Wednesday, October 26, 2011



Isn't this picture pretty? It is Mt Etna. I chose this picture today because these last few days I have felt sort of like Mt Etna.

Aren't there times in all our lives when we feel like a volcano? It seems on the outside that all is well but underneath the surface our emotions and fears are bubbling like hot lava until they come spewing forth in an eruption either of anger, tears or hurt . I think it is more beneficial to us all to let off steam in slow short bursts rather than a big eruption.

I just moved back from Oregon and one of the things I learned living in the Northwest was that the beauty that is created there comes from the thing that makes it dangerous to live there and that is the fact that it is on the ring of fire. If you ever want to experience the awesome power of nature you need only go to Mt. St. Helen's. The time I went there it still is amazing to see the power that was unleashed there and still it is just beginning to recover some 31 years later.

I have  learned that tears are sometime like the lava that spills from Hawaii's volcanoes and that tears can release the pressure that sometime build up inside our souls and that by releasing them it gives us the strength to face another day. It took me a long time to learn this because when I grew up tears were something to be hidden but the older I get the more value I see in them
.I guess I've learned that sometime I have to be weak to be strong. How about you?

One Thousand Gifts :
11.The sound of my dog snoring at night
12.My neice telling me she loves me
13.The escape to be found in a good book
14.The setting sun as it paints the sky in sherbert colors.
15.My sister telling me she was glad we moved back
16.The feel of my husbands body next me as we go to sleep
17.The taste of a homecooked meal
18.The laughter of children at play
19.For tears that cleanse my soul
20.For guilty pleasures like chocolate

“Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts. I was better after I had cried, than before--more sorry, more aware of my own ingratitude, more gentle.”
Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

14 comments:

Cloudia said...

I resonate with your wisdom-





Aloha from Honolulu

Comfort Spiral

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Ginger said...

What a beautiful photo to go with a beautiful analogy. This is a great post and I thank you for sharing it!

Sassafras and Winterberry said...

Like you, I was taught to hide my tears and spent most of my childhood as a little stoic. I appreciate all of my emotions now...and tears are healing. Nice post!

Marti said...

Enjoyed your thoughts. I too have visited volcanoes and marveled at the power boiling under the surface. If we could harness that energy, wouldn't it be amazing. I think that we all have untapped power under our surface. Think what we could do if we harnessed that!

Holli said...

I always feel better once I have a good cry. It's very healthy! I love that photo of Mt. Etna. Gorgeous..... I lived for 3 years at the base of Mt Shasta and being around those volcanoes really gives you a sense of Mother Nature doesn't it?

Dawn said...

Thank you Thank You Thank you!
I needed this today.
Came over through Kim's Field of Dream...so glad I did.

Elizabeth Grimes said...

Such a true metaphor! I know just what you mean. Great post and thanks for visiting my blog! :)

Mari said...

Wow - there is a lot of wisdom in that post! You wrote it beautifully and I enjoyed it. I like that picture too.

Tammy ~ Country Girl at Home ~ said...

Wow! That's a great analogy and it's true. I think we've all been there at one time or another! Beautiful photo too!

Thank you for stopping by my blog for a visit! I appreciate it!

Hope you have a great weekend!

Blessings,
Tammy

Martha said...

Thank you for your thoughts. My husband and I sat and talked in the dim light of the living room before bed on Tuesday night, and he said that I need to let others know when something hurts or bothers me before it has a chance to grow into a burden I cannot handle. He is right, of course, but it is a hard lesson for me to learn.

Tears, I let them fall more freely now than I once did, but the resulting headache a day or two later still makes me hesitant.

I pray He provides that escape you need.

Lois Christensen said...

That is a beautiful photo! My husband's father was from Washington State and my hubby just spent 6 weeks out in Washington for some military training. Thanks for the visit to my blog! Hope you come back!

SandyCarlson said...

Oh, those feelings. Beautifully expressed.

elaine @ peace for the journey said...

Tears often become the water that softens the soil of my heart for a fresh planting of God. How we need them... our tears! I've certainly cried my portion over the last year. There's healing that comes to us, release that arrives to our hearts, as they are shed. They're an indicator of the "soul work" that's taking place on the inside.

Great post.

peace~elaine

Paula said...

What a beautiful quote on tears from Charles Dickens. I pray your tears are cleansing, my friend.