To Be In Among Spring

Evil may find me some day, hell's demons
and earth's savage beasts surround me.
Illness may find me, and other sadnesses.
Age and death may find their way to me.
But Kuan-Yin can find me too. I am never
hidden from her goodness, from her compassionate
glance, her infinite blessing, her perfection.
She sees everything and answers every prayer.

I bow my head to her, in perfect reverence.

--Buddhist prayer to the goddess of mercy

...for within each new year's growth is a deep reminder of the way in which nature brings all beautiful things back into the fragile glory of life.

Today, the afternoon most definitely, has been a prayer, a meditation in and of itself. Today, Mir and I, having 'studied' our photography lessons, were out in the yard, with the fire going, taking it in turns to walk our and find beautiful photographs to take in and around the house, the yard... and nearby area.

I actually surprised myself as a matter of fact at how much I noticed as I walked around looking for subjects for the photographs. I wouldn't say that I'm unobservant... but I'm not the worlds most observant person either, so for me to have found small flowers hidden in the grass, or the 'cuckoo spit' in the trees, was a blessing for me.

Equally though, there was much I missed, that I realised that I had missed only when I saw Mir's photographs. But that in itself made me smile, to know that she had seen what I did not was strangely warming for me. Yes, there was a certain degree of my thinking I wish I had seen that but never in a bad way - and I think she did a far better job of takin the pictures of such things than I would have done, so in that respect it was good that she saw them and I did not. The snail, for example, on the doghouse, was just beautiful. On the whole though, to be able to photograph nature around me, and to spot so many things, was a great blessing for me which I hope will continue for as long as I am here, and can in some ways help me to find or see the same things when I go away from here.