Friday, April 30, 2021

Be here now


You know — 
You don’t always need to be doing. 
Sometimes it’s okay to just be.

Thursday, April 29, 2021

On the inspiration of trees


Today we see these trees and notice 
Their branches look like lace, 
But sometime, way back in the past, 
A woman looked at trees like these 
And wondered if those patterns 
Could be copied using thread. 
From Newton’s apple to Kilmer’s poem, 
Since Eden trees have invited us 
To look beyond what is to what could be...

Wednesday, April 28, 2021

Time to blossom


I find myself envying the lush exuberance 
With which my apple tree is welcoming 
The transition from winter into spring. 
Instead of preparing me to burst into bloom, 
The long, long months of gray and isolation 
Have conditioned me want more of the same: 
I’m not quite sure I’m ready — 
Or if I ever will be — to blossom again.

Tuesday, April 27, 2021

Contemplative interrupts


As soon as I get my mental landscape stilled, 
A flotilla of shoulds and to-dos 
Come sailing in, fighting for precedence...

Monday, April 26, 2021

Trying to catch the wind


There is such vulnerability in each of us: 
So many paths that hit dead ends, 
So many obstacles and fears, 
Such heartache and such loss, yet still 
We soldier on, determined to survive, 
Still trying to catch the wind; 
To find and follow the current’s course 
That will lead us safely home.

Sunday, April 25, 2021

The gift of Sunday


Remember when Sunday was the day 
That provided rest, and solace; 
A respite from the chaos and the clutter? 
Let this lake be your Sunday: 
Choose to stare at the reflections 
And ignore the tangled branches on the left. 
Breathe in that cool, refreshing mountain air 
And let this blessed stillness soothe your soul.

Saturday, April 24, 2021

Let your imperfections show


As a photographer, taught to strive 
For clarity and focus, 
I find I am reluctant to post this photo. 
But there’s beauty in its softness 
And I was delighted to discover 
The delicacy of that unexpected bug. 
See how our need for perfection 
Can prohibit us from sharing? 
Once again I am reminded 
That our self-described imperfections 
Do indeed have their own peculiar charm.

Friday, April 23, 2021

The challenge of re-entry


Locked for a year in comparative isolation, 
We’re now being invited 
To slowly let the colors of community 
Leach back into our world; 
To step out beyond what feels like safety 
Into that which we’ve now been taught to fear. 
How cautiously and consciously 
Will we redefine our boundaries? 
Now that the tide has changed,
What will we keep on keeping out, 
And what will we allow to seep back in?

Thursday, April 22, 2021

Going in circles


It’s just when you feel 
You’ve been walking round in circles, 
Never getting to the center of things, 
Yet unable to escape, 
That you discover the truth 
That was there all along: 
It’s not where you’re going that matters; 
It’s being fully present 
Where you are in this moment 
That will teach you everything you need to know.

Wednesday, April 21, 2021

Celebrating imperfections


The next time you get tangled up 
In thinking that you need to be more perfect, 
Spend some time with a fruit tree 
(These are plums, but other fruits work, too) 
And notice how imperfect they can be, 
Gnarled, lopsided, and yet beautiful 
In their very imperfections — AND 
They’re still producing tasty fruit 
As well as blossoms for the bees. 
Do consider the possibility 
That your imperfections may be part of your charm...

Tuesday, April 20, 2021

Fogged in...


Fog this morning, 
The sun trying desperately to break through... 
I have days like that, too.

Monday, April 19, 2021

The humble dandelion


Somewhere, not too far from you, 
(Look up, look down, look all around) 
Someone or something is doing their best 
In their own humble but determined way 
To brighten their corner of the universe...

Sunday, April 18, 2021

Let nature heal


Don’t be afraid to wander off alone 
When you feel your troubled heart 
Making you angry with the world. 
Some wounds — however large or small — 
Are best healed by time spent where 
The wind and waves can stroke the pain away.

Saturday, April 17, 2021

A mix of dark and light


It’s easy to forget 
 How complex each human is; 
Easy to put the other in a box. 
Just as a single surface
Can reflect opposing colors,
Each of us contains both dark and light, 
Both calm and passion, mean and kind;
Reflecting life differently 
Depending on what’s happening 
Down beneath our surface 
And how the winds are stirring 
That part of us that meets the outer world. 
Be gracious, don’t assume the worst, 
Be patient and get better at forgiving.

