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A Joyful Noise

mother

Look! Lessons from my mother

December 10, 2012 by Melodye Shore

Look! It’s one of my favorite words.  Not as it’s spoken by narrow-eyed sorts, for whom “Look!” means “See here! I know what’s right, and it’s time you come around to my point of view.”

As I define it, “Look” is a soft-focused invitation to see what is, and to imagine in your mind’s eye the things that might someday be.  It’s sometimes borne of a quiet sense of wonderment, as when the night wind whispered to the little lamb, Do you see what I see? But it can also be a trumpeting sound, a la the angel’s proclamation, “Behold!”

Look! I learned it from my mother, saw it reinforced in Dick and Jane. It’s part of who I am, mind body and spirit. I’m thinking that’s why I enjoy my new camera so much. It’s not about capturing the perfect image, perfectly composed (although I’m working on that). It’s more about noticing things I might otherwise have overlooked. Photography encourages me to explore, from different vantage points, the things that catch my eye, and it affords me a visual record of my adventures.

Speaking of which…Look! I collected these memories in Santa Barbara County.


Fog greets the Surfliner train as it pulls into the Santa Barbara station.


Seals at play, Stearns Wharf


A house with a bird’s-eye view of 
Clairmont Lavendar Farm 


Notice the finely structured bones of this bistro table–too, the naked limbs of the live oak in the distance. They’ve come to the forefront, now that the lavender’s gone dormant for winter.

Rainbow chard, displayed at a farmer’s market in Santa Barbara


An invitation to savor the local flavors of Solvang, a Danish village in Santa Barbara County’s wine country


Begonia in a bookstore windowbox


Pasta shells gone glam, atop a Christmas tree at an Italian restaurant


A team of Clydesdales pulls tourists through the streets of Solvang.


Meanwhile, their miniature cousins munch grass (at Quicksilver Ranch).


We had a fabulous weekend, a feast for all senses. And when we finally headed home, we chased a long string of railroad cars for several miles. To our left: live oaks and chapparal; on our right: rocky cliffs and a sparkling blue ocean. Glimpses of paradise, wherever we looked. 

Posted in: CAN I GET A WITNESS, family, genealogy, memoir, Uncategorized Tagged: can i get a witness, earth day, for the beauty of the earth, look, mother, mother nature, photography, solvang

A Christmas memory (and prayer)

December 25, 2008 by Melodye Shore

Ave Maria is an achingly beautiful song with many variations. This one’s composed by Bach, I believe, and is sung by one of the Celtic Women. Here’s another of my favorite renditions, as performed by Josh Groban.

 

When I was thirteen, my friend Luz invited me to attend Christmas Eve mass with her, and over my father’s objections, I accepted. The Catholic service was wholly unfamiliar to me, the daughter of a Pentecostal tent preacher, but Luz did her best to explain the rituals and their symbolism. At some point the choir sang Ave Maria, in Latin. Luz handed me an English translation, but as it turned out, I didn’t really need it. 

 

Hail, Mary, full of grace. Flickering candles illuminated a statue of a mother nuzzling her newborn baby. Blessed are you, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. Though I was listening to that song for the very first time, my heart understood what my ears could not.

 

To this day, I can’t listen to Ave Maria without tears. No matter what our religious beliefs, I think we all yearn for the blessings that come of being swaddled in the protective arms of a loving mother.

 

May your holidays be merry and bright, and may all your days be filled with peace and unconditional love.

Posted in: Uncategorized Tagged: ave maria, celtic woman, memory, mother

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