My Photoetry: Opening the Doors Within

This poem is dedicated to all who are brave enough to open the doors within themselves.

~*~Opening The Doors Within~*~

I walked through the hallways of my mind,

Searching and searching for something… 

Something I felt I needed to find.

There were many doors,
I saw along the corridors,
But when I tried to open them,
Some would open, but some were jammed;
Some were locked up tight,
And staring at those sealed doors,
Something just didn’t feel right.

In the ones that could open easily,
I could peer in and see,
All those wonderful memories,
Of times when I was happy.

In the rooms where the doors
Were rather stuck,
There were echoes of times,
When I was a little down on my luck.

As I passed the doors,
Through which I could not see,
I wondered and wondered…
Where would I find the keys?
Did I even want to know,
What was on the other side?
Perhaps it was better to leave,
Whatever was there to continue to hide.

One thing I have learned of Life,
To find peace in the midst of strife,
Is that peace actually comes from within,
And being comfortable within my own skin.

But I am not brave enough yet,
To open all the portals;
What can I say?
I am a mere mortal;
So, one day, maybe,
When I am truly ready,
I’ll obtain the keys,
To allow me to fully see…. ME.

~ By Jayne Michellane a.k.a. Lady Jayne, February 2009.

Photo taken 25 August 2012. 

"Until God opens the next door for you,
praise Him in the hallway." ~ Author Unknown. ♥

 

My Photoetry: The Four Seasoned Path

 

~*~The Four Seasoned Path~*~

I walked a path one day,
It was one of those halcyon days,
The path had four seasons in one, 

With a slight mist hiding sun.

The winter-like brush,
Spring blossoms’ pink blush,
Summer green grassy specks,
Bronze autumn leaf flecks.

The calm and the peace,
Erased my frown’s crease,
In the embrace of that feeling,
On that path I found healing.

~ By Jayne Michellane a.k.a. Lady Jayne, 23 January 2013. 

Photo taken on 1 September 2012.

Review: On the Island by Tracey Garvis-Graves

 

5 Stars!!!

WOW. SO DEFINITELY RECOMMENDED!!! Beautiful, real and moving.

It’s been a long while since I finished a book the same day I started it, but I did with this. I couldn’t put On the Island down! Even though I was meant to be doing work at home, this past weekend. I was THAT hooked!!

 

 

Sometime last year, I saw many 5-Star reviews for this book, and I added it, just waiting for the right time for when I was in the mood for a Blue Lagoon type of story.

I have to admit, though, I felt a little bit concerned about how I would feel about the huge age difference between the characters, which caused me quite a bit of discomfort, before I started, as I try my best not to discriminate. I shouldn’t have worried, though - or doubted my Goodreads friends who loved this - as author Tracey Garvis-Graves does an excellent job of building and unfolding this touchingly beautiful story of a 30-year old teacher and summer tutor, Anna Emerson, and 16-year old cancer survivor, T.J. Callahan, who become stranded on a deserted, uninhabited Maldivian island when their seaplane crashes.

Anna and T.J. are stuck on the island for quite a few years and they go through many harrowing hardships, together, and quite a few seriously life-threatening ones. As they both fight for survival, battling hunger, thirst, the elements, boredom, missing their families, predators and disease, they form an understandably close bond.

As T.J. turns from boy to man, through trusting each other with their lives, hopes and dreams, relying on each other, mutual respect and affection, and feeling as if they would spend the rest of their lives alone on that island, their relationship eventually develops to another level. They realise how they wouldn’t have survived if not for having the other and how happy they make each other.

A debut novel? No way! This was WONDERFUL! Ms Garvis-Graves draws the reader in and doesn’t let go. The alternating first person point-of-views gives the reader valuable insights into, and a strong sense of connection to, both characters as one is transported onto the island with them. The incorporation of certain global events also made the story feel more grounded in reality and my heart broke again recalling that particular moment in time.

On the Island began as a self-published ebook and Ms Garvis-Graves has now sold the foreign rights to it to more than 20 countries. I understand the movie rights to it have also been sold. Very excited for the movie and I hope the makers do it justice!

I loved both Anna and T.J. Both of them, for their tenacity and determination. Anna, for her understanding and care for T.J.; how she treated him as an equal and not a child. T.J., for his maturity, strength, pragmatism, honesty and just his utter sweetness. Having battled death a number of times, T.J. knew what he wanted, and he wanted Anna. What starts as a boy’s crush and friendship turns into so much more, over the years, and while Anna battles to do right by T.J., she is surprised by how this young man makes her feel valued, wanted and respected as a woman as she never has before.

On the Island is such a beautiful love story, which would never have developed under different circumstances. But how would the real world treat their love and how would it survive off the island?

