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Thursday, January 13, 2011

Thursday Thoughts...

But there is something about Time. The sun rises and sets. The stars swing slowly across the sky and fade. Clouds fill with rain and snow, empty themselves, and fill again. The moon is born, and dies, and is reborn. Around millions of clocks swing hour hands, and minute hands, and second hands. Around goes the continual circle of the notes of the scale. Around goes the circle of night and day, the circle of weeks forever revolving, and of months, and of years


The Small Rain by Madeleine L’Engle

Keenly observant readers may have noticed that for the past while, my Thursday Thoughts posts have alternated between thinking about Art and thinking about Books.  Over the Christmas-New Year break I pondered adding another dimension to the Thoughts, along the lines of thinking about 'Life'.  Clearly enough scope in that one to keep me going for a while!

This gentle quote speaks to me of the timeless and ancient natural rhythms and cycles that we experience, and in a way leaves the subtle message that 'this too shall pass'.  Reading it, my breathing slowed, my brain slowed, my heartbeat slowed, my body relaxed. I read it slowly and thoughtfully. I sensed or imagined the stars swingly slowly across the sky and fading; the moon taking its time being born and dying. I glimpsed millions of second hands and minute hands and hour hands following their calling. I thought about those clouds that fill and empty and fill again.

Despite our sorrows, fears or waverings, tomorrow the sun will rise, a new day will await us and we will make our way through it. And then the sun will set again, and rise again. And another day will welcome us.

Maleny sunset sky © Fiona Dempster

8 comments:

  1. ~fiona...you and barry are nothing but a gift and a blessings in my life...how you lifted my spirits with your love and kindness and your efforts to bring forth a bit of peace and positive energy to my family and i...this post could not be greater for me to read this day...yes, the sun will forever rise each day just as each of us can...i thank you from the bottom of my heart for being such a beautiful light that shines such warmth upon us all...always much love light and blessings be with you and yours~

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  2. What magical, lyrical words Fiona. Something to cut out and keep and read again. Lesley

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  3. Such a basic truth, and it always bears repeating! All one need do to understand that a bad time will pass is look around at nature, the cycles of life always spinning around us. The wheel is always turning, however slowly, and what was down yesterday will be up today. But the tides of our moods and fortunes aside, I've noticed other things in life tend to come back around, certain interests or traits or themes evident in childhood reappearing later, as if we were living symphonies. It's all about perspective - stepping out of the tiny box of our daily fretting to see the larger scheme of things. Many thanks for these ponderings, Fiona! I'm breathing more slowly too as a result!

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  4. fiona...what a beautiful post. goes straight to the heart of the bittersweet moments of existence...each one unique and yet only one of an infinite number. And this L'Engle quote gently reminds us our very own place in the stream of time. Thank you.

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  5. I love the idea of circles and cycles- repeating and coming back over and over-- how meditative to think of life in that way. also love your previous post- my favorites all there as well- rust, encaustic, words and small holes.

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  6. FW - thank you for stopping by; its a wonderful world when we land in the right place at the right time.

    Lesley - I think its a great habit to cut and paste special words/phrases/sentences and tuck them away to remind us of things at a later date.

    TT/G - Sometimes I need to be reminded of simple, eternal truths! And you are so right - its not just the natural cycles that return -we often seem to need to face things when they keep on coming back..

    Louise - thank you and the words do say it so well and so simply don't they?

    Patti - thank you for that addition to my thinking! I hadn't stopped to think that whilst the cycles continue; each and every moment is there only fleetingly. As you say - so bittersweet.

    Donna - turning, repeating, circles, cycles...they do bring forth repeats yet renewal as well. I'm glad you like some of my favourite things too!

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I appreciate your thoughts and comments; thanks for taking the time.