Awash in awe

I stand, awash in awe,

filled with admiration for the beauty of this world;

grateful for the fragile ties that bind us, friend to friend,

heart to heart and each to each.

What is true?

How do we detect what is true and what is not?

How will we know if what we see is truly real

Or just projection? Light and truth take many forms:

We can’t assume we always have the answers.

Adventures in creativity

Creativity is not about tidiness and perfection.

It’s an invitation to change your perspective;

To explore and to experience; to risk,

and to adventure; to rise above the ordinary.

Choices

There is a path that has opened up before you

(But it’s steep, and I’m not sure where it ends)

Will you say yes, or remain here, crying “but...”;

Venture out, or find a way to get

more comfortable with where you are?

Welcoming change

Don’t think of change as a scary monster!

Think of it as a challenge to creativity:

What can you do embrace the inevitable,

Help make it palatable, and welcome its gifts?

Resistance to change

Perhaps our most challenging test of skill

Is fighting our own inner child’s

Resistance to change; her determination

To seek solace in unhealthy habits.

You don't have to be a star

Take a lesson from the moon:

You needn’t be a star to be a beacon of hope.

Simply reflect whatever goodness and light

You experience back into the world...

Working together

Working together helps build community.

How will you help your friend or neighbor today?

In Gratitude...

I’m thankful today for family and friends,

For the grace, beauty, and bounty of this world,

And all the events and circumstances —

Whether pleasant or uncomfortable —

That have helped me to grow over the years.

In flight reflections

For all who are in flight today —

Either to or from the holidays —

May you find at least a moment

For some peaceful reflection.

Each passing thought a shadow

Each passing thought, a shadow,

Casts its beam of hope upon our hearts

And then moves on, leaving behind

Faint memories of love or loss once known...

What story will you choose?

It’s your life, and it’s your story: you can choose

how to present it to yourself and to the world.

Is it a positive evolution or a series of setbacks

You can’t seem to forget or to forgive?

Let your heart soar

Today’s a good day to release yourself;

To set aside, if only for a moment,

All the cares that weigh you down.

Breathe deep, and let your heart soar on the breeze.

We are all connected

The truth is this: that we are all connected,

And any time we sever those connections

All of us become more vulnerable,

And our capacity for growth is endangered.

Prepared for change

What is it that we know about this journey?

Just when we think the end’s in sight,

We find it takes another turn,

Toward some new destination.

Always be prepared for change...

Being an artist

Being an artist is not about what we produce.

It’s about showing up to the canvas, the page,

the instrument, the stage;

about making time to participate

in the cosmic (or if you prefer, divine) creative process.

Seeking the center

Circling round, and circling round,

And circling round again:

When will I ever reach that center point,

That stillness?

Upon the ring of earth

The mountain, set in stone upon the ring of earth:

a promise of engagement.

The sky puts on her wedding clothes

And dances her delight in sparkling slippers.

Step into the light

Come sit with me; step through into the light.

Together we’ll escape the dark,

Find shelter, peace, comfort, and hope,

And satisfy our thirst for the Divine.

For all the broken and burned

Pray today for all that is broken and burned

In the world and in our own souls;

That what fragility has been exposed

May find its way to healing.

Hoping for the best

Apparently my hydrangea

still believes it’s Spring — 

and who am I to tell her otherwise, 

when I, too, find myself hoping for the best...

Staying afloat

What can we do to stay afloat

In this topsy-turvy world?

Tie up to some familiar ideology

And hang on for dear life...

Be kind to yourself

Be kind to yourself. Make time today

to see and to appreciate

the beauty in the ordinary.

Time to rise above it all

In a season where green concerns

Are being overshadowed by a wash of red,

We need to rise above; to trust;

to stand as beacons of light and truth;

To inspire and encourage; not condemn.

From a distance

How far back will we need to stand to see

the opposing thrusts of differing expectations

as part of a larger picture, a more balanced,

more cohesive whole?

Hoping for forgiveness

I keep hoping for all that separates us to recede;

For the tide of past infractions to glide away

and expose the ground that still connects us both;

That each of us might step onto the path of forgiveness.

Always true

It always will be true:

That while some things are green and growing

Other things are dying.

The rain and dew and sun fall on them all...

Keep your head down

Perhaps if we all keep our heads down,

concentrate just on feeding ourselves,

meeting our own needs, we won't notice 

that fog that's closing in, or the wolf around the corner...

Opposites can be true

When will we learn that opposites can be true;

That preconceptions color all we see;

That what seems like an obstacle

Might also be protecting us;

That one man’s dusk might be another’s dawn?

We all bleed red

Look close: can you not see?

We all have veins; we all bleed red;

Each one of us unique and yet each destiny’s

To separate from Source, and fade, and fall...