Potential for joy

From the garden comes this reassuring message: 

Whenever something’s dying, 

Something new is being born: 

Don’t let your grief obscure 

Your awareness of the future’s potential for joy.

From acceptance to appreciation

Like the sunsets, infinitely varied 

Thanks to the weather, 

And the clouds on which the light comes to rest, 

We carry out the same tasks and motions 

Day to day and week to week, 

 Yet each remains unique, 

Offering its own challenges and blessings.

 In moving from acceptance to appreciation 

 We might discover joy.

Reverence for life

The tenderness we feel for the young; 

The urge to protect their innocence 

 Seems universal. When and why 

Do we lose that reverence for life?

Not asked or imagined

Sometimes nature — without any help 

From those of us who dream of controlling it — 

Gives us gifts we could never have imagined. 

The response? Overwhelming gratitude!

Right here, right now

I love this morning view 

From my bathroom window —

 It feels like I’m in Tuscany: 

Bringing back travel memories 

 Without ever having to leave home! 

Have I always been such a homebody? 

Or is this just a reaction 

To the isolation of the pandemic? 

Or is it simply that I’ve learned to love 

Where I am, right here; right now?

There will be watchers

There will always be watchers, 

Ready to assess the wisdom of your choices.

 It’s good to listen for other possibilities, 

But in the end the wisdom 

 Of the informed heart must prevail.

Peace in the forest

Our souls are fed by the leafy greenness 

Of the forest: such a blessing! 

Let your eyes and hearts feast on the scent 

Of cedars, ferns and moss, 

And may the susurrance of the water 

Bring you peace.