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2013-04-24 13:07:16 (0 comments, 7 reshares, 25 +1s)

So many of you have expressed concern about our situation and I appreciate that with all of my heart. We are getting through it one day at a time and I will say this... I have learned more about internet security and hacking in the last month, than I honestly (and very naively) thought I would ever need to know. I don't want to preach, and truly... I doubt many of you would hear it if I did. It is human nature, especially in this day and age, to choose convenience over security. In my own head... I always thought "You know.. I'm just a stay at home mom in the middle of small town nowhere. Who the heck is ever gonna target me?" Sigh. I consider myself to be a well educated, well read, well spoken woman but that was just plain dumb and it is not a mistake I will repeat. Lessons learned the hard way, are lessons learned well.

We've been through a lot in this country in the last... more »

2013-04-08 21:38:57 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 20 +1s)

Flat Tyler at Disney World

Please check out +Dawn Molitor's original post here: http://goo.gl/GAKmP

Tyler is an 18-year-old with cancer and limited time. As a way for Tyler to see the world, they created Flat Tyler and asked for people to take pictures of him out and about. I discovered this while I was vacationing with my daughter at Disney World. We did not have a computer or printer but I edited the photo on my phone and we used daughter's tablet for the display.

We carried Ty-Ty, as daughter started calling him, everywhere with us for a day through our travels at Disney. Because of the screen glare, we did not get as many good shots as we would have liked, but rest assured, Ty was out and about at many more scenes than what is shown here.

A note to Tyler, or Ty-Ty, that I hope Dawn can pass along:

Dude, I hope that you get a chance to... more »

2013-04-08 18:43:54 (6 comments, 2 reshares, 29 +1s)

This weekend, as I spent some time alone on these rocks, I thought of Jettie's latest post and of all the precious faces behind this story.  I think it would be very good for you remember them too.  It only takes a few minutes of our day to do that.  +Nicole Kurkierewicz +Dawn Molitor - continuing to wish you faith, hope, and peace.  With love, Roni
Thank you to +Charles Payet +Shaun White +Shawn Highfill and +Dana Lynn Moyer.
  #flattyler    http://www.reflectionsbyroni.com/2013/04/leaning-in.html

2013-04-06 16:03:24 (9 comments, 0 reshares, 41 +1s)

I cannot fully comprehend how time seems to speed up, the more you try to slow it down, but it is these times, when I find myself most grateful for my camera. Last night's last light... was really just gorgeous.

2013-04-04 00:02:15 (15 comments, 3 reshares, 67 +1s)

That wall of water was as impressive, awe inspiring and magnificent as it looks. Waves were around 8-12 feet that day.   Two weeks later +Janet Clark called to tell me they were twice that size.  Amazing.   I could have sat there all day watching those waves.  *Shark's Cove Pupukea Beach Park Oahu Hawaii*

2013-04-03 13:24:15 (7 comments, 0 reshares, 50 +1s)

I would imagine, it isn't much of a leap for you to understand why I love this place so much. It reminds me of Hawaii.:) Jim said something interesting to me this morning that made me smile. He said, "You know, Roni.. we are all connected. I told you once, the waters that flow in the Pacific Ocean, eventually make it to our lake, whether it is through evaporation in the form of rain that falls over New York, or a long journey winding through oceans and rivers from Hawaii all the way to Lake Ontario." What a happy thought.:)

We're going to unplug for a few days and head up to the cottage for some R&R. If you are working on an image for Tyler, I will be home until the end of the day today (Wednesday) and then will be back on Monday. Mahalo to all of you making that effort.  xo Roni
http://www.reflectionsbyroni.com/2013/03/shine-on-tyler.html

2013-04-03 13:18:40 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

+Angelika Perry... I LOVED this. +Kalebra Kelby Thank you for being my joyful, positive person.   +Dawn Molitor +Nicole Kurkierewicz with utmost respect we wish you joy in the midst of it, and Tyler... you are our hero.  Shine on, buddy!
#flattyler 

2013-04-03 03:01:22 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

Happiness looks like this to me.:)  And so I dream...

