Let the Sunshine In is this week’s prompt for Bella’s 52 photos project…It could be light, seeping into the dark…shadows…still life…lines…as it dapples and fades…golden or bright…capture the sun shining in your life…even in our darkest moments, the sun – the light, can find its way through the cracks.  This also leads me into my Unravelling class this week as well.  We were asked to notice treasures in our life.  Something that has meaning and an emotional value, taking the focus off ourselves and taking a look at the inanimate objects that hold stories about ourselves.  Something that will catch our eye and perhaps bring a smile. As I read both of their posts there was a touch of shininess that caught my eye and it immediately provided the answer to both prompts.

This hand blown glass paper weight captured my attention some 50 plus years ago.  You see my parents bought this paperweight early in their marriage as they passed through Natural Bridge, a huge gorge in the mountainous terrain in Virginia. An area famous for honeymooners back in the day.  I can remember being a very little girl and climbing up in the desk chair in my parents bedroom and turning it, rubbing it and thinking about what it would be like to run around in that magical kaleidoscopic forest inside.  How elated I was when my mom gave it to me a few years ago.  It’s so precious to me.

Before signing off for today, as mentioned in my previous post it was incredible to be in the thick of the protests on Tuesday.  It gives me the opportunity to play in my fantasy world of being a photojournalist, ha!  But in all seriousness, these opportunities are a dream for photographers as there’s absolutely no concerns from people about taking their photograph. Finishing up the afternoon with “occupy” and all the chaos,  afterwards I attended my first weekly dharma gathering at the Shambhala Meditation Center.  What a change from all the megaphones, the pushing and shoving into a tranquil meditative paradise.   A perfect ending to my evening.  I had the privilege of hearing Sangyum Agness Au talk on “The Pain of Pain: Not Leaving Well Enough Alone.”  But that’s a story for another time…