A once mighty tree. So much character in this worn and ragged wood. So many storms weathered.
Fern shadows. I walk through the woods at dusk, it is both light and dark. Mysterious and quiet. Crickets. Birds. My feet against the pine needles.
Indian Pipes. I think of N. Her death just one week ago. That is part of the quiet now. She was a great talker and story teller. The Irish in her.
The well at dusk. I make a wish. I thank the universe for the beauty of the earth, the warmth of my friends.
Collapsing stone wall.
Hmm, what people would pay for those authentic stone wall rocks.
Another grand boulder. Like some ancient elephant hide.
Boundary marker. Dare I step beyond?
A once mighty tree. So much character in this worn and ragged wood. So many storms weathered.
Fern shadows. I walk through the woods at dusk, it is both light and dark. Mysterious and quiet. Crickets. Birds. My feet against the pine needles. 
Indian Pipes. I think of N. Her death just one week ago. That is part of the quiet now. She was a great talker and story teller. The Irish in her.
The well at dusk. I make a wish. I thank the universe for the beauty of the earth, the warmth of my friends.
Collapsing stone wall. Hmm, what people would pay for those authentic stone wall rocks.
Another grand boulder. Like some ancient elephant hide.
Boundary marker. Dare I step beyond?
22 comments:
Suki, you are so contemplative. I understand. Walks in the woods are a healing source. Spend time there. Mend. My thoughts are with you.
what an incredibly interesting walk you had, indian pipes...gosh. i think you dare step beyond and i think that you will.hows your bro doing? hugs.
Thanks Katie Jane. I love the woods. I always have. Except for the mosquitoes.
Soulbrush: the indian pipes are interesting. Do you have those in England? My brother seems to be doing okay. He has been riding around on his tractor and doing farm chores neglected while N. was sick. Still, I imagine the evenings are most difficult. I have invited him over for dinner a number of times but he chooses to eat alone at his place. Thanks for asking and for the hugs.
Suki, I love your walks around the farm! You find so many interesting things to contemplate and share. They are lovely. It seems as though I can see you have been wet this season with all of the green and growth there.
I am sure many things are reminding you of N. Maybe you can recall some of the stories and write them down.
And yes, go ahead and step beyond the boundary line! Even head over a fence...just because you can!
Have a Peaceful Weekend....
Walks can be very meditative. Good for the mind and heart.
In time you Brother will join you but for now he needs to be alone and remember good times they had. He needs just to adjust to being alone and to getting back to what ever was normal before, like farm work, and learning how to do it alone. He needs to heal his heart.
Time is what it will take.
Hugs to you all
PS Thanks for the lovely comment on our marriage. I am happy the warmth comes thru.
My Dear Suki,
I have come and gone several times over the past week. I leave without posting because I am overcome with some of my own feelings. The loss of a loved one tears a hole in the heart, which even when healed remains scarred. When people ask how it felt to lose my son so young I muster up a word picture of a donut ... the center of your heart opens in a gaping wound but in time heals around the wound, but the hole never goes away. I pray for you and have for some time, though my comments have dwindled. Your posts are lovely and refreshing and hopeful. My garden and my family and my faith have carried me through ... as will yours. Blessings and prayers to you, sweet one. : )
Thanks Kim. Actually I think I've crossed boundaries many times in my life. Still, there are always more to cross. The woods are so peaceful and rich. full of broken things and new things growing.
Cris, thanks for the words about my brother. I think you are right he needs to get used to doing things alone. this morning he said mornings were the hardest time, when he wakes up and realizes again that N is no longer there. He said N's brother called today crying. so good he felt he could call my brother. Of course, that wakened tears for him too.
Thank you so much Debbie. I'm so sorry about your son. Your depiction of the hole in the heart, scarred over but still there, is so good a way to describe such sorrow. Thank you for stopping by. My prayers are with you, suki
Wonderful walk!
Thanks for taking me along!
take care!
love >M<
Contemplative piece. It is truly inspiring, the metaphors, the questions you ask.
thank goodness for quiet walks in the woods, which help us gather our thoughts, witness life's natural cycles, and mend our hearts.
hugs,
m
Oh, I just love seeing all these things,,,,had not heard of Indian Pipes,,,,they look as thought the'd be wonderful dried.
