Friday, February 1, 2013

Focusing on Life: Week 5: Capture a Heart!

Please go here for the 'Inspire change: Wellness change' blog hop!

Sally Russick of The Studio Sublime is hosting a year long challenge which is... sublime... as you'd expect with such a studio name. The challenge is named 'Focusing on Life' and every week Sally is sending a prompt on what should we focus the following week.

It is a great introspection moment - days when you ask yourself 'and how am I going to do that?!', but that's the whole beauty: you take the time to do it, to find the resources and to find your inner self (the one most of us let it dormant, because, let's face it, it's much easier that way!)

With Valentine's day just around the corner this week's prompt is not unexpectedly dealing with, yes, you've guessed it, the heart. With a twist, since Sally wouldn't let us off the hook easily:

This week pay attention to your surroundings, 
think outside the box and 
capture a heart!

Well, well... I can make hearts (I just made one recently) - but this is not about making, it's about 'capturing' one! How do you capture a heart? I know how you get your heart captured: with a smile, or a hug, or a nice, candid word. I started to worry this will be the week when I fail and that woke me up in a moment. We are suppose to grow, to 'bloom' - how can you fail at that? You can't - unless you don't even give it a try... oh... there is a first step - let's try :)

While having this lovely conversation with myself (I swear, if I could write down a tad more lyrically what's going on through my head I will be able to pen down volumes of decent literature!) I kept admiring my 2 orchids in full bloom. Yes, there is 'bloom', but there is no heart in the orchid's shape - although... hmm... there is tons of heart in taking care of them and nurturing! However, you've already seen my orchids - and although I think they are full of love (never before about a year ago had my orchids bloomed after the store bloom: in the past year or so they bloom: all of them at the same time, interestingly enough), I'll skip orchids this time. Or all the other flowers on my desk.

Just beyond the orchids I have one of those climbing plants and there was my first heart, a little bit green:

Focusing on Life - Week 5: Capture a Heart! :: All Pretty Things
The green heart :)
Once you find the first heart - you're bound to find more. I recently received this huge plastic beads from my SIL, they look like amber and although I have no clue what to make with them, I liked their look too much to pass them. I dropped them on the table and after a couple of days, when I picked up a magazine that was sitting on top of them - what do I find?!

Focusing on Life - Week 5: Capture a Heart! :: All Pretty Things

I admit I re-shaped them into a symmetrical heart, but the original one was definitely a heart! In Paradise :) dreaming of Vacation :) Yes - my background paper is telling me something too!

I thought that's all - but then I realized I had a heart to show you all the time - and I forgot about it:

Focusing on Life - Week 5: Capture a Heart! :: All Pretty Things
William's very special heart (made Christmas 2006)
This is a very special heart. It is 6 or 7 years old (I think 6) - and it was made by William as his gift to us (at Christmas) back in kindergarten. It is a glass heart painted by his 2 1/2 or 3 1/2 yo hands. And it is the heart we always have to put last and on the highest branch, so it can see us all (yes, the heart should see us!).
A year later, when he started to play piano he came with an explanation on how the heart 'works':

When I play [piano] you must look at the heart and my song is a key that opens the heart and fills us all with love for Christ, his Mommy, and God!

And that's how you capture a heart. I've been looking all the wrong places - where I should have started with my family and my faith. I came back full circle to them, though, didn't I?

Thank you for your wonderful visit - please make sure you stop by the rest of the play-group today, we all gather at Miss Sally's house!

24 comments:

  1. Well you are surrounded in beauty aren't you! talk of orchids reminds me I have to dig up some pictures to share with you from my Aunt's house in Trinidad. That garden at its peak had 80+ massive orchids growing on these cement poles. Anyways William's heart the ornament - and the heart he speaks from are both lovely and safe and sound in yours.

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  2. That last heart is my favorite. It reminds me how my son, about three years old at the time, looked me very seriously in the eye and said, "Mommy, my heart beeps for you." Captured!

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  3. Lovely hearts you found, but the last one is my favorite. What a very special heart to have!

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  4. You have a lovely way of telling a story the best way....from the heart. The most special heart from William and his explanation of how it works is remarkable. Your son sounds wise beyond his years.

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  5. Now that I have hopped around 18+ blogs, I realize that I have not been able to truly capture a heart the way most have-makes me a little sad! I love the ornament from your son - it deserves to be hung on window all year long!

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  6. wonderful photos to illuminate a wonderful post - thank you :)
    no. 26

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  7. Love your post and all your heart photos. I still have special ornaments that my boys made for me when they were small too. I treasure them.

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  8. From the mouths of babes as they say! What incredible wisdom and such insight! I would have to keep that heart out all year as a gentle reminder on those most hectic of days as to what's truly important! Great post!

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  9. Those are wonderful photos. The leaf is gorgeous. I love the ornament as well .. Such a special memory.

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  10. A leaf that is shaped like a heart-brilliant find! I also just love the ornament that your son made, it is really beautiful.

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  11. The ornament is sweet and sentimental, but I really love the philodendron leaf, because I wished that I had one to photograph!

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  12. I love the simplicity of life through my children's eyes. It all seems so clear somehow. what a beautiful post, and beautiful family you have

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  13. What a sweet story about the Christmas ornament. All are lovely hearts!

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  14. The greens in that leaf are beautiful!

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  15. That first heart reminds me of home, back in India. My parents have quite an interesting collection of orchids and and anthurium. They just fill our garden with hearts!! Green with the leaves, like the lovely one you shared, and in varous colors by their flowers.. Oh, the story of that ornament touched my heart.. Let your heart be filled with the joy of love, always..

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  16. I love the idea of "special" hearts, that 's the way I took the prompt too; love your hearts!

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  17. All so different and yet the same. Wonderful post

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  18. What an awesome memory to treasure! Love all the hearts you shared!

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  19. Alicia I love it! What a precious quote from your son. It is amazing how hearts do show up everywhere once we actually open our eyes and look.

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  20. Your son is one wonderful boy. Sure he fills your heart with love daily. I too have orchids on my patio, we should share photos some time.

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  21. I love your hearts! Your son's ornament is so wonderful as is his quote.

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  22. Hi Alicia,
    You did go full circle and that is what it all boils down to the love of God and family, when you have that your heart will always be captured.
    Therese

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  23. I always love your stories! There's such love in your family!

    And congratulations on your blooming orchids. No orchids here in this house. Though I do have a massive Christmas cactus that blooms for Thanksgiving ever year. ;->

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Thank you for sharing your thoughts! I appreciate and love to read your comments!