rite of passage

her father took this blurry shot of her at the church today and oddly i think it's my favorite photo of the day. and perhaps blurry is appropriate, since she went through the rite of passage that is a danish confirmation today. and tho' she's only 13 and confirmation no longer means she'll be sent off to make her way in the world as a maid or farmhand, like it once did, we don't know what the future holds for her. it's unclear at this point, but like this photo, full of beauty and promise anyway.

i've had my share of angst over this confirmation thing, but it was a nice ceremony and the sense of community that we all shared at the church, watching our beautifully-dressed young people go through a cultural rite of passage was palpable. i was also touched at how a number of our friends sent her flowers and cards at the church today to congratulate her. and she was touched as well. although we're not having her party for another 6 weeks, she thoroughly enjoyed her day and now she's off at the parties of two of her friends, laughing and having fun in the sunshine as they celebrate together.

evangelists on my doorstep

two kindly-looking ladies with a bible and a pamphlet in their hands just knocked at my door. they came to sell me a future - one that is apparently laid out for me in the bible. and here i was, thinking it was a historical document, not a crystal ball. i didn't really let them stick around to fill me in (tho' i wouldn't have  minded knowing the next date of the rapture, since i never did figure out what to wear to the last two).

call me crazy, but i just find belief to be a very personal thing and not really something i want to share with strangers who knock on my door out of the blue. it seems to me that a whole lot of objectionable stuff is going on in the world in the name of religion and the bible and gods of all ilks.

but i do believe that god or a higher force or whatever you'd like to call it, is found all around us, in glorious skies and the sun breaking through the clouds and beautiful silhouettes of trees against a foggy horizon. it's there that i find god.

that's what i should have told them.

instead, i told them i was american and had had enough religion to last a lifetime...

my thirty-thirteenth summer solstice

summer solstice sunset - 10:13 p.m.

i am decidedly not a religious person, tho' i'm fascinated by various aspects of various religions. if i were to be religious, i'd definitely worship the sun in some form. magpie girl suggested making a list of 8 ways to worship the sun, so i thought i'd go with that (it seems 8 things is a regular thing on her blog and not especially of significance to the solstice) on this, my thirty-thirteenth summer solstice.

1. create something for someone else.
2. ride a horse.
3. eat watermelon for dinner.
4. photograph the sunset.
5. breathe in the scent of fresh-mown hay.
6. bond with the child.
7. take a solitary walk.
8. do cartwheels across the lawn in the cool evening air.

i find that i could go on (and on and on, especially about the walk i took in the still, golden summer light down to our lake), but i will stop with 8. i hope you've fully utilized your summer solstice. if not, get out there and do it now!