Okay, there were a few things that seemed just TOO convenient, like Anna’s suitcase, with quite a bit of soap and shampoo supplies, a first aid kit, etc. washing up on shore from the plane wreckage. Of course, it could also be realistic, depending on the current patterns around that island. Considering how much of the things from the plane wreck did wash back up on the island, I’ll go with that scientific explanation! Yes, I’m showing my geekiness and also my willingness to suspend disbelief. LOL Considering all the traumatic things that Anna and T.J. go through, I was very happy for all the things that washed up to make the primitive life on the island just that little bit easier for them and assisted in their survival. :-)

I learnt what an "atoll" is - a coral island (or islands) that encircles a lagoon partially or completely - and how Maldives has many of them.

Malhosmadulhu Atoll seen from space. 

"Fasdutere" and Southern Maalhosmadulhu Atoll can be seen in this picture.

So beautiful!

The epilogue brought tears to my eyes and I had a big grin on my face, in the end. This is definitely a keeper.

I LOVED IT!

I happened to hear this song the very next day after reading this, entitled Moments, written by the very talented Ed Sheeran, and sung by One Direction. It’s become T.J.’s song to Anna for me. :-)

Moments:

One of my favourite quotes:

‘Anna:
In February, I woke up from a nap. A bouquet of flowers gathered from the various bushes and shrubs scattered around the island lay on the blanket beside me, a small length of rope wound around their stems.
I found T.J. down at the shore. “Someone’s been checking the calendar.”
He grinned. “I didn’t want to miss Valentine’s Day.”
I kissed him. “You’re sweet to me.”
Pulling me closer, he said, “It’s not hard, Anna.”
I stared into T.J.’s eyes, and he started to sway. My arms went around his neck and we danced, moving in a circle, the sand soft and warm under our feet.
“You don’t need music, do you?”
“No,” T.J. said. “But I do need you.”’

 

My Photoetry: Ripples

 
~*~RIPPLES~*~

There are ripples every day,
From words that we say,
The thoughtfulness we show,
It just won’t go astray,
And the hurts that we cause,
Won’t easily go away.

How far those ripples go,

We may never know,
Yet every kindness shown,
Won’t by the winds be blown;
For every time we take a moment,
To listen, to care, 
To put ourselves out there,

We may just ease someone’s torment.

Even just the little acts,

Like a smile or a touch,
Could have such big impacts,
And mean so very much;
Like one moment where,
You looked in someone’s eyes,
By acknowledging you see them there,
You may have eased their silent cries.

In bringing someone hope,

We don’t just help that one person cope,
For in their lifted state,
Others whose lives they touch,
May also increase their faith,
And that can never be too much.

~By Jayne Michellane a.k.a. Lady Jayne on 20 January 2013.

 

"Remember there's no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end." 

~ Scott Adams

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential 

to turn a life around.” 

~Leo F. Buscaglia

My Photoetry: Tattered Toy

This poem is for anyone who has ever felt heart-broken and hopeless. May Hope remain in your heart, always. ♥

*~*Tattered Toy*~*

She gazed out into
The horizon of her domain;
The haunting notes of longing, within her,
Echoed their bittersweet refrain.

Swirling thoughts

Of broken dreams;
Her hopes and wishes
Seeping out of frayed seams.

She struggled to continue

To hold hope in her heart;
She felt like she was
Completely falling apart.

But she refused to repose in defeat

Like an abandoned tattered toy;
She gathered up her hopes and faith,
Stitched them up within,
And, through that, regained some joy.

By Jayne Michellane a.k.a Lady Jayne, 18 January 2013.

Model: Tahlya Mitrovic 

Hair and Make-up: Yen Huynh 

Creative Partner: Glenn Varona 

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2013!!!

Happy New Year 2013, everyone!!! 

May it be filled with wonderful, memorable, 

inspirational and creative moments! :-)

Blessed Christmas to all!!! ♥

Wishing all my friends of Lady Jayne's Reading Den  

a wonderful, safe, blessed and love and hope filled Christmas with your loved ones! 

And to those who are grieving, at this time, 

I pray for comfort and peace. XOXO

Review: The Sweet Gum Tree by Katherine Allred

The Sweet Gum Tree by Katherine Allred


4.5 out of 5 Stars

(Image from http://home.howstuffworks.com/sweet-gum-tree.htm.)

“Growing up in the Crowley Ridge area of Arkansas, I paid little attention to the sweet gum trees except to admire their brilliant colors during the fall. And maybe to laugh when the Judge cursed each time he ran the lawn mower over the hard burs they produce, the tiny missiles banging against the house or car with a loud thunk and denting the lawn mower blades he kept so carefully honed.

It wasn’t until I was a grown woman that I realized the true nature of the tree. A sweet gum tree is the chameleon of wood, its corky exterior hiding its inner ability to imitate anything from cherry to mahogany. But its real value, one unrealized by most people, is its deep red heart, steady and strong. They see only the pale fibrous wood, easily warped, that surrounds the core.

