Cape Cod beach, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

“Behind the cotton wool [of life] is hidden a pattern…the whole world is a work of art [and] we are part of the works of art…there is no Shakespeare, there is no Beethoven, certainly and emphatically there is no God; we are the Gods; we are the music; we are the thing itself.”
~Virginia Woolf

I’ve been immersing myself in the art of the beach these past few days. I’ve found myself wondering if every bit of seaweed is as unique as a snowflake…

Cape Cod at sunset, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

The ocean, it is calling my name…

beach love, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

John posted his version of his LDS church court experience, filling in some of the gaps left by mine.

Picture taken while in the Outer Banks of North Carolina a few years ago, just after one of the first times I went swimming in the ocean. Back then I never would have guessed how important the waves, wind & sea would become in my life!

Huntington Library, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

I will be spending at least an hour this morning sitting in lotus position, in meditation. I need the peace that comes from time spent in silence.

mon cheri, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

John’s sweet post yesterday made me happy. I especially loved his links to past anniversaries, some of which I’d forgotten about. For example, here are his thoughts on our tenth celebration:

we didn’t do any of the things you’re supposed to do on your tenth anniversary, like take a second honeymoon, or buy expensive jewelry, or go on a cruise, or eat dinner at a fancy restaurant, or whatever it is people do who make it this far. both jana and i were concerned at times and apologetic to each other. “maybe we should have done something more memorable,” we lamented.

but in the end, we celebrated simplicity. we celebrated doing things our own way, and we celebrated just being with each other. our move back to the university, our rejection of the inanity of the “keeping up with the joneses” approach to living, this seems like adventure enough. i am recording this because, when we look back on this many years from now, i want us to be able to remember that we did celebrate our tenth anniversary in a manner that was uniquely us and deeply satisfying to the both of us::

And some of my anniversary posts through the years:
13 years

Number 14 (wherein we break some rules)

Year #15 (in Boston!)

And, last year

John and I haven’t officially celebrated this year yet, because we’ll be doing so this weekend. I think we were smart to get married right around Labor Day–so we always have a holiday weekend for our anniversaries. 🙂

the couple that podcasts together…, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

I found this pic recently while I was cleaning out some photos on my hard drive. It’s nothing special, but it brought back warm memories of the days when John & I used to podcast together (we snapped this in the middle of a recording session). It seems like the two of us are always up to something interesting. 🙂

Seventeen years ago, on an early Wednesday morning, John and I exchanged vows of love and fidelity. I knew then that we’d started something amazing. And that feeling still persists…each and every day.

My garden, in the morning, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

A day full of family, catching up on things, and enjoying the last hurrah of summer (with some sizzling SoCal temperatures).

How was your day?

Elegant Jana., originally uploaded by mind on fire.

Letting my hair down just a bit today…

Sometimes it’s hard for me to be constantly in front of John’s lens (my own personal paparazzi). But sometimes I enjoy being his model, as in this candid pic that he snapped a few days ago…

My garden, in the morning, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

With temps reading 100-105 degrees, it seems like the weather is all everyone can talk about. But I’m not complaining about the heat. It seems that finally summer is here, and my garden is loving it.

The cats are all sprawled around on furniture and floors in the path of the hallway fan, lazing away the warm-ish afternoon.

heliotrope, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

There must be a way
to retain the nobility of trees
and the surefootedness of rocks

If we could sing always from here, canyon:
From here where the gold makes up to the green for staying,
Perhaps we could say what we must

[…]
Tell them of the gold in the leaves
and the leaving that summons
the compounding of everything shaped or shaping.

Sing of the consummate gift of being used.

Go with sureness of wondering
and the keenness of being in touch.

Take on the buoyance of birds
Take root in the crevices of the world.

Hold to the rocks. Speak of reverence for being
And be in favor of trees

~excerpts from “Speak of Reverence for Being” by Emma Lou Thayne