Continuum

Perhaps more than history, I am fascinated by the comparisons that can be made to the world when it was seen only in black and white: the struggles so different then and yet so evidently the same now, even in our modern, varied kaleidoscope of digitized color with its illusion of perfection. I love to see relationships captured unknowingly, the innocence and guilelessness of eras gone by, and the culmination of accomplishment earned through hard work with its adherence to traditional values. Real values. Sustaining values.

I feel as though this is why black and white photos both intrigue and beguile me; they give me pause to evaluate in the now, truths that have remained steadfast and so relevant even through the ticking clock of unrelenting age. It ignites my thoughts, sending them into rampant dissection, one leaking into another and another -- an exegetic foray into processing a multiplicity of themes.

And I'm unwittingly caught in a moment suspended from dates and markers of every kind, as the richness of humanity steals over my heart, and I'm helpless but to feel its message slide into my soul. Then. And now.

I find it interesting that social behaviors and human thought patterns are proverbially chained and fully constrained to time, hours, and calendar dates, rather than a sweeping flow in continuum. I wonder what attitudes would change if we would repudiate expiration dates in totality to live as if forever. Would there be more continuity of being and a solid commitment to character, choices, and self-responsibility? Would there be less stops and starts, an absence of anxiety, and maybe the utter rejection of haste, "busy"ness, and therefore waste?

It brings me to a perfect beginning to a beautiful Sunday: contemplation and contentment. Family. The ins and outs of communication, expectation, desires, direction, and even the want for abiding peace. To be eager for far-off goals and yet to seize, with fortitude and fearlessness, combinations of joy and determination, the essence and sanctity of each experience available for our fulfillment in every moment as we have them.

To cherish always, no matter what.

It is a cold winter morning today; frost arrogantly gleams in vanity as it lords its crystal dressing gown upon the grasses. The house still sleeps even though the sun is just barely peeking through the sky. And, oh! How I've been lost in so very many photos from yesteryear and my ancestry. Generations, family, struggle, commonality, history. Heritage. It fuels my soul and ignites my being, for it surely confirms that each of us are more than we ever think ourselves to be.

Good morning, Sunday. Attached is a throwback article written about my grandfather, Frank Cyrus Carman.

Legacy.

Living Joy - This Carman Girl

Heritage

I was raised with a distinct awareness as to the family name I belonged to, as well as the equally responsible set of standards mandated to ensure its prominence and legacy. Clans are a thing, and we are Scots; this has been ingrained within my bloodstream since birth. And so, time and again, I teach our children that their behavior can either make or break their heritage and name, as well as serve as either a hindrance or a stepping stone to achievement.

Every single individual behavior results in some kind of consequence, whether positive or not. And it speaks volumes as to how everyday decisions can either bolster public perception or obliterate good intentions. "My word is my bond" is not archaic; but rather, powerful and transforming. It makes me want to cry out to the world that honor is the most valuable currency in any market today: it disavows the unconscionable, while simultaneously imbuing and endowing excellence.

All of this is a means and a definition of success, regardless of any varied representations, interpretations, or ideology. The advent of monetary gain can be sure, indeed, but the prosperity of a clan, and what it stands for, will impact generations due to the honor and integrity it came from.

Family matters. And heritage stands.

Living Joy - This Carman Girl

(Photo credit: Charles Harvey McConnell Jr.; or, Uncle Chuck - my mom's brother, displaying the McConnell plaid with his father, my great-grandfather.)

Sundown

Perhaps it is that each encounter, experience, goal or endeavor, serves to expand into vision the myriad of possibilities that yield limitless opportunity -- and, all merely upon the simplicity of a turn of thought. Embracing the flow of change can open perspective, shift priorities, and grant each of us reason to doggedly, impetuously, stubbornly, and relentlessly believe in more.

Change can only come from within before it will ever mold any other state of being. Rather than succumbing to the transience of emotion, fear, or perceived helplessness, it is in the safety of absolute truth that, regardless of circumstance or condition, awards us the faculties to seize, disseminate, and obtain the wisdom necessary to achieve success. Along with that, courage and fortitude remain the defining characteristics that separate the witless from the willing, and the discontented from the content.

Choose strength. Choose Joy. Choose to flourish.

Free will is just that: freely given and equally free to reject or receive. And it is in the acceptance and exercise of personal responsibility that provides the impetus to accomplishment, contentment, and personal increase. Boldly assessing truth offers opportunity to grasp the freedoms that come from acknowledging what is, to then forthrightly raise it tenfold, thrive, and thus consummate growth.

Negativity will always be a disease that decries culpability and denies creation.

Whole choices matter.

Living Joy - This Carman Girl