seeing

The grey clouds and constant rain and drizzle have finally left the pines of Georgia ; a blue and white scarf of sky  peeks out from the trees.The Flint River is muddy,very high and is moving  unusually fast through the sandy banks.Autumn on the river.

 Because of this break in the dreary wet weather, I was able to go to the park to run on the track. After 27 minutes of a hard jog, I found the shade of a large table area, covered by a wooden roof.As I cooled down, I said the rosary and kept my eyes open.What I found was quite remarkable to me.

 When I recently facilitated a writing class at church, we spent some time outside writing haiku, brief nature poetry originating in Japan.What a joy that was.Wasting time observing a changing dogwood tree and some amazing intricate mushrooms.We focused on what was right in front of us, what we were seeing and feeling so we could capture it with words.This way of focusing is very rewarding for me.Being, just being with a.....

                                                ....tired dogwood tree
                                                  green leaves dotted with red
                                                    small buds for next year.

 One of the participants stated that since being in our writing class, she is seeing things she never saw before.I think I understand .If you are going to be a writer of any kind, even if it is journaling, you have to keep your eyes open and your hands outstretched to receive what is moving, shining, sparkling, tumbling, crying, sighing, what is happening around you and in you.

   This brings me back to the sheltered tables and the picture above.These are the gifts cast away by unknown hands onto the grass by the place where I walked. In 30 minutes, I found each one by its whiteness, shape, sparkle.The fat pencil suggests that I need to take some paper into the woods tomorrow and sketch a leaf which is really just savoring it.Following the line of an individual leaf with my eye and hand without looking at the paper to see if it is right.Caressing the leaf with the pencil and not caring if what I draw even looks like a leaf. That is my assignment for tomorrow, by the Flint River .

                                                        Pencils, pearl, pennies.
                                                      pink petals,new red crayon
                                                        humble acceptance.