Beneath My Feet

I stopped paddling to allow myself to drift in the present for a few moments... to take a close look at the carpet of yellow water lilies floating on the calm water. Being in nature's beauty makes it easier to notice what is near and not to dwell in the past or future. My dad had a favourite saying... Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That is why it's called the present. So sweet.  It makes me smile to think that he, too, thought it important to  focus on the now. Pike Lake, SK, 2020

I still love walking through a field of dandelion puffs -- a gentle reminder of the impermanence of things.  They've cleverly adapted for survival by transforming their seeds into parachutes that ride the wind, then grow anywhere and everywhere.  Botanists refer to these common plants as  opportunists .  On a manicured lawn, we have the perspective that the dandelion is a weed, only because it happily shows its yellow face to the sun. I was delighted to learn that it is a dear friend of the bees, who rely on it's nectar, and that  dandelion tea has medicinal effects. Not so hap py was sipping its unappealing flavour! Dandelion wine might be as good. A fond childhood memory, you likely share, is picking the milky stalks,  then blowing the fluffy ball to disperse its fuzz.  But first,  close your eyes and make a wish!   I am born as the sun, But then turn into the moon. I carry hopes on breezes to find new roots i...

Some take off their worn boots and toss them over the cliff into the sea to celebrate the finale of a long journey. Here, our daughter, Mackenzie, looks out over the Atlantic Ocean at Cape Finisterre, Spain -- a place once believed to be the end of the earth. (In Latin, finis means end , and terra, earth. ) Several years ago, Kenzie walked over 800 km from France’s border, across northern Spain.  For over 1000 years, people from across the globe make this grueling pilgrimage for spiritual or adventurous reasons. It is known as The Camino and typically ends at the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela. But, a small number continue on a path for another 90 km to the west coast at Finisterre.   I am still in awe of her  bravery and  determination in completing this remarkable achievement. Mostly on her own, day in, day out, for weeks, she put one blistered foot in front of another. A reminder that most things are achieved, and that we make it through just about...

This traveling sheepskin returned with us from a cycling trip in New Zealand 33 years ago! It brings sweet memories of our first home where it padded the old wooden chair that rocked nursing babies to sleep. In our next home, many good books were read in warm comfort on a wicker chair in the sun room. After much downsizing, it made "the cut" and traveled to Saskatoon where it rests on the floor by my bedside. I've heard it said that "what doesn't fit your journey should be discarded." But, it still "sparked joy." (Thanks Marie Kondo!) I'm so grateful we kept it! It is the perfect soft landing as I get out of bed each morning. After all,  how you start your day often defines it!  My Daily Llamba. (Baaaaa-d pun, I know!)