Risk and learn

Some journeys, when embarked upon, 

Do not immediately yield a destination, 

Yet still we take the step and trust 

That with time things will become, 

If not clear, at least informative, 

For as we risk, we also learn...

Beauty in the ordinary

Light has a way of endowing 

The most ordinary subjects with beauty. 

Those who look with eyes full of light 

Will see beauty everywhere they look.

Variety, the spice of joy

As artists we understand it takes 

A variety of shapes and textures, 

Dark, light, and colors, 

To create something that pleases the eye 

And ignites a response in the heart — 

Which helps us to understand 

That this same concept of variety 

Is an essential component of the joy we find 

In both community and experience...

Quietly awaiting

Waiting quietly beneath the weight of snow, 

Hearts ache with longing for the spring, 

Conveniently forgetting how much it can hurt 

To burst through into newness 

And bloom.

Harbingers of spring

And so the year begins again: 

Bright harbingers of spring, 

These flowers, and all the tiny birds returning, 

Whose twinkling songs like stars 

Ignite the morning, calling forth new blooms.

Lit from within

An accidental noticing: 

That the sun, passing briefly through the room, 

Could ignite this statue, as if lit from within. 

Might we, too, in allowing 

The divine within our hearts to shine forth, 

In turn ignite the hearts of those around us?

There are times when we’re meant to be subtle; 

To tiptoe around those difficult issues, 

And times when we need to be bold to be heard. 

Balancing the two; knowing when to use which, 

Is a lifelong challenge...

We cannot act for ourselves alone

The more aware we become, 

The more we become aware 

Of the voiceless expectations 

That surround us. 

We can no longer think of ourselves alone; 

We can no longer act for ourselves alone 

When the earth and all stars 

Depend upon our attentiveness.

The journey to wholeness

Always before us, there is a path beckoning, 

Calling us forward into health and connection; 

Inviting us deeper into the mystery. 

The way may be rocky, and muddy at times, 

But still we persist on the journey to wholeness.

Resisting the flow

There will always be times 

When we question our own wisdom; 

When all the rest are walking away 

But we’re still pressing forward. 

Is that the courage of our convictions? 

Or just a stubborn resistance to change?

Standing alone on a cold day

Standing alone, on a cold day, 

Looking out at the sea, 

What is it that you think and feel? 

What occupies your mind as you watch the waves? 

Or are you, like an exile, 

Simply dreaming of other shores...

Life is rarely flat

Life would prove surprisingly flat 

Without the obstacles placed in our path 

And the bridges we learn to build 

In order to surmount them...

Be still. Listen.

In choosing to start our days with quiet time, 

We’re constructing for ourselves — 

And for the world — 

A quiet haven, a few moments of silence 

In which the voices of reality and truth, 

And the call to action and compassion 

May find space to speak and be heard. 

Be still. Listen. 

 What will be your task for today?

Melt away the snows

Melt away the snows around our hearts; 

Ignite the passion and persistence of Spring, 

That the gifts planted within us 

May finally burst forth and bloom into fruit.

I dream we’ll meet again

Before too long, we hope to have the chance 

To once again share sacred time with friends. 

Til then, we send them all our love 

And visualize the day we’ll meet again...

Beneath the silent snows

Would that we could muffle 

The words in our heads 

And allow the snowy silence 

In our hearts to expand 

Perhaps then we might feel again 

The steady pulse of love that beats beneath...

Luminance

Light makes even the simplest things 

Take on a magical luminance. 

Where will you shine your light today?

Soul travelers

Soul travelers, 

Caught between the water and the sky, 

Searching always for solid ground, 

A place where we can safely stand and know 

What’s truth and what is fiction. 

Over and over we learn again: 

The answer must always be framed in compassion...

How we see the past

It can be challenging to step forward 

When carrying the burdens of the past, 

But we have the power to choose 

Whether life experiences will drag us down 

Or propel us forward into new opportunities.

Restoring the flow

All our attempts 

To direct the flow of life will come to naught 

If we fail to tap into its source. 

What will you do today 

To get those creative juices flowing again?

Welcoming rebirth

Yesterday I welcomed 

The first crocuses of Spring — 

So thrilled to see their tiny petals 

Glowing in the lawn! 

So, too, we’ll greet our families and friends 

When we’re allowed to meet again — 

A welcome end to a long, cold season; 

Smiles reappearing like flowers 

 From behind our masks...

A still blue rock of calm

Each morning brings a new opportunity:

A gift, a chance to find — 

And even, for a moment, to be — 

A quiet presence; a still blue rock of calm 

In the midst of all the busyness.

Finding inspiration

The trees this morning reach for the sky, 

Drinking in the colors as inspiration 

For the flowers they’ll be offering in spring.

Keep walking and trust

Sometimes we just have to keep walking. 

Even though the path before us 

Looks like a dead end, 

There really is no point in turning back: 

We just have to trust we’re being guided 

Into a future that will help us learn 

Whatever it is we need to understand.

That tenderness we feel

That tenderness we feel 

In response to the beauty 

Of the creatures with whom we share our lives 

Might serve as a gentle reminder 

Of the tenderness we could also be feeling 

For ourselves, for those whose lives touch ours, 

And all who inhabit this earth...

Serene resonance

May the openness and serenity of this scene 

Find its echo in the stillness 

At the center of your soul, 

And may that resonance fuel and comfort you 

As you move through your day.

May the lost be found

May all who are lost, alone, and afraid 

Be found and restored to belonging, 

And may all who mourn for that which is lost 

Find comfort in what remains.

Walk anyway

The path we take through life 

May not be paved with gold: 

Walk anyway, and keep finding time 

To appreciate what beauty we’ve been given.