What was my inner world before I had words? Did I intuit the portal from which I came or like most creatures was my immediate focus solely on hunger. Was I sensing the hot and cold of nearby movements, scanning close faces for kindness, indifference, cruelty ... all words I did not yet know but would come to feel. Was I waiting without knowing for friendly arms to pick me up and toss me into the air. Would I hear laughter at the sheer joy of my arrival, have innate faith in happiness, sense safety but not know much of anything really until, amid all the gifts, I was deprived of some small, then big, thing. That is when step-by-baby-steps life became real. I realized personal powers, saw crushing defeats and found time was not always kind. The
Poets and Storytellers United prompt "time affects all things" has me reflecting that as years go by, time stamps its wounds on all life but it also revives. So even when I enter that last gate, I trust in the timeless wonder of a child to survive.
The top photo was the first ever taken of me. The others are recent shots at Crescent Beach in B.C. where one household in particular shows support for Ukraine.
...you are surrounded by some beautiful things, enjoy them.💛💙
ReplyDeleteGorgeous photos of nature and the sky ~ it is a wondrous place ~ love the photo of you as a baby ~ and I do think 'the timeless wonder of the child ' has survived in you ~ Xo
ReplyDeleteWishing you good health, laughter and love in your days,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)
You were rocking holding your head up as a baby.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos
Time indeed affects all things. It has certainly left its stamp on me!
ReplyDeleteDon't know why ... but just the way you said it has me laughing. I think we've all felt that stamp! :))
DeleteCute baby photo. Time goes by so quickly. Love the landscapes and the support for Ukraine. Take care, enjoy your day!
ReplyDeleteGreat post.
ReplyDelete💙☮💛
ReplyDeleteWhen the timeless wonder of childhood persists and prevails, life is beautiful at every stage and age.
ReplyDeleteLovely series of photos. I especially like the one of the mountains.
ReplyDeleteI love the life and death bookends and pondering what it's all about, the mystery, space and portals. Just typed portals and it made me think of petals. The dogwoods are beautiful now.
ReplyDeleteSuch beautiful pics as always. I love the way you speak of survival and also remembrances.
ReplyDeleteFrom Helen ~~~A fascinating muse about early development and what we might absorb .. as always beautiful images, especially your baby pic. I lost my father at age 16, my mother in 2007.. I cared for her the last five years of her life.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful reflection! especially "Did I intuit the portals from which I came..." Oooo I wonder too :) And "entering the last gate, trusting the timeless wonder of a child to survive." Goosebumps!
ReplyDeleteLove the photos - as always... And your big wonderment eyes :)
"What was my inner world before I had words?" I'd say like a new computer which has the Operating System, then they learn as time and usage goes by. Example, like enjoying the laughter and learning to laugh by imitation.
ReplyDeleteA fun read, and I like your pictures.
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I like what you say about the first brush with reality being deprivation of small or big things... cute baby picture too!
ReplyDeleteBeautifully written, and somehow reassuring.
ReplyDeleteWhat à cute little baby you were !! I think the newborn baby has only food in mind thinking comes later and that's good !
ReplyDeleteI like how honest, yet comforting this is. It denies none of life's hardships while still affirming the chances for new beginnings even after earth-shaking endings.
ReplyDeleteFor many childhood is far from idyllic, unfortunately. Life's experiences leave their mark on us in myriad ways, but I suppose that it's how we respond to them that really counts.
ReplyDeleteA lovely photo of you as a baby, Maria. So cute! The baby seems to have been wide-eyed with wonder and you have shown us the world with that timeless wonder of a child. I wonder if the tree with blossoms is cherry tree. The photo looks like one scene from the countryside of my country.
ReplyDeleteI love your baby photo, you were such an adorable wee little one. Your words always resonate with me, and your images are delightful. We have several Ukranian flags flying in our neighborhood (in Virginia). They make me smile when I see them. I read daily on what's going on over there and pray that they will know peace very soon.
ReplyDeleteLove. the shots at Crescent Beach especially the pier.
ReplyDeleteCute baby photo! Time is not always kind, that's true. We have to pick and choose
ReplyDeletethe moments that make us feel special.