Inspiration and Spirituality **Award Free**
A morning at Paul Kane Park, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (June 2025). The journey of one squirrel in images and the park’s sculpture.
For Lens Artist Challenge #388, where this week’s host, Leya’s invitation is to share “your journey in 5-10 images.”
Blanket of the familiar;
a quilt that sheds its comfort fleece.
That comfort hard-won
in trials sewn piece by piece with
pain’s indelible ink to the soul.
The anthem of the collective – golden
‘tis the fleece that
Jason and the Argonauts
bequeathed antiquity
reframing the original quest
from the beginning…
hoping to find what was lost—
the knowledge of good and evil
shedding from us
the garden of who we were.
*
A Stream of Consciousness poem for Reena’s Xploration #421 – 12 March 2026. This week, Reena provides the theme: ‘fleece’ and offers three scenarios for inspiration. She encourages us to respond with a stream of consciousness piece using as few edits as possible. The scenario I selected is:
“Imagine your fleece as the illusions you’ve carried—comforting myths, borrowed identities, the soft fabric of belonging. When life’s shears arrive, they cut away what no longer serves you. Write about being fleeced as the painful but necessary shedding that reveals the raw, unadorned self beneath, trembling yet luminous in its honesty.” – Reena Saxena.
spring’s contended cool
the mood of liquid stars distilled;
trees blossoming muses
*
For Esther Chilton’s Writing Prompts #106 – March 11, 2026: Mood
the journey inward
speaking peace to the storms within,
restless waves quiet
*
This basilica’s motto, inscribed on the shield above the featured doors, offers the following benediction to all travelers, seafarers, and to the city of Amsterdam:
“Those on their way home, I want to bless.”
Built in a reimagined blend of Baroque and Renaissance architectural styles, the Basilica of Saint Nicholas in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, was constructed in an astonishing (for a cathedral building) three years from 1884-1887.
The featured doors are the recently restored (1999) outer doors of the Basilica’s main entrance. The main entrance’s wooden doors’ top panels are appointed with ornate wrought-iron grills.
Inside the main entrance doors are a second set of wood doors with glass panels.
Trivia #1: A story of the patron saint of Basilica of St. Nicholas, Saint Nicholas.
You may have already heard of Saint Nicholas’ legend/stories in relation to his generosity, giving all of his wealth to the needy, a portion of it given in secret at night.
Another legend records the reason for Saint Nicholas’ veneration as the patron saint of sailors, travelers, seaside towns, and seafarers.
As the story goes, Saint Nicholas was on his way by ship to The Holy Land. One night, in very rough seas, the waves threatened to destroy the vessel and its passengers and crew. According to the legend, Saint Nicholas prayed and then spoke to the storm, and somehow the seas calmed, and the ship and all aboard made it safely to shore in Jerusalem.
Trivia #2:
And so…some time later…
While in The Holy Land, legend has it that Saint Nicholas stayed in Bethlehem, allegedly in the same lodging (inn) where the birth of Jesus was believed to have occurred. And… on that spot (in the Holy Land), a church whose patron saint is Saint Nicholas was later built.
In Orthodox Christianity Saint Nicholas, along with the Apostles, is honored every Thursday.
Additional Information:
Amsterdam’s Central Train Station, Amsterdam Centraal, is across the street from the Basilica of Saint Nicholas. Amsterdam’s iconic local tram service’s (BVD) main hub is outside Amsterdam Centraal (south side). An image of a tram is below.
And for more #ThursdayDoors visit Dan Antion over at No Facilities
Life’s care packages: scan
intuition unfettered,
lose still-grasping chains.
Free at last the heart breathes, yet
wholeness—not ‘one size fits all.’
*
For Brenda Warren’s Sunday Whirl Wordle #747 – colony, rattling, still, lose, crunch, life, fits, hunch, scan, packages, grasping, chains.
Linking with Sandee over at Comedy-Plus #Wordless Wednesday
beyond what is seen
nostalgia a settling pond
the ocean a womb
*
An ekphrastic Senryū for Colleen Chesebro’s #TankaTuesday 55 – 10 March 2026 where this week Colleen’s invitation is “to use a piece of art for inspiration and write syllabic poetry.”
The above image is of “Above the Gravel Pit” painted by Emily Carr, one of Canada’s early twentieth-century painters, who was part of the group of artists known as The Group of Seven.
P.S. My work area does not normally look this tidy…just so you know.
For Dan’s Workstations — CFFC – Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge – 9 March 2026
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