Today, I re-mind myself of the importance of taking time for myself, especially in the midst of change and upheaval in my life. I affirm to myself that I am renewed and revived by the quiet moments I find in the midst of my day. I stop, if only for a moment, take a deep breath, close my eyes, envision a beautiful place, I exhale, open my eyes, and feel gratitude for the moment. For in that moment I am renewed. I affirm today and everyday that I will take time for myself, even if it is the briefest moment.
Uncertainty had plagued me for a while on a few different levels and yesterday was the day to cast that aside. I had made a rash decision based on financial concern, and the decision made the situation worse on a few levels. It was time to put the stress the situation caused behind me.
I drove to the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge knowing that off in the distance there was a storm moving in. I wasn’t sure when I entered the Refuge if I would drive to Sandy Point, at the southern tip of the Refuge, or turn back and head home when I reached Hellcat Swamp, where the road turns to dirt. I drove on…
Sandy Point, Plum Island, Massachusetts ~ c. Pamela J. Leavey 2014
As the clouds moved closer and the sky darkened, cars were leaving the beach and the Refuge in attempt to beat the storm. I knew instinctively, watching the skies as I drove, that the storm would for the most part, pass north of Sandy Point.
I walked the beach keeping my eyes on the dark clouds, as they moved west to east. I felt a certain sense of safety there, heedless of the swiftly moving storm. I had come there for a reason, to let the storms that had been brewing my heart and mind pass through me with the storm moving across the sky.
Sitting on the beach I felt relieved of the negative energy that had prevailed over my usual positive mindset for a while. The dark skies were moving quickly and far off in the distance to the west, I could see the clear skies following. Sit out the storm, I told myself. It will pass.
I could hear the thunder booming and crashing, and see the occasional flash off lightening light up the dark skies to the north of where I sat on the beach. I felt alive and giddy with energy generated by the storm.
Life brings storms to our door. Some we create on our own, some are nature’s doing. No matter where those storms originate that always pass. In those times of storms in our life, sometimes we must face them head on in order to release them.
As I sat on the beach, I knew I was there to face the brewing storm head on. The release I experienced as I watched the storm roll in was tantamount to giving all things troubling in my heart and soul over to the universe. Trust and let go.
As the wind picked up and the rain began to fall softly at first, I felt cleansed and renewed in the tears of the Great Mother Goddess. My grief moved through me and shifted to happiness and joy.
Sometimes you just need to sit and let the storms in life pass by…
No place is more sacred to me than the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge along the northern coast of Massachusetts. It is there in the diverse coastal estuary lands that are part of the Great Marsh, that I find inner peace, happiness and sometimes solace. The ever-changing landscape of the Refuge is woven into the tapestry of my life since childhood, when my entire family, including aunts, uncles and cousins would gather to camp at the southern tip of the Refuge known as Sandy Point.
Salt Pannes at Parker River National Wildlife Refuge ~ c. Pamela J. Leavey 2014
Throughout the decades of my life, which include two decades of living in Los Angeles, I never ceased to long for Refuge that was part and parcel of the fabric of my existence. It is there I celebrate the abundance that exists in nature and in life. It is there I revel in the colorful palette of water, land and sky and witness the delicate balance of the cycle of life.
In times of trouble in my life, no place has ever filled me with so much comfort as my beloved Refuge, for it is there that I find the answers to the questions in my heart that fail to be answered in any way other than by immersing myself in nature. I may arrive at the refuge sometimes with a heavy heart, but I never leave the Refuge not filled with joy. It is my greatest source of inspiration and it fills my heart with the greatest sense of gratitude imaginable.
Newburyport native Roger Ebacher is a multi-instrumentalist, performer, and composer whose music has been played “on the airwaves all over North America, Europe, and as far east as India, Thailand, and Russia.” Check out this video of Roger and Re:Groove performing at Newburyport’s Firehouse Theater in 2011:
Roger’s latest recording BLUEISH GREY is the “first recording in several years to be released under his own name.” Reviews of Blueish Grey can be found here and it is available on ITunes.
Walking is an exercise in contemplation for me, whether I walk alone or with a friend, my mind traverses the path in front of me and delves into the deepest thoughts in my mind. I am reminded of the words of Sam Keen on walking in his seminal book, Hymns to an Unknown God: (more…)
Food for thought… It is all about being in the moment because everything changes like the tides…
“The fundamental understanding of oneself does not come through knowledge or through the accumulation of experiences, which is merely the cultivation of memory. The understandingof oneself is from moment to moment; if we merely accumulate knowledge of the self, that very knowledge prevents further understanding, because accumulated knowledge and experience become the center through which thought focuses and has its being.” J Krishnamurti ~ The Book of Life
Sandy Point ~ c. Pamela J. Leavey 2014
Related Images:
Musing and Rambling
Sometimes I muse and I ramble because I can... I muse about life and things that matter to me...
Donate or Subscribe…
Your donations or subscriptions help keep my freelance writing and photography here online. Thank you in advance for your support. ~ Pamela Leavey
To Purchase Pamela Leavey’s Photography
If you are interested in purchasing photography on this website please use Menu links to my Photography Shop or use the Contact Page to inquire about the availability of a particular image that you are interested in.
Include the link to the page that the image is on, and type “Photography Purchase” in the subject line of your message.
Prints are available for most of the photos on the website that are watermarked “Pamela J Leavey” or “Pamela Leavey.”
: 