Like the town of Morganville saw Nick Anderson…”

You know when you are just in the mood for something emotional, heart-aching and angsty? No? Oh, maybe that’s just me, then! Haha! Well, I get in those moods, and am definitely in one, now, which is what made me decide to pick this one up.

The Sweet Gum Tree was a gripping, sweet and heart-breaking story by Katherine Allred, with a well-developed cast of realistic characters set in a small town in Arkansas.

I loved the symbolism of the sweet gum tree in this love story between Alix French and Nick Anderson, which could definitely be considered “epic”. I loved both these characters, though there were moments they both exasperated me and made my heart just ache.

The story began when Alix was 8-years old and Nick was 10. Feisty Alix decided she was going to “save” outcast Nick, son of the drunken salvage yard owner. She invited him to the church picnic and lent him her treasured Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings books, not realising it would spark a chain of events that would lead them through decades of love and pain.

Alix and Nick’s love story had moments of the brilliance of the heart-warming autumn leaves of the sweet gum tree, but it also bore the prickly, wintry burs of the hurts they caused each other.

( I title this "The Burs of Winter". Photo taken on 28 August 2012.)

Through the weathering of the seasons of Life, at the core, though, Alix and Nick's love stayed strong, and they managed to forgive each other. I was thrilled when they finally got their happily-ever-after.

The reason it was not quite 5-Stars for me, though, was my frustration at the assumptions and misunderstandings that abounded. I, as the reader, could see things a mile away, and it vexed me, somewhat, that the characters couldn’t. Though, you know the saying of being too close to something? It made sense for these characters to behave and react the way they did; it’s just that due to certain things in my own life, right now, the characters’ actions quite upset me.

Also, there were times when the emotional roller-coaster almost bordered on the melodramatic, for me. There's a fine line, sometimes, between a truly emotive story and a melodramatic one, and it can depend on our mood at the time how we feel about something. This was just an "almost" for me. For the most part, it was absorbing and truly poignant and emotional journey.

Despite that, I certainly couldn’t put this down and Alix and Nick’s epic story will certainly stay with me.

"He always was someone. Because the core of the sweet gum tree never changes. Like Nick, the deep red wood stays true to its nature. Strong, and steady, and pure."

Recommended.

My friend Wendy had a perfect and delicious image of Nick in her review. *sighs* Oh, Nick, Nick, Nick... I adored Nick!

Link to Wendy's review here.


COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: I do not hold the copyright to the images used in this review, except the one that bears my copyright mark under "Jayne Michellane". The images are posted to add visuals to the review and for fun. If any of these images are yours and you would like me to remove them, please let me know, and I will do so as soon as possible. If I can identify the copyright, I will do so.



View all my reviews

My Photography: The Burs of Winter

The Burs of Winter, Photo taken on 28 August 2012.

Inspiration of the Moment: Hope

My Photography and Inspiration of the Moment: Candle

Funny: Sexy Cover Model Teaches How to Load Books Onto E-Reader :-)

MUST WATCH! 

Sexy cover model teaches how to load books onto e-reader! Awesome! Haha! Funny marketing, Samhain Publishing! 

Well done. :-) 

 Love how the model's clothes come off as the video goes on and the cute little dog, too!

 

Quote of the Moment and My Photography

"Faith is not simply a patience that 

passively suffers until the storm is past. 

Rather, it is a spirit that bears things - 

with resignations, yes, but above all, 

with blazing, serene hope." ~ Corazon Aquino

 

My Photography

I've been busy, lately, doing a lot of creative assisting and doing behind the scenes shots on hubby's photoshoots, on the weekends. It's been a lot of fun but doesn't leave me much time for reading and reviewing. Hopefully I can write some reviews, soon! Here's a shot I took, recently, in the Barossa Valley Canola Fields. It was so pretty there.

My Photography: Canola Field

A Canola Field in Barossa Valley, South Australia.
Taken on 29 September 2012.

"Life stands before me like an eternal spring

with new and brilliant clothes." Carl Friedrich Gauss

Quote and Inspiration of the Moment from Albus Dumbledore (J.K. Rowling)

My Photoetry: The Broken Bowl

~*~The Broken Bowl~*~

I feel drenched in sadness,
Where is the gladness?
Where has it gone,
Leaving me withdrawn? 

The buoyant elixir,
That lifts the soul, 

Has drained away, 

From this broken bowl; 

How does happiness drained, 

Drown one in so much pain? 

How to fix the cracks, 

So the joy doesn’t lack? 

I believe it is possible,
I just need to keep working it out,
To stop the darkness,
From having so much clout.

~ By Jayne Michellane a.k.a Lady Jayne, 14 Sep 2012
 

Photo of a bowl in my house. :-) Taken on 14 Sep 2012.

My Photography: Desert Roses and Raindrops

These are some shots I took on my trip to Malaysia -

Desert Roses and Raindrops.