A New Year’s Blessing

May your year to come be blessed 

With both mystery and hope: 

May your challenges always carry gifts, 

And may you find it in your heart to sow 

Compassion and forgiveness 

 Into a world desperate for listening ears, 

 For kindness, for mercy, and for grace.

The returning light

And now, as the year draws to a close, 

We begin again to catch glimpses 

 Of the light that we’ve been missing; 

The light that feeds our souls, 

And, like those who’ve been briefly dead 

But returned to life, we are more grateful; 

More appreciative of what light we find; 

More eager to share…

Those moments of connection

Our hearts; our generosity is fueled 

By those moments of connection we feel, 

When time stands still, and we know ourselves 

 To be part of something greater, 

Suddenly more attuned to the needs of others 

Than our own: the tangible experience 

Of Love.

Looking ahead

You know yourself: your weaknesses, 

Your strengths; what trips you up, 

What you rely on to recover. 

As we wind up another year, 

And gaze into the future, 

Start thinking about what you might want 

To work on, or improve; what habits 

You might want to build or break; 

What challenges may loom, 

And how you’ll rise to meet them…

Let the season’s pleasures linger

Christmas has passed, 

But the decorations still remain; 

Reminders of anticipation felt, 

Of hopes dashed and seasons past 

And present joys that lift our hearts; 

Lights that still brighten dreary days 

And help to make more bearable 

What cold and emptiness remains 

Ere winter turns to spring again. 

Don’t rush to take them down: 

Instead rejoice, delight; let the season’s pleasures 

Linger in your heart a little longer…

Hidden storms

Though it seems calm, this picture 

 Fails to show the snow that’s blowing 

Horizontally across its face. 

Appearances — especially this time of year — 

Can often prove deceptive: 

 Apparent calm and goodwill may mask 

Strong underlying storms of emotion. 

Be kind. Forgive. Be generous in your thoughts 

 And try to assume folks act with best intentions.

Christmas blessings

However it is that you celebrate; 

 Whatever it is you remember, 

And whatever artifacts you resurrect 

From the past, year after year, on this day,

 I hope they bring you joy, 

Either in fond memories of the past 

Or in gratitude for improved circumstances. 

Wishing each of you a blessed holiday season.

Time to be sharing

As this year’s parade of gifts begins, 

I pray that some of the bounty that ensues 

Will be spent feeding the hungry, 

Clothing the naked and healing the sick...

Remembering Presence

Peering through the mist of memories, 

We can detect a few crisp moments; 

Times when we knew, beyond all doubt, 

That we were wrapped in the arms 

Of a loving Presence. Let that brief clarity 

Color all your actions and your thoughts, 

And you will never go far wrong…

Learn to bend

To continue on this path, 

You may need to bow your head: 

Whether in humility or apology 

Or simply in acknowledgment 

 Of something greater than yourself 

May only be known to you, 

But still, you’ll need to learn to bend — 

The exercise will be good for you.

Your gift is enough

"Dinna fash yersel,” the Scottish say: 

Because we cannot heal the world, 

But only offer solace to a few, 

It’s all too easy for us to grow discouraged. 

Grow quiet instead; breathe deep, and ask 

What small task you might do today 

To bring a bit more light to someone’s world, 

And let that be your gift, and be enough, 

And trust you’re being all that you can be.

What lies beneath

Though you are masked, 

I still can see your essential beauty, 

And I applaud your determination 

To protect that which you value, 

But I look forward to the day 

When I can finally see what lies beneath…

A beacon in the night

Peering out from behind the clouds, 

The moon ignites the night sky, 

Sending beams of reflected light, 

Reminding us: we, too, can serve as beacons, 

Even when times are dark. Don’t be afraid: 

Whatever glow you can muster up 

Might help to light the way for someone else.

Reach across the gap

Come, stand with me in this tragic gap;

This wound that’s been created 

In our families, communities, and nations. 

Ache for all the division: 

For those who’ve lost their trust 

And for all the lies that feed distrust;

For those who chose and others who still choose 

Self interest over truth. 

Stand with me in the gap, and cast your eyes 

Upon the connections, both above and below, 

That still unite us. 

Reach across and stitch us back together, 

That this gaping wound might heal.

Join the flow into Oneness

Follow the River of Soul to its source, 

High in the mountains of hurt and remorse, 

Melting from snows of events and experience, 

Bubbling up from the depths; hidden springs 

 Join the flow into oneness 

 And know you are loved.

Look for the heart

So curious: my camera took a picture 

Without me: I have no idea where I was standing 

At the time it was taken. 

But having found myself 

At one of those small crossroads in life,

 It seems totally appropriate to open my file 

And discover this photo at its front. 

The world continues working 

In quite mysterious ways, 

And there may be shadows lurking, 

But I still see there’s a heart at its center.

Trusting in the heart

The human heart is so much more complex 

Than we imagined: 

Not simply pumping blood, or feeling love, 

But layered over many times 

With memories of tears and joy, 

Assumptions and associations 

 That color our responses in ways 

We barely understand, yet still 

 We listen to its promptings 

And trust it to guide us safely 

Through the challenges we face.

A winter’s walk

So great to get out in the woods for a bit; 

To walk the paths others have set for us; 

To fill our eyes with winter’s greenery,

 Our ears with the sound of the river’s rush, 

And our hearts with the fragrance 

Of evergreens, lichen, and love…

Unity in diversity

In praise of those who understand 

That every piece and person, 

 Each experience, 

 Has something to contribute 

 To the larger whole; 

That differences add spice and charm, 

And there can be a glorious unity in diversity.

Finding our strength

Whatever our intentions, 

The world will continue 

To crash against our shores 

And challenge our defenses. 

Our strength lies, not in resistance, 

But in a softening of edges, 

A willingness to learn, balanced 

With an ever-deepening understanding 

Of the serene and wise consciousness 

 That lies at the root of our being.

Reflections

We just have to trust 

That whatever light we send into the world 

Will be reflected back and magnified; 

Softened, perhaps; 

 More inclusive, less defined, 

That it might spread more broadly…

Read between the lines

Become adept at reading between the lines.

The connections and assumptions 

 From which we draw conclusions 

May prove thin and insubstantial 

 When compared with the mountains 

Of experience, evidence, and truth 

 That ground our deeper understanding.

Worrisome clouds

Though this moment is sunny, 

The clouds loom like mountains in the distance. 

Help me to be present to the warmth that is now, 

And to not be too distracted by my worries 

About possible challenges that lie in wait…

Dealing with the rot

The signs were all there: 

We knew there must be rot, 

We just had no idea how much, 

Or how many times 

Folks had just covered it up. 

Because we care, and because we are 

Determined to preserve, 

We ripped it out; even replaced the studs: 

A metaphor? It could be, I suspect…

Leaving the nest

As parents, we do our best 

 To teach our children the skills they’ll need 

To find their way into a world 

 We’ll never fully know or understand. 

But inevitably that day comes 

When we must turn them loose 

And watch them swim away, 

Trusting they’ll have the courage, 

The strength, endurance, and good fortune 

To arrive safely at their chosen shore…

Wholly ordinary

Make time today to appreciate 

 The beauty in the ordinary; 

The holiness that light brings 

To the most mundane surroundings: 

There are gifts everywhere— 

We have only to open our eyes to see them.

Greater forces at work

Our hopes and dreams, 

What we set out to achieve, 

May bear little resemblance 

 To what we actually accomplish. 

Don’t view that discrepancy as failure, 

But rather as proof 

 That we are not working alone, 

 But rather in concert with Being, 

Bringing life to larger objectives 

 Than we may understand or comprehend.

Clarity in stillness

Nature has a way of reminding us: 

The best way to process a difficult experience 

 Is to wait until those turbulent emotions subside. 

Our reflections will be much clearer 

When the heart and mind are calm and still.

Selective focus

We always have the opportunity 

To choose what we will focus on: 

Will it be the thorny edges of things, 

The textures and colors that surround us, 

The budding potential of new growth, 

All the rain that’s fallen, 

The dark that looms in the background, 

Or the light that illuminates 

And clarifies our vision?

The vastness of possibility

Help me to remember the vastness 

Of possibility; to honor your experience, 

No matter how it differs from my own; 

To bow to you and still bow to myself, 

 Knowing that each is but a tiny piece 

Of an infinitely larger whole; 

 That somewhere, despite our differences 

 There must be some connection.

Late bloomers

And now a word in praise of late bloomers, 

Who brighten the world with their message 

Of hope and possibility 

 Just when things are looking their darkest.

Outpouring

Each life a cup of spirit, born to pour 

Compassion, love, respect onto 

 A world in need of healing…

In times of loss

Though our lives no longer touch, 

Our spirits reach across the rivers of time, 

Surrounded by the echoes 

 Of shared love and laughter. 

