The nights are starting to have that feel to them that signals the coming of fall and the fading of summer. I think I will miss my summer friends as they migrate south to warmer climates. Through the winter I will look forward to their return.
A recent trip to west Texas has me falling in love with the big skies, simple landscapes, and the beautiful contrast in textures. Here are a few from my trip.
Sometimes things start small but grow into something massive. Other times they simply leave their mark. It is up to us to decide, is this a scar or a beauty mark?
Small or large, everything we encounter leaves its mark on us. How we use it is up to us.
For more images by JAM, visit my website at https://www.jammckay.com/
Sometimes an image comes out of nowhere – not planned or deeply contemplated, it just emerges. That is exactly the case with this one. So much so I couldn’t even put a title to it. It always puzzles me when this happens and I begin searching for its origins – it usually has to do with my own emotions.
This year I have faced a series of difficulties, none of them disastrous, but each setting me back. At times it seems like I am running through darkness, maybe a tunnel or an alley. My legs are tired and it is difficult to make progress, like running through water.
I believe this image is my own artistic encouragement to myself. Though the situation may feel dark with narrow walls, and my feet may feel heavy, make the best of the situation, and play in the water.
I have been going through my collection of books and trying to decide what to keep and what to give away. I am a little better parting with the non-fiction, but I find it difficult to say good-bye to the places I once roamed while reading the fictional creation of a talented author. I can still see the beaches from Treasure Island, smell the stench of streets in Tale of Two Cities, feel the empty confinement of On the Beach.
And, if the stories cannot sufficiently sustain their grasp on my soul, the books themselves seem to cry out for preservation. As I read the works of Hemmingway, I found notes scribbled in the margins by my grandfather decades ago, I smell the age of the yellowing pages and feel the worn bindings. Yes, I will keep this one.
Perhaps I will keep them all. Maybe I will read them again one day.
The above image received Honorable Mention in the May 2019 from a Shift Art Fantasy Challenge. Shift Art promotes the creation of Digital Art.
What is it about music that soothes our soul, invokes emotion or just makes us feel good? I don’t really understand the emotion of music, but I love it. This is dedicated to those who make music and create joy in my heart.
I’ve been thinking about those people in my life that lift me up when I need it most. I recently had a knee replacement, and while it is a common surgery, recovery is painful and lengthy. I needed people in my life that would lift me when I felt down, encourage me when I wanted to give up, and tell me something funny when I cried. This is a tribute to those people.
I have learned something from this. Sometimes I know someone who is down, but I don’t know what to say, so I say nothing. I don’t want to seem intrusive so I avoid. I realize now how important it is to hear a friendly voice, receive a kindly worded note, or just to hear the voice of someone who cares.
You Lift Me Higher, February, 2019