2013-04-03 01:05:22 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 32 +1s)

Let your soul stand cool and composed before a million universes. ~Walt Whitman

2013-04-02 17:48:52 (4 comments, 1 reshares, 35 +1s)

Come... read.
Thank you +Todd Maeda +Kara Chickering +Lynda Cochrane and my dear friend Fred Wolfe.  
+Nicole Kurkierewicz and +Dawn Molitor as always..much love to you and yours. #flattyler  
http://www.reflectionsbyroni.com/2013/04/solitary-journey.html

2013-04-02 01:39:09 (12 comments, 1 reshares, 44 +1s)

La'ie Point on the island of Oahu was one of the most interesting places I've ever photographed.  I've been keeping up with my Hawaii 365, though I haven't shared it here in a few days.  You can view the others in the album at your leisure.

I've received several more entries for Tyler which I will blog about tomorrow so be patient with me, ok?  If you missed it, you can read Tyler's dad's beautiful words, as well as Tyler's story here:http://www.reflectionsbyroni.com/2013/04/hope.html

2013-04-01 12:37:11 (11 comments, 3 reshares, 25 +1s)

Last night I got a note from Tyler's dad and step mom. I know so many of you have responded to this already and many more are beginning to. This family's hope is still alive and your efforts are helping to keep it that way.   #flattyler  
http://www.reflectionsbyroni.com/2013/04/hope.html

2013-03-31 22:30:23 (4 comments, 1 reshares, 14 +1s)

I don't know that I've ever been more thankful for a group of people in my life.  +Dawn Molitor +Nicole Kurkierewicz +Heather Webb I hope this blesses your heart as much as it does mine.  +lynn hughes +Gaetano Matteazzi +Gail Beerman +Janet Clark - You are such beautiful rays of light...  
+Nicole Kurkierewicz Bless your heart.. I know you love your nephew.
#flattyler  

2013-03-31 01:33:54 (8 comments, 0 reshares, 25 +1s)

Nothing shatters nothing breaks
Nothing hurts and nothing aches
We've got ourselves one helluva place, in my heaven
Looking down at the world below
A bunch of whining, fighting schmo's
Up here we've got none of those, in my heaven
There's pools and lakes and hills and mountains
Music, art, and lighted fountains
Who needs bucks here, no one's counting
In my heaven
No one works, we all just play
We pick the weather everyday
If you change your mind, that's ok, in my heaven
Grandma's up here, Grandpa too
In a condo with to-die-for views
There's presidents and movie stars
You just come as you are
No one's lost and no one's missing
No more parting just hugs and kissing
And all these stars are just for wishing
In my heaven
There's little white lights everywhere... more »

2013-03-30 20:41:10 (6 comments, 1 reshares, 20 +1s)

On this eve of Easter, as I look across the room at my own 18 year old son with tenderness, there is another 18 year old boy, lying in an ICU hospital bed in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Beside him... is his mother, a woman just like me. She's been there every day for six months, without fail.. and I know she's tired.  Remember her this Easter.. ok?
http://www.reflectionsbyroni.com/2013/03/letter-to-michelle.html

2013-03-29 18:56:02 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 27 +1s)

If I do nothing else in my life but instill in this child, an unwavering knowledge of how much I love him, then I have lived my life well.  I wish you all a blessed holiday.  I'll be offline til Monday.

2013-03-29 11:18:04 (59 comments, 2 reshares, 26 +1s)

I wrote a looong blog post today in response to a note I received from +Heather Webb last night.  It's open to everyone but if I have plussed you on this post specifically, please take some time to read it and view my list at the bottom. Please understand it is not my intention to exclude ANYONE.  If you'd like to get involved, please.. do.  +Dawn Molitor I wish for your family - peace and healing.  Thank you for sharing your story.  I hope this helps shine a little light into Tyler's life...

Please read and then plus this post when you're done:
http://www.reflectionsbyroni.com/2013/03/shine-on-tyler.html

+Gaetano Matteazzi +Peter Schmidt +Carolyn Fahm +Kalebra Kelby +Steve Kalman +Scott Kelby +William Beem +Gilmar Smith +Ruhil Austen +Barb Cochran +Randy Jay Braun +Kathy Porupski +Janet Clark +Todd Maeda +lynn hughes +Dana Lynn Moyer +BrianMitchell +Jason Pointe... more »

2013-03-28 15:47:59 (22 comments, 0 reshares, 36 +1s)

Mark Twain said...
 
