A Celebration of Life

Into the Twilight

Just a few days ago, my dear friend Cyndy took her last breath on this Earth and passed over into the twilight.

It was quite a shock to receive the news last night, and her family and friends are still in a state of surrealism. It is never an easy thing to lose our loved ones.

What I know about Cyndy is that she lived her life full-stop while she walked among us. Her spirit was one of love and compassion, and always lending a helping hand. Even her own illnesses did not stop her from wanting to experience life to the fullest.

Her passing reminds me how important it is to stay in the moment, each and every minute of every day. And that by listening to other's life stories, we can forget about our own worries and fill our hearts and minds with bigger thoughts.

Fountain and Flower, Kalmia Gardens

That is not to say that we should not care for ourselves. Indeed, that is an important part of each and everyone of our life's missions.  Feeding our fountain of life is just as much a part of our Divine Plan as is helping each other.

To be true to our souls purpose is what leads us to happiness. And what a great role model for that was Cyndy! Through all her life's trials, she kept her humor intact.

Cyndy loved music, and especially Bluegrass music. Her family's roots in Georgia and South Carolina are strong, and encouraged her participation in singing in a Bluegrass band with her friends.

She was one of those friends you could call in the middle of the night and she would be there for you. There are so many lovely memories I have of just spending time with Cyndy.

She is and will be sorely missed by all of her family and friends. There is certainly a big hole in our hearts now for losing her presence.

So I will focus my thoughts on her Life, and what that means to me. And feel and remember her fun and loving presence in my heart.

Here's a toast to you, Cyndy, my friend. And God bless you. You live on in the love in our hearts!

A tribute to Cynthia Hilton-Harper

I'll Fly Away

Fountain of  Time, Kalmia Gardens

Walking the Path of Love

Soft Swamp Lights, Kalmia Gardens

"Follow the path of love, and all things are added, for God is love, and God is supply."  ~ Florence Scovill Shinn

 Life is full of surprises, and keeping one's concentration can be a challenge. And so, the timeless comfort of walking the path of love brings us back home, to our center and to the essence of our being.

Just over a year ago, an afternoon walk through a nearby garden brought me much peace. Spending time in Nature helps human beings to re-connect to our source of love.

Several decades ago, I happened upon a paperback book by Florence Scovill Shinn, "The Game of Life and How to Play It", during my lunch break. At the time, I was living a long way from my family in South Carolina, and was feeling a bit homesick.

Ghosts on the Water, Kalmia Gardens

Reading this inspirational book helped me change the way I was looking at the world. And soon my thoughts were filled with hope, and the feelings of homesickness disappeared.

"Love is the fulfilling of the law", wrote Shinn.

Amen. Walk on the path of love, fellow pilgrims.

On the Boardwalk, Kalmia Gardens

Southern Snow

Snowy Forest's Edge, Camden SC

Two nights ago the cold Northwest wind blew in and brought an unusual scene here -- the snow, blanketing our town in a shawl of white.

After midnight, the almost half-moon shone with the twinkling stars in the crisp, clear skies and the soft lunar glow reflected on the newly fallen snow.

It was a very peaceful night's sleep, nestled snugly in the warmth of my home at Tree Tops, nestled within the woodlands.

The morning light brought this winter wonderland alive with firs covered in snow dust like the shaking of a sugar canister.

Forsythia Blooms in Snow, Camden SC

And the forsythia, already in near full bloom, smiled through snowy capes, their branches reminding me of characters in a Haiku poem.

As the sun rose higher in the Southern sky, the trees and shrubs began to shed their snowy clothes. The birch trees dropped snow balls with loud thumps on the roof and the skylights.

A red crested woodpecker landed in the big hickory tree outside the kitchen window, and reminded me to find my own rhythm in life, and tap out my own reality.

The gift of Southern Snow brought a peaceful pause, causing all to slow down and re-member the beauty of Nature, and our own magnificent souls.

Snow Tracks

"We will be known forever by the tracks we leave...."
     ~ Native American proverb

Reflections of Light

Reflections on Black Creek, Kalmia Garden
Hartsville, South Carolina

Winter is a natural time of reflection. Being by water has always been healing for me.

My favorite childhood memories revolve around places of water. Happy times spent with my maternal grandparents at their beach house on Horse Island, on St. Helena Sound just outside of Beaufort, South Carolina. And my first ride on a marsh tacky.

St. Helena was the mother of Constantine the Great, and became Empress during her son's reign. She is attributed with finding through excavations the 'True Cross' on which Christ was crucified, and having the Church of the Holy Sepulchre built on the site where the Cross was found. She is also said to have authorized other excavations that located the bones of the Magi.

Through the Branches, Swan Lake
Sumter, South Carolina

It is interesting to note that the name Helen is from the Greek word Helios, which means "sun ray" or "shining light". St. Helena Sound on the Southeast coast of South Carolina is indeed a shining light, like the many sources of water and life in this beautiful state.

