It was a day like any other. Dawn.
First things first: Put on the coffee, dog out, blinds up–which wakes up the cat; thus, feed the cat. Pour first cup. Turn and watch. Astonishing.
Fog threads spin across the field.
A few minutes pass and something new comes with the rise. Spinning threads; a blush, then a pink. A soft, silken, baby pink.
And it was gone in five minutes.
A glimpse of glory. God’s gift, wrapped in blush, silken garments. So serene. Lovely.
EnJoy 😊
Peace,
Alexandria
Posted by Alexandria Sage on December 3, 2017
https://simplysage.org/2017/12/03/blush-pink/
“To go boldly where no man has gone before.”
Star Trek. The theme quote. A timeless story.
Aside from Star Wars, it’s possibly the most popular sci-fi series of all time. I loved that show. Captain Kirk—the gutsy, cunning, yet vulnerable leader was a character I most admired! Star Trek, the great predecessor of Star Wars. Still to this day they are both sheer, utter enjoyment.
Space fascinates us, doesn’t it? Huge star ships floating with grace. Hyperspace! Vulcans! Other exotic humanoids (yuk, some of them I could live without ever seeing!)
And who doesn’t love a full moon or a starry night? The constellations that have guided mankind for millennia are mind-boggling.
But did you know you could travel deep space right outside your door? It’s always been there. A space that, once entered, holds as much beauty as the stars in the sky.
Take just the rose, for instance. It’s been out your door all this time You forge ahead in your day, maybe glance up at the sky, or in your phone, as you rush by, day in and day out.
But have you ever once thought to stop? And finally travel in? Or taken a real camera and captured it? I don’t know—maybe phones these days can do it, too
By gently separating the delicate petals, you can. Yes, they might press against your lens, which you’ll have to clean after. (Such work!)
But the trip is genuinely worth it, isn’t it? Take in the symmetry, the order of this collage of wonder; its beautiful design.
Take some time and enter into the deep space right outside your door. Waiting for you. All these years. Ttop and look. Play around a bit with angle and depth. You’ll behold a wonder you never imagined. Go boldly where few take the time to go.
And you’ll wonder why it took so long.
This is my contribution to the Wordpress Weekly Photo Challenge with a previous theme, “Order” and the current theme “Collage“.
The designs I find in nature seem so random. Yet they are not. Even in the wild woods that surround me, there is this combined symmetry; a collage that fits together perfect. Our Creator is a master of design. Stop and take a look around you. Don’t dismiss the designs. The order. No matter the collage that is your life, which perhaps at times seems more like chaos, the majesty within nature reminds you of His presence.
Peace, Alexandria
First two photos credited to Sean M. Smith. The rest are by mine, taken with Sony DSLR.
Posted by Alexandria Sage on July 12, 2017
https://simplysage.org/2017/07/12/deep-space-design/
“Some think love can be measured by the amount of butterflies in their tummy. Others think love can be measured in bunches of flowers, or by using the words ‘for ever.’ But love can only truly be measured by actions. It can be a small thing, such as peeling an orange for a person you love because you know they don’t like doing it.” ~ Marian Keyes
A paintbrush swathed in shades of orange,
Lavished sky with broad, bold strokes.
A space of gold,
A slice of time,
We breathe,
and lose breath
at the marvel of such artistry.
No words.
Just time,
… beauty,
…. peace
….. and love.
This is my response to the Weekly Photo Challenge with the theme “Orange”. Click here to see all the other “Orange” creativity.
Here’s a few of the many others I liked:
Say It With a Camera
Don’t Throw Away That Orange Peel
Travels and Trifles: Orange: Last, But Not Least
EnJoy!
Alexandria
Posted by Alexandria Sage on March 13, 2015
https://simplysage.org/2015/03/13/you-are-my-sunshine-weekly-photo-challenge-orange/
When life gives you thorns …
“Lift your hands toward the holy place, and praise the Lord.” Psalms 134:2
When life gives you thorns …
“One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today.” ~ Dale Carnegie
When life gives you thorns …
“A single rose can be my garden… a single friend, my world.” ~ Leo Buscaglia
When life gives you thorns …
“Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns; I am thankful that thorns have roses. ” ~ Alphonse Karr
Lo, How the Rose Enduring
Mystifying, life defying,
Wrapped inside the
deadly piercing.
