Confident that I would make it to my intended destination, I wandered with determination, faith and God’s grace into the darkness and discovered God’s hands reaching out to me time and time again.
Grateful am I to know a loving God. Jesus has always been beside me and his Mother, Mary has never failed to comfort and assist me when I felt lost or fearful. Her prayers joined my own and I felt heard, understood and able to relax into the next venture.
Presently, unemployed, I find myself at one of life’s crossroads, and I wait patiently until the fog lifts and the direction is clear.
Grateful for sight, hearing, touch, ability to walk and lose myself in nature and occasionally my sense of smell. These gifts went unnoticed when I was little and now, I thank God for all of them.
May Peace and Gratitude fill your Heart today and always.
Yesterday we had a beautiful surprise of snowfall, flakes large enough to catch on my tongue – a moment of Joy during a time of intense grieving
Hurricane Helene left her mark on our beautiful community of Asheville NC and surrounding areas, homes, businesses, lives, trees, trails, the devastation is so glaring especially to those of us who grew up here in what was a very safe, serene and beautiful oasis. It’s been almost two months since the storm hit. September 26th ! No one was prepared. No power, no cell phones, and days later no water for over a month! Water was resumed on the 18th of September. It was deemed safe enough to shower in and consume. For me, and I think for many others, the water does not taste safe. I will continue to drink bottled or spring water and to cook with these instead of consuming them.
The day after the Water was deemed safe, my heart while not keeping up with the grief, exploded into sobs which turned into physical heaving and a need to reach out to someone to share this grief. God, in his infinite wisdom, gave me the courage to contact a friend, who was just the person to let me process some of this grief in the form of tears. I imagine it will take some time before we are able to process all of it and before we feel truly safe again in our homes from the next wind or torrential rain event.
Four Season Girl
Spring is a happy time that beckons all to plant, explore, enjoy the outdoors and the color of green is all around us dotted with flowers in every shade and the birds as they find their way back to our feeders, baths and ponds
Summer is a time for travel, vacation, cleaning out the excess visit the beaches for a swim and shell seeking OR float down the French Broad River in a canoe or kayak quietly and enjoy its ebb and flow while looking for the Eagle, Herron or Egret (please NO tubing with boom boxes and beer – it’s disturbing to those of us who love the serenity floating down the river brings.)
Autumn is a time to walk the trails and mountains and absorb the last explosion of colors red, orange, yellow and greens in all the trees that one can see on any given day
Winter a time to slow down and look inward – bake, bask in the shorter days and rest more while still awaiting for a much desired snowfall and its silence and cleanliness as it blankets the trees and eventually the ground as if it to clean the air, the trees and the earth
Spring – White Trillium- Photo: Anita Adams, NCTreesPhotography.com
Summer – Mountain Stream – Photo by Anita Adams, NCTreesPhotography.com
Autumn – Japanese Maple Tree in all the Beautiful Colours by Anita Adams, NCTreesPhotography.com
Winter – This photo was taken of the last REAL snowfall in 2022 – Crisp, White, Blanket of Snow 5″ deep or more. It’s silence is an invitation to be quiet and enjoy or play if you wish. Photo: Anita Adams, NCTreesPhotography.com
Grief and Joy One couldn’t exist without the other As we all move forward into the Holy Days (Holidays) Smile more to the Stranger Look into the Eyes of those we meet and live with it every day Don’t forget to say I love you to those you love Hug a Tree and squeeze it again for me. ~Anita
A familiar refrain comes to mind ‘Where does love go when the lights go out?’
Love is always here residing in the Heart, the Whisperer reminds me
The only thing required from you is to ‘Believe’
The answers may not be evident. Waiting is required. I’m not good at waiting.
Yet, I know, when the door opens effortlessly, I am walking in alignment with the Source of All Knowingness and Love, and once again, All WILL be Well.
freedom of thought, location, restraint, rules and a welcoming sense of
Peace, Acceptance, Love, Safety, Security and a DEEP Knowingness that ALL IS WELL
God is with me always, I need not fear any thing or any one
I have always believed that there is something I have to teach, to share, yet, I know I must learn more first, then, I can truly share my experience, strength and hope;
like the Oak Tree, my Prayers form with each root;
each utterance of this prayer is flown from the Birds and Butterflies who take them to the Heavens and are later turned into sunshine, rain or snow and fall back upon me softly to be absorbed, and the cycle continues
Now, it ends with a sigh – a record – relaxation and perhaps a giggle
It will not end with Fine
~ Anita Adams 1/18/2021
This Tree – Anita’s Tree was cut down from the Biltmore Grounds and a Sapling was planted. I wish the Sapling well. And I bid this beautiful Meadow Oak farewell.
a simple question has rested on my desk for a year or more –
it reads Where am I headed? – a great question. These are my reflections today….
Where am I headed?
Hours turn into days
days into weeks
weeks into months
time, tasks, memories and dreams are all that are left
an invisible bag of dreams
photographic and emotional memories
with no where to go, no where to run – except to God
Trail at Max Patch ~ Anita of NC Trees Photography.com
as I stand at the foot of the mountain or a day of enormous work demands- before I climb – I pause, take a deep breath and pray to the Divine – ‘Guide me – I do not know where or what you want of me – Guide me’
exercising my body and mind – I follow a schedule and take each moment as it comes…
…. when moments of laughter or joy surface – I give in and embrace these as a miracle
when tears fall, I let them flow
at the end of the day, I see that I made it through another day – unscathed, stronger or softer, more open than closed, more grateful than not – perhaps, the answer to the question: Where am I headed? is this – Awareness and Gratitude for all the Blessings seen and felt.
misuse of words in a sentence to describe something else
memory loss when scrambling to complete a task
finishing a painting or coloring a photo, and all that’s left to choose from is the color brown
cracks in the sidewalk
holes on a paved city street or country gravel road where the water has filled them up with rain, dirt and gravel
Potholes
… when knowing and remembering collide and stop one in their tracks
. . . like recalling one’s name, a favorite book, poem, song, and it’s attached to some invisible thread so fine that no one can see it, and you pray for the memory to return, the brain to be restored
Years ago, I traveled with my son, age four to Austin Texas in a 3 on the column chocolate brown with white camper GMC Truck and no A/C. We would drive 8 hours then stop at a La Quinta for the night, rested, eat, and drive another for a period of three 8 hour legs. We finally arrived in Austin and visited a head shop during that time called Oat Willies. They had a bumper sticker which I later attached to my truck that read Onward through the Fog.
On foggy mornings, like the one we’re having today, those words come to mind with a different meaning.
First things First
Make a List
Write a bit
Pray and Meditate
Stretch, walk, exercise
Create something that makes me smile
Leaving you with the same excitation: Onward through the Fog!
Called to Write 