No alien land in all the world has any deep strong charm for me but one, no other land could so longingly and so beseechingly haunt me, sleeping and waking, through half a lifetime, as that one has done. Other things leave me, but it abides; other things change, but it remains the same. For me its balmy airs are always blowing, its summer seas flashing in the sun; the pulsing of its surfbeat is in my ear; I can see its garland crags, its leaping cascades, its plumy palms drowsing by the shore, its remote summits floating like islands above the cloud wrack; I can feel the spirit of its woodland solitudes, I can hear the splash of its brooks; in my nostrils still lives the breath of flowers that perished twenty years ago.  If I might, I would go ashore and never leave.  

How I love that quote...  I was in Hawaii for a total of fourteen days. On each of those days,I t... more »

2013-03-27 21:57:17 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

This one made me smile.:)  And that is sooo good.

2013-03-27 21:15:38 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 22 +1s)

+Kalebra Kelby Must stop here:)  My spirit is there waiting for you.  I'll be the one in the purple and green VW Bus! xo
http://www.coconutglens.com/about.html  

2013-03-27 20:20:55 (6 comments, 1 reshares, 25 +1s)

Some days are not nearly as perfect as we remember them.  
And some days... are.  
Hawaii Aloha Naau - Kealii Reichel sings Malama E Ala E Hawaiian Music

2013-03-27 19:21:19 (7 comments, 1 reshares, 16 +1s)

I really have nothing more to add to that, other than to say, it is why I value macro photography, so very highly.  It helps me do that.
Waianapanapa State Park, Hana, Maui

2013-03-27 13:05:01 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 9 +1s)

+Lexy Page...  and anyone else who may need it today.
I believe light shines in even the darkest of hours.
Always.
Maybe one of the most moving videos I have ever seen.
 

2013-03-25 13:08:35 (5 comments, 1 reshares, 38 +1s)

Last night, I couldn't sleep.  I lay for a long time, hearing the sound of waves in my head and longing for a place it is not possible for me to be right now.  After awhile, I got up and  pulled an image (taken by my friend Reid Fujita) up on the computer.  Once in awhile, a photograph calls to me in a different way from most. I end up spending a lot more time on those images.  I liken it to a kind of music... but it is a difficult feeling to describe.  The longer I worked on it, the more I could hear it.  But it wasn't until I finished it, around 5 am this morning, that I saw a face in the crest of that wave.  It immediately brought to mind a story of Hawaii.  A story I am sure many of you have never heard.
http://www.reflectionsbyroni.com/2013/03/an-uncommon-kindness.html 

2013-03-24 23:21:03 (24 comments, 0 reshares, 57 +1s)

My heaven.:)
What Dreams May Come

2013-03-24 18:23:33 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 11 +1s)

Behind every American soldier... is his mother.  In this case, she happens to be one of my oldest and dearest friends.

2013-03-24 16:15:30 (10 comments, 0 reshares, 19 +1s)

Great photography happens on a beautiful beach in Hawaii using a Canon 5DM2.  But it can also happen right across the hall from my bedroom door using an iPhone.  Credit for this one goes to
+Jim Delmonico and it's an image now stamped on my heart.  He didn't have to say a thing.  I totally get it.

It isn't the holidays we miss the most with our son. It's these common, everyday, mundane... ordinary? moments of his life.

