The Way Life Simply Is ...

"Be willing to be a beginner

every single morning."

Meister Eckhart

It is a beautiful morning, so I wander out to the deck with coffee cup in hand.  Sitting on my bench, I look up and see endless blue  heaven being spread across the sky.  Not one cloud is present.  The sun is still rising in the East, and the grass is thick with dew.  I watch the birds come and go, knowing my neighbor has plenty of food and corn cobs for the entire neighborhood. 

Sudden movement breaks my trance and I catch a glimpse of a hawk zeroing in on my neighbor's yard.  Birds scatter everywhere and I feel anxiety churn in my belly.  Hawks are very special to me, but I find my self looking the other way, not wanting to see what this magnificent bird has been born and bred to do.  I want to ignore the carnage and deliberately look the other way.  I want to begin this morning again, void of all disharmony.

To live more realistically during this gentle morn, I decide to face the killing behavior of the hawk, but I do not dwell on this sadness.  I continue to let my senses absorb all of the loveliness of this beautiful morning, overshadowing the darker parts of life.  We need to embrace both the pleasant and the unsavory, finding harmony when we balance the truth of the way life simply is.

We can begin each day anew, leaving behind our burdens from the day before.  Today does not have to be weighted by all of the yesterdays.  Yes, problems and responsibilities are still present, but when we look with fresh eyes and an open mind, we frequently can discover a new perspective.  When we accept (not condone) what is, and do not dwell on the negative, placing our focus on the positive we will avoid being stuck.  We can navigate through our day with less drama not feeling emotionally spent.

Trees Will Whisper

Trees are sanctuaries. Whoever knows how to speak to them, whoever knows how to listen to them, can learn the truth. They do not preach learning and precepts, they preach, undeterred by particulars, the ancient law of life.

Hermann Hesse



Trees are so amazing.   Some are tall and strong while others are bent and gnarly.    Two trees can be so closely entwined they appear to be one while one lonely tree may be sitting on a bluff with no other trees for miles.   There are some trees who have funny things looking like mustaches hanging from them or those prickly things called gum balls or some with things looking like old banana peels.  

The Weeping Willow tree had once been my favorite.  I loved the unusual shape of it and the rustling of the branches.  Even without leaves, it seemed to be a magical umbrella.  Up north, the birch trees with their white bark stand incredibly straight and very tall, but the Weeping Birch is  feminine and more lovely.  I have been in a Bamboo Rain Forest, an Eucalyptus grove, and the plush garden from the movie Jurassic Park.  Not far from here there is an acre dedicated to a particular kind of Pine tree.  Standing in the middle of this acre one can hear the silence of a forest.  The Banyan tree, however, may be one of the most interesting as one tree can spread itself over an entire block.

When a friend's body gave up the physical plain, we held a celebration of life for her.  Each participant in the celebration had two ribbons loosely tied to their wrists.   Then at a certain time, we were asked to individually tie each ribbon on a branch of a tree with a loving thought or wish for our friend now physically gone.  When this was completed, the trees in her back yard were beautiful and we could feel her presence amongst us.

Most everywhere I have lived, I have had a designated favorite tree.  Sometimes it is difficult to narrow it down to one and it is not something I consciously do.  It is like a best friend, it grows deeper into you the longer time is spent together.  I can lean against a tree and feel its energy and its presence.  I can stare at a gnarly tree deciphering all of the strange images hidden within the bark.  Sometimes, if I am very still, trees will whisper to me.

Reflections from the Trees

                         Praise and blame, gain and loss, pleasure and

                      sorrow come and go like the wind.  To be

happy, rest like a great tree in the midst of them all.

Buddha's Little

Instruction Book

Trees are to be admired for their endurance to stand against all weather and their ability to intricately grow limbs seeking the sun.  Their strong branches stretch upwards holding nothing,  allowing all things to pass through. 

Trees are present through all of nature's cycles.  They experience tiny new buds growing and then unfolding.  Mature leaves add to the trees gracefulness, adding sound from the breeze.  Leaves turn into majestic colors and then gently fall to the ground, as the tree releases them, still standing tall.