Delicate, yet
Strong emerging.
Not weathered torn.
But …
Beauty dazzling,
Lightly rising,
Fragile petals,
buds reach praising,
Inside eye
of dreadful storm.
Shall we fare less
inside our thorn?
“When life gives you thorns, grow roses.” ~ Alexandria Sage
I marvel at the rose, how that beauty thrives with the near clutches of thorns. The life of this fluorescent beauty doesn’t just ho-hum grow up. It is pricked by those thorns it’s entire existence, yet it not only thrives, it blooms. Delicate and bold. Tough and tender.
As life pricks us, may we learn to grow–not hardened by hardship–but strong, malleable, generous, kind, compassionate–the qualities of true beauty.
Peace,
Alexandria
Poem by yours truly. 🙂
Photos taken with Nikon D60 with AF-S Nikkor lens 18-55 mm. No post-processing, editing, or cropping. It’s the same rose, different views.
Perspective matters, doesn’t it?
Related Articles:
Weekly Photo Challenge: Endurance
yi-chin ling: much of enough comes
The Silver Leaf Journal: The Struggle to Endure
Posted by Alexandria Sage on September 26, 2014
https://simplysage.org/2014/09/26/inside-the-thorns-a-poem-for-you-today/
Yep, this is what I call “my ‘hood”. 🙂
Street Life in the Country
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Photos taken with Nikon D60, various lenses, Sony Cybershot, Pentax, iPhone 4 and iPhone 5. Deer photos taken inside through a window–sheer luck 🙂
Hope you enjoyed the slideshow format for a change!
(Note: If you’re using the WordPress App Reader the slide show will not work. At least it didn’t for me. Try a regular web page. Good luck!)
Peace,
Alexandria
Posted by Alexandria Sage on April 4, 2014
https://simplysage.org/2014/04/04/quiet-street-busy-land-wpc-street-life-2/
Sunsets, like childhood, are viewed with wonder not just because they are beautiful but because they are fleeting. ~ Unknown
If you carry your childhood with you, you never become older. ~Tom Stoppard
Did you know that childhood is the only time in our lives when insanity is not only permitted to us, but expected? ~Louis de Bernières, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin
Childhood is measured out by sounds and smells and sights, before the dark hour of reason grows. ~John Betjeman, Summoned by Bells
For this set of photos I invited my dear “like-a-daughter”, Emily Morgan, to share some photos of her children. I’ve known Emily since she was a baby. Her mother is one of my closest friends since college and we spent a good portion of life raising kids together.
Emily blossomed into a loving mother of four adorable children (ages 6 and under!). She is also a talented photographer. She and husband, Andrew, have settled in Los Angeles, where Emily frequents the Pacific beach with these sweet little ones.
The beautiful photos above, captured in silhouette, drew my attention because they capture those fleeting moments of childhood. I’ll let Emily explain it in her own words.
“Hearing waves crash and children laugh are two of the best sounds in the world. The moment when your 6 year-old and the sunset collide and you happen to have your camera handy and are able to capture that fleeting moment to hold onto forever is truly special. The way I feel behind the lens of camera brings me to life, but the better gift is being able to hold onto that moment forever in a photograph.” ~ Emily Morgan
I am convinced that God gave childhood, not as moments forgotten or pined for, but to recapture it in our adult years, much as a photograph captures. So we would not forget to live each day with childhood eyes and wonder, to view every moment with passion and exuberance.
But what happened as we grew out of those wonder years? As adulthood seeped in, it gradually pushed out that wonder and we became grown-ups. Pushed by life and all it’s demands, the wonder nudged back and for some it fell off into the throes of deadly cynicism.
We could never have loved the earth so well if we had had no childhood in it. ~George Eliot, The Mill on the Floss, 1860
Experience the healing wonder of childhood … everyday.
