Hello Tina, I am glad I found you again for this post. I see the invisible and know it well. The invisible work—the heart labor, the quiet inner shifts, the tending to what doesn’t show up on a checklist—is often the most essential, and the most easily dismissed. You are doing enough. And maybe even more than enough, just not in ways that productivity culture knows how to recognize. Thank you for naming this. It’s a powerful reminder. Thank you!
Of course I love your walk in the woods with Kiki. The redwoods have always felt like sacred space to me, far more than church ever did. Your photos are stunning, I feel like I could reach out and touch the bark.
thank you Lyns! Finding the sacred spaces in nature is what I live for these days. I'm so glad you like the photos. They were fun to take. Looking for textures and colors always helps me notice more.
Beautiful sentiments, Tina. Catching up on your full story the last few weeks. I'm heartbroken for your loss, one I can feel deep in my grief torn guts (and also one I cannot imagine, the loss of an older child). We lost our second daughter in a freak accident at her birth, suddenly here and then gone in the span of a day. March 24, 2011. Some days fourteen years feels like fourteen years and some days it feels like a few hours. The grief comes in waves. The lost coast Redwoods and the Mattole Estuary south of Ferndale have brought healing and solace for my family too over the years, too many times to count. They speak an ancient language, possessing a wisdom and understanding as deep and primordial as their thick layer of bark.
Dear Josh, thanks so much for stopping by. I am so sorry to learn of the loss of your baby daughter. I know that grief can become less sharp over time but it never goes away. It comes back like it happened yesterday, and 14 years is both a lot and no time at all.
I know that you, more than most people, would understand the solace that is found in nature. I completely understand why you made the switch in your career and life to focus on conservation. I really admire the work you are doing. Now more than ever of course. Thank you.
I’m glad you took that time alone to reconnect with Kiki and your grief. I get the most comfort from solitary time when I can feel Dom’s presence and this is always when I’m walking my dog…trees are a particular favourite of mine too, somehow the fact that they were there before us and will likely as not outlive us too gives me a sense of peace. Thank you for being so vulnerable 🙏
Dear Esther, thanks so much for reading and commenting. I get what you mean about the sense of peace to be found in nature, especially in the elements that will long outlive us, like trees. It puts things in perspective.
I, too, missed your writing and wondered how you are doing. As one who lives among the forests of Eastern Kentucky, I totally understand the power of solitary walks. Silence, soil, and trees = soothing balm for jagged edges. Tears heal, words heal... Sending thoughts and wishes for peace.
Thank you Catherine. Silence in an Eastern Kentucky forest sounds wonderful. You are right that is is all a "balm for jagged edges." A good way of putting it. Thanks for reading and commenting. 💛
So glad the magic and mystery of those giants brought you some peace. Thanks for sharing about your hard times, too. Life is full of hills and valleys, and surely neither could exist without the other. Your photos of the textures brought me loads of joy this week. I love how you captured those incredible trees in a way that was completely new to me. 😍
Hey Tina! So stoked to have crossed paths with you two! Always great to visit with good peeps! Only the best of luck on your travels and thanks again for including me on your adventure!🤙🏼🙏🏼👊🏼
And thanks for getting me to finally sign up to Substack… looking forward to reading your work!
Hi Tina I always love reading your adventures. Grief to me is is guess that shows up unexpectedly. When I am working on flowers there bunny that just up and I talk to her about Joshua. My heart just wants my son back. I have good days and bad days. Joshua daughter graduating next Tuesday and she is moving so my heart will have another loss. I find little peace when I read your newsletter because you know exactly what we are feeling in our grief. Sending hugs and love your way.. Tina your writing is your purpose to me you are helping us heal in our grief. Safe travels.
Dear Nilda, what a kind and wonderful comment. It is gratifying to me that you feel a connection from reading – the connection is meaningful to me as well. In the same way, I am helped by you and your presence here.
I am sorry Joshua's daughter will be moving. I understand that will be yet another loss and it seems like every new loss refreshes the pain of the big loss. That happens to me too. Thank you.
Thank you again for your words. Somehow so comforting. Never doubt your purpose, or that it may remain hidden from your sight but in full obviousness to others. We often never know the positive impact we have on others lives.
Thank you Amy! You are right, we often do not know. I get so much from these comments, probably way more than readers get from me! Thanks for being here, and thanks for commenting. 💛
Dearest Tina - I love the many layers in your post: layers of feeling and color, of variations in the wood, of wonderment and prayer. I am glad you heeded your soul-self to find solace with the trees. Sending you light and wishes for gentler days....Love, xoC
Yes, dear Tina. You’ve been missed. I’ve also wondered at times whether or not my communiques register in people’s brains.
There are a handful of people in Stacklandia that would be missed by me if they just dropped out. You are in that group.