There is much we can learn from the presence of a tree.  We can sprout new growth and enjoy the unfolding, but we must be prepared to release, especially when the timing is not ours.  When storms pass through our lives, we need to bend like the limbs of the trees, to endure until we can stand straight again.  When debris blows our way, we need not hold it to us, but like the tree, let it pass on.  When we fall into the shadows, we can alter our gestures in order to grow once again towards the light.

Trees are a constant presence in our lives.  There all shapes and sizes with each variation offering us symbols of peace, quiet, stillness, and the serenity of nature.  There is much to be learned by observing and experiencing the reflections from the trees. 

 

Balancing Energy between Nature and the Self

When our consciousness changes,

our own energy field makes a corresponding shift.

Machaelle Small Wright

BEHAVING AS IF THE GOD IN ALL LIFE MATTERED



During transitions, there is so much focus on changes occurring on the inside of us, we frequently forget that we impact change in energies that surround us.  When our bodies change in size, we change the size of our clothing.  When our families grow in size, we hopefully can increase the size of our living space. 

When our awareness brings us to significant spiritual change, our vibrations change as well.  This change in our energy is not always compatible with our surroundings.  We may need to rearrange our room or replace decor that no longer makes us feel good or supported.

We experience this shift of energy with our friends as well.  Our level of energy attracts others on the same frequency, so when our energy is altered,  we might adjust relationships to family, work, or play.

As our energy changes, it is important to change our environment as well.  Clutter or collections that no longer resonate with us need to be given away or stored.  We need to cleanse the palette so to speak.  Then slowly we begin to add new things that support our new way of thinking and feeling. 

Plants or flowers, rocks or gems, and feathers or leaves, all carry there own energy.  All things are made of energy: paintings, artistic symbols, mirrors, etc.  So we need to balance ourselves and the energy surrounding us.  Discard anything that feels emotionally heavy and invite in things that stir the heart.  Allow surroundings to come alive!

Machaelle Small Wright is a wonderful author with an amazing personal history.  DANCING IN THE SHADOWS OF THE MOON is perhaps my favorite of her books.  Her emphasis is on the necessary balance and communication between nature and ourselves.  Co-creating with nature, Ms. Wright established Perelanda, a nature research center in Virginia.

God is Talking to His People

God sleeps in the minerals,

awakens in plants,

walks in animals,

and thinks in man.

Arthur Young

Years ago, in search for solitude, I secluded my self under some beautiful trees in a large park displaying a  botanical garden with lovely statues and garden monuments.  I sat on my blanket reading my book while writing comments in my journal. 

It was a gorgeous fall day and as the colorful leaves danced to the ground the slight breeze carried the voices of people approaching.  I looked up and saw a family of four coming over the hill closest to me.  The parents were on either side of the two small children and they were all holding hands.   The little boy around the age of five was babbling away as his little sister struggled to keep up with his pace.

I leaned back against the tree waiting for them to see me so I wouldn't startle them, but they were absorbed in their own little bubble of family love.  I watched them pass and saw the little boy break away and shout, "Look!  God is talking to His people!"

I followed the direction of his pointed finger and easily discovered what he had seen.  The sun had been partially covered by clouds, but sun beams were shining down through the trees.  The sun beams indeed seem like tunnels that could easily be carrying messages safely down to those who listened.

Perhaps twenty years or so have passed since then, but this little child's observation remains with me still.  When I drive down the interstate on a partly cloudy day, I will glance in the distance and see sun beams tunneling around the clouds and down to earth.  In my heart, I somehow know that indeed, God is talking to His people! 




Wandering in the Morning

My garden of flowers is also my garden of thoughts and dreams.
The thoughts grow as freely as the flowers, and the dreams are as beautiful.  ~ Abram L. Urban



The temperature is predicted to be high today, so early this morning I sought solitude outside.  I sat on the deck admiring all of the colors spreading across my view.  Then I brought my gaze back to each and every container, enjoying the uniqueness of each plant. 



Then I wandered out into the back yard passing the perennial garden.  I wish the peonies lasted all summer like they do in my childhood memories.  The Lily of the Valley needs to be thinned and the Iris as well.  The Day Lilies are flaunting their colors and the sage is still strong.  The roses remain fragrant.