Peace, Alexandria
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After a hiatus of bearing these four little ones, Emily is resuming her photography. I invite you to view her portfolio at www.emilymorgan.la
This is in response to the Weekly Photo Challenge with the Theme “Object”. The ocean is the landscape and the silhouettes of children are the objects. True objects of affection. 🙂
Posted by Alexandria Sage on February 1, 2014
https://simplysage.org/2014/02/01/fleeting-objects-of-affection/
“It was one of those perfect English autumnal days which occur more frequently in memory than in life. The rich colours of grass and earth were intensified by the mellow light of a sun almost warm enough for spring.” ~P.D. James
“I like spring, but it is too young. I like summer, but it is too proud. So I like best of all autumn, because its leaves are a little yellow, its tones mellower, its colors richer,
and it is tinged a little with sorrow. Its golden richness speaks not of the innocence of spring, nor of the power of summer,
but of the mellowness and kindly wisdom of approaching age. It knows the limitation’s of life and is content.” ~Lin Yutang
“The human soul is slow to discover the real excellence of things given to us by a bountiful Creator, and not until the shadows of death begin to gather around the object that we love, do we see its worth and beauty.
Autumn is the dim shadow that clusters about the sweet, precious things that God has created in the realm of nature.While it robs them of life, it tears away the veil and reveals the golden gem of beauty and sweetness.
Beauty lurks in all the dim old aisles of nature, and we discover it at last.” ~ Northern Advocate
“How beautifully leaves grow old. How full of light and color are their last days.” ~ John Burroughs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Another autumn nears its end. These very brief, fleeting days find me outside more than any other time of the year. The colors are just breathtaking and I constantly fight this irresistible urge to try to capture the breadth, length, and height of it. As we know, it’s an impossibility. I know autumn means to contemplate, absorb, and enjoy the richness of its beauty. It’s also a time of remembrance as the year draws to a close and we look back.
Autumn is such a paradox. Brilliant, glimmering. But it is truly a descent into decay and ultimately … death. It is, in essence, a progression into loss. Just like autumn, we’ve all experienced loss in some fashion this year. Perhaps God fashioned autumn so brilliant just so we could see some sort of beauty in loss. But the journey of loss always holds gain as God brings something new to replace what we lost. We won’t know what it is until we look to Him in faith and ask.
As the leaves fall, shrivel, and die some things in our lives must do the same. I’ve endured a couple of deep, unexpected losses this year. As I grieve I look to God and the glorious creation He surrounds me with and try to grasp the new blessings in my life. Just as the inclination is strong to hold and capture every photo of autumn, I cling tight to what is no more. And I have to ask God for even the faith to believe there is something better. There always is. The truth stamped in autumn tells me so. Tells me there is spring.
And it’s not too far from now.
Peace, Alexandria
You might also enjoy:
Autumn Boat (aditixpictures.wordpress.com)
Autumn asks (defeatdespair.wordpress.com)
Autumn Thoughts (princesstheodora.net)
A November Garden Bimble (ramblingratz.wordpress.com)
Weekly Photo Challenge: Unexpected
KellyJGrace
Posted by Alexandria Sage on November 24, 2013
https://simplysage.org/2013/11/24/novembrance/
“Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree.” ~ Emily Bronte
“Nature will bear the closest inspection. She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf, and take an insect view of its plain.” ~ Henry David Thoreau
“Autumn is the second spring when every leaf is a flower.” ~ Albert Camus
“Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn.” ~ Elizabeth Lawrence
“Never say there is nothing beautiful in the world anymore. There is always something to make you wonder in the shape of a tree, the trembling of a leaf.” ~ Albert Schweitzer
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Weekly Photo Challenge: Layers
Posted by Alexandria Sage on November 16, 2013
https://simplysage.org/2013/11/16/layers-of-leaf-weekly-photo-challenge-layers/
I saw the lovely arch
Of rainbow span the sky,
The gold sun burning
As the rain swept by.
