Growth for Gift

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When I was Life-Wealth planning, I would suggest to new grandparents, who were financially able, to set aside $20,000 for sixty-five years to help their new born fund retirement. It is always fun to project with the power of compounding. I would use a long-run return on common stocks and show them that their $20,000 would accumulate to about $3,000,000 using 8% per year. The numbers floored most. Compounding over time is astounding. Of course inflation will whittle away a bit of this. Better save than not though.

With the same notion in mind, having the luxury of acreage since 2015, I planted Black Walnut trees for my three grandkids. The intent was 100 trees that would be mature to harvest as my grandkids neared retirement. This created Walnut Way which provides joy for me - exercise, photos, and pleasure seeing nature’s life-force in action. I would probably have trouble harvesting because of my growing attachment. It’s funny because I have never had a residence more than a dozen years or so. There is a good possibility that the grandkids will not harvest for retirement. But you never know, someone may.

Retirement

The start of 80th

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As I approach my 80th year in this wonderful world, I choose to think of the words of Louis Armstrong’s What a Wonderful World. I played it a dozen times to cement my sentiment, and rid my mind of current events.

“I see trees of green, red roses too

I see them bloom for me and you

And I think to myself

What a wonderful world.

I see skies of blue and clouds of white

The bright blessed days, the dark sacred night

And I think to myself

What a wonderful world

The colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky

Are also on the faces of people going by

I see friends shaking hands, saying, How do you do?

They’re really saying, I love you

I hear babies cry, I watch them grow

they’ll learn much more than I’ll ever know

And I think to myself

What a wonderful world

Yes, I think to myyself

What a wonderful world

oh, yeah”

Belaboring LOVE

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Excuse my frequent focus on LOVE. I like spiritual discussions, actually deep talk about anything meaningful. Big Policy and direction, yes, people, no. I avoid trivia. I seem not to remember anything my little mind thinks is trivia.

I have had some personal revelations about LOVE lately. This is what is on my mind now. My Lord is LOVE. LOVE exists in me, as LOVE is essence to all. I can control how I act to the Will of LOVE. Much is uncertain about the future. I cannot control the future, the unknown. The present is where I Be. The only place I Be. It feels good to love. Maybe I am loving more. I hope so.

I appreciate the natural world more, as I love more. I suggest humans biggest priority is to be good stewards of the gifts of life: air, land, water, and to LOVE.

Morning View

Simply Gift

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My big project now is a third book in the series of photo reflections. Water Reflections and Skyward are two endeavors that give me joy. I don’t. know if I can do it again, but the process of doing is half the fun. Simply Gift, Devine’s Design is the name I have presently given it. I have the images to make the project. I have more reflecting to do. The idea is simple images that are awe inspiring (at least to me), natural, available to awakening, and gifts to treasure.

Simply Gift

Affirmation Mantra

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I was under the impression that my affirmation of nearly forty years, Live LOVE now and… , is a Mantra. My mantra, I mean affirmation, does go on and on and totals about one hundred words. This is a bit long to be saying over and over with each breath in meditation. I got the point when the retreat master said: that is not a mantra, it is an affirmation. So, I set out to develop a mantra to repeat over and over during meditation.

Frequently quoted Ancient Mystics phrases are encouraged to be used during meditation. My thinking is The Divine can hear me, regardless of language and, I best own it, if the words are my own aspiring thoughts; an affirmation, if you will. Anyway, here is my new mantra for meditation. My lord is LOVE. I am One with LOVE; it is my way of Being. The first sentence I say with in-breath, and the second sentence with longer out-breath.

I have been getting into a daily practice of meditation. The practice plays a role in me Being more joyfully present. I am in awe of my enhanced level of loving and gratefulness. I am seeing the Light.

Iona light

LOVE is answer

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Rodney King’s statement, “can’t we all just get along?” went viral because many felt the pain of unnecessary brutality, and wanted to express agreement with the sense of the statement. It hits me that it is also rhetorical to say “love your neighbor as yourself”. We are in this world together; unique and united. We are our neighbor. My belief is that if I act for others welfare, without a focus on mine, all is good - what goes around comes around.

LOVE is the answer to all problems. All faiths express the Golden Rule in one form or another. Why aren’t all followers following? Can’t the ego be pushed out of the way enough to experience the benefits of LOVE? I believe if I Live LOVE, peace will be with me. It may even rub off, on another. It makes sense to me.

I know, I know - it is FEAR that drives us away - fear that LOVE won’t be there to show the way. The ego is attracted to fear.

union

union 2

Scotland 100

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Scotland Highlands and Islands are soul catching landscapes; much like the Sacred Valley, Peru was for me last year. Again, like in the Sacred Valley, I found myself muttering unfxxxxxgbelievable. I irresistably pressed the shutter button more than four thousand times. I produced a book of my favorite one hundred images. I have a pdf of the book at MikeSipe.com. See for yourself the magical landscapes of the Scotland Highlands and Islands. It was only a ten day taste. We saw a bite of the Inner Hebrides Islands. I would love to see the Outer Hebrides too. I was attracted to the Scotland Islands when I viewed the beautiful photo book, The Spirit of Luskentyre, by Nigel Danson. It was the light, clouds, water, grasses, mountains and fitting structures, that caught my eye. When I think about it, the same elements attract me in this beautiful state of Vermont.

