Thursday, January 31, 2019

Uncover and release


The tide glides in, and out again;
the rocks and sand are covered, then exposed.
As we breathe in, then out again,
what hardnesses of heart
can we uncover and release?

Wednesday, January 30, 2019

Building a wall


Whenever you build fortifications
— whether around your heart or your opinions —
you’re cutting yourself off
from the beauty and the wholeness
that lies waiting in the breadth of experience.

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

Time to stand alone


In creating time for ourselves to stand alone,
we discover again the miraculous immensity;
the infinite possibility in all that lies before us.

Monday, January 28, 2019

Long range goals


It’s good to take the long view;
to have a long range goal —
even if you’re not quite sure
what it will take, or how you’re going to get there.

Sunday, January 27, 2019

Watch the world evolve


As I age, I find I’m more content
to sit, and to appreciate;
to listen and be curious
about how the world evolves without me pushing...

Saturday, January 26, 2019

The hospitality of trees


Let us echo the hospitality of the trees,
which focus not just on their own growth,
but serve as host to others
who need a place to hang...

Friday, January 25, 2019

If what I hear is true...


You speak to me, but what I hear
is filtered through this cage we’ve built
to contain our insecurities. I no longer know
if what I hear is really what was said...

Thursday, January 24, 2019

Mirroring the divine


Whatever our surroundings,
our efforts to stay calm
help us continue to mirror divine radiance...

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Lessons from a place


There are some places we return to,
time and time again.
The lessons they can teach, we need
to learn, and learn again: gentle reminders
to take the long view; to let it flow;
to spend some time alone, apart;
to trust that winter always warms to spring.

Tuesday, January 22, 2019

Resistance doesn't help


Embrace it all: the drizzle and the bugs;
the brief flare of beauty and purpose;
the bruising and slow wilting into death;
the darkness and the light —
Resistance will not alter the progression,
it only dampens our capacity for joy.

Monday, January 21, 2019

Blood Wolf Moon


Driving to the beach so we could watch uninterrupted,
we stepped into the chill night air 
and heard the other voices, murmuring;
knit together in a web of wonder,
all of us awash in reverence before the super blood wolf moon...

Sunday, January 20, 2019

Worry, or now? You choose...


However bright the day appears
the dark night looms in the shape of the moon.
Which will you choose
as the focus of your thoughts?

Saturday, January 19, 2019

No promise of lambs to come


Yes, we have her poems —
an astonishing legacy of wonder — but still:
the world’s an empty barn in a barren field,
with no promise of lambs to come.

Friday, January 18, 2019

Mary Oliver


Sigh. Mary Oliver is gone.
Even the animals are feeling it —
“The fires
and the black river of loss...”

Thursday, January 17, 2019

Resolution


At the end of the day I ask myself:
Was I true to myself? Was I honest?
Did peace and acceptance flow through me
and out into the world? And if not —
Can I forgive myself and resolve to try again?

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

Yes or no?


Do yourself a favor: don’t say yes
When you really want to say no.
Those inadvertent yes’s can cast
Incredibly long shadows...
(and don't say no when you really want to say yes!)

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

Wisdom in your dreams


Listen for the wisdom in your dreams:
They may illuminate the path
to a brighter, lighter, more colorful future.

Monday, January 14, 2019

Glow anyway


Life can get messy and complicated:
Glow anyway. Do your best, and try to stay
connected to that which feeds you.
Some days the only reward for breathing is air.

Sunday, January 13, 2019

Reflections


What light you see in me is but a wobbly reflection
of the One True Light, just as
the faults we see in others serve as mirrors
for the faults we can’t acknowledge in ourselves.

Saturday, January 12, 2019

Infinite resourcefulness


Look around you, at all the different ways
of being in the world — each so fascinating;
each so complex. The infinite resourcefulness
of all this creativity is astounding — and humbling...

Friday, January 11, 2019

Be presence; be love


Reading about presence isn’t enough.
All the books in the world won’t help:
We need to BE presence.
Don’t just read about love. BE Love!

Thursday, January 10, 2019

Conflicting instructions


If I am okay, just as I am, and enough —
Why keep trying to better myself?
So many conflicting instructions —
I think my head will explode!

Wednesday, January 9, 2019

Celebrate what's now


I don’t know what Heaven’s like —
if it’s structured or amorphous —
so rather than anticipate, I’ll find a way
to celebrate what’s here, and real, and now...

Tuesday, January 8, 2019

Beneath the barren


With time, I’m learning to trust
That whenever some parts of my life
Feel barren; stripped to the core;
Beneath and behind there still exists
A rich and colorful potential.

Monday, January 7, 2019

What if?


What if God were the molten energy at earth's center,
and gravity were the strings that keep us grounded?
Or are all of us like balloons, bobbing in the wind,
our ribbons tied together, clasped in a divine hand?

Sunday, January 6, 2019

Repose


Wishing you a peaceful, quiet day,
calm waters, close friends, and a safe place
to rest and restore your energy.

Saturday, January 5, 2019

The sorrow of the ordinary


When will we learn to appreciate
the beauty in the ordinary?
Perhaps when we stop feeling we need to hide
those parts of ourselves that keep us
from being ordinary...

Friday, January 4, 2019

Waiting like trees


And now, as the new year begins,
we wait quietly like the tree,
gathering strength for the blooms to come.

Thursday, January 3, 2019

The still point of connection


There is, residing deep within, a still point of connection
to all creation and divinity,
from which our peace, our generosity,
and creativity flow forth.

Wednesday, January 2, 2019

What to take, and what to leave behind...


The road ahead is marked with dark and light:
You may well need to take some new things on
While leaving other habits or hopes behind
In order to pass safely through the shadows.

Tuesday, January 1, 2019

Choose what you allow to root and grow


Reach out and touch the earth. What is it that you see — 
the old year dying, or a new year being born? 
Each moment birth and death are intertwined, 
and you may choose what you allow to root and grow.