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Mar 17

Spring Swinging

“Only those with tenacity can march forward in March.”― Ernest Agyemang Yeboah

“The stormy March has come at last,
With winds and clouds and changing skies;
I hear the rushing of the blast
That through the snowy valley flies.”
― William C. Bryant

March push and pull.
50-degree temperature swings.
Softening earth.
Followed by 10 inches of snow.
Transformation under construction.
Preparing spring to burst with brilliant colors.
Join the dance.
Winter always yields to spring.
Time and timing.
Joy in the waiting, on each step of the journey.
Gratitude in, for, through all seasons.

“In March winter is holding back and spring is pulling forward. