Shutter Sisters

signs of hope

By

The devastating news from the past few weeks have left me so sad and vulnerable. And while trying to make sense of it all is probably useless, I look around and take comfort in the fact that although the universe is reminding us of the reality of the fragility of life, it is also allowing flowers to bloom everywhere.

Today show us signs of spring. Today show us signs of hope.

Comments

  1. this is so very beautiful irene. no sings of spring here yet . still silent under our blanket of snow and ice. but seeing yours gives me hope that it will come and that life begins anew once more.

  2. No sign of spring yet here either, so I depend on my online photographer friends – here, on flickr, on Picture Inspiration – to remind me that winter will end soon. Thank you!

  6. Indeed, more and more blooms will arrive to bring us hope in the next couple of months. What's going on is really terrible, but the flowers are persistent in their comfort.

    http://wildfledged.tumblr.com/post/3812109788/pinkandcosmic

    http://wildfledged.tumblr.com/post/3792057087/bensondaytwo

    ^ This is going to sound crazy, but I don't mind:
    The little dragonfly you see in the second image was someone I couldn't help but rescue from my hot tub; he only has one wing. Never before have I witnessed a struggling, drowning insect who would emit an energy that said very clearly that he wasn't ready to let nature take her course yet. Once taken from the hot tub, he lay motionless and white for almost 15 minutes before suddenly clinging to the leaf I slid beneath him. He responds to voices, coaxing, visual stimuli. He has lived on my balcony for three days now. When I picked this flower for him, he immediately climbed up on it, and when I began shooting, he actually turned his face and body toward me to stare, transfixed, into the lens.

    His intelligence has done so much for my cosmic faith.

    Tragedy is about balance. It makes absolutely no sense to our hearts, individually, but to the Universe, somehow, it does. I'm learning to cope with this more daily.

  8. We were awakened early Friday morning with word of a fast approaching tsunami. As we tried to absorb the magnitude of devastation in Japan, we began our preparations. Fortunately for our community, tsunami training resulted in minimal damage – unfortunately our neighbor just to the north (Crescent City Harbor) did not avoid damage.

    The remainder of the day remains surreal – the earth was quiet, clear skies, few birds, no wind, pounding and angry surf.

    The Ides of March – The process of life and beauty is intertwined with turmoil, chaos and sometimes natural violence.

    Here is my spot of glorious color in an otherwise dismal moment.

    http://humbirdhum.wordpress.com/2011/03/13/gray-day-bright-colors/

    (amazing story by Alex!!)

  22. Cherry Blossom trees are blooming everywhere here too. It is sad that in other parts of the world there is such destruction happening. My hearts, thoughts and prayers go out to them all.

    Yesterday morning was just beautuiful and as I was sitting outside enjoying the warmth of the sun and drinking my coffee, I went inside to take a picture of these sweet little flowers starting to grow around the yard.

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/kjlovesphotography/5524551175/

    God Bless.

  24. oh how lovely! i thought of two things when i saw your post:

    last spring in melbourne i took some similar magnolia polaroid shots.

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/agrippinamaior/4967807410/in/set-72157623967369544/

    but i also took some of the ever gorgous plum blossom, trees that abound in the area that i live in Melbourne. it hit me that it's now plum blossom time in japan. known as the ume, they are apparently among the first of the spring blossoms to flower and can be found in parks and shrines all across japan. they're the subject of a number of Ume Matsuri – Plum Festivals.

    the festival at the yushima tenjin shrine in tokyo is held in february/march & has only just finished.

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/agrippinamaior/4978992523/in/set-72157623967369544/
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/agrippinamaior/5041736414/in/set-72157623967369544/

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_mume

  29. Thankyou for posting such a beautiful image! Odd that an image of new growth can feel so melancholy.

    Spring seems to be poking it's head over the parapet here, with daffodils and snowdrops fighting their way out of the grass verges.

  39. I am so glad that you talked about the sadness of the Japan earthquake. Sometimes I think the blogging, photographing , scrapbooking world misses the pathos of life. Cheer and beauty at all costs. I think we all should take a day to photograph despair in sympathy.

  40. A beautiful post Irene, in dedication to hope and renewal! Your image is beautiful…and…familiar! Might these beautiful blooms belong to a magnolia tree?

    I was just making magnolia images this morning, and here they are. Thank you for the invitation to share hopeful spring images…in the spirit of helping Japan, and everywhere where hope is needed.

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/crunchyfootsteps/5526652507/

  41. The weather here in North Carolina has been unable to decide if it is spring yet. Some days are warm and some evenings too cold to go out without a warm coat. The plum tree in my back yard reminds me spring is coming with its cotton candy pink blossoms that bloom more and more each day.

    http://www.thisdancingstar.blogspot.com/

  42. My heart hurts so much to think what the people in Japan are going through. I can't imagine the pain and can't make sense of all the tragedy.
    My cousin is in Japan right now. He said he is fine. He is about 500 miles from where the earthquake took place. I am worried for his health and safety although he is so far away. I keep thinking about the nuclear plant explosion and wonder how safe he is.
    Thoughts and prayers to the people.

  50. Sooo much beauty in the spring. New growth in spring, I am also growing an learning my way around my new venture, my flickr account. Happy spring to all.