Snapshots With Words

A new way to blog. This is something I wrote last year in my journal. I decided to take pictures and share it this way. In summary, these things make up who we are, and we can remember and cherish and put into perspective both the good, the great, and the "bad."

Dreams can be so vivid.  Sometimes mine are dramatized like a movie, complete with the subtleties of emotionally charged acting and a soundtrack tailored to fit the story and add to feelings of intensity and moments of suspense.  Last night's went something like this... Two companions on a journey through vine filled jungles, along the banks of large bodies of water and up steep mountainous climbs.  The first woman is our point of view and has offered to guide the second woman on this journey to safety.  Risk is uppermost in this story, as the antagonist serves a dark cause and is uncertain whether her guide will lead her back to her people's ship on a far away sea.  But the danger is too great in this unknown part of the world and so the antagonist chooses to trust.  She is an attractive adventurer, with chestnut dreadlocks falling over her shoulders and she is clad in loose fitting clothing of neutral browns and beige. We only see through the eyes of th...

The melting snow drips on my balcony in an unsteady rhythm, and sounds of Bach's cello suite in C minor arranged for theorbo fill my dining room. The theorbo is an old lute-like instrument developed in Florence Italy in the 1580's, according to lutenist Lynda Sayce. This particular recording was played by theorbist Pascal Monteilheit. It makes me think of the old instruments my husband and I saw in Venice during our trip just before Christmas of last year. My parents and Christopher and I had separated for the afternoon to do our exploring in pairs, and after meeting up at the end of the day discovered happily that the four of us all stumbled on the Museo della Musica , a museum of old stringed instruments. Some of the instruments dated as far back as the 16th century, and among the instruments we saw an Amati crafted double bass. As a violist I particularly enjoyed seeing the viola d'amores, viola da gambas, and finally the modern viola. Before finding the museum we ...

Ah... controversy, such a friendly topic. Healthy controversy is welcome. I just have a few thoughts on the subject. Speak freely and don't pretend, but remember that each individual person and situation has its unique problems, strengths, goals, etc. One very unhealthy train of thought that I am only now identifying as being very silly, is the tendency towards thinking that because one thing is healthy or "right" for one person or one group of people, that it should be healthy or "right" for me. That is a very unhealthy personal philosophy to have. God made us all individual. That's not an excuse to be lazy, sloppy, wasteful or rude, but it is a good reason to do what we understand to be right for us. Group thinking is pretty much always a bit dangerous if taken too far, and I think that extends to religious views as well. If one thing is made very clear in the Gospels written by the Apostles of Jesus, I think it is that our heart motivation is the most imp...

Meandering down a wooded path on my husband's arm, absorbing the beauty of this wintry, fresh snowed paradise, finds me in the only place I want to be in this moment. As we walk along slowly I can feel the roughness of his wool coat brush my cheek as I turn to look up at him and tell him how beautiful this day is to me. We walk to a familiar park, but on an unfamiliar path. The discovery makes life new again. Around each bend treasures wait, and every time it surprises me to find the beauty of nature in a city. I grew up in the countryside, miles away from even a small town, so finding a breathtaking path by a stream or through the trees seems miraculous. The wooden fence along this particular stream has almost two inches of snow balancing on its ledge. The stream is a dark shadowy color in late afternoon with only an hour or so before darkness envelops it, and the snow white trees on its bank create a breathtaking contrast. My husband waits excitedly for me to catch up wit...

Here is a glimpse into my mental musings of late. To my left on the coffee table sits the sheet music for "Four Hymns for Tenor and Viola" written by Ralph Vaughn Willams. My husband and I are working on the last two hymns for an upcoming concert. Outside the window to my right I can hear the intermittent sounds of a tram or a car passing by. At this hour on a Sunday evening most people are at home relaxing and preparing for the week ahead. The bells at the Graz Herz Jesu Church ring every weekday evening at 7:00, signaling the end of the workday. On Sunday mornings the bells toll at 9:15, just in time to remind you to start making your way to church. Sundays in Graz are quiet; with all of the businesses closed save cafes, restaurants, and one Spar supermarket at the Hauptbahnhof. Klimpt, my faithful viola, reclines on the love seat to my right, and sounds of my husband cooking drift down the hallway from the kitchen to my left. The mood in here is warm and peaceful, now that...

Having just passed our one year anniversary of living in Austria, my perspective has been tilting along with the earth's axis, albeit in its own unique rhythm. I'd say we're just coming out of winter and into a warm, lovely spring, as far as my mood is concerned. One thing I have always valued in life is honesty. Nothing gets my goat more than when parents leave out the challenging portions of their youth through the retelling of stories to their children. If human kind suffers from feelings of inadequacy, then only telling people about the sunny days will make them wonder if the world as they know it is coming to an end every time a bit of a storm gathers overhead. I am speaking metaphorically, though my thoughts are drawn to the first images of hurricane Sandy's devastation in the Eastern portion of my country. They should be waking up in a few hours to see what kind of damage occurred during the night. The leaves are gathering in the courtyard behind our apartmen...