~ Elizabeth Coatsworth
Ah, November is now upon us. I tried to find some really sweet November quotes on the web, thinking I would find a lot of poetry and quotes depicting the glory of this great month. How shocked and depressing to find literature filled with so much melancholy and gloom.
I suppose in many parts of the world the climate lends itself to melancholy in November. Around here, as October slips quietly into the sunset, November carries on the work of autumn slow and magnificent. And for me personally, November is neatly sandwiched in-between the end of Indian Summer and the bustling holidays. When you think about it, don’t the holidays serve as a huge distraction as the bleakness of winter rolls in? We wake up in January and it’s like, “Wow, it’s winter!”
But back to November. While I sat perusing the poetry, how fitting a chilling rain should suddenly befall the midst of all the gloom and doom. Great! Dear November, you just confirmed what I’m reading! Stop the madness!
But suddenly, a voice shattered the madness. My husband was off in the back field calling to get my camera and come running. And to my great surprise, what I saw proved those writers and poets dead-wrong. What began my November was this glorious arch spreading over the sky. Yes— a RAINBOW! Far, far from melancholy. Oh, how I wish you could have been there! Just amazing.
Rainbows usually conjure images of spring freshness and oh, how writers praise, praise, praise the endless wonder, relieved to the nth degree that all the bleak and blah of winter is finally gone. But just to prove those highbrow writers wrong, nature decided to blast forth this November with a rainbow. No room for gloom this time!
So what do you think about November? Rather than leave it up to famed writers and poets, perhaps it’s now up to the world of everyday bloggers like you and me to change that reputation. Even if your climate is cold, bleak, and cloudy, is there not some glimmer of magnificence? You may not get a rainbow like I did but November holds plenty of surprise. It’s there, to be sure.
You might have to do some searching to capture the beauty in the bleak. But even in the worst of times, there is always a place, a space of sanity and glory, that silver lining of hope—possibly even a rainbow. With November ushering winter at our doorstep, together let’s find that surprise. I’m ready. How about you?
Posted by Alexandria Sage on November 11, 2013
https://simplysage.org/2013/11/11/november-surprise/
When life gives you thorns …
“Lift your hands toward the holy place, and praise the Lord.” Psalms 134:2
When life gives you thorns …
“One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today.” ~ Dale Carnegie
When life gives you thorns …
“A single rose can be my garden… a single friend, my world.” ~ Leo Buscaglia
When life gives you thorns …
Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns; I am thankful that thorns have roses. ” ~ Alphonse Karr
Lo, How the Rose Enduring
Mystifying, life defying,
Wrapped inside the
deadly piercing.
Delicate, yet
Strong emerging.
Not weathered torn.
But …
Beauty dazzling,
Lightly rising,
Fragile petals,
buds reach praising,
Inside eye
of dreadful storm.
Shall we fare less
inside our thorn?
“When life gives you thorns, grow roses.” ~ Alexandria Sage
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Another contribution for NaPoWriMo 2014.
Poem and photos by Alexandria Sage. Photos taken with Nikon D60 with AF-S Nikkor lens 18-55 mm. Photos have no post-processing, editing, or cropping. It’s the same rose, different views.
Perspective matters, doesn’t it?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Weekly Photo Challenge: Inside
Posted by Alexandria Sage on September 15, 2013
https://simplysage.org/2013/09/15/inside-the-thorns-napowrimo2014/
“Why does the eye see a thing more clearly in dreams than the imagination when awake?” ~ Leonardo da Vinci
“Most people have no idea of the giant capacity we can immediately command when we focus all of our resources on mastering a single area of our lives.” ~ Tony Robbins
“You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.” ~ Mark Twain
“Never express yourself more clearly than you are able to think.” ~ Niels Bohr ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
These photos are taken with differing apertures using two different lenses. They are collections of the same scene.
As you can see, they each have their advantages and disadvantages. It all depends on, well, what you want to focus on. In photography, it’s important to focus on one thing. That one thing may be the big picture or it may be a small object. There is the shallow depth of field and the large depth of field.