House on a Hill

Morning Glow

CONNECTING WITH NATURE

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I am walking the Black Walnut path, on our Purple Lark Farm’s front field.. What a wonderful sensation. Birds are singing, mist on the golden lite ground. It’s early. The birds own the area. A Redwing Blackbird circles close. I wonder if he/she is going to land on my shoulder, or peck my head. I think he/she is trying to connect, possibly saying, stay on the path, I have young ones in the bush. This routine is predictable. I walk softly, trying to say, It’s ok, I mean no harm. I continue on my morning walk. Merlin identifies a dozen birds I hear.

Connecting

Black Walnut Path

Ferryland

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Scotland is a magical place for me. I am playing with a number of landscape images from my ten day journey to the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. I go to another world while processing the images - a world of unbelievable beauty, a happy place - the light, the color, the Divine design. I love it.

I interpret the landscape to create what feels pleasant for me to view. I suspect I am a want-to-be painter with a camera - playing with light, shadows, color. I don’t photoshop much, but I filter with artistic filters, pleasing my artistic palate. I usually erase the filter on points of interest, or focus points leading the eye.

In the first image of Ferryland, below, I did not align the images properly so I was not able to erase filter affects that I would normally erase. I redid the image and made my normal adjustments in the second image of Ferryland. I love the photo tools technology has introduced for me to play like an artist.

Ferryland

Ferryland 2

Peaceful Place

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I am back from ten days of delight in the Highlands and Isles of Scotland - Mary Lou, my LATIA companion. As my sister from England and Italy would say; this place speaks to me. I must have been Scottish in a previous life. I love plaid. I was once asked, by my partners, to remove my plaid carpet in my office at the CPA firm. It ended up in my darkroom at home. I felt peace and awe while reflecting at unbelievable sites in this special place.

The second leg of this journey begins. I begin processing and reflecting on hundreds of views I was inspired to capture. I was in another world. It is a peaceful place.

Peaceful Place

Rebirth

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Spring is a wonderful time to renew, or do a new - better than at New Year’s. So many signs of rebirth in Nature; in Divine design. Are we being nudged to slow down, take a breath, and look at our priorities, to see if they’re aligned with our passions; with our beliefs and desires? Such a precious time, with so much beauty.

spring light

Mountain Mist

Lost and Found

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I am excited with the journey of my new photo project, I call Simply Gift. It will result in a personal book of about 200 simplistic and minimalistic images of Sky, water, mountains, trees, and flowers. I plan to document relating reflections.

I am grateful for the gifts of all that present to my eyes, ears, touch, smell, and feel. All are in seasonal harmony. I am open and looking - not expecting, but accepting - ‘believing is seeing’ -miracles abound.

The result of this project for me is a better understanding of the connection of all, not only the obvious beautiful subjects, but the living insects we don’t see, to us beings with Free Will to be the stewards of our limbs. ‘ALL IS GIFT’.

Light in the Fog

Lost in the fog

Wrap

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I am sitting in the coffee shop, having a morning glory muffin. Before you know it, it’s gone - I eat too fast; I always have. I, wanting more, look at the remains - the muffin wrap. I think, that’s pretty cool - colors, design. I took a picture. While processing the image, I cropped this way, and that way, enjoying the results. The activity satisfied my desire to not be finished with the morning glory so fast. My ABSTRACTION project has got me going on all the beauty before me. Believing is seeing. I am grateful!

Wrap

Water Color

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Light, Color, Design, and Message are attractions for my current photo project ABSTRACTION. I am shaky as to what attracts me. I guess I know it when I see it. It is fun to play with filters and cropping to excite my senses. I admire water color artists. I love to view watercolor works of art. They inspire my photography. Watercolor artists influence my photography. More literally, I like to capture colors that water absorbs, reflects, to create something that holds my view for more than a second or two.

Color of Water

Color of water

Coming out

Anticipation

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No matter how hard I try to stay in the Present, where all that is, IS, I anticipate something to come. I can’t help it, it just happens. Fortunately, it is usually anticipating pleasure, joy. That’s ok, isn’t it? It doesn’t make any difference what you say, it will continue. I do wish though, that the dream state is a glimpse, not a fixation! I hate to miss what IS.

anticipation

Dancing on Thin Ice

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Back in my CPA days (the roaring 80’s 90’s), one of my partners had a saying on his wall that said… if you are going to walk on thin ice, you might as well dance. Tom lived life to the fullest. The saying was apropos to grace his office wall. As I remember, Tom was fun loving - kind, adventurous - a free spirit, who flowed with the present. He is probably the same today, in his ninety’s. As I learn more about the significance of spirit, love, the soul, I appreciate more than ever Tom’s example of loving life.

Melt

Thin Ice

Water Color

Stewards

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Steward - a beautiful word - a beautiful relationship with all - caring about, and for, people, animals, plants - all on earth. I feel spirits seeking peace, connection with Devine source, a longing to belong in community, an interest in giving, an understanding that it is in giving we receive. This is core to all, and too frequently covered by ego interest.

Stewards