Monday, February 28, 2022

A moment’s panic


What is it, 
 Those clouds and fire in the distance? 
Are we meant to run and hide, 
Or is it just the sun, 
 With her daily wake-up call? 
Must we be on high alert, 
Or can we stop, breathe, 
And listen for the guidance of the moment?

Sunday, February 27, 2022

In the heat of war


This one painted itself yesterday, 
A heartfelt symphony in blue and gold, 
Melted together into a military green 
 By the heat of war; hearts ache 
For all the suffering and fear.

Saturday, February 26, 2022

Your ship will come in


Feeling stymied? Stuck? Blocked? 
 No worries: it’s just that your ship’s running late. You’ll know when it’s arrived, 
And yes, you’re still first in line.

Friday, February 25, 2022

The peace of inactivity


There is much joy 
To be found in prayerful hibernation; 
In resting in the quiet chill 
And watching as the sun warms the sky,
While holding others’ struggles in your heart;
In knowing, even as you mourn,
That each branch will soon 
Be blessed with fruit again; 
In giving yourself permission 
To occupy this quiet space
As an offering to a world trembling with fear.

Thursday, February 24, 2022

The watched pot


See? The watched pot DOES boil! 
I suspect it’s not the watching,
 But the impatience that interferes 
With our sense of completion and satisfaction. 
Once we get better at acceptance of what’s now; 
Better at appreciation, 
 Not just of the promise inherent in the boiling, 
But also of the joy in anticipation, 
Pleasure will prove a more constant companion.

Wednesday, February 23, 2022

The journey shared


No matter where you are,
 Someone else is having 
 A completely different experience: 
Dancing at a wedding, 
 Or inventing some new plaything; 
Being held at gunpoint, 
Or kneeling at the bedside of a parent or a child… Think of them as you pass by; 
Open your heart, and remember 
Life’s a journey we all share.

Tuesday, February 22, 2022

When two become One


Thinking, today, Tuesday, 2/22/22, 
Of all the ways two become one — 
In marriages and conceptions, 
In body and spirit, 
In a two-party system — when it works — 
We are born out of unity, 
And we live our lives longing to return…

Monday, February 21, 2022

Your wildest imaginings


What could your life be like, 
If you just let your imagination run wild?

Sunday, February 20, 2022

A boost in brokenness


On those days, 
When the brokenness within rises up 
And threatens to overwhelm you, 
Don’t run away, or sink into the sand, 
But step forward; take a closer look:
 It’s possible that in crumbling 
Your ego may have exposed 
 Your inner strength, 
 And those crevasses might prove footholds, 
Offering a boost to a brighter future.

Friday, February 18, 2022

Brilliant reminders


As the day begins and ends, 
Nature reminds us with displays of brilliance 
 To take stock; to ascertain what tasks 
Remain before us; to ask how will you — 
Or have you — blessed and brightened 
The world around us?

Thursday, February 17, 2022

Offer hospitality


Whatever good we do, 
Whatever kindness or hospitality we provide, 
Will cast a larger shadow 
 Than we may ever see or realize.

Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Who can embrace the moon?


Who does not long, like the trees, 
To embrace the moon; that mystery 
That lies deep in our core 
And fuels the tides of fantasy and desire, 
Of creativity and passion 
As they wax and wane, always returning…

Tuesday, February 15, 2022

As the road turns…


Inevitably the path of life 
Will take some unexpected turns, 
Just as we think we’re nearing our destination; 
Just as we thought we were almost there, 
Or had finally made it home. 
Don’t focus on what you’re missing, 
 Or you’ll lose your way — 
 Which might be taking you 
To something even better!

Monday, February 14, 2022

A greater love


Love comes into our lives
In many and often surprising guises,
But each one offers a tantalizing hint
Of the greater love 
That surrounds and birthed us all…

Sunday, February 13, 2022

Longing for Spring


Oh, how our hearts 
Hunger for and respond to 
The glorious colors of Spring…

Saturday, February 12, 2022

Blame it on the moon


This morning I happened to wake just as 
The wild red moon was sliding into the sea. 
I went outside with my camera 
But of course it got things backward, 
Painting the moon white and the sky red. 
We humans do that, too, I think: 
Picture ourselves moon-white, while letting
Our emotions color everything around us; 
Blaming them and not ourselves...

Friday, February 11, 2022

Finding our way


Sometimes the best way forward 
Is to go around; to find another way. 
We can become so focused on our goals 
That we fixate upon our obstacles 
 And fail to see the opportunities 
 Awaiting us at every turn…

Thursday, February 10, 2022

The mother-well of hope


Standing on the bridge 
Looking out on eternity, 
I sing a song in praise 
Of that earth-deep mother-well of wonder 
That fuels both creativity and compassion, 
And spills her passion, purity, and fire 
 Into our dreams, replenishing our hope.

Wednesday, February 9, 2022

What needs to shift?


What is it that you’ll need to leave behind 
To move ahead? What childhood doors 
Must finally close in order for others to open?
 What images of yourself; what masks 
Have you assumed that you now need to shed?

Tuesday, February 8, 2022

Lost concentration


I close my eyes to meditate,
 Hoping to slide into that empty mirror, 
And thoughts, like clouds, come drifting 
Across the horizon of my mind. 
Like the sea, I get caught up, 
Trying to reflect on them, 
And my lost concentration 
 Washes up upon the beach.

Monday, February 7, 2022

Celebrate connectedness


Our connections — 
 To the earth, and to each other — 
 Keep us grounded when our institutions fail, 
Offer solace and safety in the storms, 
And inspire us to new heights 
Of compassion and creativity: 
Celebrate them!

Sunday, February 6, 2022

Appreciate complexity


Surely the complexity of nature 
 Echoes the complexity 
 Of human minds and relationships: 
Why do we insist on reducing all we see 
To black and white when there are so many 
Shades of gray?

Saturday, February 5, 2022

Gaining perspective


That is, of course, the gift of perspective: 
When we step back a bit, we begin to see 
Both the larger picture and the shadows 
Old decisions and restrictions may be casting…

Friday, February 4, 2022

Hidden in the shadows


Sometimes, hidden in the darkness, 
Masked by the threat of storms, 
There exists a door, hiding in the shadows, 
Waiting to be opened. 
 Move through this and keep breathing; 
New light and life await on the other side.

Thursday, February 3, 2022

Righteous flocking


I watch as a flock of starlings, startled, 
Take shelter in my neighbor’s tree, 
Moving as one to fly to safety, 
Triggered by the sound of an opening door. 
It was just my husband, going out to feed them. 
Humans, too, are quick to assume the worst, 
Joining the unquestioning surge 
 Of righteous indignation, 
 Triggered by an act or word 
 Uttered with the best of intentions…

Wednesday, February 2, 2022

The earth can bear your weight


Those days when you feel sinking; lost? 
It may just be an illusion: touch the ground.
 Trust that you are still connected; 
That the earth can bear the weight 
Of your troubles, and those illusions 
Are neither as convincing or as terrifying 
As they appear.

Tuesday, February 1, 2022

Healing the divisions


We cannot hope to heal 
The divisions between us 
Until we begin to heal 
The divisions within us.