Tag: home

This Warmth of Home.

The winters in Ohio were brutal, at best; over thirty inches of ‘lake effect’ snow and a cold that could drive you to tears.

Those who ventured out were awarded a badge of courage upon their return. With wind-whipped cheeks, they’d relay their stories, “Honest to God, I couldn’t see a thing,” they’d begin.

It was always warmer within our home. Even as Old Man Winter howled and whipped his icy protest, somehow these conditions drew everyone nearer – with a place at the fire, a piping hot mug and far more stories to tell.

No matter what we do, we can not avoid adversity. Though, we can choose to navigate mindfully, with a willingness to accept the benefit of our course. It is precisely this openness that forms the foundation of our peace.

An intricate design begins to emerge. Stepping back, we begin to appreciate the magnitude of our efforts. Even threads worn thin offer a certain unimaginable beauty. They are delicate, yes – but critical to the pattern of our joyous being. Our radiance defines through the prism of our imperfect souls.

When we resist, we feel stuck. Though from the vantage of this space inside, we are never without the warmth of home.

In peace, my sweet friends…

Namaste ❤️

In This Space of Already Home.

I found grapes growing wild on a vine in the woods. It was mid-day, and I’d been lost for hours. Though the trees provided the comfort of their canopy, the blazing heat still found its way.

“Always follow the water,” my father would say. “Downstream is best.”

My parents had purchased a parcel of land ‘in the woods’ – outstretched beyond the reach of any imagination. I’d play for hours, or until the sun would set. As odd as it seems, I always felt the forest watching over me.

Though now, with many miles and years between – I felt suddenly alone.

My panic grew with each labored breath; where was the path that led me to home?

One step further, and I’d have surely missed them – these fattened clumps of sweetened nectar weighing down their vines.

Wild grapes are remarkably unique; each reflecting the ‘flavor’ of the surrounding land.

Close your eyes and let their stories burst…”I started from nothing, and now I give back.” In that moment, I began to understand … the ‘familiar.’

We recognize the familiar in all living things; its scent infused upon the evening air. As the sweet grass bows beneath our feet, welcoming us ‘home.’

Perhaps then, the familiar is always within? A discoverable aspect that lends itself to a wholeness of spirit. Nestled within the thickets and vines – the sweetness of life, a blessing to all.

In time, my breath slowed and the panic subsided – in reverence to this space of ‘already home.’

In peace, my loves…

Namaste ❤

The Heart of Hiraeth.

I happened upon a most beautiful word the other day. As a writer, you can imagine my excitement upon this magnificent discovery.

The word is “hiraeth” – a Welsh word, whose meaning is elusive in many different languages. Though, for many of us here – we instinctively know.

Often translated as an intense longing, though, in reality – its meaning is far more complex. As, it incorporates a much deeper spiritual aspect.

To feel hiraeth is to experience a sense of incompleteness…a profound yearning born from the very recesses of our soul.

Something, we’ve all experienced – I know.

Close your eyes and feel it with me – think of those far off places that have yet to be explored. The dreamer in you is calling – at first a whisper, a gentle urge…until that ‘call’ is all that can be heard.

My darlings, we are all born with this yearning within – driving us forward, and into those places we most fear.

It wakes us from our darkest sleep, pulls back those sheers and lets our heart awaken.

It’s hiraeth which beckons our soul to come ‘home’ ~ and, today my darlings, hiraeth is the word I love most of all ~

“Hiraeth beckons with wordless call,
Hear, my soul, with heart enthrall’d.
Hiraeth whispers while earth I roam;
Here I wait the call “come home.”

Like seagull cry, like sea borne wind,
That speak with words beyond my ken,
A longing deep with words unsaid,
Calls a wanderer home instead.

I heed your call, Hiraeth, I come
On westward path to hearth and home.
My path leads on to western shore,
My heart tells me there is yet more.

Within my ears the sea air sighs;
The sunset glow, it fills my eyes.
I stand at edge of sea and earth,
My bare feet washed in gentle surf.

Hiraeth’s longing to call me on,
Here, on shore, in setting sun.
Hiraeth calls past sunset fire,
“Look beyond, come far higher!” –author, Tim Davis (c) 2007, used by permission

This Place We Call Home.

Each day I long so much to see
The true teacher. And each time
At dusk when I open the cabin
Door and empty the teapot,
I think I know where he is:
West of us in the forest.

Or perhaps I am the one
Who is out in the night,
The forest sand wet under
My feet, moonlight shining
On the sides of the birch trees,
The sea far off gleaming.

And he is the one who is
At home. He sits in my chair
Calmly; he reads and prays
All night. He loves to feel
His own body around him;
He does not leave the house.

— “The One Who Is at Home” by Francisco Albánez

My darlings, each day we face a crossroads — at one edge, destiny and, at the other fear.

We hold ourselves in the stillness of this space, desperate to will our feet forward.

We are paralyzed by the intrusion of ‘what if’ –hopeful that heavens might part so that we may find our way through.

We pine for the energy we once knew to be there; we long for the place to call home.

Oh, but my darlings – ‘home’ has never once left us behind.

It’s right there, between the breaths — that split second teetering between outbreath and in.

Within which is the opportunity to begin again.

My darlings, through these past years you’ve grown to become my dearest friends — and so, on this day I am grateful for that crossroads that welcomed you into my home.

Namaste, my loves ~ from my humbled heart to yours. ❤️