Meet Rosa

My friend Rosa.  Taken on 14th March 2008 in Peru.

85 years of experience living in Peru, high in the mountains and then on the edge of a city, Rosa shines a light of love and childish innocence beneath her tough and fiesty exterior.  She has outlived her 5 children who have left behind various grandchildren for her to raise. 

She has an amazing cheeky grin and often looks at others, whom she thinks might be able to help her, with a childish twinkle in her eye.  If you go beneath her need to always ask for help, you’ll find a loving, funny, young energy that infects your soul with compassion for the moment.

It’s as if her experience has taught her to remain loving, childish, young and full of laughter.  Despite having nothing materialistically to help her grandchildren let alone herself, she reminds us that being here in the moment is the magical place that we can all always enjoy.  She’s a diamond in the rough.  Go Rosa, we love you.

Rosa and I. Taken on 12th February 2008 in Peru.

How did I meet Rosa?  I was volunteering for an NGO and started up a programme to help the old people in the community near the school we were supporting.  Rosa was one of the first old people to come along and receive her food.  On our first meeting she shared her story with me and touched my heart forever.

Full Moon with Halo

We camped under this full moon, with it's halo marking a clearer vision. Taken 9th Jan 2009, India

We are approaching the September Equinox and a friend tells me that the equinox and the full-moon are only 6 hours apart. 

The beauty of this "moon halo" that occured on the 9th January 2009 in India, was it's clarity.  Inside the halo the darkness seemed so transparent, illuminated by the moon's most brilliant whiteness, that we didn't need to use any other lighting to see our way.  She truly was our own spotlight that night, beaming her energy down into our tent and surrounding us with her magic.

The moon is one of the ways that I communicate to my family from whom I live so far away, she's a real human connector.

Binding Tree

Magical nature in Chitwan National Park, Nepal.  Taken on 3rd April 2009

"As we bind together with the magic of nature in a reverent way, the beauty of love, peace and harmony radiate and shine from inside us, let it flow, let it flow".

This is a magical place where the trees and plants bind together, creating shapes and forms of unity, support, love and wonder.  The energy vibrated through me and reminded me that humans are just the same when the heart is open, the love flowing and the smiles of unity providing support for each other, binding together in a spiritual partnership to witness the journey in this lifetime.

Simply magical.

Grasshopper

Grasshopper on the road between Otavalo and Intag, Ecuador.  Taken on 30th June 2007

This photo goes out to my dad who died on the same date in 2001.  It represents him as the globe-trotting work-aholic who had a great sense of humour, bringing love and laughter to all those he met.

I prefer not to recall the death of loved ones but remember their journey and the part we shared together in life.  Go "Pops" - you remain a huge influence in my life today, love you loads.

Lake Atitlan

Lake Atitlan, Guatemala,  Taken early morning on 27th December 2006

The magic of this photo comes from the peace and tranquility I feel when I look at it.  I can almost hear the water lapping against the shore, the cool breeze on my face and the strong desire we had to sit on the jetty and dangle our feet in the crisp, cold water.

Surrounded by volcanoes, the natural energy from the lake entered us like an invisible peaceful force.   It is the photo I have chosen as the background to this blog in the wish that you feel the same peacefulness from it.