Tuesday, August 31, 2021

Listen to your soul


Make time today to sit with yourself and listen: 
What is it that your soul truly hungers for? 
Is it really “more” and “better?” 
Or might it be simply “this” and “now?” 
Perhaps all the sustenance we need 
Is already here, in this moment.

Monday, August 30, 2021

What and where to give


In a world where there is so much need, 
So much that demands our attention — 
Earthquakes, war, famine, disease — 
How do we decide how and where to help 
When so much is required 
And we have so little to offer?
I think we start close to home; 
Make a difference where we can, 
And trust that whatever we can do 
To brighten the world around us 
Will have larger ramifications..

Sunday, August 29, 2021

Moving through the shadows


We don’t tend to know what’s coming, 
What’s moving toward us in the shadows, 
Or what lies waiting at the crossroads, 
But still we press on, 
Despite the fog of anticipation and worry, 
Trusting that when we reach 
That eternal stopping point 
We will not be alone…

Saturday, August 28, 2021

Your heart as a garden


Think of your heart, your love, your community, 
Your nation, your world, your universe 
As a garden: capable of enormous beauty, 
Of sustaining life, of feeding our eyes, 
Our lungs, and our souls with grace 
When carefully tended, watered and weeded.

Friday, August 27, 2021

Freedom


Invited to paint with a simple piece of cardboard, 
I found myself closer to the canvas; 
More intimately engaged with the painting, 
And more inclined to follow 
Where the mix of colors led. 
It was as if the critical voices in my head 
Had been silenced, and I was free 
To simply enjoy the process without worrying 
 How it looked, or where it might take me…

Thursday, August 26, 2021

Pluses and minuses


Life is full of pluses and minuses; 
Divisions and dividends. 
On which do you find yourself focusing?

Wednesday, August 25, 2021

Coloring the past


When you look back on the past, 
What do you see? 
Do you focus on the shadows or the light? 
Do you remember what carried you through, 
Or what was happening in the wider world — 
And are those memories colored 
With joy or with pain?

Tuesday, August 24, 2021

Keep working!


There will be gray days, 
But still there is work to be done, 
Tasks that must be accomplished 
No matter what the weather or your mood. 
Keep rowing, and remember to be grateful: 
Your activity will keep you warm, 
And your aching limbs will distract your mind 
From worrying…

Monday, August 23, 2021

Echoing our hungers


We carry within us this sense 
Of responsibility to the natural world, 
Which, in its silence, speaks to us, 
Echoing our own internal hungers 
For love, for safety, for respect, 
And for connection.

Sunday, August 22, 2021

Fearing change


New opportunities await you, 
Yet here you stand: 
Entranced by the possibilities 
But reluctant to take that final step, 
Not opening those doors 
For fear of what you might 
 Have to leave behind…

Saturday, August 21, 2021

Light at the end of the tunnel


Always, contained within the darkness, 
There beckons an invitation to the light: 
We simply need the courage 
To step into it and through; 
To lean into the difficult and challenging, 
Rather than walk away.

Friday, August 20, 2021

Breathe more deeply


The act of centering 
Takes us down to our roots; 
To the tranquil waters of spirit 
That well up within us; 
To that place where, once again, 
We can breathe more deeply, 
 And know.

Thursday, August 19, 2021

Never grow complacent


May we never grow complacent 
About the simple pleasures of this life: 
The shade of trees, the scent of flowers, 
The song of birds and the glorious colors 
Of the sunsets and sunrises, ever new 
And always renewing the promise 
Of new beginnings and restful nights.

Wednesday, August 18, 2021

In the Divine embrace


Those of us who long to be held 
In the embrace of the Divine 
May find our longings satisfied 
More outdoors than in, 
Finding peace while floating, 
Cradled tenderly, in the arms of the clouds…

Tuesday, August 17, 2021

When opportunities arise


Yes, there will always be 
Opportunities that arise 
And folks who are quick 
To take advantage of them. 
It’s up to us to evaluate the risks, 
Decide to climb, or simply wait 
For them to fall…

Monday, August 16, 2021

Guiding lights


A word of gratitude today 
For all the saints over the years 
Whose words and hearts 
Continue to light the way 
For those of us who navigate 
The challenging shoals of life.

