Stunningly Simple Sepia Sunflowers

Sunflowers from my sunflower, for Mother's Day

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." ~ Melody Beattie

Thanksgiving was a quiet day of reflection and personal gratitude. I am grateful that my parents, while elderly and sometimes exasperating, are still with me and able to go, albeit slowly, out and about. Sometimes a simple ride in the car to a beautiful scenic place is enough to be thankful for.

I am grateful that my sweet dog Daisy is feeling better. Yes, she has an enlarged heart and slightly elevated blood pressure and is probably at least five years older than I thought she was, but her breathing is better, she seems a bit more energetic and interested in food and even her cough is better, although the medication really shouldn't help that. She has no tumors and she has no evidence of pulmonary edema from the heart failure as yet. Perhaps I have a few more good years to help her make up for those horrid, frightening days in the gassing shelter and out in the elements on her own. She is sleeping right now, draped across Nyssa's giant stuffed teddy bear; a favorite spot I might add.

I am grateful for a brother who is without a doubt, my best friend. This was not always so. But we both outgrew our differences and now he has done so much for me, I would never be able to repay his generosity. I wish he could be here for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but that is the life of a world class opera singer... this year it is Thanksgiving in the air and Christmas in a performance of Tristan and Isolda in Tokyo. The time thing really confuses me. He has gone from being six hours ahead of us to thirteen hours behind us but a day ahead. Therefore, I have absolutely NO idea as to when he was to get there.

I am grateful for a beautiful daughter who works hard to further her education and has chosen a field with many different possibilities for gainful employment. She is kind and giving and while she doesn't call me as often as a mother would like, she surprises with gestures such as these beautiful sunflowers for Mother's Day. I tried to take several different shots to make an Van Gogh-ish arrangement of things and some turned out quite nicely. But this one in a monotone is one of my favorites. I love the boldly dark centers and shadows and how the petals stand out from and blend in with the brick at the same time.

I'll post the colored artsy pictures another time... probably when you least expect it and hopefully at a point in time when a breath of sunshine is just what you need.

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