photography

Gideon’s Challenge

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IMG_6618Value

Even the smallest
of creatures
has its place
and purpose in life.
The key is to
understand
that just because
another
is vastly different
than you
does not reduce
their value.

This is what worries me the greatest when I think of all the species around the world in the throes of going extinct.  I worry because each life has value and purpose… and when a creature goes extinct, this purpose is snuffed out.  What happens when a purpose that holds within it the balance of the life we know and something else is then snuffed out… and that balance then shifts and the scales topple?

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Gideon’s Challenge

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IMG_4610Trust…
is a thing
weighted and wet.
Dark and swirling
it ripples
around me.
Your hands
hold me under
and the world
beyond
disappears.
There is only you.

The greatest trust I have ever given to anyone, I have gave to you.  And I give to you again and again, each time I allow you to take me into those deep dark waters of the drown.  In that space, I am at my most vulnerable, and as you hold me there beneath the surface my light shines as my soul stretches and writhes.

Thank you for being who you are.  Thank you for being my anchor… my dominant… my love.  Thank you very every minute… every second we have together.

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Gideon’s Challenge

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IMG_6705Adoration…

A splash of color
among all the green
is what you called them
that day on our walk.
Patient perfect
as I paused to take
yet another picture
and another.

It always amazes me how patient you are with me, even when whatever I’m doing isn’t really your personal forte or interest.  You linger anyway and watch.  You show interest and you indulge.  Your adoration shows in every breath you take and every word you speak.  Your adoration is… breathtaking.

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Gideon’s Challenge

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Faerie House in the MossGifts…

Little trinkets
sparkly things
lots of sugar
and shiny bits.
Honey cakes
and mossy spots
just don’t leave
the lemon drops.

Although they are not incorporated into my spellcraft or a part of my ritual, the Fae are a part of my path and the liminal spaces of the forest a place where I connect most strongly with those energies. That said, I often have Fae energy at home as well, and I leave gifts and offerings for them all of the time, providing them with trinkets and bauble traps to play with and sweets to taste.

I set boundaries and respect theirs in turn. I treat them as friends and equals, brothers and sisters, and cherish their presence and influences.  Because of this, I’ve never had a problem with them… well, other than a bit of tug of war concerning boundaries now and then.   The Fae are a gift, my relationship with them a treasure. It seems only right I should offer them gifts in turn.

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

 

Gideon’s Challenge

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Rainforest Fern PlantsActs of Service…

Support
comes in many forms
from the philanthropy
of the rich
to the young boy
offering a hand up
to a stranger.
It isn’t in what
you contribute
that matters…
only that you do
with a
generous heart.

I feel like I run into a lot of people that feel that because they can’t afford to contribute money or resources to a cause, they think anything they contribute is worthless.  It always bothers me when I run across this mentality, because in my opinion?  Every little thing you do with a generous heart is a contribution.  Whether it’s to a cause or just because you feel the need to lend a hand, it all counts.  It’s all important.  And every single little contribution spurred by a generous heart lifts us all up a little higher than we were before, whether you see the results of it personally or not.

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Gideon’s Challenge

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IMG_6139Words of Affirmation…

You coax
You cajole
and you chip at those walls.
You nurture
and love
and each day
you encourage.
You tell me you are proud
of the man
I have become,
but it is thanks to you
I have become
the man that I am.

Your influence touches every aspect of my life.  That is what twelve years can do.  Every piece of my life has a bit of you in it… and every piece of me does too.  You have taught about emotions and about vulnerability, about strength  and so much more.  Without you?  There very simply would be no me… not the me you see today.  Because it is with you that I have grown.  Not alone. Together.

Photo © ZenStatePhotography