It’s kind of like life, isn’t it? —dynamic arrays of focus. And it can be hard in this modern warp speed we are now immersed in. At every moment we focus on “something”. I don’t juggle it perfectly but I certainly try. I have a few big picture goals in my life that get squeezed out by all the little things that draw my attention.
Some of the little things I love, like an unexpected visit from my grandson or adult children. Or phone calls from faraway friends and family—just visiting or planning time with them. They are definitely worth my focus and relationships with them fall into my “big picture” goals. There are many other good things, too, but I do have to say “no” to a lot of those good things.
I sprinkled a few quotes that help me. What about you? What do you say “yes” and “no” to? Where’s your focus these days?
“Beware of overcommitment. You can’t “yes” to everyone. You must practice saying “no”. Otherwise, you may be at risk of compromising your quality or your integrity.” ~ Stephen Deal
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is a response to the Weekly Photo Challenge with a theme of “Focus”. It was a lot of fun to experiment and I’m pleased with the results. I hope you are, too. Peace, Alexandria
Other links:
SimplySage: A Return to Organic Photography
Photography 101: Finding Your Focus
Festival of Flowers: Week 12
Posted by Alexandria Sage on September 1, 2013
https://simplysage.org/2013/09/01/adventures-in-apertures-wpc-focus/
“A chief event of life is the day in which we have encountered a mind that startled us.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
No thoughts nor words. Chills. I stood frozen, trying to maintain composure. I stifled a choked lump in my throat, but I couldn’t stop the tears that filled my eyes, then meandered down my cheeks.
“The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection.” ~ Michelangelo
Still freshly astonished at churches, ancient structures, the Vatican Museum, and Sistine Chapel, I expected more of the same. But nothing prepared me as I stepped through the door of St. Peter’s Basilica. So unexpected. Unimaginable. My breath escaped, and I filled with wonder, How could anyone create beauty of such magnitude? And who were these creators? Even more, why?
This was greatness of another dimension. For a few moments I became wordless, thoughtless. Then the vacuum that occupied my mind and heart at that moment became filled with a tenderness, a sweet gentility, a touch. A touch of … love.
But it was love unleashed.
“All the masterpieces of art contain both light and shadow. A happy life is not one filled with only sunshine, but one which uses both light and shadow to produce beauty.” ~ Billy Graham
Grand, spacious love in a pinnacle masterpiece. Love that was enough … for everyone. You could see love–painted, sculpted, flowing, flourishing in every square inch of rock solid marble. But why? The question haunted.
These were masters of another kind.
“Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen.” ~ Leonardo da Vinci
I know the history behind the excesses of some of the pope’s as well as how artist’s squabble. But these artist’s stretched above and beyond any earthly demands or human frailty to something deeper. Isn’t it like God to use imperfect people to magnify Himself? Perhaps even they didn’t understand why. They just unleashed it all.
And this timeless structure was like a soul connection to God Himself—a love intent on touching earth with heaven. They were light-years ahead of their time–visionaries. Could they envision me standing there today, losing my breath, tears streaming down my face, asking the question, “Why?”
“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” ~ Michelangelo
This place was elegant, tasteful, immense, grandiose. As the earth spun gracefully around the sun, the beams cast changing rays in a delightful show of light and shadow. Science and art merged to exquisite perfection. Intentional. This was no cold stone ancient relic.
It was soft, warm, alive … welcoming. It was as if every stroke, cut, and design were destined way into the future. For today. For everyone. For this day. For me.
The place was filled with people, families, children and babies, but there was a hush, a reverence. An awe. All eyes looked up. For in the confines of walls, these masters harnessed but a small glimpse of the Master of all.
And I, an honored guest, could hear His voice, whispering soft. “Welcome. Come in. Just enjoy.”
