Gratitude

A Blessing of Faith Through Fiery Glory

I was looking through an album this morning; photos capturing moments now long since past. Among which, a faded image – a sunny day joyously spent along the black sand beaches of Kilauea, Hawaii.

The sands there were a silken grey; from molten lava, to hardened stone – and returned to ash once again. Beneath the feet, this fine powder warmed – a return to center through humbled journey.

In the twilight, she cast her glow; as reflections danced upon a bed of polished stone. To each, his own perfection begs – a blessing of faith through fiery glory.

In peace, my loves…

Namaste ❤️

This Extraordinary Ordinariness.

I was reading  a passage this morning by one of my favorite authors, Mark Nepo. He was speaking of our inherent propensity to give in to the ‘smallness’ which hastens our misery.

“We begin so aware and grateful. The sun somehow hangs there in the sky. The little bird sings. The miracle of life just happens. Then we stub our toe, and in that moment of pain, the whole world is reduced to our poor little toe. Now, for a day or two, it is difficult to walk. With every step, we are reminded of our poor little toe.

Our vigilance becomes: Which defines our day—the pinch we feel in walking on a bruised toe, or the miracle still happening?”

How easily we are drawn, my loves, into that which diminishes our gratitude. That which reduces the aperture of our loving heart to a single point of pain.

And, it happens every day.

With such narrowed focus, our ‘problem’ becomes our ‘everything’ – the dripping of faucet, the falling of rain… the irritation of being trapped with no escape.

Unless…

We take a moment to simply rest; to appreciate the miracle within such ordinariness.

“Light is in both the broken bottle and the diamond,” he shares. “and music is in both the flowing violin and the water dripping from the drainage pipe. Yes, God is under the porch as well as on top of the mountain, and joy is in both the front row and the bleachers, if we are willing to be where we are.”

In peace, my loves…

Namaste <3

Through Fall’s Open Road.

I watched the leaves shift in the morning breeze.

At the highest bough, they lingered — eager to tell this manifestation of change. Within which, a burnished red with coppered hue, and a gold – quite simply, heaven sent. All telling of these riches to be shared.

At no other time, does the earth provide itself so freely; a gentle yielding to open soul.

I walk in solitude, yet never alone; this path ahead forged through knowing.

That we are, at once, all of the same — energy and motion of the Divine’s loving grace.

In peace…

Namaste ❤️

This Dance of Light.

“These trees are magnificent,” the poet Rilke once observed. “but even more magnificent is the sublime and moving space between them, as though with their growth it too increased.”

My darlings, the ‘space between’ is calling me; through wooded path and timbered trail, and simply to find my place again.

Not even the tortured burn of a body failed can keep me; for faith shall serve destiny’s will.

And I am made whole through these lumberings of journey.

Neither the stinging whip of ‘unfurled branch’ nor the labyrinth of twisted root could deter; a heart’s resolve is measured through doing.

“So we are grasped, by that which we could not grasp,
at such great distance, so fully manifest—
and it changes us, even when we do not reach it,
into something that, hardly sensing it, we already are…”

Isn’t it amazing, my loves – that throughout all of this journey? In the end, that which you are seeking is you.

In peace…

Namaste ❤️

The Light That Shines From Within.

My darlings, this morning a passage from poet Pablo Neruda – one that matches the depth of my heart’s morning grace.

“I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.
I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;
so I love you because I know no other way

than this: where I does not exist, nor you,
so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,
so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.”

My darlings, in life there are always challenges – missed opportunity, lessons of regret. Though, we are made whole through the company of friends – unexpected refracted instances of the light that shines from within.

In peace, my loves…and on this day, I bow humbly to you.

Namaste ❤️

These Blessings of New.

Wild finches are gathered around the feeder this morning; partaking in the morning glories and a scoop of freshly poured optimism.

In the early light, their wings come alive – flashes of crimson and canary gold dancing against an azure blue sky.

Each morning, they visit me here – irrespective circumstance and absent the ‘story of day.’

