Saturday, July 31, 2021

A pastoral scene to soothe your soul


I’m not sure why pastoral scenes 
Like this one seem to feed my soul, 
But since they do, I’ll share this one 
In hopes it brings a sense of calm 
And peace into your day…

Friday, July 30, 2021

Welcome the new day


Welcome the new day, 
Whatever it brings — 
The light and the dark, 
The colors and the gray, 
The rain and the sun, 
The highs and the lows … 
Even the weeds have lessons to share, 
If only we watch, 
And listen.

Thursday, July 29, 2021

Where we spend our love


How is it that we who are capable 
Of investing the inanimate 
With so much tender care and affection 
Can so easily ignore the plight 
Of humans, plants, and animals 
Endowed with life?

Wednesday, July 28, 2021

Seek out the source


“Sunlight fell upon the wall; 
The wall received a borrowed splendor. 
Why set your heart on a piece of earth? 
Seek out the source which shines forever.” (Rumi)

Tuesday, July 27, 2021

The truth of our connectedness


When we are at odds with one another, 
It becomes more difficult to see 
The fragile pearls of connection 
That bind us to each other and the world. 
Step apart; step into the light 
And let the truth of our connectedness 
 Be illuminated.

Monday, July 26, 2021

Remnants of the past


The structures we created 
To deal with the challenges of childhood 
May no longer be relevant or functional, 
But some trace of them will always remain 
To remind us of where we’ve been 
And what we’ve overcome…

Sunday, July 25, 2021

Closer to the divine


The closer the sun, 
The clearer the path 
She carves across the waters 
Just as the closer we come to the divine, 
The more clearly we are marked as its own.

Saturday, July 24, 2021

You were made for this


Remember this: that you have been created 
With a unique ability to meet your own 
Specific needs; designed, and given tools 
To achieve a special purpose 
And to sip of the sweetness of existence.

Friday, July 23, 2021

A productive entanglement


However tangled our relationships might be, 
We are, nonetheless, 
Securely tied to one another, 
Red states and blue inextricably linked 
And needing each other 
To maintain a steady course.

Thursday, July 22, 2021

Step into possibility


Each day we are born anew into wonder; 
Each day that we are fortunate enough 
To awaken, we have, once again, that chance; 
That opportunity to step through 
The narrow confines of the known 
And into the wide and golden field 
 Of infinite possibility.

Wednesday, July 21, 2021

Courage and exposure


We tend to forget 
That courage and vulnerability 
Are inseparably linked; 
That it’s when we take a stand 
Apart from the crowd; 
When we allow our uniqueness and our quirks 
To become most visible; 
That to be brave always means to risk 
Exposure.

Tuesday, July 20, 2021

Forgetting our mission


We humans are so easily distracted 
By the splashy promises of color and light 
That it’s easy to miss the truth 
That stands before us. 
As if in Oz, we allow ourselves 
To be entertained by special effects 
And forget we came here hoping for a heart.

Monday, July 19, 2021

The handwriting on the wall


There are those who say 
The handwriting was on the wall, and yet — 
Where was this wall, 
And what did the writing say? 
There’s so much we don’t know — can’t know; 
And always the hope of divine intervention… 
Instead of hoping to say “I told you so,” 
Let’s focus on making Now a kinder place.

Sunday, July 18, 2021

Grateful for guides


I know. 
It’s hard to keep on going 
When your destination’s so unclear. 
Luckily there are others who’ve gone before you; 
You’re not traveling alone. 
Be grateful for the guides along your path…

Saturday, July 17, 2021

So much alike


You and I may not be exactly alike, 
But there’s no denying: 
The two of us are tethered to the same — 
The same earth, the same air, 
The same hopes for health and happiness, 
The same needs for food, shelter, clothing; 
The same desire for respect, and for love;
For a chance to share our gifts, and for 
A safe and comfortable place to rest. 
When we have so much in common, 
Why insist on focusing solely 
 On our differences?

