Phoenix Rising and A Connecticut Artist of Peace

Colors of blue and light gold are particularly beautiful when placed in close proximity to each other. Wherever you go on the web today, you will find glorious support for the people of Ukraine. 

Different artists. Different countries. Different beliefs. 

Same voice for peace. 

Here are just a few samples of the peace globes I've found in the Blogosphere and on social media this weekend during our Blog4Peace/Post4Peace Ukraine Event.  Follow the trail at this link  where you can find a Mr. Linky list of peace posts with more beautiful articles and art to find on the web. If you haven't already, continue to post4peace and blog4peace throughout the weekend and visit each other. I'm going to keep peace flying here on Mimi Writes and at the Official Site of Blog4Peace and in the Official Gallery for some time to come. Our Facebook page has MUCH information and many many posts and peace bloggers communicating with each other, posting inspiring links and news from Ukraine. Peace Bloggers GROUP and Blog4Peace Facebook Page  Now, back on the trail for peace. 
 

I found this work in my Facebook stream over the weekend. It's by a Connecticut artist and teacher (see below) Something about the way the colors move into cohesiveness brings me joy and peace. Thank you, Marianne Zikaras Wainwright.
 

"Peace Please, Peace Shine"Artist Marianne Zikaras WainwrightRocky Hill, Connecticut(detail from a 17 x 2 foot painting)

 Brian's Home Blog ~ United States
He writes, "The images from Ukraine are horrific, but peace will prevail and Ukraine will rise again, as does the Phoenix."

One Gal's Musings 
She tells us why we should look for the helpers.

Alasandra the Cats & Dogs in Mississippi

Author Claudia Hall Christian @ Denver Cereal  

Cora van Leeuwen ~ The Netherlands aka Tinkerbell

This one stopped me in my tracks. The child...

Just Ducky with Janet Dake in Wisconsin

Bing Yap ~ Of Living and Loving and Coping 
Philippines ~ and a quote from Pope Francis

Ann Adamus @ Zoolatry

 

 ...and so many more. I hope you find these inspiring. Click the name under the image to read the posts. I'll be back soon. See you here and on social media.

Thank you for giving so much of yourselves this weekend for the people of Ukraine and in support of peace. There is no better time to use our voices. We've "practiced" since 2006, haven't we? I hope we never have to make an emergency peace launch again. Unfortunately, the circumstances call for action. Nonetheless, we'll keep blogging and posting for peace - in wartime and peacetime.  I couldn't have done it without you. You know who you are...

By Ann Adamus at Zoolatry.  Free to use without credit.
We thank her.

 

Blog4Peace Ukraine ~ Dona nobis pacem

Standing in the Gap

On the cusp of the first day of Spring in 2011, there was a supermoon, March 19th to be exact. 

 I went out with my camera to photograph the event. It was a deep dark chill of a night....thick shadowy clouds and ambient energy.  I had no business being out so late alone in the middle of the middle of nowhere, parked in a country church parking lot with a spooky graveyard howling ghosts just over my shoulder, holding a Nikon camera in a semi-flared pencil skirt and tall boots, trying not to trip on cracks and crevices in the dark hilly moonlight. It was cold and windy. Not a night for picture-taking. And those clouds just wouldn't let me see the moon I'd come to visit.  Frustrated, I swished my skirt back into the driver's seat and went home. Moon shots without a moon were no good at all.  Until I opened the camera and downloaded the pictures....

 

You do see it....don't you?

 The same moon over Ukraine is over your house tonight.

The space between anything is everything.  It's where the power, the energy, the healing, the life...IS. It's the intention. The pause. The time out.  We hold space. We stand in the gap. We fill in the space.  We send Reiki. We light candles. We send good thoughts. We pray for peace. We. Stand. 
That is our space between.When my dad died and I let go his hand, I could feel and sense the space between. Between what? The place and the presence between my world and the one he was leaving for. They were one and the same. He was going and he was staying. There was only separation of flesh. No separation of love or affection.  That place was as real as his skin or his clothing or his bedsheet or the musty smell of death in the room we were in. That Holy space between covered everything as he took the path of least resistance and flew Home. Your prayers and peaceful energy are just as real wherein the space they live.

