This is the season of Advent in the Christian calendar, and is considered the beginning of the new (liturgical) year.  The picture above is taken at sunrise, the beginning of a new day.

Both times are apt for making new beginnings of one kind or another in one's life. Especially as we grow older, inertia can set it, and it is all too easy to keep doing the "same old same old"

in our lives.  Change challenges us, and offers opportunities for growth, or at least, for 

keeping fresh and flexible.

So, in honor of the new liturgical year and new days, I am going to try something new on my blog.  

     From time to time, I am going to write poetry in my blog, which has been completely in prose so far.  I like to think of my poems as shadows of the soul on the landscape of our lives.  

     To accompany what I write, I will continue  posting my pictures.  My new thing will be to post pics of art I have done.  I was inspired  to do this at a recent meeting I attended at a wonderful local bookstore called, aptly, "The Well Read Coyote."  The meeting featured a fine local artist, Susan Pitcairn, who has just published a book which pairs pictures of her beautiful paintings with the poems she wrote as she pondered them.  Her book is titled "Spirit of the Earth"  in case any of you are inclined to order and read it. (Amazon has it)

     As I leafed through her book, I realized how powerful the pairing of art and poetry can be.

I decided I would try doing some of this on my blog.  I know my art and poetry are those of an amateur, but they are faithful shadows of my soul, and I want a record of those shadows.

If they are authentic, there will be something in them that may speak to your soul, and that is more than enough reason for me to give this a try.

As I pondered the pic I posted of a shadow of me playing the flute at sunrise out in a field near our Sedona house, this is what came to me:

 A sunrise shadow-- 

 a moment caught in music

and golden light.

You will notice I will often write a form of poetry called Haiku.  It is my favorite poetic form these days.  Writing haiku helps me be more aware of moments in each day that speak to my soul---if I am listening.  Being in a haiku habit helps me do that.  

One book that has helped me get "into" Haiku is Jane Reichhold's book "Writing and Enjoying Haiku."  I recommend it to you if have any interest in the subject.