Majesty in the Stillness

Sunlight of the late spring sun
Brightens the green leaves of trees
radiating the Spirit of the Majesty
of it all
Woods are no longer woods
but messengers
crying for awe
of the Beauty
that can most times
be heard
in the stillness
while taking it all in

Food for Thought-Addendum

A couple of months ago your humble blogger shared this thought for contemplation:

Don't be afraid to progress

After laying some thought to paper in today's journaling session, the following addendum came to mind-
Even if you have to take a few steps back to do it

There will be some times in life when things take some twists, turns, and even reversals. Hopefully, when brought to mind, this updated food for thought can be of some comfort:

Don't be afraid to progress, even if you have to take a few steps back to do it.

Blessings,
Ms RanaDee

Fashion pick of the day

So your humble blogger decided to spice up her work look today with this skirt by House of Chapple. It's fair to say this number is definitely worth having in yout style arsenal-litetally. At $30 you can't go wrong for piece by none other than Bravo's "The Fashion Show" finalist Reco Chapple. Put this on, get your heels, and be prepared to make a statement.

Get it here:

http://shop.houseofchapple.com/mobile/Product.aspx?ProductCode=1206

Seeds, Lent, Easter, Spring and Victory

Courtesy of Fandroid on YouTube



     "Yet another Janelle Monae reference?", you ask? In this particular instance, it behooved your humble blogger to share the message in the above song, given the time of year and its deeper meaning. Now that the weather is starting to break, many are in celebration mode, enjoying the benefits springtime has to offer (sun, plants in bloom, change of clothes, etc.). However, as nature teaches us, this season is not just for enjoyment, but reflection and upkeep.

     Returning to aformentioned song, a particular line has been particularly hitting home for yours truly lately:

"...cause when the rain falls, my seed will grow/ I'll be further to my dreams tomorrow" 

 

The seed metaphor was particualarly intriguing, considering how nature works.  We just came out of the Lenten season, which could be seen as a time of preparation in the same way nature requires soil to be prepared for sowing seed. The latter consists of eliminating weeds, loosening the soil, and working it with various gardening tools. Lent sees those who participate in it doing likewise-eliminating, loosening, and using tools in the form of fasting to make improvements to our lives. 

 

After the preparation comes the sowing and watering (i.e. rain, manual watering).  In our lives, "watering" can come in the form of challenges or trials. As the verse above implies,that's when the seed grows.Victory!!!

 

Almost-

 

It could be easy to sit back and relax and enjoy the blooming flower, but keeping it blooming requires maintenance.  The same is true for our lives.  Now that we made it to Easter, reverting to the things we were trying to get rid of  during Lent can be very tempting. Just like blooms in springtime, our lives need upkeep after we achieved the desired progress. This includes reflecting on said progress and attending to any challenges to it. The aforementioned lyric is telling in this sense in that Janelle notes that she'll "be further" to her dreams, not already there. There's work to be done.

 

This season has a bounty for us to appreciate and enjoy.  All that is for naught, though, if time isn't taken out to look back at what it took to get that bounty. That includes using the lessons from the preparation to address any obstacles to growth.. It's then and only then can the victor, as they say, get the spoils.  Nature teaches this well.

References:
 

http://www.sunset.com/garden/garden-basics/sowing-seeds-00400000014973/

Food for thought

Here's something that popped into the mind of your humble blogger this week that felt  important to share:

Don't be scared to progress.

Blessings,
Ms. Rana

Women's History Month and St. Katharine Drexel

Photo courtesy of WomenofGrace.com

In a 2009 interview, Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, the woman behind the quote "Well behaved women seldom make history", answered question on the benefit of looking back on the lives of women in history by touting the diverse ways women have engaged in public life over time. She noted how throughout history, women have "invented things, been leaders, been good at gardening, religious heroines. They've been queens.". To celebrate Women's History Month, your humble blogger would like to take a look at the religious heroines  of the historical equation-in particular, St. Katharine Drexel.

Given her feast day was celebrated on March 3, it seems fitting to honor the Philadelphia heiress who gave it up to help the marginalized of her time as a part of not just Catholic history, but women's history. Born to a wealthy family, she went on to become the foundress of a Catholic religious order dedicated to missionary work to Native Americans and African Americans. Her story exemplifies the power of faith lived out, especially in the most adverse of circumstances.

 In the aforementioned interview, Ulrich asserted "If you look at the long view, women have always contributed to the economy of their society...". In this light, St. Katharine Drexel demonstrates how helping those on the fringes is the heart of impactful contribution to the economy of society.

A great account of St. Katharine Drexel's life and work can be found here: http://www.americancatholic.org/Messenger/Oct2000/feature1.asp



References:

http://daretodream.typepad.com/weblog/2009/07/janika-dillon-interviews-laurel-thatcher-ulrich.html

Spotlight: Ulysses Dove

(Photo courtesy of Las Vegas Contemporary Dance Theater website)

Since it's Black History Month, let's talk about choreographer Ulysses Dove. Born in South Carolina and hailing from the Alvin Ailey camp, Dove's works have been performed by a number of top dance companies, including Ailey and Royal Swedish Ballet. Sadly, he passed away in 1996.

Regretfully, your humble blogger has been out of the dance loop for quite some time and only had a vague familiarity with his name and work until now (read:  catching a performance of his pieces once or twice). Today, I had the pleasure today of seeing another Black historic institution, the Dance Theatre of Harlem, whose repertoire included a masterful rendition of his heart-wrenching piece "Dancing On the Front Porch of Heaven (below is a video of the Royal Swedish Ballet performance). If you have the chance, do yourself a favor and catch it on DTH's tour, going on now.



A great biography on the dance icon can be found here: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/freetodance/biographies/dove.html

Check out Dance Theatre of Harlem's tour schedule here: http://www.dancetheatreofharlem.org/calendar