Grow

And the day came 

when the risk to remain tight in a bud 

was more painful 

than the risk it took to blossom.
~Anais Nin

Cultivating Love

"We cultivate love when we allow 

our most vulnerable and powerful selves 

to be deeply seen and known,

and when we honor the spiritual connection

that grows from that offering

with trust, respect, kindness, and affection.

Love is not something we give or get;

it is something that we nurture and grow,

a connection that can only be cultivated

between two people when it exists within each one of them

- we can only love others as much as we love ourselves.

Shame, blame, disrespect, betrayal, and the withholding of affection

damage the roots from which love grows.

Love can only survive these injuries if they are

acknowledged, healed, and rare."

~Brene Brown

Unity Anniversary Dance

Just a sample 

of the delightful anniversary weekend

we experienced

a couple of weeks ago

at Unity Church of The Hills

"I believe deeply that we must find,

all of us together,

a new Spirituality"

~Dalai Lama

All In The Family

I had a fabulous time photographing Mike and Jake tonight.

Mike (and his two brothers!) have been in broadcasting, film and television for years...

His son, Jake, is hoping to break into movies himself.

I think he stands quite a favorable chance. 

Handsome, generous, good men.

It was a great shoot.

Thanks gentlemen!

The Keys To Heaven

"Our good nature and endearing qualities 

will not arouse the answers to our prayers.

Rather, it is our mischievous, dishonest attributes 

that provide the master keys to heaven. 

When we identify and work to transform 

our self-centered qualities and crooked characteristics, 

the key turns and the gates unlock. 

Blessings and good fortune 

are now free to rain down upon us."
---Yehuda Berg

I Knew We Would Be Friends

As soon as you opened your mouth

And I heard your soft

Sounds,

I knew we would be 

Friends.

The first time dear pilgrim, I heard

You laugh,

I knew it would not take me long

To turn you back into

God.

~Hafiz

Abandon

When you start to abandoning your old beliefs or values... 

you may be stuck at the threshold for two or three years. 

Before moving on, you have to clear away your cherished beliefs. 

~Dick Raymond

To Act Like A Four Year Old

The boy couldn't have been more than four.

I decided he should be called Dakota

because I like the name, and it fit him.

Sam and I approached the window

from which he stared,

His wide eyed interest

made more adorable as he

leaned into the windowsill,

rested his chin in his hands

and stared at us with innocent gentle desire.
He was enjoying Sam.

As we passed,

He gracefully restored himself to playtime elsewhere.

Instead of unrequited love,

I want to experience innocent gentle desire

then gracefully restore myself to playtime elsewhere.

Maybe sometimes it pays to act like a four year old.

The Projectionator

 There's this nasty little device called a Projectionator which comes bundled
with both a rather robust Responsibility Filter and the newest version
of Victim 2.0. It's main function is to reflect all internal negative
input out through the filter so as to short circuit the nearest Affinity
... Monitor. Works really well. Should have a page on Yelp.

 (Thanks to Tom for this.)

Absolutely Clear

B. Iden Paynes

Looking forward to the fun evening ahead...

Cheers to all the nominees!