I slowly examine the three tomato plants that will be our source for this summer.  They are all bountiful and I anxiously await their sweet warm taste straight from the vine.



The little stone bench is waiting for me against the big old tree.  My youngest son gifted it to me so many years ago, and it beckons me like an old friend.  Sitting in the very back of the yard, I take in the fresh grass smell from its recent mowing.  The neighbors have their sprinkler going and the sound adds to the backdrop of birds chirping and squirrels racing around like they were crazy.



The neighbors yard is comparative to glancing at a well used painter's palette.  It is swarming with color and a sight to behold.  They have a bench well hidden in the back of the yard, surrounded by flowering bushes such as the Rose of Sharon.



I find myself to be totally relaxed and thankful for these quiet morning moments before I begin my day.  I begin to drift into day dreams, speculating as to where my children might be.  I slide back in time recalling when they were all so little with hearts and minds filled with innocence and imagination.  How I loved those days.  



I am overly joyful for all that I have ... to be loved and to love, family, friends who have grown to be family, sisters of my heart, free time, health, gifts and talents.  My life is like this yard of flowers, dotted with spectacular color and design.  My heart is filled with gratitude!

Barefoot in the Grass

My own prescription for health is less paperwork

and more running barefoot through the grass.

Terri Guillemets

This morning I brought my coffee out onto the deck.  As I gazed into the back yard, I could hear the grass calling to me.  I slipped off my slippers and clad only in my nightgown and summer robe, I placed my bare feet upon the plush carpet of grass.

A respected friend once told me that every day she slips her shoes off and steps outside upon mother earth.  No matter what season it is, my friend has the need to feel this connection with the energy in the ground.

Another friend of mine is frequently seen hugging a tree in her bare feet or swaying to an inner song with her arms reaching up to the sky.  She says she finds bliss when her bare feet are connected to the ground and her hands are reaching for the Divine.

As a child, I destested the restraints of shoes.  I ran barefoot and the soles of my feet were like leather.  I dearly loved the moist grass tickling my bare feet.  I spent hours lying in the grass staring at the blue sky while searching for shapes in the lofty white clouds.  I felt safe being supported by the earth and entertained by the birds and the sun peeking through the branches of the tall trees. 

As I stood in the back yard this morning, I was amused thinking of my childhood magical times.  I also realized my childhood was spent in a busy city surrouded by apartment buildings.  I was probably quite entertaining to all of the apartment dwellers and passers-by. 

Deciding that I was probably being just as entertaining to my neighbors in my night clothes as I had been as a child, I reluctanly left the yard.  But not before I felt the rich green grass waking up my bare feet with energy escalating up my legs.  I felt rejeuvenated and grateful for the moments being connected bare foot in the grass.



Walking

 My grandmother started walking five miles a day

when she was sixty.  She's ninety-three today

and we don't know where the hell she is.

Ellen DeGeneres

This quote by Ellen DeGeneres reminds me of my self.  I walk three to four miles per day and often times wonder where I would be if I just kept walking.  It is not about running away or not wanting to return home.  It is in regard to the connection I feel in nature.

As a child, trees were my most favorite things.  Leaning against an old tree was where I would sit ... thinking ... breathing ... suspended from every day life.  Looking through the swaying branches, I would watch lofty white clouds floating in the sky.  My collection of rocks were held in my small dirty hands or safely tucked away in my frequently torn pockets.  When I tired of sitting, I would wander aimlessly just breathing in everything around me.

Walking allows my brain to be distracted from fast thinking or problem solving.  The physical motion of my body magically releases stress I have accumulated throughout the day.  Fragrances from neighborhood flower gardens relax my body, mind, and spirit.  I find my self opening to a level of clarity not usually available to me.

Walking is the only activity that alters all of my senses at one time in this specific way.  It is no wonder I experience withdrawal during the winter months when I can no longer leisurely loiter in reverie.

I can only hope that I will be healthy enough to continue my walks if I reach the age of ninety-three.  And as forgetful as I already am, who knows where my future walking will take me!

May Day 2012

May flowers always line your path and sunshine line your day.
May songbirds serenade you every step along the way.
May a rainbow run beside you in a sky that's always blue.
And May happiness fill your heart each day your whole life through.