I love your photography work in this post. I love that your solitude amongst the giants brought you the comfort you so needed. And yes, I think that the magic of asking for help was answered by your guardian angels, one of whom is Keek.
I’ve always walked with curiosity about what my purpose is in life. It’s a powerful mind excursion. And lately I’ve been wondering whether or not it’s possible to get it wrong? I lean towards the concept of not being able to “fail” at living, that just being you, true to you, and circling back for that solitary walk is the right way to live.
Dear Teyani, I am grateful to have our connection here, and grateful for your always-insightful and wise comments. Thank you so much for being here. I'm glad you like the pictures, I had fun taking them. 💛
I love the fact photos and how you arranged them. BRAVA! I’m relieved you found relief in the forest, grief for days on end is enough…. for now… and until. Hold fast.
Hi Maggie! I'm so glad you like the photos. A couple of years ago I started taking close-ups of colors and textures in nature and found that it makes me more observant, plus it's just fun. Thank you so much for reading and commenting. 💛
Hi Tina - I find that I'm especially disappointed in myself after a period of flying high. Or a version of that. Feeling connected. Understanding just 'being' is enough. All the truths that emanate when my spirit soars! Yet, somehow I have been in a pit myself. It sneaks up.
I can't pinpoint how I got here, some other obstacle of resistance not related to my specific loss tips me over into the hole again. Intellectually, I understand the journey is not linear. Then, why am I surprised again by the spiral? Am I afraid the darkness has become too familiar? Too comforting? Perhaps.
Recurrent nudges build tension, until a force I'm unable to ignore rushes at me. I must lift my head and climb out. Thankful, once again I breathe and look up to an open sky.
Your writing and your journey continues to be a mirror. I understand myself more through you. Thank you for that blessing.
Dear Shaista, I appreciate your thoughtful and insightful comment. Your words mirror my feelings too. Thank you so much for being here and sharing yourself and your beautiful writing. 💛
Hello Tina, I am glad I found you again for this post. I see the invisible and know it well. The invisible work—the heart labor, the quiet inner shifts, the tending to what doesn’t show up on a checklist—is often the most essential, and the most easily dismissed. You are doing enough. And maybe even more than enough, just not in ways that productivity culture knows how to recognize. Thank you for naming this. It’s a powerful reminder. Thank you!
Thank you Prajna. You inspire me. I appreciate that you "see the invisible and know it well."
And the redwoods at our back.
Of course I love your walk in the woods with Kiki. The redwoods have always felt like sacred space to me, far more than church ever did. Your photos are stunning, I feel like I could reach out and touch the bark.
thank you Lyns! Finding the sacred spaces in nature is what I live for these days. I'm so glad you like the photos. They were fun to take. Looking for textures and colors always helps me notice more.
Beautiful sentiments, Tina. Catching up on your full story the last few weeks. I'm heartbroken for your loss, one I can feel deep in my grief torn guts (and also one I cannot imagine, the loss of an older child). We lost our second daughter in a freak accident at her birth, suddenly here and then gone in the span of a day. March 24, 2011. Some days fourteen years feels like fourteen years and some days it feels like a few hours. The grief comes in waves. The lost coast Redwoods and the Mattole Estuary south of Ferndale have brought healing and solace for my family too over the years, too many times to count. They speak an ancient language, possessing a wisdom and understanding as deep and primordial as their thick layer of bark.
Dear Josh, thanks so much for stopping by. I am so sorry to learn of the loss of your baby daughter. I know that grief can become less sharp over time but it never goes away. It comes back like it happened yesterday, and 14 years is both a lot and no time at all.
I know that you, more than most people, would understand the solace that is found in nature. I completely understand why you made the switch in your career and life to focus on conservation. I really admire the work you are doing. Now more than ever of course. Thank you.
I’m glad you took that time alone to reconnect with Kiki and your grief. I get the most comfort from solitary time when I can feel Dom’s presence and this is always when I’m walking my dog…trees are a particular favourite of mine too, somehow the fact that they were there before us and will likely as not outlive us too gives me a sense of peace. Thank you for being so vulnerable 🙏
Dear Esther, thanks so much for reading and commenting. I get what you mean about the sense of peace to be found in nature, especially in the elements that will long outlive us, like trees. It puts things in perspective.
I, too, missed your writing and wondered how you are doing. As one who lives among the forests of Eastern Kentucky, I totally understand the power of solitary walks. Silence, soil, and trees = soothing balm for jagged edges. Tears heal, words heal... Sending thoughts and wishes for peace.
Thank you Catherine. Silence in an Eastern Kentucky forest sounds wonderful. You are right that is is all a "balm for jagged edges." A good way of putting it. Thanks for reading and commenting. 💛
I'm glad to hear from you, Tina! I've missed you, too <3
I was also just in Yellowstone, among the trees. They are healing and so alive.
Thank you Amy! So glad you got to go to Yellowstone 💛
I also find the trees my friends. I'm happy you found solace and peace among them.
Thank you Samantha 💛
So glad the magic and mystery of those giants brought you some peace. Thanks for sharing about your hard times, too. Life is full of hills and valleys, and surely neither could exist without the other. Your photos of the textures brought me loads of joy this week. I love how you captured those incredible trees in a way that was completely new to me. 😍
Hi Niquelle, good to hear from you! I'm so glad you enjoyed the photos. It was fun to take them, and it helped me to see the forest in a new way, too.
Hey Tina! So stoked to have crossed paths with you two! Always great to visit with good peeps! Only the best of luck on your travels and thanks again for including me on your adventure!🤙🏼🙏🏼👊🏼
And thanks for getting me to finally sign up to Substack… looking forward to reading your work!
Thank you!
Glad you made it over here, Substack seems to be a great place for visual artists right now.
The work of grief is possibly the hardest we will ever do as humans. Sometimes it's enough. Glad to see you here, Tina. Take care.
Hi Tim, good to hear from you. Thank you!
Hi Tina I always love reading your adventures. Grief to me is is guess that shows up unexpectedly. When I am working on flowers there bunny that just up and I talk to her about Joshua. My heart just wants my son back. I have good days and bad days. Joshua daughter graduating next Tuesday and she is moving so my heart will have another loss. I find little peace when I read your newsletter because you know exactly what we are feeling in our grief. Sending hugs and love your way.. Tina your writing is your purpose to me you are helping us heal in our grief. Safe travels.
Dear Nilda, what a kind and wonderful comment. It is gratifying to me that you feel a connection from reading – the connection is meaningful to me as well. In the same way, I am helped by you and your presence here.
I am sorry Joshua's daughter will be moving. I understand that will be yet another loss and it seems like every new loss refreshes the pain of the big loss. That happens to me too. Thank you.
Thank you again for your words. Somehow so comforting. Never doubt your purpose, or that it may remain hidden from your sight but in full obviousness to others. We often never know the positive impact we have on others lives.
Thank you Amy! You are right, we often do not know. I get so much from these comments, probably way more than readers get from me! Thanks for being here, and thanks for commenting. 💛
Dearest Tina - I love the many layers in your post: layers of feeling and color, of variations in the wood, of wonderment and prayer. I am glad you heeded your soul-self to find solace with the trees. Sending you light and wishes for gentler days....Love, xoC
Hi Christa, I love hearing from you, thank you so much for reading! 💛
Yes, dear Tina. You’ve been missed. I’ve also wondered at times whether or not my communiques register in people’s brains.
There are a handful of people in Stacklandia that would be missed by me if they just dropped out. You are in that group.
I love your photography work in this post. I love that your solitude amongst the giants brought you the comfort you so needed. And yes, I think that the magic of asking for help was answered by your guardian angels, one of whom is Keek.
I’ve always walked with curiosity about what my purpose is in life. It’s a powerful mind excursion. And lately I’ve been wondering whether or not it’s possible to get it wrong? I lean towards the concept of not being able to “fail” at living, that just being you, true to you, and circling back for that solitary walk is the right way to live.
I’m grateful you share your world.
Dear Teyani, I am grateful to have our connection here, and grateful for your always-insightful and wise comments. Thank you so much for being here. I'm glad you like the pictures, I had fun taking them. 💛
I love the fact photos and how you arranged them. BRAVA! I’m relieved you found relief in the forest, grief for days on end is enough…. for now… and until. Hold fast.
Hi Maggie! I'm so glad you like the photos. A couple of years ago I started taking close-ups of colors and textures in nature and found that it makes me more observant, plus it's just fun. Thank you so much for reading and commenting. 💛
Hi Tina - I find that I'm especially disappointed in myself after a period of flying high. Or a version of that. Feeling connected. Understanding just 'being' is enough. All the truths that emanate when my spirit soars! Yet, somehow I have been in a pit myself. It sneaks up.
I can't pinpoint how I got here, some other obstacle of resistance not related to my specific loss tips me over into the hole again. Intellectually, I understand the journey is not linear. Then, why am I surprised again by the spiral? Am I afraid the darkness has become too familiar? Too comforting? Perhaps.
Recurrent nudges build tension, until a force I'm unable to ignore rushes at me. I must lift my head and climb out. Thankful, once again I breathe and look up to an open sky.
Your writing and your journey continues to be a mirror. I understand myself more through you. Thank you for that blessing.
Dear Shaista, I appreciate your thoughtful and insightful comment. Your words mirror my feelings too. Thank you so much for being here and sharing yourself and your beautiful writing. 💛