And because we all live under the same sky, I am inclined to believe that no amount of smoke and menacing mirrors can separate one country from another, one human from another, or mere mortals from God. Whatever you call Him is your business - the energy is the same. 
When I was a young woman, my grandfather took me to prayer meetings. It was my favorite place to be: circles of people in a room, praying for the sick, standing in unison, hands joined, standing in the gap for the needs of people in poverty and lack. Direct, bold, and loud prayers. Soft and silent, too.  Purposeful. Unafraid. The power of oneness. It was war of a different kind. Watching him humbly hold court with his Maker is still an experience I feel to my core.  He humbled himself in front of others in a way that was so vulnerable and strong. He would stand, open his heart and speak blessings over you. Before they left his lips I knew it was done. Because I knew his intention was love. 
 It's why I know anything worth having is worth standing for.  It is why I know today that the space between anything is everything.
The sky in UkraineThe sky in RussiaThe sky in KansasThe sky in you and meSame
If we are to protect the skies over Ukraine, then let us fly on the wings of peace with all our intention and all our might, because what happens in Ukraine happens to all of us. It happens in all of us. We cover the sky and the sky covers us. What we place in the sky is our choice; let it be peace and peace alone.The energy force that is activated in us for peace in the worldalso touches the skies over Ukraine and the hearts of the people in Ukraineand your life and mine -because blessings are not simple wordsthey are pure energy  not some day, but in an instant
We are not a no-fly zone.

 We are as strongly connected as tidal waves to the sea as the rain in the dew on a blade of grass as close as breath is to wordsas still as peace is to silenceand as bright as a supermoon blessing on a cloudy cold nightthe same moonthe same moonthe same mooncovers the soldier in Ukraine and the soldier in RussiaStand in the gap for them. Be a living breathing conduit of peace.Bless the people who are living in hell with Hope
How powerful you are

Peace bloggers all over the world are blogging and posting for peace today.All over social media we are speaking with one voice.Dona nobis pacemGrant us peace

Blog4Peace Post4Peace™ Ukraine 2022 ~ Sat & Sun ~ March 26-27, 2022 

Ukraine Peace Globe Templates Send your peace globes to blog4peace @ yahoo.com

Please leave a comment or sign the Mr. Linky below to let us know you've participated and tag me anywhere on social media. Share you work so that we can visit each other. Thank you.

Donate to help Ukraine @ United Help Ukraine *Thanks Ann Tracy for the beautiful prints available HERE to support Ukraine

Image credits: peace blogger Shannon Wamsley, Pixabay, Cloud photos:Mimi Lenox
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Blog4Peace Ukraine ~ Join us For a Special Launch

We are hosting a special BlogBlast For Peace (Blog4Peace and Post4Peace™) event for the country and the people of Ukraine. Many of you have reached out asking to fly your peace globes during this time of war and international distress.

We believe it's time for a special launch.

Dear Peace Bloggers, please use these logos to spread the word.

Sat & Sun

March 26-27, 2022

 For social media...

For blogs

Please join us for a weekend of peace posting. Create new peace globes (or use previous ones), write your usual brilliant posts and let them fly across the Blogosphere.  Post on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, blogs, websites, anywhere you are online!  Some of you have said you'd like to "post peace until it's over!" That's perfectly fine! Please INVITE your friends to join our community by sharing these logos. 

If words are powerful...then this matters.

Promotional logo by Ann Adamus @ Zoolatry. *may be shared* Thank you, Ann!

New! UKRAINE Peace Globe Templates

Our Facebook Page LINK

Our Facebook Group LINK

If you're not yet a member, please join!

Peace Globe Templates LINK

Peace graphics created by peace blogger Shannon Wamsley of the blog Moments of Introspection. Feel free to use them for the Ukraine 2022 event We thank her so much!