Irish Blessing



When I was in elementary school, we learned how to make May baskets out of paper.  They were quite small, but a few wild flowers could be tucked inside.  I imagine they were especially sweet for a child to give away, but maybe only a granny or mother would appreciate the childish handiwork upon the first day of May.

The idea of May Day baskets stayed with me.  Not every year, but some years I was able to throw a few flowers together in a small basket and leave it on a special friend's front porch, ringing the doorbell and then running away.

Then I had more time so I could actually arrange some flowers into duplicated baskets and adventure out to all of my friend's homes to leave a May Day surprise.  They were not always artistic, but I believe my friends felt the love behind my gesture.

One day a sister of my heart gave me one Pansy in a tiny little bottle with a leaf for greenery.   In the moment, it meant more to me than a vase filled with roses.  It made such an impression upon me, I began collecting little vases or bottles ... chipped, ugly, china or colored glass ... and planted cutting flowers in the yard.

I am now able to snip a few flowers and choose a random vase to bring with me when invited to a friend's home or get my hair cut or want to leave a surprise.  I no longer wait for May Day nor do I feel limited to just one day.  I do this all year.   It is so much fun! 

Happy May Day

Everyone!

Breathing in Wisteria

 

You have to believe in your self

when no one else does.

That's what makes you a winner.

Venus Williams

For numerous years, driving to Nashville has been an excited return to all that is inspiring and good .  This trip, I was gone for only three weeks, yet I feel out of rhythm and out of sorts.  Misplaced and without a sense of direction in an overwhelming sort of way best describes how I feel while sitting out back breathing in the wisteria.

The yard has an arbor covered with wisteria.  I was not familiar with this flower until my daughter first moved to Tennessee.  It reminds me of an upside down lilac, but much more fragrant.  It has varying degrees of purple and the most interesting gnarly branches.  The vines are unruly and offer a delite similar to watching the gracefulness of a ballerina.  Bees swarm all around its heavy ladened flowered branches and I just want to be lost in its beauty.

Upon my return, there is so much waiting for me to do, but I feel frozen in place without the ability to invigorate my spirit.  Granted, I never have tranisitioned very well, but I am simply stuck in time and place. 

It is not that I don't believe in my self, as I do most definitely. It is not that I don't believe that others believe in me, as many definitely do.  I guess I just don't care about being a winner.  I'd much rather just sit in my white wicker rocker breathing in this wonderful fragrance of the wisteria.

Slide the Lens ...

 

 

Have you ever wondered why trees

are such a happy lot?

They've mastered patience.

Either that or it's the music they listen to.

THE UNIVERSE

www.tut.com

One day I was so perplexed I decided to take a break and go to my neighborhood park.  I found my favorite thinking bench and watched the water flowing over the well worn rocks in the little stream.  Sorting out my thoughts, I allowed my mind to wander through various scenarios trying to use different perspectives.

I felt very small sitting on the cement bench mulling over what appeared to be large frustrations.  I looked across the stream onto the side of the hill where ancient trees were grouped. Time and nature had taken away much of the dirt exposing the roots that dug deeply into the ground.  This is how I want to be, I thought.  I want to have deep roots so I can securely withstand all kinds of weather.

I removed myself from the park bench and walked several feet down to the bridge leading across the stream.  When I reached the other side, I climbed up the steep hill and wandered through the trees until I found a favorite one.  It had such a demanding presence with its height and enormous canopy of leaves. 

I leaned against the trunk of the tree as I sat amongst the gnarly roots.  I looked back across the stream to where I had just been and from this elevation the bench looked so small.  I felt limitless in the midst of the mighty trees and sitting very still, blended right in.

From my hidden place on the hill, I watched a young couple visit the bench across the way. They talked and laughed totally unaware of my distant presence.  I found myself wondering if this was how Spirit felt watching our daily lives without us being aware.  I felt an immediate shift in what was significant and how I was to proceed.

This experience reminded me how small I could feel when overwhelmed by problems and tried to solve them alone or how balanced I could be if I simply elevated my awareness to include the presence of Spirit.  Life appears through the perspective we decide to use and if we but remember to gently slide the lens, we will discover an expanded view.

