If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you may remember my friend Martha Hendricks, author of the blog White Hair Grace. I first introduced her in Meet Who I Want to Be When I Grow Up: An Older, Wiser Martha. She has shown up in several posts over the years, as well as in my morning meditation programs.
A fellow journeyer who could have taught many aspects of the class better than I, Martha instead brought Beginner’s Mind and vulnerability to every session. Her presence was a gift to us all.
Martha passed on Sunday, August 21. She was 81 years young. Though she had given her readers One Last Word in May, she surprised us with The Coming Radiance shared by her son a few days after she transitioned. Such a Martha move, jumping in with another boost of inspiration even from the other side.
My dear friend told me shortly before I left for my photography workshop in Canada that she was moving to a long-term care facility closer to her son. Cancer had finally outsmarted the clinical trials. Sensing that her time was near, Martha was on my mind constantly as I stretched in to new ways of seeing.
She would have loved that I was open to learning playful photography techniques from new teachers. She would have loved that I was willing to take risks and tackle my inner critic’s objections. She would have loved that I took such delight in feeling the aliveness of the natural world and expressing that energy in my art in ways that I had never done before.
Martha entered hospice just as I returned from my trip. Though I did not get to speak with her again, I felt a peaceful joy putting together this little video for her.
The Martha Trees
Two trees on the grounds of the inn where my workshop was based reminded me of my friendship with Martha. The wise elder Martha was a magnificent weeping willow. The younger tree was a brash red maple. Look for these trees in the video.
Like the rest of the images, I chose these particular tree pictures because they expressed what I was feeling during the interaction. The trees seemed to be in constant conversation, sometimes whispering, sometimes singing (Martha was a singer too!), sometimes dancing with each other.
The Intentional Camera Movement (ICM) technique that created many of these images (including the Cat o’ Nine Tails photograph above) surprised me with creations that evoked the energetic experience of that moment.
Martha would have though that was cool.
I hope you enjoy my gift to Martha. I will miss her.
In addition to the timeless wisdom that will live on in White Hair Grace posts, you can learn more about my amazing friend Martha in her obituary here.
