Friday, July 31, 2020

Give heart to the world


Each of us is uniquely gifted;
Each has a particular bit of wisdom 
That they were born to share.
You — yes, even you — are a special work of art,
And when you write or create from the heart,
The breadth of your soul gives heart to the world.

Driven to create


We humans are so driven to create and rearrange:
Structure where there is none,
Strife where there is none,
Embellishments when all we seek is truth...
How can we ensure that creativity 
Serves as a blessing, not a curse?

Wednesday, July 29, 2020

Reach for the light


Let us be daisies together,
Reaching for and sharing the light
While the world around us is masked in a fog
Of pestilence, deception, and dissension.

Tuesday, July 28, 2020

The complexity of truth


Consider the complexity of a flower:
The texture of its petals,
Its many different faces,
The variations in color...
Why, then, are we surprised to learn
That the truth of what is happening — 
That which we’re so convinced we know —
Might be equally — or perhaps even more — complex?

Monday, July 27, 2020

How best to convey what’s true


You, being human, have been gifted
With enormous potential:
You have the option to hover and loom,
Dark and ominous as this tree;
To shelter and warm like this shed;
To remain aloof, cool and observing,
Affections waxing and waning like the moon;
Or to bring light and color into the world like the sun.
Grass, sky, bench, or sea — you can choose
Each day how to be;
How best to bring truth to life.

Sunday, July 26, 2020

Creative restoration


Today I hope you find some restoration time:
Seek out new and creative ways
To rest, commune with nature,
And reconnect with those whom you’ve been missing...

Saturday, July 25, 2020

Presuppositions


What questions do we read into these eyes,
And what do the questions tell us 
About our own presuppositions?
Is he asking for permission?
Protecting his mate?
Reaching out in friendship,
Or challenging my right to be here?
Thanking me for my hospitality,
Or just curious about my motives — or my camera!
Coexistence will always be a challenge
If we’re too quick to act on our assumptions...

Friday, July 24, 2020

Emotional agates


Part of maturing is coming to understand
That our emotions ebb and flow,
Just like the tides, if less predictably.
The blessing — and the curse —
Of an emotional low tide
Is that all our inner obstacles lie exposed.
True, we could just dance around them,
But who knows: if we take a closer look,
Maybe crack one open, 
There might be an amazing gem inside...

Thursday, July 23, 2020

Proud to be uniquely you


Who is it that defined what is beautiful?
Who decided what it means to bloom?
Like flowers, we humans come to fruition
In a variety of shapes and sizes:
Rather than compare and despair,
Why not proudly display
The uniqueness that makes you you?

Wednesday, July 22, 2020

Dreams to reality


Your dreamscapes of the future
May be somewhat unclear,
But pay attention anyway, 
And honor the possibilities they suggest.
Perhaps it’s time to move
From “I’d love to” to “I will.”

Tuesday, July 21, 2020

Blessings


May all the angels watch over you and yours today.

Monday, July 20, 2020

When things grow dark


Sometimes, when it’s dark,
And the distance we’ve still to travel
Seems impossibly far,
We just have to keep moving forward and trust
That there will be a light and someone to guide us;
That the journey is not ours alone.

Sunday, July 19, 2020

Grateful for moments of peace


Today let us bow our heads in gratitude
For the people, the places, and the moments
That create a restful space in our lives;
A chance to step back from the chaos
And just... be. 

Saturday, July 18, 2020

Love teaching us


Even when feeling trapped
Between the rock and the hard place,
We are surrounded by love:
It might even be love that keeps us there
Until we learn the lessons we were born to teach...

Friday, July 17, 2020

Bringers of light


Wherever we go we affect the world around us.
Make sure the ripples you create
Are ripples of light and love.

Thursday, July 16, 2020

Your day to bloom


Think of today as your day to bloom:
Your day to share the special essence 
That makes you uniquely bright and beautiful.
Yes, all around you, there are others
Waiting to bloom or already fading,
But this day was made for you.

Wednesday, July 15, 2020

Bearers of light


Sailing darkly through dark waters
Into unknown darknesses to come,
Desperately attempting to carry forward
The light, the truth and the hope
That fuels and sustains us...

Tuesday, July 14, 2020

Seek truth


May we each learn to seek and welcome truth
As the flowers in my garden
Seek and welcome and dance in the light.

Monday, July 13, 2020

Shared visions


We need to be willing
To dream what life could be:
To remember or imagine a better time 
And share that vision will help bring it to pass.

Sunday, July 12, 2020

Take a hike


When those internal clouds begin to darken,
And the challenges of this new life
Begin to overwhelm us,
A long and listening walk with a friend —
Conducted safely, distanced, out-of-doors —
Might be the perfect medicine 
To chase away your blues...

Saturday, July 11, 2020

Prayers for the overburdened


Prayers today for all who carry
A load heavier than anyone could bear,
That they may find relief before
Collapsing under the weight...

Friday, July 10, 2020

Listen


Stop shouting, and listen.
Stop praying, and listen.
Stop rehearsing what you plan to say
And reliving or regretting what you said,
And listen.
Stop breathing, just long enough,
To hear the voice that’s speaking
In the silence that falls between your breaths.
Listen.
Listen, and tell me:
What is it that you hear?

Thursday, July 9, 2020

Moments of Grace


However lost, bereft, or alone we feel,
There will always be moments of grace,
That universal love that circles round the atmosphere 
And reaches out to comfort and inspire;
A warmth at the center of being...

Wednesday, July 8, 2020

Our work will bear fruit


I know it’s hard to trust in those wintry times
When all our work seems bare and unproductive,
But come, labor on, in confidence
That the seasons will turn round again
And everything we’ve worked for 
Will bear the lush and ripening fruit
Of which we dreamed.

Tuesday, July 7, 2020

Collaboration


Whatever our role —
Pistil, stamen, petal, bud, leaf or stem —
We are all part of the same flower,
Working together to bring light, color, and joy
To a world in desperate need.

Monday, July 6, 2020

Those lost are not faceless


As the death toll mounts,
Whether from war, injustice, or pestilence,
The victims take on a facelessness,
Becoming numbers instead of names,
Statistics instead of parents, children,
Teachers, nurses, doctors, singers, soldiers...
But for those of us who remember 
And mourn those who’ve been lost,
Their faces are forever embedded in our hearts.

Sunday, July 5, 2020

Nature’s fireworks


A glorious end to a perfect day:
A golden moon, stretching its embrace
Across the waters —
Nature’s own quiet fireworks, 
To celebrate our quiet determination 
To break through the remaining barriers
And to ensure equal rights for all.

Saturday, July 4, 2020

Holding to the promise of equality


Today we celebrate the ideals,
If not the implementation,
And dream of a renewed commitment
To the values we claim to share...

Friday, July 3, 2020

Sharing kindness


Some folks come into our lives to stay;
Others are just passing through.
Be kind to both, however long they remain:
Ours is a life meant to be shared.

Thursday, July 2, 2020

Harvesting the fruits of silence


How do we survive in a troubled world?
By making time each day
To visit the secret haven of peace
That lives at the root of the soul;
By harvesting the fruits of silence 
And carrying them back into the world...

Wednesday, July 1, 2020

Ocean spray


Like snowflakes they appear, only in summer;
Gathering in clusters, each tiny flower,
Presumably unique, progressing through
From tiny ball to fluffy blossom, 
Only to yellow, stained with age, and fade.
Up close, we see what miracles they are,
But from a distance we tend to sneer
And wish them gone.
What else — or whom — have you only seen
From a distance, and then written off?
What else — or who — might prove to be
Miraculously fine if we looked more closely?