Coastal dunes slide and slip into the sea
As the storm rolls on to the north.
Gulls scurry to grab unfortunate crabs washed ashore by the crashing waves.
Seaweed floats and ripples with the waves like grass in the wind and
Salty sea spray coats the disinterested windows of empty houses on the shore.
The tourists have all left for the season
Leaving the ocean and beach to carry on with their lover’s dance
Un-witnessed and unashamed, with freedom and reckless abandon.
I saw the stars last night,
Didn’t even have to get out of bed.
They were so bright in the cold, dense,winter air
That they shown right through my lacy bedroom curtains.
I saw it as a reminder of what is still there and always will be,
And to find it yet again,
We just have to look through the holes one more time.
Be extraordinary in your ordinariness and
Marvel in the beauty of everyday blessings.
Notice how snow piles up in leeward corners of windows during a storm
And the rings raindrops make in puddles.
Admire the spirit of sunflower seeds sprouting in
October under the bird feeders.
Let the sparkling morning spider webs on
Summer grass fill your eyes with the freshness of love.
Feel the sweetness of warm, wet, baby kisses and
Hear the snap of clean linens on a spring morning clothesline.
Watch and listen for the ordinary ways God speaks to us
A million times a day and see …
Bees dancing on pebbles in the bird bath and
Crisp autumn leaves ringed with October morning frost.
Hear a Wood Thrush’s echoing, haunting song at dusk and
Watch clear glass jars and white porcelain bowls dry on the kitchen counter.
Notice frost fingers splaying across winter windows and
Soak in steaming soup on a cold December day.
Marvel at sun sparkles on freshly fallen snow and
Baby sighs in the night.
Drink in the light in your lover’s eyes and
Savor his sweet kisses at midnight.
Smile at the tea balls ringing like temple bells in the silverware drawer and
A ring of stateless steal measuring spoons in a baby’s fist.
All just ordinary things but extraordinary in their beauty and simplicity,
Just like you and me.
Gratitude for the smallest
Becomes gratitude for the eternal,
Because the eternal exists in even the smallest of things,
Like a baby’s smile, a milkweed bloom, and crystal blue winter skies.
An autumn leaf, falling softly and quietly,
Releases its life full of gratitude willingly in a celebration of color, it knows.
It is the smallest of things in my life that cover me in warmth and
Feed the fire of my gratitude with love.
I am thankful for sunrises and sunsets,
The defining moments of each day’s beginning and end.
I am grateful for my children and grandchildren and friends –
All manifestations of God.
Even the light in the eyes of the the wild ones of my forest home
Shines with the spirit of the heavens and the intimate knowledge of Krishna’s grace.
And when I am in danger of forgetting these things, these perfect and beautiful things,
something as simple as seeing my clear glass canning jars, standing in a sparkling row,
Can bring me back to myself, to my home,
The home I hold deep within, the one that holds the essence of me.
It is my gratefulness that fuels my passions for the loves in my life, from acorns to hummingbirds
Grasshoppers to lightning storms,
Soft kisses at midnight,
And sweet love in the morning.
I am grateful to exist in a flood of grace and love.
Grace that is endless and effortless, and love that is freeing and all encompassing.
My heart is full and my smiles are because of him.
Hari Om
A field of brown grass,
A drop of chilly dew,
A morning kissed ripe apple, and
A bursting milkweed pod…
Signs of the change of seasons and an
Elevation of my consciousness.
Summer has ended.
It has shed its past and faded into isness
But it’s an isness that is charged with the now.
At the change of seasons, there is a new definition of me.
One that shifts with the sun angles and holds my spirit in kindness.
It is a newness in me that ebbs and flows with the tides and moon cycles.
That builds on the new life essence that captures my attention
That fills my heart and soul.
An essence of change, of new life, of new beginnings from old endings.
It is a change that envelopes my being and carries me along with it.
A flood of truth and trust, a deluge of emotions and warmth.
My heart misses the summer season but my soul is alive with the contentment of the coming winter.
A sheltered silence in seasonal separateness
But all together just the same…
In shared seclusion.
Don’t wait, take the plunge.
Hold your nose and jump in.
How else will you ever know if it is too soon or too late?
If you will sink or swim?
Where will the answers come from and when, if not now?
I have waited before,
Have stepped back from the edge
Just in case I was wrong.
But now, at this time in my life, there is no wrong, there is only what will work now,
Or more accurately, what I will make work now, for in this present moment, anything is possible.
And if I should get tired of swimming and start to sink, I can just put my feet down and ground them in the earth.
It is never too late because it is always now.
So stay with me in this present moment where there is no room for fear,
Trust me, take my hand and take the plung,
The water’s fine!
September’s muted sunshine and billowing clouds
Speak of a change to come, a change already begun.
In soft subtle shifts of afternoon shadows and heavy morning dew laden grass,
Autumn makes its arrival known.
Summer slides sleepily away, the heat having worn her out
As the freshness of fall takes her place.
Meadow grasses turn brown
And Goldenrod losses its shine.
Milkweed pods bust open, trusting their future generations to the wind and
Flocks of geese gather together to finalize their flight plan.
In the subtle softness of September the world is poised for transition.
There is no harshness to September…
The cold biting winds and freezing temperatures
Are saved for November and the first dusting of frost for October.
September exists to give us a gentle push towards winter,
While reminding us from week to week and sometimes day to day of what we will miss
Until spring arrives again and the earth warms, the geese return and
The faith of the milkweeds is fulfilled.
Garden statues in the dark are
Emotions frozen in time.
They are profiles of love in stone
Whose souls touch in the night while
Shadows hide their truth.
Earth turns the statues away from the night and towards the sun,
Always chasing its light and warmth
In an endless journey from light to dark
And back again while
Heart statues stand, emotions frozen in time as
Profiles of love frozen in faith.
Changes are not always positive
Or swift.
Some drag, leaving behind a trail
Of sorrow.
Some move quickly, leaving no time to dwell
In the past.
Some changes are painful but for the better.
Some are just the way it is, neither good nor bad.
We decide which way to go, to let go
And move on or stay stuck, resisting the change.
I don’t know which is harder to do….
I think it depends in a large part on the nature of the change…
Change happens with or without my permission.
Me and you are not the same people we were just moments ago.
The cosmos has reinvented itself a thousand times in the last ten minutes.
So change is common, a fact of life and existence so why do our
Human situational changes sometimes linger
Beyond what they should and so become more important than they really are?
Even a change brought about by me is hard to handle. It is a step away from what has been and a step into a new future, a good future, a better place within me, yet unsettling nonetheless.
And although change is inevitable, there are consistencies in my life for me to lean on and appreciate in the face of change…
Tomorrow will still come, the sun will rise and shine through my soul and soften the pain that still lingers.
The hoots of the owls in the forest outside my window will strengthen my heart as morning turns to day and the thoughts in my head turn towards the goodness and excitement of the life changes before me.
In spite of uncertainty, these changes are good. The dark past has settled and sunken to the bottom of my soul where it will always remain, never forgotten, but will no longer be able to hold me captive in its cold grip. It’s and his falseness and deceptive nature have been fully exposed and rejected.
So the change that has come is the right one. It is long overdue, and although still painful, it is welcome.
My heart has changed, my livelihood is about to as well after which I will embark on a journey into an unknown future where I will accept whatever may come in this moment.
I will turn my focus inward where things can and will change for the better for me and all those I love…. everyone.
In Aryaloka’s sacred forest space,
The presence of the Stupa and Shrine
Change the energy of the landscape.
Trees and stones become softer and energized,
They feel our reverence and respond in kind.
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