Water, the source of creation, the Divine Feminine and our Mother Goddess, blesses my home state of South Carolina in abundance in the forms of rivers, creeks, swamps, marshes, ponds, lakes, waterfalls, and an ocean.

When we take the time to slow down, pause, and reflect, Nature places these beautiful settings in front of us. It's simply a matter of taking the time to look, and God reflects the beauty of our own souls back to us.

Quiet Moments at Swan Lake,
Sumter, South Carolina

"Ode to Kalmia" - video by Teri Leigh Teed

The Age of Love and Light

Foggy Winter Day at Springdale Race Course

The fog and rain has surrounded the race course here in Camden with a misty shroud all day. Winter is here.

Yet only a few days from now is the Return of the Sun, or Winter Solstice. One of my friends in England has always loved this day because he said the days start getting longer. It's a reminder of the ever present Light and the source of All That Is.


Author Adrian Cooper has written of the "Glorious New Age of Light and Love - the age of the Goddess" and encourages us all to "...be Light and Love every moment of every day."

Christmas Lights Angel

The simple act of lighting a candle, or viewing the brightly colored Christmas lights decorating trees and homes reminds us of the presence of our Creator. The Light that brings our souls home, and connects us with the Divine within each and everyone of us.

The love in our hearts and souls fans this flame of Light, and helps us to create a new consciousness, a new Age of Love and Light. This is what many are writing and talking about these days when Winter Solstice is mentioned. This Solstice date marks the beginning of a new era for humanity.

So the choice is ours. To lift up our thoughts and be Light and Love, or remain in darkness. So many holy days celebrate the Light. Like the holly tree, or "holy tree" we are part of the evergreens, part of our Mother Earth, and are connected with each other.

May Peace, Love and Light be with you and yours today and evermore.Wishing you joy and happiness. May the spirit of Christmas live on in your heart every day.

Holly Tree, Willcox Inn, Aiken SC

The Path to Happiness

Christmas Candy Light Swirls

"Hope is the thing with feathers
that perches in the soul
and sings the tune without the words
and never stops at all."
   ~ Emily Dickinson

As the days grow shorter and the grounds become covered with a cinnamon carpet of pine straw and golden, burgundy and orange leaves, our hearts turn inward and our arms reach outward to our families and friends. To gather together in the warmth of an evening fireplace, sharing shelter and a hot meal with our loved ones is a blessing, indeed.

This is the time of the year when our paths to happiness seem to enlarge, beckoning us to lead on and return home to the peaceful bliss of awakening. There is a portal here, waiting to be explored. A portal of our souls' searchings and yearnings for the connectedness to our homeland, our God.

This year, 2012, is an important one for all residents on Earth. We are getting closer to the end of the Mayan calendar, the end of one era and the beginning of another, with the Winter Solstice arriving soon. All of these are opportunities for our soul's growth, a spiritual awakening of unprecedented meaning.

Bridge to Unknowing
Gervais Street Bridge, Columbia SC

This is the time of stepping onto the Bridge of Unknowing, and taking the leap of faith, and inviting Divine Love into our hearts. There are only two real emotions here on Earth: love and fear. We are given free will to choose our fates, and the emotions that carry us on our destinies.

When we choose Love, our inner world changes and so does our outer world. Creating our worlds is something we do everyday, whether we realize it or not.

There are many paths to happiness, as many as there are different types of human beings, animals, plants and minerals. Choose the path that is right for you, with harm to none. Honor your spirit, and also those of others.

Afternoon Winter Tea, Palmetto Tea Room
Camden, SC

And when you come to a crossroads, stop and have nice cup of tea to soothe your soul.

"Time for you and time for me,
And time yet for a hundred indecisions,
And for a hundred visions and revisions
 Before the taking of toast and tea."
            ~ T.S. Eliot

October Sunshine

October Afternoon, Catawba River
at Catawba Reservation, SC

"By sea and plain and mountain
will spread the larger creed,
The love that knows
no border, the bond
that knows no breed.
   ~ Bliss Carmen (1861-1929)

Autumn days in the South are filled with the poetry of Nature. The sun follows a lower and slower pace, and this tempo is followed by humans and all of Nature's creatures alike.

The change in the seasons helps us to let go of what no longer serves us, and embrace our lives with joy.

Poetry inspires musicians, too. A local blues festival held recently brought many bards and singers, and their lyrical inspirations. Surely members of the aes dana in the present day!

Old Barn with Kudzu,
Blair SC

October Sunset, Lake Monticello SC

These are times of transformation, and artists have always helped lead the way on this path. Music and poetry are kindred spirits, linking the poet and the musician forever, and bringing us harmony and unity.



"October gave a party,
The leaves by hundreds came
The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,
And leaves of every name.
The Sunshine spread a carpet,
And everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band.
  ~ George Cooper (1840-1927) 

Old General Store, Blair SC

Transforming links:

Divine Nourishment, A Woman's Sacred Journey with Food by Mary Lane
Discover Your Divine Potential - Unity.org 
The Sphere of All Possibilities