I See The Moon ...

 

How many more times

will you watch

the full moon rise?

Paul Bowles

(1910-1999)

 

The full moon has mesmerized me on many occasions.  I have frequently felt a longing while watching this glowing globe gently move across the sky and when my life seemed to be chasing me, I have danced in its shadow.

In my profession, a full moon was an indicator that most things would not run smoothly and people (especially children) would be extremely hyper. The presence of the full moon seemed to bring a different frequency of energy into the air.

Like many things, the moon has grown more important to me as I pass through the stages of my life.  As a child, the moon was intriguing and as a young adult it was a pocket to hold my thoughts.  As a wife and mother, the moon would deposit insights into my heart. 

Loving nature as I do, I have explored myths, folk lore, and stories about the feminine energy of the moon.  Many nights I have placed my bare feet upon the ground and extended my arms to embrace the light of the full moon.  There is an undescribable connection luring women to dance in its very presence.

I wonder how many times I forgot to look up and appreciate the fullness of the moon. Has my life been so fast moving that I have missed the beauty and mystery of all it surrounds?

The moon in its full glory was present when I sat on a Wisconsin pier acknowledging the necessity of ending a relationship.  It was hanging in the sky while I walked in a midwestern field, lonely and wondering if I would ever be in relationship again.  The moon hovering over Maui inspired me to fully embrace my desires.  Floating down the Current River, the moon was a guide in safe passage of the night. In Tennessee, the moon reminded me of my personal strength to move forward into the unknown. 

In these later years, the moon is both an internal and external  presence in my life.  The vibration of its energy is a current running through me.  It reminds me of the saying, "I see the moon and the moon sees me!"



 

The Door of This Home

May the door of this home be wide enough

to receive all who hunger for love,

all who are lonely for friendship.

May it welcome all who have cares to unburden,

thanks to express, hopes to nurture.

May the door of this house be narrow enough

to shut out pettiness and pride, envy and enmity.

May this threshold be no stumbling block

to young and strained feet.

May it be too high to admit to complacency,

selfishness and harshness.

May this home be for all who enter,

the doorway to richness and a more meaningful life.

The Siddur of Shir Chadash

This writing is offered to encourage you to experience nature with an open mind.  Being out in nature, in a sense for some, is like being welcomed home.  It is a place where all burdens can be temporarily set down upon the ground or blown away in the wind.  The distractions of animals ease your mind into calm.  Other aspects of nature such as snow, flowers, little buds on bushes or leafing trees stir a sense of rebirth within your spirit.  Breathing in the crisp air, you can feel refurbished while your body physically stretches itself with rekindled energy.

Nature nurtures ...

What Is Really Real

Fear Not.

What is not real

never was and never will be.

What is real,

always was and cannot be destroyed.

Bhagavad Gita

My love for nature is pure and constant.  Although it is ever changing, nature is resilient in replenishing my often times lonely soul.  Words of encouragement or inspiration seem to become nature's own breath spoken in the midst of fragrances or whispered in the wild winds.

It is a blessing to experience silence in each of the four seasons.  These times of solitude stimulate my best writing and the strongest sense of self.  The silence I find in nature allows the unspoken to be heard, and the hidden found.

Withdrawing into nature has always reflected a stronger sense of reality for me.  I find truth lingering there, and waiting for my awareness to grow.  Endurance and acceptance are exampled in the strength of all that grows. 

To lean against a tree connects my inner self to all that is.   Feeling the dark rich earth beneath my feet, I feel grounded.  The gnarly roots digging deep into mother earth reminds me of ancestors who have come long before me and of the generations who will follow me. 

In spite of how nature changes, the energy is always present and always has been.  It is a source I can rely on.  It has taught me trust and faith.  Nature has gifted me with a true sense of self and a 'knowing' of what is really real.

Measuring the Journey

 A journey is best measured in friends,

rather than miles.

Tim Cahill

There might not have been this insightful journey for me if I had not had friends to lead the way;  and I might not have stayed on the path for as long, had it not been for their encouragement, inspiration, and guidance.  To this very day, I know in my heart that I could not continue on without the presence of dear sweet friends cheering me along life's challenging ways.

