plantings,,, (life)

if i am one you love,,,

then plant me in your heart.
share with me your warmth,
nurture me,
protect me from the elements,
provide me with the nutrients you have to offer,
and let me have room to grow.

this, being given, is all that you can do.

if this seed of love finds the strength to leave its shell,
and journey through the earth above it,
to become a tree,
one day bearing seeds of its own,
it must be by its own free will.

who but the seed can know what it will look like when it is grown?
and who but the seed can know the path it will take to get there?

you cannot will the seed to grow,
you cannot dictate how it should move, and when,
you cannot force,
all of these will only make such a journey more difficult,
and all of these are puppeteering, not love.

love is a giving.
always.

love exists between two individuals to the degree to which they can freely give.

if you have given all you have,
and the seed of love doesn't appear to be growing,
there are several factors that may be in play:


(one) all things here move in cycles and rhythms,
be patient as your heart will allow you to be.

(two) different seeds have different requirements for nurturing.
some will thrive and flourish in soil that for another would be a struggle.
this in no way diminishes the soil or the seed.
it is just a difficult, though not impossible, match.

(three) sometimes all the right nutrients are there,
the time has come and gone,
but it is not in the will of the seed to open, to make that journey.
this is its right, and must be respected.


believe me, dear hearts,,,
the soil of your heart is rich and deep,
and can support a wealth and variety of seeds of love.

if you feel lonely, do not despair.
you will find seeds with whom you can share the beautiful journey.
all that is required is you being brave enough to give all,

and to give it freely.


jesh *

sean & laura (eSession)

two of the loveliest people (and the finest dog) i have ever had the privilege to work with.

much love, friends,,,

jesh ; )

stars,,, (stories)

the stars,,,

are so many points of light in the sky.

some people who look at the sky connect the dots into shapes, in an attempt to make some kind of sense of them, to organize and define their world. they do this, mostly in hopes that it will give them some kind of control over it.

sometimes people agree on the shapes, and the imagined control is imaginarily solidified as the recognition of the shape becomes more commonly accepted.

people give the shapes names, and begin to associate certain ideas, feelings and stories with them. because of this, some of those shapes end up with great power, affecting the decisions people make, thereby altering lives and the course of the world. 

what power the shapes have, is not their own. it is given by the people who believe in the shapes, for what people believe in, they give their power to.

some shapes become so powerful, people will trade everything for them, fight for them, hurt for them, live for them, die for them. they become more valued than the people who believe in them.

the stars don't know when people have assigned shapes to them. in fact, no matter what shapes someone sees when they look at the stars, the stars just continue being what they are. this is because when someone sees shapes when they see the stars, they're not looking at the stars, they're looking at their own mind, even if they don't realize this.

if the shapes existed outside of peoples' minds, everyone would look at the stars and see the same shape. the truth is, some people look at those same stars and see shapes no one else sees. some see no shapes at all, just never ending points of light.

when you look at the night sky, what do you see?

*

a lovely book,,, (check it out)

hello wonderful people,,,

my dear friend Tamara Lackey, one of the most gifted and generous photographers i know, is celebrating the publishing of her first photography book: the Art of Children's Portrait Photography : )

besides being filled with her beautiful imagery, the book is a wonderful guide for those looking to improve their ability to capture the magic spontaneity and lifespark of children.

In addition to being an amazing photographer, Tamara is a skilled writer and educator, and has a gift for simplifying the sometimes complex pieces of this art form into easily digestible concepts.

Her natural charm and insightful vision make the book an enjoyable, entertaining read, and will be inspiring to photographers of all skill levels.

Perhaps my favorite thing about the endeavor,,, she is donating all author proceeds to the Worldwide Orphans Foundation and Save the Children : ) : ) : )

Whether you want to take better pictures of your own family, want to start a business, or take your work to the next level, this book is definitely something you want to check out.

so much love,

jesh ; )

tonight,,, (life)

ah, my friends,,,

tonight, i look up into an overcast sky,,, and see a wind come,,, lifting away a cloudy thickness, revealing a darkness lit with a host of small and brilliant lights,,, lights that have always been there, waiting.

the suffering, both quiet and loud, of our neighbors, of ourselves, has reached a collective level which we can no longer afford to ignore.

we are on more of a precipice, i feel, than we have even recognized.

it is this very precipice however, that can become the door to the world that could be. a world woven with the unchained imagination of our love-led hearts.

tonight,,, my friends,,, tonight. i feel a shift.

tonight, america chooses for herself a blank slate. a chance to start over. a ground from which to build whatsoever she will.


what would i say to this night sky, these new/old stars i see through eyes rich with these tears?


that each voice, that your voice, is significant and vital.

that there is no place left for hate. we each play our part, even if it is not always recognized by others or even ourselves. the truth is, george bush may have contributed more than anyone else to the election of barack obama.

things are rarely what they seem. let us be slow to judgement, promising to keep open eyes and brave, compassionate hearts as we move forward, together, one step at a time.

let us have patience. no long journey is ever accomplished in a single step.

let us give ourselves room. room to fail, room to grow, room to learn from our mistakes, room to dare to believe in the wildest of our imaginations.


america,,, birthplace of poets, haven of dreamers.

america,,, it is your shining that has always been your beauty, your hope.

america,,, i have loved you from the day i was born.


*

there are many kinds of artists,,, (life)

much love,

jesh *


p.s. just saying ; )