2013-03-24 13:14:41 (10 comments, 0 reshares, 40 +1s)

I often find two things happening when my emotions are swinging wildly all over the place. First, I seek the comfort of my children. And second, I distill my artwork back to black and white. It helps me to re-focus my spirit by focusing my mind on the simplest elements, in my life and in my work. I often wonder if that's what motivated Ansel Adams.  He did say after all, “When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence...” right?  I look at his clean lines, his masterful use of light and shadows and I find peace there. So today, I'm going to wander my library and look for some of my best black and white images to share with you. Maybe you can find a little peace in that with me too.
Kenny Chesney - Don't Blink

2013-03-24 13:09:17 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 15 +1s)

He's one of my best friends and one of the very few people in my life who has read the first few chapters of my book in their entirety. He was a marine and now he is a firefighter - a true hero in every sense of the word, though he hates it when I bring that up.:) To me though.. this image is where his true heroism lies. I am working on a story for The Light Project that his wife (who I will honor with my whole heart in that post later today) sent to me, and it is a beautiful story of love and friendship that spans the lifetime of our children and more than two decades of our own. We are all the richer for it. 

2013-03-23 19:58:44 (6 comments, 1 reshares, 40 +1s)

+Lexy Page I have no words.  I'm sorry....
I can only sing.  And I. will. sing.
The Prayer - Amazing 7yr old Rhema Marvanne - plz "Share"

2013-03-23 19:20:43 (0 comments, 2 reshares, 23 +1s)

Heading Home - Upon The Wings of Angels

(This angel hangs on my wall, by my front door.  It is a plaster sculpture I've cherished for many years.  I leave it by the door for all those who enter and leave; that they be loved and protected for all of their days!) 

"and God Said: Trust unto me.  Rest ye weary hearts that my angels shall carry you forward and bring you home unto me."

Homeward bound is my son-in-law.  Angels met him yesterday afternoon.  Their wings enveloped his soul and carried him away, releasing him from his suffering and his pain. At 3:34 pm (est) the final good-bye pressed against his heart and he slipped the bonds of earth to begin his journey home.  Now our journey of healing will begin. But for now, tears are falling, hearts are breaking and, dreams have been shattered... so many dreams.  

Life is such a preciousgift.  O... more »

2013-03-23 17:50:27 (8 comments, 0 reshares, 12 +1s)

There is some seriously cool stuff here and it's going to lead us right into the Light for April.  I'll tell you why in just about a week now.  +Heather Webb - how wonderful is this?  

2013-03-23 14:06:43 (3 comments, 2 reshares, 15 +1s)

Your impact is larger than you think it is in this life.  I promise.
+Chris Kodama 

2013-03-23 04:04:51 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 12 +1s)

As long as you have stories to tell, I have space for you to tell them...  Come, talk story with me.

2013-03-22 21:07:33 (8 comments, 0 reshares, 14 +1s)

Open the floodgates.... today I weep.
+Lexy Page  

2013-03-22 20:09:20 (5 comments, 1 reshares, 31 +1s)

2013-03-22 18:42:55 (4 comments, 1 reshares, 32 +1s)

I wonder sometimes... would there be any light if there was no dark place for it to shine into?  Would color be as brilliant as it is if you took away those shadow spaces?

I don't pretend to know why bad things happen to truly good people.  All I know is this... when I retreat to those spaces inside of me looking for answers to questions  that have none.. I am reminded that my world, the one I create internally by my own thoughts and my own attitude, is beautiful in spite of any ugliness that might exist there too.  And no one controls that, but me.

+Lexy Page...  It isn't how it should be.. but it is how it is.  I'm here... Steven Curtis Chapman- Spring Is Coming (Lyrics)

2013-03-22 13:09:35 (12 comments, 1 reshares, 18 +1s)

A Time To Say Good-Bye

I started to compose this post on my iPad this morning.  I became too frustrated, only because I'm not all that familiar with using my iPad yet, so I opted to use my new laptop, which is equally frustrating because it came loaded with Windows 8, which I can't seem to figure out yet!  There... how's that for a long drawn out sentence?

And speaking of "long", this post has the potential to be just that.  So if you're a person that doesn't particularly care for such enjoy the image and I will not take it personally.

"Personally"... this is what I'm sharing today.  I rarely share too much personal information.  I'm guarded and private about many things.  I've also been very badly burned by an internet experience; one that became a real life hell.  I vowed I would never put myself in such apositi... more »

2013-03-21 00:34:17 (6 comments, 1 reshares, 35 +1s)

Don't hate me because I'm beautiful.  I wake up in the morning, just like you! ;-)  ~Cheyenne Delmonico  Doggie Extraordinaire
Happy birthday, little girl..

