Inspiration from Paradise

For almost as long as I can remember, a good camera has been my constant companion. My first one was a Brownie “point and shoot.” It had minimal options, other than, true to its name, you would point and shoot. Over the years I progressed to more sophisticated cameras. In my senior year at Penn State, I took my first photography class, much to the dismay of my father who thought college was meant for a different kind of education. I whisper to him each time I enjoy a photograph I have taken that the money he spent was not wasteful. For me, the camera lens is a “window to the world,” allowing me to see things with a broader perspective than the naked eye. It makes fleeting moments permanent – be it a subtle expression on a friend’s face, or a slant of the rising sun in the morning.

Through the years, these images helped cement memories of specific times and places, but much more than that, they opened me up to different ways of viewing the world, both inner and outer. Connecting my “mind’s eye” memory with mental and emotional intersections enables me to bring my photography to another dimension.

Of late, I’ve had my camera trained on the breathtaking vistas and majestic wildlife of Paradise Valley, Montana, the rugged coastline south of Boston, as well as novel sights in foreign lands.  And, I’m finding that these images are bringing passages and quotes to the surface of my mind. I often find these words give perfect expression to the emotions that the images evoke.  Marrying the images with the quotes deepens their meaning and provides a fruitful starting point for my mediation and journaling. 

Finding ways to connect creatively with our inner self, to explore resilience, grit, courage, empowerment, awe, and grace, strengthens us and allows for expanding our sense of self.

I’ve chosen to share them with you here so that they may do the same for you. 

I encourage you to come back and visit this section often, as I’m feeling inspired to keep up this new endeavor.

“Now Let Us Welcome The New Year, Full of Things That Have Never Been” ~ Rilke
View from Mountain Sanctuary 
Photo by BJG

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Winter Solstice
The time of the year with the great darkness.
Nature slumbers in quiet starkness.
The trees are bare, the earth is asleep.
The silence and stillness run truthful and deep.
Recognize that as the earth is resting,
It bestows on you its greatest blessing.
That from winter comes spring and life once again.
For the wheel of nature, spins with no end.
I have faith in the rhythm of nature for you.
Realize that harmony comes from within.
And know all is well as the new cycle begins.
~ Stephanie Laird
May you find peace and harmony in this time of quiet and darkness. 
Light will come again.
Wishing you the very best during this holiday season.
May 2025 bring blessings and joy for all.
Lone tree in the Lamar Valley, Yellowstone National Park 
Winter 2024, Photo by BJG

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“Change - real change - comes from the inside out”. ~ Stephen Covey
Rising Harvest Moon over Nantasket Beach, Hull, Massachusetts Photo by BJG

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“Only when we are no longer afraid do we being to live” ~ Dorothy Thompson
Chatham Light 
November 2024 
Photo by BJG

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“All mistakes teach us something, so there are, in reality, no mistakes.” ~ Nikki Giovanni
Yellowstone International Arts Festival
Paradise Valley, Montana, July 2024 
Photo by BJG

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Fall Solstice 2024
The Fall Solstice is a meaningful moment when we honor the harvest, whether harvest from your garden, or the harvest of your intentions you set earlier in the year.
The changing seasons are key moments in the cycle of life in nature and within ourselves.
Indigenous cultures embraced earth based wisdom, and in doing so, honored our power to guide one’s inner spiritual journeys and cycles.
As we mark the Fall Solstice, may you take this moment to honor all that you have in your life with thanks and gratitude.
I am grateful to be a part of an amazing circle of remarkable women.
In gratitude,
BJG
Fall storm chasing…..along Swingley Road, West Boulder River , Montana 
September 2024 
Photo by BJG

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“Our ultimate freedom is the right and power to decide how anybody or anything outside ourselves will affect us”. ~ Stephen Covey
Harvest Moon 2024
Mountain Sanctuary, Paradise Valley, Montana
Photo by BJG

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“Vision is the art of seeing things invisible” ~ Jonathon Swift
Brooklyn Bridge 
Photo by BJG

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“There are times when dreams sustain us more than facts.” ~ Helen Fogin
Mill Creek Ridge, Montana, August 2024 
Photo by BJG

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“When you doubt your power, you give power to your doubt.” ~ Honore de Balzac
Cohasset coastline, August 2024 
Photo by BJG

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"You must believe that your past is not your future.” ~ Gayle Carson
Sunset over the Gallatin Mountains
July 2024 
Photo by BJG

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“Your own path you make with every step you take. That is why it is your own path”. ~ Joseph Campbell
Divide Road, dropping down in to Paradise Valley, Montana 
Photo by BJG

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