“Every beauty which is seen here by persons of perception resembles more than anything else that celestial source from which we all come.” ~ Michelangelo
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All photography {except #9 (that’s mine with a Cybershot)} is by Dan Pope of Precise Photography, based in Arlington, Texas. These photos are completely unedited, with exception of cropping Pietà, of which no one can get that close enough to photograph. See Dan’s website and browse a few of his Galleries for a phenomenal portfolio. My husband and I enjoyed a trip to Rome with the Pope’s as we both celebrated anniversaries. Dan has a big heart and an engaging sense of humor and makes friends with everyone he meets, including the Swiss Guard! He teased about how “the Pope” had come to visit Rome. Good thing Italians have a great sense of humor.
Peace, Alexandria
“When love and skill work together, expect a masterpiece.” ~ John Ruskin
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Some of my favorites on this Challenge:
Sejeong Production
Postcard Photo
Blessings Through Raindrops
Chronicles of Illusion
Am submitting this as well to the Work of Art Photo Challenge from June 2014
Posted by Alexandria Sage on July 29, 2013
https://simplysage.org/2013/07/29/masterpiece/
“Be thou the rainbow in the storms of life. The evening beam that smiles the clouds away, and tints tomorrow with prophetic ray.” ~ Lord Byron
I don’t know anything that speaks fresh more than a rainbow after the rain. And I can’t think of a more appropriate photo than this, taken with an iPhone 5. Much thanks to my guest author, Steve, for this photo taken on a recent vacation. When I saw it, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Simply spectacular. But there is something else quite delightful about this photo. If you look across the top third you will see a faint hint of color. There is another rainbow, making it that more rare event of a double rainbow! It’s worth clicking on for a larger view. I’ve asked Steve for a short description:
“We were at our hotel in Moorea and it had been a blustery day with thirty mph winds and a fine, misting rain. Curiously, there were times that it continued to rain even when the sky had minimal clouds or even blue skies. This photo was taken from a bridge as I was walking across the hotel grounds.”
Enjoy.
Peace, Alexandria
{P.S. This photo was taken with an iPhone 5. The only editing done was the “enhance” tool within iPhone, which did little to alter the photo. Nothing else was done. To me, the photo is perfect in every way. I give Steve credit for being fast with the camera and setting up perfect composition.}
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Daily Prompt: Colors
My favorite:
The Colours of Love
You might enjoy some other articles by Steve:
A Tale of Agony
My Thoughts on Aging
Taxes Made Simple
Healthcare: Good, Fast, Cheap. You Only Get Two
Posted by Alexandria Sage on July 21, 2013
https://simplysage.org/2013/07/21/somewhere-over-the-rainbow-weekly-photo-challenge-fresh/
“Be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars.” ~ Henry Van Dyke
“It’s easier to go down a hill than up it but the view is much better at the top.” ~ Henry Ward Beecher
“Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them and try to follow them.” ~ Louisa May Alcott
“Man cannot aspire if he looks down. If he rise, he must look up.” ~ Samuel Smiles
“I can see how it might be possible for a man to look down upon the earth and be an atheist, but I cannot conceive how he could look up into the heavens and say there is no God.” ~ Abraham Lincoln
“And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down. Without the rain, there would be no rainbow.” ~ G. K. Chesterton
_____________________________________________________
Here are other interpretations of the Weekly Photo Challenge with the theme of “Up”.
Posted by Alexandria Sage on April 29, 2013
https://simplysage.org/2013/04/29/natures-usual-pose-weekly-photo-challenge-up/
Grand
Generous
Abundant
Joy giving
Smile maker
Favorite flower
Enjoy!
Peace,
Alexandria
http://flickrcomments.wordpress.com/2012/02/21/a-z-archive-h-challenge/#comment-23760
Posted by Alexandria Sage on May 16, 2012
https://simplysage.org/2012/05/16/hydrangea-joy-weekly-photo-challenge-blu/
“All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.”
~J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
Posted by Alexandria Sage on April 21, 2012
https://simplysage.org/2012/04/21/springs-eternal-hope/
“Do you love me because I’m beautiful or am I beautiful because you love me?” ~ Cinderalla
Posted by Alexandria Sage on February 7, 2012
https://simplysage.org/2012/02/07/the-beauty-secret/
SimplySage 