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This is Not Photography (by Joanna Paterson)

This is not photography.

This is flower watching in sweet, soft September sunshine.
This is the smell of the lavender filling my senses.
This is the sound of the river rushing past, and the buzz of the bees going mad with abundance in the herbs.
This is earth time before office time.
This is stolen time.
This is me time.
This is all time falls away and nothing else matters.
This is the way the light falls on the petals of the flower on this softest, sweetest September morning.
This is silence.
This is all love to the flower all love from the flower.
This is being beyond thinking.
This is loving beyond judgement.

This is not photography.

This is my practice.

This is my salvation.

This is my love song.

This is my practice, and my prayer.

*This beautiful poem and photo are by fellow monk in the world Joanna Paterson (with gratitude to her for allowing me to repost)

Make sure to stop by this week’s Photo Party

Pour a cup of tea and linger over the beauty of images of silence.  Then share your own for a chance to win a free book from Christine!

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2 Responses

  2. Christine, I learned a deep appreciation of photography when I took the ‘seeing with the eyes of the heart’ course with you. It makes me very happy and grateful to see these reflections shared here. Thank you.