Those whom we have lost remain, 

Engraved upon the chambers of our hearts…

A quiet place

Whatever your temple, I hope you find 

A place of quiet to breathe in today, 

And a taste of light in the cold and gray.

Wreathed in love

All nature is wreathed in love…

Peace be with you

How can we avoid getting caught 

In the whirlwind that Christmas has become? 

How can we protect what quiet time we have 

From the thoughts of preparations 

 That insist upon intruding? 

Let peace and silence be your oxygen mask, 

And keep breathing…

In gratitude

Looking back along the road 

We’ve walked so far this year, 

Hearts overflow with gratitude 

 To see how far we’ve come, 

And that we have survived, and found 

New ways to cope and bless the world 

Around us. And, looking forward, 

 We can dream of finding ways 

 To bridge the gap between 

 Our neighbors and ourselves; 

To open hearts, dismantle walls, 

And build community.

Those golden moments

Like the sun, 

The spotlight of spiritual well-being 

 Is always moving. 

For every day the light seems to hit just right; 

For every day we know we’re in the zone, 

Following the path we were born to follow, 

There will be many more where we feel 

Lost or confused, 

 Abandoned by the very hope 

That brought us to this place, 

Yet still we bow our heads 

And lean into that silent space, 

Knowing those golden moments 

Are worth the wait.

The roots are more complex

When the roots of our issues are exposed, 

We find they’re often far more complex 

Than we might have anticipated; 

Complexities often triggered 

By a determination to survive 

Despite overwhelming obstacles…

For all who travel alone

In a week designed to celebrate 

 Community and family and survival, 

We remember all of those who travel alone…

Make time for silence

Make time today for silence. 

Set aside your phone and your computer, 

Turn off your tv, 

Lay down the books that you’ve been using 

To distract, explain, or justify, 

And listen for the quiet peace 

From which all earth has sprung.

Good times and bad

I know I’ve said this before, 

But just as it takes a mix 

Of dark and light to make a pleasing image, 

It takes all sorts of good and bad days 

To make a life rich and vibrant. 

The bleak periods we experience help us 

To appreciate the good times more, 

And a moment or memory 

 Of sweetness or kindness, given or received — 

Even a small taste of joy and laughter — 

Can brighten our gloomiest days.

Beautiful world

Some days, 

The beauty of this world 

Just overwhelms me….

Creatively responding

I realized I could complain 

About my missing windows 

And the view I cannot see,

 Or I could create some reflections of my own— 

Which teaches me: how often 

Do I whine instead calling forth 

Creative responses to trying situations?

Insulated from the truth

Seeing the world from a safe enclosure 

Is not the same as being in the world: 

We may be blessed with a certain objectivity, 

But if we don’t engage, 

If we never step outside the insulated 

Walls that we’ve erected; 

Never engage in dialog with the Other, 

We will never fully understand 

The challenges of being human, 

Nor can we dare to proclaim 

 We know the Truth.

To burn or to enlighten

Though your fire of your anger 

 Or your venom may be small, 

The smoke it generates 

Can pollute an entire community — 

 And yet — 

 Your acts of kindness may be small, 

But they, too, can inspire 

 A whole community to love: 

 You get to choose whether to burn 

Or to enlighten…

We gather together

We gather together, despite our differences, 

To share, not only hopes and dreams, 

But our differing perspectives. 

In peace we fold our wings and bow our heads 

And contemplate the tasks that lie before us.

Chugging along

And then there are the days 

Where we’re just chugging along, 

Carrying what we’ve been asked or told to carry; 

Gray days, when the colors of our lives 

Have been leached out 

 And everything’s dominated by routine — 

And yet, there is still air, and light, 

And as we work we breathe, and breathe again, 

And look around us and within; 

Seek out what light there is and know 

This,too, shall pass, 

 And tomorrow will be new again.

Compassionate listening

Worried about our country’s divisions? 

Confrontation rarely results in transformation: 

Compassionate listening may well be 

The only choice we have left. 

Perhaps in the silence offered by another 

We will finally be able to hear 

The waves of truth lapping 

At each other’s souls…

More than one way

No matter how powerful the voices 

 That tell you there is only one way, 

Know that there are always alternatives; 

Other ways of being and believing, 

Ways that are equally acceptable, 

 Generous and respectful.