Sunday, January 31, 2021

Caring for the unseen


Can you not see how connected we all are, 
And how we are all colored 
By those connections? 
Somewhere, someone you have not seen 
Or heard from in years 
Is worrying about you and sending up prayers 
For your health and safety. 
Today, make time to do the same 
For someone in your vast network of friends.

Saturday, January 30, 2021

Embrace possibility!


We never really know 
What life has in store for us 
Until we get there. 
Until that new day comes, 
Embrace possibility!

Friday, January 29, 2021

Step outside


Step outside, if only for a moment. 
Breathe in the light, and let your heart 
Dance upon the wind. 
Let the harmonies of nature find their echoes 
In the tranquility of your soul.

Thursday, January 28, 2021

Blessings on your day


May the worst of your troubles 
Wash away with the tide 
And the day before you be bright and clear.

Wednesday, January 27, 2021

Signs of wisdom


Don’t get trapped by a rising tide: 
Wise words in any situation...

Tuesday, January 26, 2021

Don’t miss the moon!


It’s easy to get distracted 
By the obstacles in our path, 
So focused on the objectives that lie ahead, 
That we fail to look up and sense 
The presence of the moon, 
Beaming warmly down upon our efforts...

Monday, January 25, 2021

Spiritual exercise


There is a path 
Through the turbulence of the world 
To the still place in your soul. 
Find it, and try to walk it daily: 
A vital exercise for the spirit.

Sunday, January 24, 2021

You only need to be


Find for yourself some quiet time, 
And let the rhythms of the day 
Wash over you, like the waters of the sea. 
Just for a moment, be content and know 
You do not have to move or change, 
You only need to be: that is enough.

Saturday, January 23, 2021

Grief is an empty house


Grief is an empty house, 
Leaching color from our world. 
Knowing our lives will never be the same, 
How can we go on? — and yet we do, 
Stepping into the barren spaces, 
Breathing in the loss 
 And breathing again.

Friday, January 22, 2021

Rusty but still linked


However rusty our skills may be 
At collaboration and cooperation, 
We are, nonetheless, still inextricably linked.
I hope we can find a way to work together.

Thursday, January 21, 2021

One of those mornings


When you have one of those mornings 
When you wake up feeling cold and alone, 
Less aware of your successes than your failures; 
When you wonder what went wrong, 
And what it is about you 
That can’t seem to turn acquaintances into friends, 
Breathe in for all the other folks 
Who feel just as you’re feeling, 
Search your heart, and then breathe out
Whatever joy and comfort you can share.

Wednesday, January 20, 2021

Eternal changelessness


Whatever your concerns about this day, 
Whatever your fears or hopes, 
I entreat you and encourage you 
To step back from the moment and breathe: 
Breathe in the eternal changelessness 
Of the infinitely variable sky and sea 
And trust: all shall be well.

Tuesday, January 19, 2021

The heart will prevail


Many waters cannot quench love: 
The heart will prevail.

Monday, January 18, 2021

Watching events unfold


Trapped inside, we watch with some anxiety 
As events unfold beyond our walls...

Sunday, January 17, 2021

In the stillness, a prayer


In the stillness of a quiet morning 
We lift our hearts in prayer 
For the health of those we love 
And the safety of a nation in turmoil: 
May kindness rule and sanity prevail.

Saturday, January 16, 2021

The good ship Democracy


Don’t give up hope yet: 
She may be rusty but she still floats. 
True, it’s gonna take more 
Than a few coats of paint, 
But with all of us working together 
We can get this fine ship sailing again.

Friday, January 15, 2021

Life is good, and yet...


How much longer, I wonder, 
Will we be living so alone? 
How is it we still flourish, 
Faced with all these limitations? 
What is it about this picture 
That awakens these echoes of longing? 
Life is good, and we are fortunate, and yet...

Thursday, January 14, 2021

Coloring our days


Today’s troubles, like striations on the sky, 
Will soon be gone, 
 But the sky itself, like the day, 
And like tomorrow, will remain 
To be painted on anew, 
Tinted always by perceptions 
And our willingness to look. 
What we see, and how we respond, 
Will continue coloring our days.

Wednesday, January 13, 2021

Stay attuned


There are those days 
When you can’t see or even imagine 
What the future might look like, 
Or how you’ll get there; 
When the obvious options are blocked. 
Now is the time to stay fully present: 
Staying attuned to what’s here, what’s now, 
Will help prepare you for whatever’s next.

Tuesday, January 12, 2021

Perfect in our imperfections


Take a walk in the forest, and observe 
How the trees are unafraid 
To flaunt their imperfections, 
And how what makes each tree imperfect 
Also makes it unique — 
And uniquely beautiful.

Monday, January 11, 2021

From a distance


Until we take a step back, a step away, 
It’s easy to forget how small a part we play, 
How fragile our fortifications; 
How vulnerable we are 
In the face of water, weather, and time; 
How quickly things can change; 
How sharp the blade of disappointment 
When it falls.

Sunday, January 10, 2021

Not from us but through us


Do not be anxious, or compare 
The work you do with others. 
Whatever creativity we express 
Flows, not from us, but through us: 
Our job is just to keep that channel clear.

Saturday, January 9, 2021

What’s been exposed


It’s inevitable: we see it every year, 
Yet still we are surprised. 
When the leaves fall, 
What lies behind them is exposed 
And things begin to look pretty gnarly. 
Now is a time for noticing, and fixing, 
So that when the leaves return in spring 
We don’t forget what lies beneath; 
What must be done, and what must change.

Friday, January 8, 2021

Crafting reassurance


It’s challenging, in times like these, 
To trust that all could possibly work out; 
That there’s still light at the tunnel’s end 
And angels looking after us. 
And so we craft and display angels of our own 
And photograph what rainbows we can find 
To remind ourselves that there’s still truth 
And goodness in the world.

Thursday, January 7, 2021

Lifting a lamp


In the light of morning, 
What took place the day before 
Seems almost incomprehensible, and yet — 
Our awareness of the way these brave souls 
Worked together with our laws to keep us safe 
Will serve as a lamp to light the way 
If and when such darkness falls again. 
"I lift my lamp beside the golden door."

Wednesday, January 6, 2021

There is still hope


After a night of storms, we watch the rainbow, 
Tracing her gleam of hope across the horizon. 
How is it, that with all the setbacks, 
And knowing what the end must inevitably be, 
We still believe that someone watches over us, 
And cares?

Tuesday, January 5, 2021

Manifest complexity


We are, each of us, so much more 
Complex and interesting than we appear — 
Even to ourselves. 
May this be the year that you discover — 
And find a way to express — 
The glorious multi-faceted richness 
That is rooted deep within.

Monday, January 4, 2021

Let it go


If we make only one resolution this year, 
Let it be a determination to forgive. 
As long as we carry that fury within, 
We continue to be imprisoned 
In a jail of our own creation.

Sunday, January 3, 2021

Projections


When you look at this circle, 
What do you see? 
A safe haven, from which to view 
Your beautiful surroundings, or a prison,
Keeping you from exploring possibilities?
How are your projections coloring your world?

Saturday, January 2, 2021

Limit or blessing? You decide...


As we move into the new year, 
Let’s give some thought 
To what we perceive as current limitations. 
What grounds us, and what holds us back? 
What boundaries do we need to overstep, 
And which ones give us freedom 
To explore the life within?

Friday, January 1, 2021

Enough looking back


Look back and know that what’s behind us 
Has only made us stronger. 
Now it’s time to turn our heads to the future; 
To lift our wings and fly into the unknown, 
Buoyed by the certainty that we’re survivors.