whatever its called when you build
strong high walls of protection around yourself.

I long to cross over to a place where it's possible to experience
relationship/connection at a deeper level.

Where the connections are like strong invisible threads that hold lovely things close.
Where it's possible to share a comfortable space that's on one hand
close enough to be invasive, but feels like meant to be.

Where the distance is measured by a heartbeat or the space between
lips nuzzling your neck or hands and fingers that easily entwine,
which is no space at all.

Where being together is something that's headed somewhere in an
exciting and engaging way, which has a certain flow.

Where there's a sense that the journey is as important as the destination
yet there's still anticipation for those magic moments when
your universes collide and for a fleeting moment you have the deep sense
of having really been together.

Saying Goodbye To Mum...

This is the way I remember her in my minds eye,
it's an older version of her "classic look".

She still holds that slightly cheeky playful side close to the surface,
 but at the same time having a way of seeing through to the heart of the matter.

It's only a few years since there was a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease,
which was later paired devastatingly with Alzheimer's.

 This photograph reminds me of the start of that journey,
A journey whos' final destination mum reached last week.

She didn't travel alone,
the journey overlapped into the life of family and friends.

Many were able to visit her over the last months
having time for quiet goodbye's.

Dad was ever by her side, giving love and encouragement,
his love never wavered, he always saw her beauty inside and out.

She took comfort in small simple things something soft to cuddle,
and a hand to hold.

Dad read stories from their past,
favourite hymns and scriptures, which brought her comfort.

These photos were taken in the hospital before she was moved to the high care facility.



Until she came peacefully to her final rest, in the presence of family ,
and it's suspected... visitors from the other side
to welcome and guide her home.

Surrounded by a wealth of family, she was carried by grandchildren to her earthly resting place.

Where prayers were offered and encouragements given,
and of course songs were sung.

Despite the sadness there were times of laughter, as we remembered and celebrated a life well lived.

Thanks mum, you were the best...
lots of memories to treasure as our journey continues
on the road  you showed us how to travel.

I decided to share this part of my life in this way and in this space

because as I experience  the passing of a parent I realise that it involves plenty of 

"tension in the negative spaces" .

It's been an emotional time, with both laughter and tears.

A time for connecting and re connecting with family and friends.

There have been so many things to be grateful for, thoughtfulness and kindness thats been shown in so many ways, big and small.  

Thank you to everyone.

Collaberation Is Better Than Isolation

Just something to think about...

Just Words....

Today it's just words....

I can't say yes,

and I can't say no.

I want to say yes to your tightrope to the edge.

To having too much fun.

To long lingering looks and soft touches.

Squeezes and deep kisses.

To being lost in a zone that's not often visited.

To being on the other side and to getting perspective.

I want to say no to my fears and convention.

To the unspoken broken trash heap that we've visited before.

No to usual, trivial, fearful.

Yes to acknowledging the complex.

To finding the balance and harmony in the tension.

To beauty and fragility.

To the bit that you let go in order to find the "sweet true spot'

In the other.

Connection and re-connection.

Individual yet seeking the other.

I want to say yes, 

I want to say no.

( To be honest it's not just words..

it's thoughts and wishes and dreams 

and a whole lot of what's hard to get right 

when dealing with relationships in the real world)

Mother Superior And The Circus...

Maybe she just wanted a change,
or maybe she wanted to find adventure and excitement
 in a totally different environment...

Anyway whatever it was,
 she  found that it wasn't so much "running away to join the circus" ,
as finding that the circus of life comes with you wherever you go.

Rozie Looks For Romance...

Looking on the Internet proved unhelpful.
The lanky American had called himself 'Glass Half Full'...
Supposedly it gives the impression of a positive outlook on life.

Rozie thought later that perhaps the name
'Maturity Half Full' was more of a realistic description.

Rozie And The Languages Of Love....

She thought of words of affirmation as one of her 'love languages'.

However it all got a bit complicated when she considered that...

  Words of affirmation start with truth.

Truth starts with identifying areas of self delusion.
If you are pretending, and holding on to ideas that are false.
about what your doing,
what your motivations are
and what your behaviour is really all about.

You won't be reflecting truthfully...it won't be from the heart.

And in the end it will only bring trouble.

So it all depends on who's saying what, and if they are being truthful...

sometimes a complicated business.

Self Help, Or Help Yourself....

Just imagine the problem
(by that I mean the problem person...)
And throw a couple of darts,
anything to let a bit of tension out in a helpful way.

Spot the difference...

Sometimes it's hard to tell what's right and what just sounds right.
It applies to lots of situations.

   It's really important to be able to listen with your heart
 to the deeper truth of what you're being presented with.

You might need help and support to put all the clues together.

Just remember  it's not just what's said... it's also what's not said.

Rozie looks for love...

Apparently meeting potential partners is  not straightforward,
there's a certain amount of sorting out and questioning what's really going on.
Rozie had a lot of homework to do. 

Symbols....

She wondered how you might symbolise....


'----- is divorced after many years of doing everything to make it work,
partly because her partner refused to grow up, and emotionally connect.
 Possibly due to issues of mental health, and a propensity to smoke too much dope....
And, after a time, despite having been in a delightful and amazing relationship,
 is again single, due to the fact that her Fiance died suddenly,
 and tragically from an Aortic Aneurysm.'


She  did wonder if all these neat little symbols
gave much of a  picture of what's going on,
 or how people might really be feeling.  

Would a little heart symbol really give you the story?

She wondered, but she also knew that if your heart breaks...

it can, in time take wings and fly free...

Talking Through Your Issues...

When Rozie spoke to 'the Guru' about what was bothering her...
 she came away with a whole lot of other things that bothered her.
Mostly, (she thought quietly)...it was him!

Mother Superior...Again.

Rozie loves her friends, but that dosn't mean she's not mean to them...

Introducing Lucy....

She has issues, but that's ok, don't we all.

We all have our own way of dealing with our issues,
 we just have to hope they don't impinge on our friends sensibilities too much,
 and we can all find a way foward with grace and forgiveness.
It's just another testiment to the fallen nature of the world.

Moving on....

Sometimes it's hard to move on,
and sometimes it looks a bit like this.....