“If you feel lost, disappointed, hesitant, or weak, return to yourself, to who you are, here and now and when you get there, you will discover yourself, like a lotus flower in full bloom, even in a muddy pond, beautiful and strong.”
― Masaru Emoto
Every year the Japanese Magnolia in my front yard blooms in the middle of winter. Every year, I capture it in all its beauty.
I have captured it on film and digital, color and black and white, from a ladder and my feet squarely on the ground. As long as I live in this home, I know I will capture it. It reminds me to hope. It reminds me that some things stay the same. It reminds me that returning to things, again and again, has value.
This year my tree has begun to bloom and just like the past years, I have started to capture it. The blooms are all so different, and yet I see similarities in them. How the buds stand up straight or how a petel bends gently.
Are there places or things that keep you coming back? Do you have something that catches your eye every year or every month? Don’t be afraid of being repetitive. After all, VanGogh had his self-portraits, Monet had his waterlilies, and O’Keeffe had her flowers. Go back to what calls you until you find all it is trying to teach you.
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A lovely post, Staci, it really resonated with me. I have a crabapple tree in our backyard that I am drawn to again and again each spring. It is a reminder that like nature, my life is always cycling and that the only constant in my life is change. I’ve learned so much by being a student of nature!
Ooohhhhhhh. I’ve been looking forward to this year’s Magnolia pictures. They do not disappoint!
Always so incredible! Thanks <3