orange daisies for an orange daisy~ canon digital rebel xt
I don't quite remember how I first found Darlene's blog. What I do remember is that I was quickly pulled into her world of delicious words and scrumptious photos. I was instantly smitten. Shortly after exploring her blog, I came across the reason why she spills the way she does. I openly wept when I read her story and reached out to her. Lucky for me she reached right back, heart wide open.
She is truly someone who has come out of a situation no one should ever have to endure and has chosen to honor the lives of her little souls by embracing the beauty of life and her amazing talents ~ the girl's got mad skills. I am constantly in awe of her joie de vivre and admired the way she could dance with words, even as the tears would fall, and I would often comment on her blog about how I would read her words and give her spontaneous standing ovations (I wasn't kidding) and when I read that when she gets excited she claps and jumps up and down, well, I knew I had found a kindred.
We had a phone date the other evening and Darlene came definitely prepared. I had just made some guacamole and was stuffing my face before my phone rang and she was lounging in her garden with a glass of sangria and nature surrounding. Smart girl.
We spoke of loss and life, fears and dreams, shared stories and ideas and before I knew it four hours had passed as we melted into our conversation. I believe we could have stayed on the phone another four hours had my phone battery not been on the verge of disconnecting us. I felt so inspired and alive and even more in love after our date and kept wishing I could somehow reach through the phone line and be drinking sangria in her lovely organic garden beside her. Next time I will be better prepared, definitely with a glass of sangria in her honor.
When I first met my inspirational friend, Denise, through blogging, I wrote about finding those who share our same colors. I believe these colors stem from creating something beautiful out of loss (in whatever form that loss comes in) and allowing these beautiful colors to blossom and grow, much like flowers in a garden.
As I explained to Dar that evening, my blog has changed since when I first started it in late 2005. She knew exactly what I meant. My blog changed December 14, 2006 and my reasons for writing changed as well. My heart opened, my words spilled a little more freely and my colors became different, a constant work in progress.
Throughout this journey I feel constantly embraced by all who have visited here as I continue to grieve and heal, blossom and grow. Much like a gorgeous and delicious daisy who has found herself turning from solemn black into vibrant orange.