Friday, July 16, 2021

Old patterns


Now that we’re set free again, 
How will we choose to spend our time? 
What will we do, where will we go, 
And whom do we long to see? 
After so many months of isolation, 
Will we revert to our old patterns; 
Return to business as usual? 
What have we learned in silence 
About our formerly frenetic lives?

Thursday, July 15, 2021

Viewing differences


Whether you see yourself 
As inside looking out or outside looking in, 
The fact remains that each of us 
Is different from the other, 
And how we see those differences — 
As opportunities to learn or to exclude — 
Will contribute to our overall sense 
Of connection or isolation.

Wednesday, July 14, 2021

Appreciate this moment


Does it matter if the moon 
Is waxing or waning; 
If there’s fullness or emptiness to come? 
Instead of worrying which direction 
Things are heading, 
Can we just take this moment 
To appreciate where we are?

Tuesday, July 13, 2021

The heart as a camera


Let my heart be a camera, 
Fully conscious of the beauty in each moment:
Undistracted by past regrets or future worries, 
Honoring both light and shadow, 
Steady and sure while listening 
For promptings of both promise and possibility 
Yet aware of my resistance and reservations…

Monday, July 12, 2021

Silencing your voice


Success is never truly success 
If you had to silence your own unique voice 
In order to achieve it.

Sunday, July 11, 2021

Mastery vs. Mystery


The challenge we face as people of Spirit, 
Is to somehow continue moving forward; 
To carry out the tasks we bear 
While remaining conscious, not only of Now, 
But of the larger sphere of connectedness 
In which we live and move and have our being: 
It is the tension between mastery and mystery.

Saturday, July 10, 2021

Conflicting desires


What is it in us, that hunger to be seen,
To be the one pink poppy in a field of red
While at the same time longing
For the comfort of being
Just like everyone else?
That constant battling of desires
Between individuality and community —
So much a part of being human…

Friday, July 9, 2021

Stay safe


I find it so encouraging, 
That, mixed in with the egoic attempts 
To brand this environment 
With imprints of the self, 
Someone has thought of others 
Who might be passing by. 
Stay safe, my friends, my fellow humans, 
Whoever you might be; stay safe.

Thursday, July 8, 2021

Reach for it!


Sometimes it’s not enough 
To just hope for the sweetest things in life 
To fall into your lap. 
Sometimes you need to exert that extra effort, 
And reach for it!

Wednesday, July 7, 2021

Heading home


However full your day has been, 
However thrilling your adventures, 
There’s nothing quite so comforting 
As knowing that you’re finally heading home…

Tuesday, July 6, 2021

Such beauty in a droplet


Like droplets framing a leaf 
Born to sparkle in the morning dew, 
We shine all too briefly: illuminate,
Enlighten and then fade or fall 
To nourish the ground 
From which such beauty springs, 
And who’s to say that moment’s gift of wonder 
Might not have changed the world?

Monday, July 5, 2021

Everything belongs


Perhaps life is like a painting: 
Everything that went before — 
All the mistakes, 
All the experiments that failed, 
All the things that worked 
And those that didn’t — 
Only serve to enhance and enrich 
The depth and beauty of the present… 
We just keep going until, by some miracle, 
It comes out right.

Sunday, July 4, 2021

A blessed Independence Day


May the the light of the Divine 
Brighten the way before you; 
May your path be smooth and clear, 
And the wind gentle upon your back…

Saturday, July 3, 2021

Refreshing abundance


When in doubt, I find myself refreshed 
By the sheer abundance of the natural world:
Mine, and yet not mine;
Meant to be shared…

Friday, July 2, 2021

Seeking cooperation



Why, instead of locking horns, 
Can we not learn to share — 
Or even to back off 
So we give someone else a chance?

Thursday, July 1, 2021

Be patient; keep climbing


Out of the hard rock of transitions 
Growth will inevitably emerge. 
Be patient, keep climbing; 
Joy is simply waiting for you to arrive.