The Beauty of Storms

. . . I don’t just wish you rain, Beloved – I wish you the beauty of storms . . .

John Geddes, Canadian journalist and author in A Familiar Rain (2011)

After a morning of heavy rain and with the forecast putting the chance of rain at 5:00pm at 50%, I decided to duck out of work thirty minutes early. And so it was that at 5:08pm, as my commuter train had only just left the station, I could enjoy the beauty of the deluge from a dry perspective.

Friendship Jaunts

In one drop of water are found all the secrets of all the oceans;
In one aspect of You are found all the aspects of existence.

Khalil Gibran, Lebanese-American writer, poet and artist (1883–1931)

Dear friends treated me this week to excursions into realms beyond my normal frame of reference. Our adventures led to new findings and lots of fun.

The weekend's junket included a picnic in a shaded, magical garden complete with gargantuan knobbly elms and a pink-garlanded gazebo, a visit to a non-Irish Dublin, and a vast waterscape of the mighty Lake Huron with boats returning to a protective harbour.

As we journeyed we shared past memories (including an old photo from my first trip to the Rocky Mountains) and made new ones (e.g., giggles and tears over trying to remove cowboy boots in a local consignment shop).

I’m truly thankful for friends who add such rich dimensions to the aspects of me.