Our hockey girl and the round puck! I was so excited when she decided to go back to hockey, after only playing for 1 yr at 5/6 and being in figure skating almost the rest of her childhood until early teens.
I love watching her on the ice, my heart just explodes seeing her passion. There are so many times Ive teared up watching our kids doing something they love, in this case, with them both in hockey. To see their faces, to watch them interact with the others on the team.
Im actually not sure on this rule, if its just one photo. Im going to share one other, as both were from this fall.
Such a great timing of my shot, for her shot! It went in 🙂 She was the captain of her basketball team this year – so proud of her!
The November theme details can be found in this post – think Round!
There is something so simplistic and beautiful with snow on our garden plants. We typically hold off on pruning to enjoy their beauty!
This also technically qualifies for the “Surviving November 2025” theme as well, Round.
Shot with my Canon R6MII + EF/RF Adapter + Canon EF 100mm f2.8L Macro Lens
On this day, an anniversary of my brothers death I am grateful for my connection to spirit, that I allow myself to listen to my intuition and trust, sometimes in times of complete unknown. 111
It was honestly hard on Friday, when leaving work it hit me, last year this was our last ‘normal’ weekend. My heart just sank, we never know. This is why I attempt to capture as many moments as possible, as we never know when they may become memories. My truest passion of photography, I just love looking back at images and remembering the moment exactly.
A day, where I am truly grateful for this challenge, the slight irony of it being called “How to Survive November…” the timing, was what I needed, being pushed to be creative to participate in the challenges. Actually, I honestly do not know how these themes work, brain fog during deep times of grief is so very real. As well as feeling suddenly very overwhelmed. Surviving November, is now my reality.
So I need to choose to be present, purposeful and choose being creative, which for me is also the push I needed. But also, allow myself grace in the power of quiet, solitude, peace within and rest. As I normally would go out shooting, when I have the desire… if you aren’t feeling that spark or have ‘nothing’ to photograph – easy excuse with less daylight, you won’t. Much like the lens-artists weekly challenge I found this summer, at a time when I was feeling low, feeling a huge disconnect from social media and feeling a much more authentic draw back to my blog and photography. This was divine timing, I am grateful I was open to listening, that Saturday morning at the cottage, I had grabbed my phone and was checking out my wordpress reader and found the challenge! I do not even know what led me there, as when I found it, I emailed it to myself so I was sure I didn’t lose it!
“Never more than a thought away, loved and remembered everyday.”
A year ago, the unimaginable happened, Nov 17 was the last living day on this earth for my brother Adam. Today I share the roundness of the stone, the placeholder of his physical site and the other rocks with it. I am grateful to know and feel his spirit with me, and us, anytime I need to. Its been a hard adjustment.
Healing from sibling loss has been something I have never been faced with, until now, and am not sure when or if, or how I will ever ‘get past’. As the oldest of 4, him being next, its rocked me to my soul, in the most deep way. I know I have some deeper healing that still needs to happen. It changes a person, yet it also feels like you get lost in life. Life continues on, everyone keeps going. Their lives go on, yours does too, except that part of it, which turns out to be a very heavy part. You will get forgotten by many, others who always say they are ‘here for you’, they wont be. You wont even see them. Its ok to create new boundaries, to honor your heart and only make time for those who respect your heart. This has been one of the hardest adjustments.
Healing after a sudden loss is incredibly difficult, especially when it isn’t the first time we’ve faced a sudden loss, it just hits harder being my brother. People will treat you differently, and say things they shouldn’t. I’ve shared this before, but right after the funeral, as people were coming up to offer their condolences, a great aunt hugged me and mentioned that she had forgotten about me and my sister—the “bookends” of our siblings. It was an unexpected comment in an already emotional moment.
Or someone from my very distant past, with whom I have a complicated history, appeared unexpectedly at my parents’ home that same night after the funeral. When I opened the door, she stood there with her arms outstretched, as if I would naturally turn to her for comfort. This is the same person who, for years, supported the emotional and verbal mistreatment I experienced from her son, which made the moment feel deeply inappropriate and uncomfortable.
Around the same time, her son messaged my husband on Facebook, asking him to tell me to get in touch, saying he had already sent me several messages. The situation felt disconnected from reality and showed a lack of awareness about past behaviour that I’m no longer willing to overlook.
To be completely honest, had he simply reached out once, I would have responded. I would have acknowledged the condolences—despite my brother’s feelings about how I was treated—and I would have respected the effort to say sorry. But repeated messages, followed by contacting my husband, and then his mother showing up at my parents’ home crossed several boundaries.
And those boundaries I mentioned? They’re now very clear and very firm.
Its been multifaceted to this healing. Ive spiritually connected with my brother on multiple occasions, which is cool, but also hurts my heart. I know he is finally free from the pain that for years plagued his life both physically and emotionally, selfishly I wish he was still here.
If you know someone who experiences loss in their life, bend your heart to meet theirs – not the other way around. Its not easy to ask for help, and I rarely want to make plans. I want things to be ‘normal’, what the fuck is normal. To find the roundness of your compassion and softness of your heart. A new understanding of what everyday life now is, especially surrounding harder dates, even songs everyday, that remind, they are no longer with us.
I am very grateful for this ‘Surviving November 2025’ challenge through wordpress, I felt quite unsure about facing this month and how it would hit me. Although the challenges are a great distraction, they remind me to stay true to my own creative edge, the healing continues… and that’s ok.
The November theme details can be found in this post – think Round!