We are like flowers.  We can grow wildly on our own or fertilized, weeded, and watered by a gardener.  Neither is right or wrong, just different.  There is as much variety in flowers as there is in people.  Flowers can be quite similar, but there is always a slight defining difference.  Flowers can be different in size, shape and fragrance.  Varying climates impact the life span of both flowers and humans.  Just like flowers, there are some I deeply appreciate and others, not so much. 

The picture above was taken on a back road on Maui one year ago.  This isolated road reminds me of my journey for a few reasons.  The road, like my spiritual path, has had both steep inclines and declines.  Miles were traveled in silence, but the connection with nature was always prevalent.

Nature offers me a different kind of friendship, one that is loyal and true; inspiring and comforting; and always evolving.  Animals also offer a friendship having many of the same qualities.  We can share friendship with most anything offering rapport, verbal or non-verbal. 

Point being, we can be nurtured in our human experience through a variety of opportunities if we open ourselves up to them.  Plants, animals, and humans are all a significant part of nature. It is through friendships with all living things on this earth that ease is brought into our transitions.

IT WAS BEAUTIFUL ONE NIGHT, Hafiz

IT WAS BEAUTIFUL ONE NIGHT

Hafiz

It was beautiful, it was so beautiful one night

we all began to expect God would speak

from the waves, reaching toward the millet

fields,

from the mouths of the hanging sky

ornaments crooning in light's infinite codes,

from the glances of children and plants

and hills playing with effulgent life.

It was beautiful, it was so beautiful one night

we all began to expect God to speak.

A Year With Hafiz

Daniel Ladinsky

The Wild Garden of Childhood ...

Everything is ceremony

in the wild garden

of childhood.

Pablo Neruda

Winter Garden

My search for objects of wonderment began very early in childhood.  My boundaries for exploration were limited so most of my discoveries occurred in the empty lot next to our apartment building.  As the lot was ill kept, things could easily be hidden in the tall weeds.  Most of these items were more than likely discarded junk, but to me this empty lot was a sacred garden of treasures. 

The corner lot was huge viewed by my child's eyes and my daily jaunt was an imagined safari.  I generously gathered random items and kept them in earlier discovered boxes with ornate lids.  I found old coins, and a small collection of military medals. It was always pure joy to find a discarded notebook containing empty pages waiting for me to sketch all over them or write to my heart's content.  Buttons were good, and sometimes old leather bound books were worthy keepsakes even if they were beyond my understanding.

At times, some adult would toss a stack of bound newspapers into the tall grass.  This provided a cushioned place for me to sit and it was low enough to hide me in my lair.  I could over hear conversations as strangers walked down the city street or snippets of information from neighborhood children racing by on their bikes.


To sit in this special space I experienced solitude and an awareness of birds, butterflies, and unfortunately unwanted snakes.  I would hold rocks in my chubby little hands and place wildflowers around me. My day dreams frequently crossed the threshold into other realms.  I loved every cloud in the sky and etched floating words into my diary.  My writings were safe in my diary with the little key and lock.


After many hours of play, I would wander back into our apartment where my mother would cast her eyes filled with disdain upon my filthy appearance.  She would promptly put me in a bathtub where I would then soak trying to scrub the dirt from behind my fingernails.  I never wore shoes and the bottoms of my feet were like leather.  If asked, the bruises on my knees from crawling around in the height of discovery were difficult to explain. The warm bath water, however, always comforted me and prepared me for the nap that was yet to come.


All these years later, I still collect rocks and keep random treasures in old wooden boxes.  I frequently write in journals after spending time outside exploring mother nature.  Taking a bath has grown into a ritual with soft music, a candle and sometimes flowers.  After surrounding myself with books, a nap still follows.  Words still float by me, and with any luck, I still cross the threshold into other realms.

Hanging by a Thread

"The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be."

Anne Frank

On a spiritual quest, I walked silently in a private wooded area.  I found myself surrounded by rustling leaves, singing birds, scampering animals, and the rich fragrance of nature.  My personal concerns seemed to evaporate in the hot rays of the sun. The gentle breeze cloaked me in solitude.