Use the blank templates found in this post and any template link. I've included Ukrainian flag and sunflower images as well - all public domain or creative commons. 

The sunflower is the National Flower of Ukraine.

Templates to use 

Go HERE for more choices

Send your peace globe and a link to your post to blog4peace@yahoo.com or tag Mimi Lenox on Facebook HERE OR come back to this blog on launch day and sign the Mr. Linky registry. We definitely want to be able to find each other and read the posts, so please don't forget to let us know you've posted. 

Image credit: Pixabay
Note: Pixabay is a wonderful place to get sunflower images as well.
Please read the generous use policy there and give accreditation. Thank you

Peace for Ukraine. Peace for the World.

Blog4Peace™ BlogBlast For Peace BlogBlast4Peace™ Blog For Peace ™ Post4Peace™Follow Me

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One of You Should Have Told Me

 Pic: Last week at the doctor's office when I realized that my mask was on upside down AFTER the appointment. I thought I saw her smirk and giggle. Why didn't you tell me? 

Hello Friends! I hope you all are doing well today. It's been awhile since I've blogged. No excuses, just a very busy life that is ever-changing. Oops...maybe that was an excuse. I find a goal post. The post is moved. I start again. Has your life ever felt like that? 

I've been in a bit of an emotional and personal transition in the past few months, needing time to process and think, and desiring solitude and time to myself. My writing/music studio is being revamped with new colors and decor. I've added a thick white rug and cozy throws and pillows. Most of the pillows are on the floor for sitting meditation, strewn about in front of the piano. There's a new world globe that matches the earth colors I chose - blues, greens, browns, and just a small touch of earthy red. New curtains and a large shefflera plant placed beside my writing desk for clean air and inspiration. It's so big my granddaughter thinks it's a tree.  My "space" feels more like me and it's paying off.  I'm writing songs again. Writing a fair amount of poetry in the middle of the night (!) and song lyrics flowing together from some river in my soul I forgot I possessed. Wake up! Wake up and write this down!! 

Studying and reading that stack of books in the corner I've been meaning to get to forever and ordering new ones too.  And without the added purposeful act of meditating each morning, I don't know where I'd be. I've always carved out a "me space" for creativity and reflection time - even as a young bride many eons ago  I had a table, a cross, a candle, books, and writing tools - before Zen became a thing, I was Zen. 

 For over two years now I've added guided meditation to my morning mix. It's helped everything in my life, especially anxiety. I'm calmer. Focused. My blood pressure is lower. I'm clear and centered (most of the time) unless I'm at the doctor's office where my White-Coat-Syndrome rears its ugly head and my numbers go through the roof. **Breathe, Mimi. Breathe**   It's just a rooommmm.

And what of the world? We're living on a crazy planet right now. Fresh out of a pandemic (almost) and tiptoeing into global uncertainty. Watching the news is terrifying. Seeing the citizens of Ukraine face down tanks in the street is ...well....also terrifying AND inspiring. We need the bombing in Ukraine to stop. I can't fathom that 1.5 million people (half of them children) have fled  the country. My heart is breaking.  Refugees. No water or food. No electricity. Running for their lives. It's 2022 and this is the world we are dealing with?  People are having to defend their homes and homeland in the streets? Remember the disbelief we all felt when the pandemic started in 2020? People all over the world were engaged in trying to find a solution, trying to protect themselves and their families, dying, fighting political nonsense and railing against losing "freedoms?" But this.... It feels like 911 magnified x100. The word nuclear has found its way back into our dialogue?  **Breathe, Mimi. Breathe.**

It's hard to talk about the ups and downs of my tiny little daily dramas when others are in such dire circumstances. Write a funny post? Mmmmmaybe not today. 

