Letting go when the time is ripe

Just as the tree releases its fruit

when it’s reached its nutritional peak,

we need to be willing to let things go

when the time is ripe,

and trust that our work is done...

Listen to your deeper self

Even on the most glorious summer days,

it’s good to step inside and sit with yourself;

to listen to your deeper self, and pay attention

to where you’re being called today...

On the noble path

However pleased I am to see my noble visitor,

I’m still annoyed that he’s eating all my roses.

and isn’t that always the way?

We long to follow the noble path

until it necessitates giving up something we love...

Treasure your differences

Don’t worry that you’re a little different
from those around you:

that which makes you unique

may be exactly what is needed

to make the picture perfect,

and life so much more interesting.

Everything you need is here

We live so much of our lives

in a fog of wanting and fearing.

But oh, when that fog lifts, we see

that everything we could possibly need

is already here.

The reservoir of love

There is, deep within us,

a rich resource welling up and flowing through.

It’s what’s enabled us to survive thus far

and will continue to support us

in the joys and trials to come.

When will we learn to trust this infinite

reservoir of love?

Dance lightly

Dance lightly as the flowers,

cradled gently by their leaves,

bring grace and color out of the dark earth

from which they’ve sprung.

Your mission

Hidden within each of us

there lies a treasure. Your mission —

should you choose to accept it —

is to bring it to light and let it flow into the world.

To everything there is a season...

There are times when we need

to rest in the harbor,

and times when we need to unfurl our sails

and race before the wind.

Which is it that you’re called to do today?

Quilted in unity

Today let us celebrate the glorious quilt

that is all creation — all stitches, all colors,

all fabrics and textures — a nurturing whole,

pieced together in humbling complexity

to bless us with comfort, beauty, and warmth.

Beneath the surface

In the stillness of reflection,

even the most mundane can reveal

the magic, the precious mettle,

that lies beneath the surface...

From pain to gain

Often the things that sting the most

are the very ones most likely to lead to growth...

In nature's embrace

However alone you may be feeling,

know that you are always held

in the gentle, gravitational embrace

of the natural world...

Drinking in the Now

Yes, night is coming;

Yes, the darkness is falling fast.

But the gift of now, in the sunset time,

has a beauty beyond imagining.

I don’t want to miss a minute of it,

and am determined to keep drinking it in

til the last sunset leaves the sky.

The roots of mysterious choices

The decisions others make

are often far more complex

than may be immediately apparent.

Instead of assuming there’s an obvious right or wrong,

spend some time exploring

the roots that inform mysterious choices.

The garden in which we grow

All of life lies at our feet:

That which feeds us, that which impedes us...

How can we begin to accept and even bless

this life; these opportunities that shape

the garden in which we grow?

Enjoy your summer

I hope you find some time today

to relax and enjoy the sounds and signs

of summer.

Keep climbing

We may not know where these steps lead,

But for now we’ll just keep climbing.

Give your difference a voice

Love works through each of us,

adding our own unique colors and textures

to the bouquet of life.

Try not to silence that which makes you different,

but rather give it voice, that it may speak,

complete and complement the totality of being.

Infinite gifts

Some days the generosity, the sheer abundance 

of the natural world, just overwhelms me.

Infinite gifts, for those who take the time to look...

The images that haunt us

When there are no words,

Art still insists on speaking.

The images that haunt us all

seep through onto the page...

A deep source of love

Look closely: see how the clouds

have turned the water gray?

The water hasn’t changed; it’s only colored

by events in the moment.

Your life, your soul, are like the sea:

Below the waves and clouds,

a deep and rich resource of love,

welling up within you.

Lessons from the dark

However barren your internal landscape

may be feeling at this moment;

Whatever darkness may have taken root

and spread its tendrils into your soul, know this:

the clarity that comes in these dark times,

the lessons that you learn, will continue

to bless you when the clouds are gone

And the grass is green again.

What love feels like

Today I hope you find a moment
to delight in the sheer exuberance of nature:
This is what it feels like
to love, and to be loved...

Dancing with the unpredictable

However challenging uncertainty may be,

without the unexpected life would lack vitality.

Somehow, with time, we hope to learn

to stop hovering anxiously on the sidelines;

to step boldly forth and dance with the unpredictable...

Keeping hope alive

Try to remember this:

that those times when all you can see

are the seemingly endless obstacles in your future

are often immediately followed

by an opportunity to change direction

which will set you free...

Bright aspirations

Today we don’t just celebrate our country’s birth,

but also we remember its aspirations:

Those goals we hoped to reach

by enshrining them in documents and pledges

whose words still lie engraved upon our hearts:

still hoping to become a nation indivisible;

still longing for liberty, equality,

and ultimately justice for all.

May the darkness of this night

make our aspirations shine all the brighter...

No need to be perfect

Nature, in her gentle way, reminds us:

we don’t have to be perfect to be beautiful...

Truth at the heart of being

Like the grass and the trees,

the daily texture of our lives

may shift and vary with the seasons,

or even disappear in the wake

of our destructions and constructions.

But the mountains will remain:

immutable, unchanging,

though hidden by the clouds;

the inimitable truths at the heart of our being...

Listening in the stillness

The gift of meditation is not so much 

that it brings calm and order to our lives,

but rather that it raises our awareness

of the chaos and disorder

our own thoughts are introducing.

Listening in the stillness, we learn...