Thank you John for introducing this weeks challenge – On The Move. Be sure to check out his post here – the national guard jet is very cool! The train one is also equally as cool!
I took this inspiration as we were leaving on a drive, I excitedly pulled out my phone when I realized it was after 12 noon on Saturday. The theme – perfect for our afternoon – on the move! I could have went back into my archives of trips we’ve taken, however my heart needed the purposeful photo tour yesterday and it delivered!
The hydro lines, these stretch from Bruce power all the way to Milton for some! I really enjoyed this shot as I took it out the passenger window going down the road.
On the move – the water running down the windshield, also down the road and the windshield wiper going as fast as it would go! I didn’t realize we were to have rain, not just rain but a heavy storm with lightening too! Thankfully it was short lived.
More hydro lines, with the tall structures and fall colours. The hydro lines with hydro ‘on the move’ through the lines.
On the move through the trails.
I absolutely LOVE the above shot, also heavy trust in holding my camera outside the machine to capture – love it!!!
‘On the move’ shot of the corn field shot from the passenger side of our machine.
The image below, there was a huge tree that had fallen and was moving under the water, you can see it floating in the top here, my husband used the machine to help move the water to then move the tree to more easily get past.
This was a fun ‘thinking outside of the box’ theme which could be interpreted in a variety of ways – thank you John for the wonderful theme, expansive to open our minds. Just what my heart needed this weekend!
Be sure to use the tag Lens-Artists so it shows up in the reader for others to find you! Thank you to Egidio for last weeks challenge – looking back to #31 – Landscape photos! Next week Patti will be hosting the challenge and will go live Saturday November 22 at noon est. Check out Patti’s blog – Pilotfish Blog here – click follow so it shows up in your reader!
If you would like more information of the Lens-Artists Challenges, check here.
For John’s Cell Pic Sunday, I am sharing one from yesterday that could also be for this weeks Lens-Artists Challenge, on the move. I saved it for its own. I just love this shot, our niece walking with myself and my sister back up the trail to meet the guys. I love her little adventurous soul!
Shot on my Samsung Phone and gently processed with Photoshop mobile.
The roundness of the plant pot for my snake plant. I can admit, as much as I love photographing plants in nature, I don’t exactly have a green thumb! Snake plants are so generously forgiving for that 😉 They work well in our home. Ironically, our last name also means snake, so perhaps just fitting!
I really enjoy the colour and texture of this pot. With the pop of green and yellow of the plant.
The November theme details can be found in this post – think Round!
The round front of my camera, my newest baby, that Ive had now for a couple years, my Canon R6MII with the RF/EF adapter on it – ready for the hockey game with the 70-200 f2.8L zoom lens!
By far, as much as I love my 5DMIII, this camera, my Canon R6MII is by far my fav! The low light capabilities, the mirrorless function, the toggle for focal points and ability to see what you are shooting as you adjust, is very cool. I would suggest having a back up battery just in case. I always carry one with me, although Ive been able to get through multiple games on one battery.
As I type this, Canon has recently announced the new R6MIII, it sounds pretty fantastic, as a stills photographer – not so much video – I don’t personally have the pull yet, this, my R6MII is a fantastic camera I would highly recommend! I highly recommend Henry’s if you are in the market for a new camera or lens. With the purchase, the link above click the R6MIII – you can also qualify for a pre-order bonus. Oh yes, if wondering, I am drooling 😉
Lets allow ourselves to dream… as a photographer if I had an unlimited amount of money to spend, Id be hitting up Henry’s and snagging the new Canon R6MIII, the RF 24-105 f2.8L and the RF 100-500! Eh if we are dreaming, I would also add the RF 200-800 as well! I would also upgrade my 70-200 f2.8L to the RF version 😉 Id probably add a wide angle RF L lens as well, for landscape shots they are incredible! Everyone needs to dream, especially when it lights up my creativity like photography does!
Especially for a healing heart. That was reminded, that last year, this was our last ‘normal’ weekend. Which is a hard reality. A very emotional one for me as well. That pulls me inward, and that’s ok.
The November theme details can be found in this post – think Round!
The sky was gorgeous this morning, along with the frosty leaves. My creative mind is going for what I could shoot with my macro lens this weekend! I am also excited as Saturday’s a new weekly challenge is announced within the wordpress Lens-Artists challenge!
Taken in portrait mode on my phone.
Enjoy the weekend, I hope you have the opportunity to enjoy some of the passions within your own life!
Its winter time, which means hockey is back on the ice for our girl – for the final year! My heart is more at ease knowing that our niece and nephew will be participating in their own upcoming sports, so the lens will not be going into retirement anytime soon!
This is my FAV hockey lens and man has it had its work out the past 10+ years! Its a fabulous lens for in the arena to photograph my hockey players as it opens up to f2.8. I love that I can get all the light that I can! Ive even used this lens in the high school gym to photograph basketball games for really good close ups!
The roundness of the lens cap, of the lens in my bag.
I purchased this lens years ago from Henrys’, its been a workhorse for me! If you are in need of a lens, I highly recommend checking out their used section!
The November theme details can be found in this post – think Round!
My round theme for today is with my singing bowl. Its the colour of the solar chakra. There is a lot of calming benefits to the singing bowls – think relaxation, an energy reset, can also help in sleep – which makes sense being relaxing.
I am still learning about these bowls, one thing I learned recently – about cleansing the energy of crystal bracelets, this size of bowl is challenging to do that, due to the size. So if that is something you may like to do, you will need something bigger. This has a nice sound, it is harder to play with than the bigger ones.
The November theme details can be found in this post – think Round!
