Friday, September 15, 2006

Marriage

So, anyone that knows me knows I am getting married in less than a month. My fiance Dana and I have been planning this wedding for over a year now and it is hard to believe that all these plans are about to take action.

One of the last things that has come up is that we have a reading to pick for the actual ceremony. Dana remembered a fabulous passage from Khalil Gibran's "The Prophet" that I would like to post here for you all to read. It goes a little something like this:

Khalil Gibran… “On Marriage”
…Let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.
Love one another but make not a bond of love:
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,
Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.
Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.
For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.
And stand together, yet not too near together:
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.


I believe that one of the greatest things that weddings do is that they allow the people involved to be touched my external factors. What I mean by this is that when I think about Dana and my relationship with her, I think about all the great things that I am thankful for. And as our date gets closer, it seems that many external factors will trigger my thoughts and emotions towards her. It could be as simple as reading the passage above. Or a song on the radio that reminds you of a special moment you shared. Or a family member welling up with emotion because they are so happy for you. All of these things bring joy and love greatness to our lives.

...now wouldn't it be great if we could remember these great feelings always? Block out all those greedy, egocentric, manipulative thoughts that so many have and focus on the good.

I believe it was the great John Lennon who said: "All you need is love." How very true!

t.

Thursday, September 14, 2006

Understanding all of this...

To understand this picture, you have to understand my family. I live with three females...my fiance and our two cats: Annabelle (the white one) and Molly (the tabby). At the best of times, I will get along with two of the three. I don't think all four of us have ever been on the same page. I just don't think that can happen in our situation.






And that's why this picture is soooooo funny. Annabelle and Molly are actually sitting beside each other and being civil. And please understand something, if I could read minds, I might be able to tell you that they are not liking this setup one bit. But, because they both want to be in this blanket and because it isn't spread out, they will put aside their differences (however briefly) to have a common goal.

Now what makes this blanket so special? Who knows.
And was this an isolated incident? Nope, it happened again last weekend when Dana had the blanket out on the porch.

...females....

t.

Monday, September 11, 2006

Rock Point Shore Lunch

So, this post hopefully accomplishes two things: (1) It gets a photo of mine up on my blog and (2) it allows me to see exactly what image sizes work and which ones don't.

This image was taken over a 4-day long weekend in July spent at my family's cottage. This year was a reunion of sorts as it was the first time in about five years that both the Hodgdon & Connell families were up at Chiblow lake at the same time. As most of us are all grown up now, it was an interesting time. Lots of laughs, a few heated discussions, and even a few tears.

This image is of the master of the Hodgdon clan, enjoying the view of the lake after a delightful meal out on the rocks. It very much encapsulates the tranquility that is this area in Northern Ontario. With a little White Balance adjustment, some cloning, a slight s-curve, and a little burning, I believe I have arrived at the desired effect.

C&C's always welcome.

t.

There's a first time for everything...

So...here we are.
I'm officially entering the world of Blogging.

...should be fun.

t.