Affirmations

This morning while driving to work I was listening to a recording of Louise Hay's affirmations. I've had a pretty troubling week and sought this time on the drive into the city to find some inner peace. I've been called a liar by someone I felt I was close to. Someone who I have always tried to support and encourage and have defended to others. I am very hurt and quite upset.

I've heard it said that forgiveness is a gift we give ourselves. To me, to forgive another means that I will no longer be emotionally affected by what they have done to hurt me. I can accept that but if to forgive is to not be emotionally affected by another's actions or words, then how do you forgive someone you are afraid of?

Just as I arrived in the city I listened to the following affirmation:

"My life is a mirror. Every person in my life is a reflection of some part of me. The people I love reflect the loving aspects of myself. The people I dislike reflect the parts of myself that need healing. Every experience in life is an opportunity for growth and healing. The people in my life are really mirrors of me. This affords me the opportunity to grow and to change."

Listening to this made me think of the person who has hurt me. If there is any truth to this affirmation, then my fear of this person is an echo of the fear I have had from when I lived with an abusive man and a fear from which, apparently, I have not yet entirely healed. Funny how things you think you have resolved have a way of coming back to bite you in the ass.

My gift to myself then is to work on healing this old wound so that I may grant myself the greater gift of forgiveness. Every experience in life is an opportunity for growth and healing.

Shutter Bug

I've become a snap-happy shutter bug and I totally blame this on my friend Glenda. She's such a bad influence on me. First she gets Lise and I hooked on birdwatching and now she gets me infected with the shutterbug flu.

All I can say is thank heavens for digital cameras and gigabyte memory cards!

I've never really learned how to take photos but I'm trying to figure things out. The camera I have has a big dial with lots of settings and stuff so I've been playing with all the shiny buttons.

Here's a few of my latest pics.

These were taken at Colchester Beach and Harbour:











Last weekend while visiting family in Woodstock I took a morning walk to Pittock Park and took these:








I thought I'd get real artsy fartsy and try to capture a spider web in the rain:


Then some logs piled up at the side of the house:


Here's a couple shots of a vineyard that's just up the road from me. I live on a wine route so there's four wineries right on the county road I live off of.





Finally, back home to a setting sun looking towards the mouth of the Detroit River:

Two proud Memés

For Mother's Day the kids arranged for Lise and I to have our photos done with the two girls. My step-grand daughter, Natalie is seven and here Eve is three weeks old. Natalie's been a good girl at school this week so this afternoon I'm taking her to the movies to see Shrek 3.

For more Eve pictures check out: www.lakesidelair.com/ourAngel