I'm going to continue to uplift the people of Ukraine and the rest of the world. I'm going to say prayers of protection for the people and leaders of Ukraine and the leaders of the world, for wisdom and clarity, knowing that collective peaceful energy is powerful. I'm going to plant sunflowers on the mountain. I'm going to post peace globes because people are asking to see them. It makes me happy to know that more people want peace than war. I'm going to write and sing and dance around the house whenever I feel moved to do so - even if I don't feel like dancing, I will dance and turn the music up very loud. I'm going to seek out the "helpers" in this war (that's what Mr. Rogers always said to do when you're afraid) and I'll see how I can help in some tangible way. I'm planting peace in my own little world. 

I think that keeping myself grounded is helping. 

What are you doing to stay grounded in this day we live in?

Peace and love

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Thunder In the Snow ~ Welcome 2022

Back in the blogging day, I'd fall into an antique house of menagerie, put an upside down hat over my face and call it a day - silliness and revelation all in one adventure. Now it's masks and Omicron and vaccine status checks and Booster debates before even thinking about roaming about unsupervised - which even on a good day is  perilous for me. But oh.so.much.fun.

I used to take my camera out-and-about writing "news pieces" in laundromats, interviewing unsuspecting suspects witnesses and covering the storm of the century in red hats and boots. I don't know how CBS has managed without me since the pandemic began.
Since it's supposed to get cold next week and I heard thunder today while I was out on my walk (in 70 degree weather!) I'm going to assume that snow will follow exactly ten days after the sound of thunder in winter. That's the old wives tale, anyway....usually on point. Better find my boots and wash my red hat, just in case. 
I think I may have a fever.It's the blogging bug. I've been bitten. And smitten. Again!I've suddenly acquired a taste for wordiness and wailing inside a blogger box of blankness. I've missed the mojo moving through the intrawebs. And the sexy sound of alliteration. Have you noticed? 
Lockdown was otherworldly and weird, like I'd been thrown back in time for a full two years of do-overs - make that three-overs. Four? The planet jolted to a screeching halt.  The Universe said "Start here, Mimi. Start all over. Again. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200. Start here." And so I did. The do-overs I did were doozies. It was a doozy of a dance. On so.many.levels.you.have.no.idea. And then I got to use the word doozy in a blog post just as my dizzy spell ended at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve.

However, I'm heartened by the feeling I had about three minutes past the vertigo on January 1, 2022. Just as I heard and saw folks kissing and laughing and trying not to fall down happy-struck on the dance floor, as I waved bye-bye to 2021 with nothing but a passing ultra-confusing glance, I felt something more profound...a gigantic earth-shattering sigh of relief
Like thunder before snow
 The pandemic years created a population of people who became a menagerie. Weren't we just that? The dictionary explains the word Menagerie as: A collection of wild animals kept in captivity for exhibition; a strange or diverse collection of people or things. I don't know about you, but some of my longest days were wild and strange!
Dr. Sanjay Gupta (my secret crush) is declaring new variants are clinging to the old variants which are stuck-like-glue to the original strains who have the NERVE to bypass any and all antibodies despite the dreaded vaccinations we've endured ad nauseam to be the next challenge we face in this crazy battle. Aren't you glad I'm NOT a medical doctor after that layman's explanation??? But 'til March, maybe???  Say it ain't so! Since I am in cyber-love with the good doctor (those eyes...) I'll take his word for it that there may be trouble ahead, but more flu-like than the end-of-the-world news we're used to hearing.
 For two years we've lived in an invisible cage fighting an unseen enemy all around us, in us, over us, under us, through us.  Aren't you weary of doomsday? And yet, if you are reading this you can say that you lived through the apocalypse. Thus far. I'll take that as a good sign for 2022.  

"Dampteurin in "Kreutzbergs Menagerie" public domain
aka Bloggingham Palace

After all, the issue lies with the virus's ability to change and morph into some menacing unpredictable behavior at the drop of a sneeze. 
That sounds a lot like me.
It's who I am.It's what I do.
I can adapt. And so can you. If it brings the beautiful snow, I'm ready for the thunder. 
ACHOO!
Images: Mimi Lenox, Pixabay, Public Domain
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