Sunday, August 15, 2021

Oases of love


In these dry and worrisome times, 
I’m more grateful than ever 
For the gardeners who are willing to share 
Their cool and fragrant oases of green. 
May each of us, in turn, 
Serve as oases of love in this troubled world…

Saturday, August 14, 2021

Appreciate imperfections


However perfect life might be, 
There will always be projects we began 
That didn’t unfold as we expected; 
There will always be things that bug us. 
We do our best to appreciate it all — 
Not just the perfect, but also the imperfections 
Which give the perfect character 
And help us appreciate it all the more…

Friday, August 13, 2021

Aflame with love


It’s morning now, and that red light 
From smoke and sun 
Sets our interiors aflame, 
Just as a word of hope or kindness 
Can set the darkest heart 
Aflame with love.

Thursday, August 12, 2021

Promise in the night sky


Even as the day fades, blazing with glory, 
The small moon tips its well of light 
Into the night to come; 
A promise of more joy on the horizon. 
The waters, like the light, 
Will rise and fall again, 
Called into motion by the gentle prompting 
Of the distant moon.

Wednesday, August 11, 2021

Celebrate character


Do not bemoan the many signs of age, 
But celebrate the character they display, 
And stand firm in your willingness 
To prepare and point the way 
For a better life for others.

Tuesday, August 10, 2021

Let the subtle shine forth


Do not assume, when the sun drops 
Beyond the horizon, 
That the wonderful display of color is at end. 
Often the most spectacular moments 
To occur in our lives 
Come after the obvious bright benefits 
Have left the room, 
And the subtle has its opportunity to shine.

Monday, August 9, 2021

Reminders


Everywhere we look, there are reminders 
Of both the suffering in the world 
And the divine grace that brought us to this place.

Sunday, August 8, 2021

Divine mystery awaits


Whatever our environment, 
Whether urban, suburban, rural or remote, 
The divine mystery is there, 
Waiting for us to breathe it in and respond.

Saturday, August 7, 2021

Elsewhere there are fires


In the midst of the cool and calm, 
A reminder that there are fires burning 
Elsewhere in the world…

Friday, August 6, 2021

In touch with mystery


This morning I opened a book 
I’d purchased
Used, old, and out of print — 
And these petals fell out, 
As if to mark the place which read, 
“Contemplatives withdraw from time to time 
Into silence and solitude. 
They do this, consciously or unconsciously, 
To nourish their willingness 
And intouchness with mystery.” 
Indeed…

Thursday, August 5, 2021

No effortless peace


The invitation to peace 
Inevitably contains within it 
A presumption of effort: 
We reach that stillness we think of as home 
By having diligently applied our oars, 
Sweeping repeatedly past 
The interruptions of an anxious mind 
To achieve the desired destination: 
Only then can we tie up and rest.

Wednesday, August 4, 2021

Sharing our giftedness


Creativity and intelligence take many forms, 
Not all of them readily recognizable 
To others, to our parents; 
Not even to ourselves. 
Often what we bring into the world 
Is as natural — and invisible — to us 
As water to the fish in the sea. 
Make time today to realize 
How very gifted you are 
And find new ways to bless the world 
 With those gifts.

Tuesday, August 3, 2021

Monday, August 2, 2021

Surprised by the scent of love


The most important decision 
A contemplative photographer makes 
Is whether or not to respond 
To the invitation. 
Those of us who listen; 
Who stop and turn and go back to see 
What’s calling them, and kneel 
In search of the perfect composition, 
Having taken the shot, make awake to find 
Their nostrils and their hearts and eyes 
Filled with the sweet surprising scent of Love.

Sunday, August 1, 2021

Trust in the becoming


Who we are now and what we are becoming 
May be very different things. 
Our job in this moment 
Is simply to bloom as best we can, 
And to trust that our labors and our losses 
Will result in something more 
Than we could ever have asked or imagined.