A passion for trees has been within me since childhood.  I really don't have a favorite tree as I am really quite drawn to the intricacies of sprawling branches or gnarly root systems.  So I was enthralled  wandering through the woods.

Eventually, I sat at the foot of a tree, leaning back against the age old bark of the trunk.  I placed my hands on the exposed roots and could feel myself blending energies with the tree and all of nature. 

Breathing in the magical elements of the enchanted woods, I happened to glance down to a spider that was seemingly suspended in mid air.  Impossible I thought, so I slid down to the rich earth for a closer look. 

Upon inspection, I could barely see a strand of gauze hanging from a leafy stalk, but delicately attached to the spider.   The illusion of the bug being totally disconnected, triggered deeper thoughts and lessons to be learned from nature.

We all experience times of extreme loneliness or despair thinking that we are invisible and unsupported.  I do not think this is true thinking.  I believe that the divine is always connected to us even though we may be unaware, like the spider hanging by a thread.  Like this bug, we may think that no one is caring for us nor learning from us.  The truth, however, is that divine is always looking over us, seen or unseen and others are always learning from us whether they voice it or not.

This lesson was given to me in the woods over 18 years ago, but it is one I carry close to my heart.  I know when isolation is seeping in, it is time for a walk in nature.  It is there I feel reconnected and walk in the presence of the divine.

 

Nothing More

When we know love matters

more than anything

and we know that

nothing else really matters,

we move into a state of surrender.

Surrender does not diminish our power;

it enhances it.

Sara Paddison

At least 6 inches of snow awaited my arrival at the Denver, Colorado airport.  The temperature was 26, but it fell to a mere 17 degrees during the night.

For a week, I am settled into the welcoming home of my college roommate Joyce Marie.  She has recently had a bone marrow transplant and has been released to her home, but cannot be alone.  I am one of many of her friends that are participating in weekly shifts to be gratefully in her presence.

Joyce has been my friend, my sister of the heart since meeting just prior to college enrollment.  We could not be any more different from each other, but we are some how tied by heart strings. 

Today is a beautiful fall day.  Joyce's home has pumpkin decor all over it and she anxiously awaits Halloween, one of her favorite days.  I watch anticipation joyfully pass across her beautiful face anticipating trick or treat participants.   I of course will be the official greeter wearing my witches hat.

Joyce is living in the moment.  She remains present and fully involved in what stands before her.  She has surrendered to life cushioned by love.  She marvels at the colored leaves, breathes in breaths that she wasn't sure she would have, and celebrates the gifts of life that remain with her.  Her positive outlook on life and her ability to embrace whatever is coming before her, totally fills my spirit. 

Life can be as simple as we make it or as complicated as we choose.  Today, in the warmth of the sun my heart is filled with love.  All of fall embraces me ... dancing colorful leaves nudged along by a gentle breeze, snow dabbled on top of the distant mountain tops, and pumpkins decorating neighbors porches and front yards.  It is as though Joyce and I are huddled together in a pumpkin patch, pulling in the rays of sunshine, settled on top of mother earth, and just being...without want or expectation.  Nothing more.

Love is all that matters ... then peace and calm follows.

Hearts Get Tangled

Sometimes our hearts get tangled

and our souls

a little off-kilter ...

Sera Christann

Whether emotionally, mentally, physically, or spiritually, balance is vital as we walk through our lives.  There are many ways to maintain harmony, but all of them require commitment and discipline.  In our busy world, it is very easy to stray from the fine line of equilibrium and abruptly find ourselves off-kilter.

Tai Chi or Qi Qong are gentle ways to balance the body, mind and spirit, as well as yoga.  Some find harmony through music or dance while others may use meditation or contemplation.  For me, other than energy work, I like to walk outside to hear the birds and see the trees or settle inside with an inspiring book.  All of these activities can be a form of prayer connecting us with Spirit and producing a sense of balance.

Ultimately, any form of communion with God slows us down and opens our hearts.  We feel drawn in, connected with all of life and our knots are gently untangled.  In these pauses when all of life is balanced, our spirits are rekindled awakening us to all of the beauty in our world.