Friday, April 16, 2021

The daily invitation


Each morning offers a new invitation 
To step forward into the light...

Thursday, April 15, 2021

Shift focus


However much our day’s consumed 
With simple, repetitive chores — 
Laundry, dishes, walking the dog — 
It helps to be reminded and encouraged 
To sit, to rest, to focus on 
Something larger and more timeless 
Than ourselves...

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

Ready to return


As the weather warms 
And the threat of disease begins to fade, 
We dream of returning to old pleasures, 
Greeting them with eyes newly appreciative, Knowing as we now do 
What it was we truly missed 
And what we’ve learned 
We can easily do without...

Tuesday, April 13, 2021

The colors of evening


Here, in the soft light of evening, 
Everything is growing; 
Leafy shoots appearing everywhere, 
Reaching for the stars. 
How is it that color gives us so much pleasure?

Monday, April 12, 2021

You’re getting close!


The obstacles to your objective 
Are growing fewer and farther apart. 
Keep your eyes lifted to the light
And step carefully:
You’re sure to reach your goal.

Sunday, April 11, 2021

Reflections on stillness


Like water, when we’re still 
We can reflect upon what we’re given to observe. 
The more busy, agitated, or disturbed 
Our lives become, 
The less accurate our reflections. 
Making time for stillness is our way 
Of coming closer to assessing 
The breadth and truth of what we see.

Saturday, April 10, 2021

When the rest of the world is blooming


It can be hard, 
When the rest of the world is blooming 
And you feel like you’re still buried in the mud, 
Desperately trying to break through 
The hard shell that’s protected you 
Through the long winter we just passed. 
Learn to trust the call of the light, 
Pulling you through the nourishing dark and rain: 
Your time will come.

Friday, April 9, 2021

The challenge in reconnecting


After so much isolation for so long, 
We find it hard to carve a path 
Through the defenses we were forced to erect 
And the ones that have grown up over time; 
The accretion of silence and solitude 
Which now make it doubly difficult 
To reach out and renew old friendships, 
Past connections, and familiar socializing. 
How might we do things differently, 
Carrying as we now do 
The awareness of our singularity?

Thursday, April 8, 2021

Restoring compassion


Each morning we return again 
To kneel at the foot of the bodhi tree, 
Emptying our hearts and minds 
And breathing in compassion, 
Inviting it to take root and flow 
Like healing sap, through veins 
And out to limbs, til every cell’s awash 
In the longing to bear fruit 
And cast a shade of love on all we meet.

Wednesday, April 7, 2021

Blessed ties


Blessed be the ties that bind: 
The connections, the commitments, 
The community that comforts us,
That encourages and protects; 
For all that shelters and prepares us, 
Teaches, guides, and fuels us, 
That we might more effectively deliver
Our own unique contributions 
To spirit and humanity.

Tuesday, April 6, 2021

Enjoy the journey


I am learning to appreciate 
That lovely in-between time, 
When the snow still clothes the mountains 
But the grass is beginning 
 Its long green journey into spring. 
No longer impatient for what’s coming; 
I’m simply grateful to be enjoying 
The gentle transformation of the seasons.

Monday, April 5, 2021

Standing on the Stone


Standing upon the promise 
Of the stone that rolled away, 
We see at last the role we are to play; 
The vast horizon 
Of the world we’re meant to love, 
And how ephemeral 
The clouds that block our view.

Sunday, April 4, 2021

Happy Easter!


Welcome Happy Morning! 
May joy and light and hope fill your heart today🙏

Saturday, April 3, 2021

Holy Saturday


Today we grieve together all the losses: 
The illusions and the heroes that lie buried 
In the cold stone chambers of our hearts, 
Awaiting resurrection and release...

Friday, April 2, 2021

Good Friday


Each year we return to this dark river 
To drink from its well of sorrows. 
Reminded once again 
Of man’s inhumanity to man, 
We acknowledge our own complicity 
And hunger for the bright promise of release...

Thursday, April 1, 2021

Fading to becoming


As we move into the dark 
And the sun fades from view 
We are reminded: like the spirit, 
It’s still there, though we don’t see it. 
It’s nature’s way of teaching us 
To appreciate and be present 
To who and where we are 
While never losing sight 
Of who and what we are becoming.