Their hearts wishing no more, no less than this, just this: a simple pause for passion’s sake and opportunity to begin again.

Good morning, my loves ~ and a happy day to you; one replete with these blessings of ‘new’.

In peace…

Namaste ❤️

This Blessing of Day.

The morning stillness greets me today; wrapped in the grace of freshly fallen rain and the splendor of light against dew.

Inside she sleeps, this garden queen; with petals adorned and dreams yet unfolding. All the while and upon each breath, curiosity begs adventure’s longing.

She finds her peace amongst the cattails gentle rhythms; bowing before this greatness of day.

And, leaving just one question to be answered:

“Are we too rushed to note her?”

In peace, my loves…

Namaste ❤️

Catching Joy as it Flies.

I remember in my twenties moving several thousand miles away from home. Oh, I suppose I never did things easily – the fearless explorer in me ever-compelled by the prospect of a newfound adventure.

As an outsider looking in, you would have assumed I had all the boldness of an untamed pony. I was self-assured, confident – my excitement bubbling over to every conversation. In the months leading up, I made lists… purchased ‘necessities’. I spent hours dreaming endlessly of all those stones, yet to be turned.

In my mind, I thought I was ‘ready’ – though, are any of us ever ready to leave those comforts of home?

There’s a material simplicity to our lives that comes by way of routine and knowing. We wake each day, reach for our favorite mug – and assume our faithful post against the window. We may watch the children play, or take note of the garden’s newest growth.

Though, what happens when our routine is disrupted? What happens when we lose touch with the ease of simplicity?

For me, I felt the weight of my own stories – “this isn’t home” or, worse yet – “Why am I here?”

Sadly, I allowed these minor disruptions to intrude upon my inner peace. In doing so, I closed myself off from joy.

The author William Blake once wrote:

“He who binds to himself a joy
Does the wingèd life destroy;
But he who kisses the joy as it flies
Lives in eternity’s sunrise.”

There’s a gentle flow to these lines, perhaps from the experience of knowing – that when we create attachment, we find ourselves the teared to a single moment.

We lose our sense of “home”.

Though, for he who kisses joy as it flies…lives forever in eternity’s softened glow.

A little something to consider, my loves –

In peace…

Namaste ❤️

In This Space of Love.

I believe it was philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti who once observed, that love is a shared connection – a communion between two souls, growing only through a release of self. And knowing that freedom and love must go together; that anything less would prove a disservice.

And yet, how often do we find ourselves in a space of seeking? Of wishing more than what has already been shared?

Though our love may be intended as a gift, it is not always without condition. For even the purest of hearts, at times, begs its return.

Herein lies our paradigm – for how might love be nourished on less than fertile grounds?

“The most important aspect of love,” writes Ram Dass “is not in giving or the receiving, it’s in the being.”

Meaning, we must allow it the freedom to blossom and grow; to lean, in its own way, towards the sun. To be as it is, rather than what we might intend it to be. To set aside expectation in place of possibility.

Only then, may we discover the potential of having been transformed through it.

In peace…

Namaste ❤️

This Blessing of Now.

I found inspiration this morning through the words of Zen Buddhist Master Dōgen. As written;

“Life and death are of supreme importance. Time passes swiftly, and opportunity is lost. Let us awaken. Do not squander your life.”

There an aspect of mortality that is, in and of itself, a blessing. We feel its urgency coursing through as we contemplate the depths of our own not-knowing.

“What happens next?”

“Does the will of spirit transform?”

In this way, fear becomes a catalyst – an invitation, if you will. Begging us to explore those farther off regions of our own conscious mind.

Initially, we fear the fear; though, in time we fear the squander.

To understand mortality is to understand our own impermanence. Ours is but a fleeting glimpse; and this experience – all of it – is a gift.

And within this gift, we are continuously challenged – to view this world outside the scale of human thought, to engage this life just as it is.

In peace…

Namaste ❤️