Wonderful and full of wonder

More views of Amitabha Stupa in Sedona as seen by my eyes-heart-mind. It's a fragrant location with the scent of juniper and pine, warm desert air, and the embrace of the red rocks. There are prickly pear and yellow mesquite beans, too!

Amitabha Stupa

Two new paintings of expansion and light:

I enjoyed painting these at the beautiful site of the Amitabha Stupa in Sedona.

Little yellow flowers

I enjoy taking the time to look at flowers. Looking deeply requires stopping and slowing down. When I slow down, I can enjoy anything from a still place in my heart and my heart opens up to the world all around me. Most of all, stopping and slowing down allows me to be in touch with the most essential 'form' of my/our being: Breath. Breath gives me/us life.

As I bicycled back from the Grand Canyon, I was wanting to stay very present, very aware, very safe as I rode. So, to help me stay focused and present, I sang these words: "stay with your heart". The words arose in me and I played with the sounds until it felt right. At first I said, "stay with THE heart", but it felt a little off. When I substituted "YOUR" for "the", it felt perfect.

* The photo is of little yellow flowers at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon

Tree of Life

I took a lot of photos at the Grand Canyon and this is one of my favorites. I like the shimmer and shine of this pine and it is near where I met Tasha, a sweet American Eskimo-Border Collie dog, and her lovely human, Annie. I was walking along the rim trail looking for just the right spot to spread Yuki's remaining ashes. I had him in a little baggy in my shorts pocket. Now he's part of the vast Canyon. Very thankful for the presence of Tasha and Annie for the kisses and petting I was able to give Tasha and the wide open understanding smile and conversation that Annie gifted me when I burst into tears upon seeing Tasha. Tasha is a blend of American Eskimo and Border Collie. She looks a lot like Yuki, who was an American Eskimo dog. They both looked easily and deeply into my eyes, and me theirs.