by June | May 10, 2018 | Blogposts
Thoughts of … travel … grief … discovery … float through my head as I deal with jetlag and begin to sort through photos I took while on my trip to the Netherlands visiting with my late husband’s Dutch siblings / nieces / nephews.
My camera … captured images of tulips, cobblestone streets, picturesque villages, family birthday parties, historic buildings, and working windmills close by one another in the village of Zaanse Schans such as this photo of one of the windmills I took that day. My heart … captured images of previous visits, grief, beauty, healing and more.
And now, jet lag. I’ve read that it takes one full day to recover from each hour of time-difference. If that’s true, then it’s going to take me at least a week before my body doesn’t want to wake up at 2:00 am. In the meantime, photos of my trip are beginning to be sorted.
Ibn Battuta (Moroccan 14th century botanist, judge, explorer who traveled some 73,000 miles from present-day North and West Africa to Pakistan, India, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia and China – a distance surpassing that of Marco Polo) understands: “Travelling – it leaves you speechless then it turns you into a storyteller.” In time, photos from my trip will likely emerge … as likely will the stories. May we all make time to remember and tell our stories.
© June Maffin
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by June | Apr 26, 2018 | Blogposts
On this day, April 26th, many years ago, I received my very-favourite-ever-present … the safe delivery of a much-prayed-about, hoped-for, oh-so-wanted baby.
Doctors told my husband and I that I could never conceive … surprise!. Then they told us that I wouldn’t carry the baby full term … surprise again!
Then they said that the baby wouldn’t make it beyond the first month … another surprise!Oh, dear doctors, please don’t tell new moms that. You can given an educated guess, but you don’t know for certain!. And then they said that the baby wouldn’t make it beyond the first year … clearly the doctors hadn’t met my son.
Along with what seemed to be an unending series of visits to Children’s Hospital with painful and prolonged testing and procedures over many ensuing years, a boy who “beat the odds” from the get-go, continued his life.
As a child, he was tenacious, courageous, had a great sense of humour (he loved being the McDonald’s Hamburglar at Hallowe’en). He was willing to try things (including baseball and soccer neither of which he liked!). He became fascinated by politics at a very early age (even at eight when he worked for the Tom Siddon campaign!), and much more. Health issues still plague him as an adult, but he deals with them as he’s dealt with all of life – head on, Courage doesn’t always shout. Sometimes it’s just a quiet voice deep within that says “keep on, keeping on!”
© June Maffin
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{blurry photos – originals aren’t blurry … just these copies. <sigh>}
by June | Apr 9, 2018 | Blogposts
There’s something about Nature that continues to remind me of the miracles around us if All-Who-Dwell-Here have eyes to see … like this tree.
When I first walked in front of it, I kept on walking. But then I turned back.
I wanted to see if what I thought I saw, I really did see. I took its photo – just to be certain. And there it was – a face within. It was not carved by human design, but carved by Nature … and was complete with hair (albeit green)! I really did see it!
A smile began to form on my face – I could feel it. Once again, I was aware of the connectedness of all Creation. To ignore our fragile planet earth, its forests, its waters, its parks is to ignore the precious gift we have been given. At our own peril.
May All-Who-Dwell-Here treat fragile earth with gentleness and respect.
May All-Who-Dwell-Here be guided by need rather than by greed.
May All-Who-Dwell-Here remember that generations who follow will need fresh water to drink, growth in forests to heat and breathe, healthy sea life to eat.
Thank you, Face-in-a-Tree for your reminders. We need you to survive. You need us to survive. May the sanctity of the earth be treated with civility and common sense by All-Who-Dwell-Here.
© June Maffin
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Photo and Text © June Maffin
by June | Mar 5, 2018 | Blogposts
This is a true story – about a penny … a magic penny! And it’s a story about love … magical love. It all began one Sunday, as I was about to teach a song to children in a local church. Before the service, I put some pennies in my change purse to use as a visual aid, but seconds before the Service was to begin, I realized that my change purse with the pennies wasn’t where it was supposed to be.
Quietly, I began to ask people if they had a penny. No one did. And then Jack found one! But as he went to give it to me, it slipped through his arthritic fingers and rolled on the floor. (If you know the words to the “Magic Penny” song by Malvina Reynolds, you’ll know the song talks about … a magic penny rolling on the floor!) I picked up the penny and as I put it into my pocket … wouldn’t you know it, I felt the change purse! What to do? Use the pennies in the change purse? Or revert to using just the one penny that I’d received from Jack? I decided to go with Jack’s penny lovingly given to me.
As the children and I walked around the church singing the ‘Magic Penny’ song, the penny gently passed from person to person and when the penny came back to me … on the very last word of the song! … completely unplanned, the children and congregation and I were grinning from ear to ear. As we all joined in the final verse, I wondered if I had enough pennies in my change purse to give one to each child. Here is where the penny Jack gave me became magical … again.
On any given Sunday, there are usually only 3 or 4 children in that church,
but on that Sunday there were nine children. When I opened the change purse I discovered eight pennies. Adding the penny Jack gave me,
I had nine pennies … exactly the number of children in church that day!
Like the magic penny, love is magical. Let’s not hold onto love. Let’s give away love! And let’s be confident that when we give love to others, when we share love, we “end up having more”!
© june maffin
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Lyrics: http://people.wku.edu/charles.smith/MALVINA/mr101.htm
by June | Feb 27, 2018 | Blogposts
I want a “plain day.” I’d love to have a day without drama – without W.H. tweets – without “breaking news” appearing on the tv screen – without hearing of another murder or earthquake or massacre or tornado or diagnosis of cancer or Parkinson’s or Lou Gehrig’s or M.S. or death of a family member/friend … or …
I would love to have a plain day. A former colleague hated the expression “Have a nice day!” His response was always – “Don’t tell me what kind of a day to have!” I can’t help but wonder what his response would be to this saying by artist Ray Woolam (Duncan, British Columbia) on a bench sign I spotted in our town a while ago. Somehow, I think my colleague would like it. I do, too.
Whatever kind of a day you have my friends, may you experience a glimpse of a “plain day” … moments of respite from the negativity, fear, threats, tragedies, terrible news, suspicion, gossip, innuendo, subterfuge, conspiracies, lying, fraud, the …
And instead, may you experience … moments of gentle peace and blessings that will sustain you when the negativity, global horrors, terrifying news, miserable weather etc. come close. I like your saying, Ray Woolam. Thank you. May we all have moments of “a plain day”, each and every day.
© June Maffin
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by June | Jan 13, 2018 | Blogposts
Political claustrophobia is surging, bringing fear and a growing sense of disbelief, helplessness, inevitability, even hopelessness for some. It’s time.
It’s time to breathe possibilities – possibilities that no matter how bleak and impossible it may seem now, “this too shall pass.” It’s time to “think lovely thoughts” like Peter Pan and reflect with Maria in the Sound of Music about our “favourite things.” It’s time to move our mind and soul into areas of gentleness and beauty … to imagine a time of peace and joy and hope. It’s time … to find a pastoral photo to help focus our eyes away from the tv and phone and tablet and computer … listen to a piece of quiet music that can encourage our rapid beating of the heart to slow down … have a leisurely soak in the tub … walk outdoors … spend a moment in prayer … play with the children, grandkids, pets … share a meal with a loved one … meditate … create something in the Studio, kitchen, garden, workshop, our favourite chair … make time for self.
Political claustrophobia must not be given space in our soul to invade, possess, overwhelm. It’s time.
Text & Photo © June Maffin
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Photo taken in Friesland, the Netherlands
