“After every storm the sun will smile; for every problem there is a solution, and the soul’s indefeasible duty is to be of good cheer.” ~William R. Alger
SS 1/60 F 4.5 ISO 200
In The History and Language of Flowers the Daisy means, cheer. We are experiencing a lot of gray days this Spring, it is raining incessantly. The quote above reminded me that no matter the gray skies, my heart and soul should be full of cheer.
“The sun shines,
When I’m with you,
Your smile makes me want to dance.
Tonight, I’ll put on my favorite gown,
Place a diamond comb in my hair,
Dazzle you with my beauty,
And sway in your arms,
Until the morning light appears.”
copyright Robyn Graham
This photograph is the side of a Daffodil turned upside down. As I was photographing Daffodils from my garden I played with them to find unique angles to shoot. This reminded me of a woman’s ball gown. The first line of the poem is one of the meanings of the Daffodil in The Language of Flowers. The poem, was an inspiration from the Daffodils outside my window dancing in the afternoon sun.
Life is so busy right now. I once again have to apologize for my inactivity in the world of blogging. I cherish all of my followers and I appreciate those who stop by, browse through my blog, like my work, and leave comments. Please forgive me for not always returning that kind gesture. With three children, each in multiple activities, I find myself having a bit too much to juggle and very little time to browse blog posts and admire the work of my virtual friends.
With work I have been busy with product shoots, head shots, first communion portraits, senior portraits and more. I hope to blog about a couple of the unique projects in the near future. I have also been doing some behind the scenes work for future “big” projects with my photography….keep your fingers crossed for me! Hopefully they will come to fruition in the next 12 to 18 months.
ss 1/60 f 3.8 ISO 1600
In the history and language of flowers one of the things the Orchid represents is Refinement.
re·fine·ment
noun
the process of removing impurities or unwanted elements from a substance.
the improvement or clarification of something by the making of small changes.
cultured elegance in behavior or manner.
“Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, or worn. It is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace & gratitude.” ~ Denis Waitley
I loved this quote for the image above as all of our attitudes need refining from time to time ~ to live every minute with love, grace and gratitude instead of caving into the daily pressures of life, social media, work, and relationships.
“If we learn nothing else from this tragedy, we learn that life is short and there is no time for hate.” – Sandy Dahl, wife of pilot of Flight 93 Jason Dahl
The Geranium, in the Language of Flowers, means – consolation. The definition of consolation is:
comfort received by a person after a loss or disappointment.
synonyms: comfort, solace, sympathy, compassion, pity, commiseration, empathy
I hope that all who survived, those who lost loved ones, and those who served 14 years ago today and during the months following have a sense of consolation in the love from those of us whose hearts are still full of grief, love, gratitude, and inspiration.
♥
“I Get By” is the title to a blog created and written by Joe Giordano. Joe is an amazing photographer who not only has several blogs that he maintains and contributes to, but also several Facebook pages. All of Joe’s blogs and pages relate to photography. I find Joe inspiring and insightful and so when Joe asked to interview me for his blog “I Get By” I was honored and of course, said yes. You can view the interview HERE.
The title of the image I posted today is Persevere. I chose this image because one of the meanings of the Magnolia is perseverance. There are times when all of us need perseverance and “a little help from our friends” to “get by”. I thought it was a nice combination – the image and the sharing of Joe’s most recent blog venture.
Anybody else humming the Beatles’ Tune? I am.
I hope you enjoy the interview!
Star Magnolia
“Of the many interesting facts about the magnolia flower, the most striking one is that it is a very old flower. In fact, there are fossils dating back 20 million years that show that the flower has been gracing Earth since the very beginning of time, so to say. The magnolia is also a very tough, hard flower, unlike other delicate flowers. This is owing to the fact that it has had to adapt to changing climactic and geological conditions in order to survive, and it is precisely due to this feature that the flower represents endurance, eternity, and long life.” _ Buzzle.
The Magnolia means Endurance or Perseverance.
“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear — not absence of fear.” – Mark Twain
Why do I link endurance and perseverance to courage and fear? Because, I went to a presentation by Beth Fitzgerald Allen of DIY Hip Chicks today. She is an inspiration and her message of “flushing” fear was so motivating. The history and meaning of the Magnolia reminded me of Beth’s presentation. Beth stated ” Courage is not the absence of fear, but the ability to move forward any way” – reminding me of Mark Twain (above).
We all must endure, persevere, and push forward despite of our fears if we are going to accomplish our goals and achieve success and joy.
Believe Me (meaning of the red tulip in the Victorian Language of Flowers)
SS 1/1250 f5.6 ISO 400 60mm
Believe me…I am thrilled that May arrived with sunshine and warmer temperatures! After inches upon inches of rain the past two days the sunshine is a welcome blessing! I hope the sun warms your heart and soul today!
Reading Amidst Cheer
SS 60, F3.0, ISO 2000
“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
Cheerful Bookmark
SS 60, F3.2, ISO 1250
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
If you recall from pervious posts, the Gerber daisy represents cheer in the language of flowers, thus the titles of the images posted this evening.
Trio of Modest Beauty
I selected the above quote because the image reminds me of three young girls in a tiff. The one in front, standing with her arms crossed is the selfish girl. The other two have turned their backs to her in disgust at her unwillingness to compromise.
Bashful
Robyn Graham Photography 