I think maybe you cannot NOT cross the boundaries sometimes,,,if even briefly, and with great purpose.
Thanks for the walk Suki.
Beautiful. This post actually made me miss our old home in the woods.
What a wonderful walk, thanks for taking us with you. Walks in the
woods are a great thinking and sorting out time. Lots of love.
P.S. Thanks for your comments, they have been so helpful right now :-).
Suki, your words and photos are so lovely and I can sense a deep and quiet beauty. I am so deeply sorry about the loss of your sister-in-law.
Marianne, it was a delight to take you along on my woodland walk. And little Sjimmie trotting along side.
Mermaid, thank you. I love looking at the pictures of these things, well also the real things. They do induce a quietude and peace.
m. heart, nature is a great teacher and mender, it is true.
Babs, not sure about the indian pipes as to whether they would dry. Maybe will try it. They are sort of moist and thickish like fungus or mushrooms. thanks for your thoughts on crossing the boundaries. Perhaps to cross some boundary, which i dont know, is my next step in life.
Welcome John G. I lived by the ocean for 30 years where there were a few woods, but lots of the trees were short and small. So it is quite a change to be living here in tall trees and hills. Brings out different rhythms and thoughts.
Annie, you are welcome to come walk in the woods anytime. When i stayed in NMexico a number of yrs back I stayed on the edge of Carson National Forest. Some lovely woods there too.
Thank you Lynette for your condolences. It is quiet here for sure. I can hear the distant hum of traffic from Route 91 sometimes, and an occasional train whistle. But otherwise, mostly birds and such.
rakhjmpwow... what a journey... with your reflections and marvelous photos... a journey within... loved that, Suki...
thank you human being. And now i can once again go to the pond which has been overgrown, but my brother just cut a path to it.
I enjoyed the walk...lovely photos, what you captured, I can almost hear the quiet and feel the peacefulness of it there.
One week is a mere beginning I'd imagine. Hugs to you, brother and mom.
good morning, suki. thanks for the lovely walk. indian pipes are so cool--they will not dry, just turn black, and have a lot of lore for native americans who believed they held evil powers as a result of all that blackness. they are a true plant, by the way--they are one of two that doesn't produce clorophyl! how cool is that?
back to your walk--very sweet to let nature help heal us, i think. nature knows all the places of the heart, i think, and we can find metaphors for everything we are doing and thinking there.
your brother is healing the way he knows how. being with someone while they die is very profound. it will take him a while to put his head and heart back together. it has been a long, difficult process for him, i'm sure. being back on his tractor, cutting a path to water, being back at work....all very healing i would imagine.
i can't help but think this is a very deep and profound time for you all around. so many things coming together even as they seem to come apart....
be well. namaste!
i'm still thinking of a papermaking weekend, etc. maybe you could come stay here--i'll let you know!
Suki - thanks for the walk thru the woods, I just saw Indian pipes yesterday - so lovely in the sunshine.
I think of you and your family and how you must be adapting to the changes. While I have had close friends pass - I haven't had it in my house, where the day to day routine is changed - that must be so hard.
Enjoy our beautiful weather while we have it.
Lynn, I think you are right, one week is just a small beginning. My brother will visit N's brother in NY (upstate) for a few days next week which I think will be good for both of them.
Mary, such lovely words you write. Thanks for the indian pipe info. "Nature knows all the places of the heart." beautifully put. I think so too. Yes, hadnt thought of that, cutting a path to the water. All these grounding activities my brother is doing, will help move him on. I like what you say too about things coming together even as they seem to be coming apart. I will ponder that. Part of the amazing dance of life. Be well, Mary. Suki
Mim, I have never lived in the same house as someone who is dying either. I can't imagine it though of course in earlier times it happened with some frequency. I dont know how my brother did it. I dont think I could, say if mom became in need of nursing type care. I havent the stamina at least for more than a week of such care. The weather, for me, has done a lot to cheer me up. Tonight, my brother will come to dinner too which is nice. Be well, Suki
what a lovely walk suki. thanks for reminding us how to slow down :)
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