Four Generations of Sophies...a snapshot in time from a legacy of Sophies that dates back to the settlement of Maryland...this is the history that this family carries. I find this fascinating and will write more later...but I had the opportunity to share a day of sun-drenched watermelon and ice cream with this family...wrapped in history young and old...and laughter bright as the sun's rays...and I am blessed to have the experience.

Rilke has been one of my favorite poets for years (along with Rumi of course)...but did I know that he actually had a Legacy of Sophie connection in his life as well? I must have...must have known that his mother's name was Sophia (Sophie)...and that she dressed Rainer up in girls clothes and called him Sophia until he was five (to compensate for his older sister, Sophie, who died)...so apparently Rainer Maria Rilke also had a legacy of Sophies in his life.
Ironic.

Interesting that in "that day" this wasn't uncommon as Vincent Van Gogh was called Vincent after his older brother who had died as an infant. What a legacy to live through...and still give so much beauty to the world as their own legacy. Perhaps in living a legacy of shadow, they can more easily portray the beauty of light (be it through poetry or art -or anything for that matter).

On a more personal note: This picture, being held by my soul G'mom, Sophie-the Elder, was given to her by her "dahdy" when she was 8 years old...she's now 86 and has kept the picture, the memory, and all that it represents close to her all these years.

Words to live by: "Look well, to this day!"

Look to this day,
For Yesterday is already a dream,
And tomorrow is only a vision;
But today, lived well, makes every yesterday
A dream of happiness --and every tomorrow
A vision of hope -- Look well, therefore,
To this day ---
Such is the Salutation of the Dawn.

(I'll have to look up this poem to find the true author)

Two years ago tonight, I said goodbye to you, and my life changed in ways I am still uncovering. Be Mindful in every moment --heed the inner voice, because in this moment, LIFE breathes...speaks and shows itself in all its purest emotions.

Thank you, my sister, for your most precious gift. I still feel you...every day.


http://reves-ocean.livejournal.com/11439.html?mode=reply

Around the corner I have a friend,

In this great city that has no end,

Yet the days go by and weeks rush on,

And before I know it, a year is gone.

And I never see my old friends face,

For life is a swift and terrible race,

He knows
I like him just as well,

As in the days when I rang his bell.

And he rang mine but we were younger then,

And now we are busy, tired men.

Tired of playing a foolish game,

Tired of trying to make a name.

'Tomorrow' I say! 'I will call on Jim

Just to show that I'm thinking of him.'

But tomorrow comes and tomorrow goes,

And distance between us grows and grows.

Around the corner, yet miles away,

'Here's a telegram sir,' 'Jim died today.'

And that's what we get and deserve in the end.

Around the corner, a vanished friend.

Remember to always say what you mean.

If you love someone, tell them.

Don't be afraid to express yourself.

Reach out and tell someone what they mean to you.

Because when you decide that it is the right time it might

be too late.

Seize the day. Never have regrets.

And most importantly, stay close to your friends

and family, for they have helped

make you the person that you are today.

Enter the human element....and of learning of a life in the city.

After Jeepin' through the desert for two days with a boat buckled in the passenger seat and NAVEES (my navigating fish) nestled between us and of course, my bike strapped to the back tire...I finally made it to San Diego...and the warm welcoming arms of Mother Ocean. AHHHHH! HOME!!!!!!   ...at long last.

The first night into town found me racing to breathe in the sunset along the ocean waves...and I made it with minutes to spare. It was magnificent and I am so thankful for being in this space and close to the heartbeat of Mother Ocean.

The first week in SD is still a blur in that I spent much of the time at the Navy/Small Business conference --which was great! ...and then finally getting ---and seeing the loft that I will live/work in for the next year. I still can't believe I commited to this space SIGHT UNSEEN ---naive or faithful ---time will tell :)

I've never lived in a city before, so I knew this was going to be a real change for me...Mother Nature has always played a big role in my life ---and I wasn't entirely sure she got a rail pass to downtown or even a permit to enter without jaywalking ---I mean, where would I possibly be able to see deer, butterflies, the sweet song of the morning birds ---and to be gently stirred from a deep sleep by the morning sun?

Yeah, this was going to be a learning experience in ways I had not even begun to suspect!

...learning about Human Nature...and My Own Nature...these are the paths that are before me...and I have begun to take...step...by...step.

Note: My Friend, Zum...I see your face often in the many homeless faces on these streets. I see places where the night might shelter you, keep you warm and dry, I see you in all the local street people...and I hear one single heart...beating. Thank you for showing me the human side of the night's streets. Without your echo of their lives, I would merely pass them by, entrenched in my single focus of "what is, what should be" ---thank you for showing me through your words ---how I am there now, walking, waiting, but for the grace of "god"...go I.

Safe Travels, my Friends. Stay warm, stay dry...and see the butterflies in the city...as Mother Nature IS HERE...and she flutters through the streets and in our hearts needing no invitation. ...and that makes all the difference in the world.

I'm seeing mother nature in a new perpective here. One with homelessness, earthquakes, multitudes of people, people, people everywhere...but in the midst of it...even downtown, I see the butterfly...and it still follows me on my path, so I know I am where I should be...now, in this moment.

Last night (this morning, actually) I woke up, feeling a small shaking, almost like I was sleeping on a washing machine on the spin cycle. I knew immediately "this was my first noticable earthquake" ---but interestingly, I wasn't as afraid as I thought I would be - given that I've been feeling very claustrophobic in this concrete ceiling'd space over the last weeks. Last night/this morning, I felt peaceful...like Que Sera peaceful. Of course, it may be that I wasn't fully awake, so my sense of fear hadn't been able to set off the inevitable "YOU WILL DIE IF THIS CEILING FALLS ON YOU AND THERE"S NO ESCAPE" thoughts...and for that I'm glad. I needed the peaceful thoughts after last night.

But last night is another entry...for another time. It all ended well enough...and I got to see Mother Nature's miracle of a rising full moon ---that was absolutely spectacular! ...and that made it all worth while.

Thank you, Mother, for your blessings...your lessons, your warmth. I know I am here for a reason - and that is beginning to unfold, however gently, however slow...step by step, the path is before me, quaken'd by my foundation, but steady in spirit....and so the journey continues...ever forward, ever new.