And I Go Across the Universe.....

Images of broken light which
dance before me like a million eyes

That call me on and on across the universe
George Harrison

Calla lilie's fascinate me. Their shape, their inherent sensuality, their ability to capture the light and transform into so many subtle colors...Even though this is the sixth winter I've been in California, it still amazing to me to see them growing and beginning to bloom at the beginning in February. It's that awe that compels me to try and capture their changing nature every mid-winter here. Maybe it's a reminder of our human nature....

Speaking of human nature. While I was soaking in the warm sun this morning and drinking my tea, I finally had a chance to read the text of President Obama's inaugural speech. I didn't get to see the whole thing, so it was thrilling to read it, but one piece especially stuck with me:

"In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the fainthearted, for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk takers, the doers, the makers of things-some celebrated, but more often men and women obscure in their labor-who have carried us the long, rugged path toward prosperity and freedom."

This was the message I grew up with from my parents. Their belief in John F. Kennedy's reminder to "ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man. " President Obama is following in this tradition and it's a message we all need to hear in these times.

So it goes and so I continue on my journey across the universe.

Jim Sturgess, "Across the Universe":