2013-03-20 20:46:46 (27 comments, 0 reshares, 43 +1s)

She turned 7 today.  There might be beef jerky involved.  Her badness level is high...but we love her anyway.  Do I hear an awwwwww.... :))

2013-03-19 20:48:17 (9 comments, 1 reshares, 45 +1s)

"I am sitting here wanting memories to teach me, to see the beauty in the world through my own eyes.  I know that who I am is numbered in each grain of sand..."  Thank you for these words +Peter Schmidt.  They mean more to me than you might know.   #seatuesday  
http://www.npr.org/event/music/170856332/cantus-tiny-desk-concert?autoplay=true 

2013-03-19 18:09:33 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 26 +1s)

I left home when she was five.. barely much older than her son is now.  We have always lived 3000 miles away from each other but I love her and my time with her in Hawaii was beyond priceless to me.  For five days in a row, I got to wake up under the same roof with my sister.  What that means to me... I can only show you in a photograph.  I miss her today.  Alot.
Got Away.wmv

2013-03-19 16:00:38 (10 comments, 0 reshares, 21 +1s)

For +onnie hull  ... who I love with all the best parts of me.:)  Thank you.  For everything.  http://www.reflectionsbyroni.com/2013/03/for-love-of-onnie.html

2013-03-19 11:49:38 (17 comments, 2 reshares, 49 +1s)

Last night I needed to find some photographs for my sister and I ended up wandering through my Las Vegas/CA albums to get them.  I'm beginning the airfare watch for PSW 2013.  Will you chime in if you're going and for what dates and tell me where you're staying?

We had a ball shooting in the desert surrounding Vegas last year and I am hoping a bunch of us will do it again this year.  I was really surprised, given my love for all things tropical... by just how much I loved the desert.  +David Thompson THIS time... I won't miss you, I promise!!:)  

2013-03-18 23:47:56 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 42 +1s)

Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it's worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.   ~Steve Jobs

2013-03-18 11:17:20 (16 comments, 4 reshares, 60 +1s)

Ever wish you could just live in that place between asleep and awake?
Sigh....

2013-03-17 15:07:10 (11 comments, 2 reshares, 41 +1s)

I tend to get a little overwhelmed by social media sometimes.  I don't know how some of you keep up so well!  It has been such a joy to share my journey of the past few weeks with you.  I will do my best to go back over all of your comments and respond where it's appropriate but I want you all to know that I have read every single one and the things you had to say along the way made it even more fun and special to share.  I so appreciate every word, even if I haven't directly responded to each one.

I want to tell you next about the road to Hana.  It has been said over and over again that you miss the point if all you do is drive that windy road in a race to get to your destination.  See.. the thing is.. it is in the journey completely, and not in where you end up.  Never was this more clearly evident to me than when I was on that road, for so many reasons I have yet to share. If yo... more »

2013-03-17 14:04:17 (10 comments, 0 reshares, 14 +1s)

We're giving away a $200 Adorama gift card this month, thanks to the kindness and generosity of one of the sweetest and biggest supporters of The Light Project.  I am so thankful for her, for way too many reasons to count.  She is a gift to me and I hope she knows it.:)  Her selflessness finds a way to shine its light into my heart on a regular basis.

Come... talk story with me.:)  

2013-03-16 14:53:34 (7 comments, 1 reshares, 25 +1s)

Life is a journey that begins and ends the same for all of us. It's the stuff in the middle that really counts.  

I wrote that a year ago, when I finally opened up the floodgates of my heart and shared online that I have been working on a novel.  I was reminded of that recently by something Anne Lamott posted to Goodreads.

"E.L. Doctorow once said that 'Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.' You don't have to see where you're going, you don't have to see your destination or everything you will pass along the way. You just have to see two or three feet ahead of you. This is right up there with the best advice on writing, or life, I have ever heard.”

The road to Hana is such a perfect tangible representation of that philosophy.  The joy is inthe ... more »

2013-03-16 02:43:18 (19 comments, 0 reshares, 36 +1s)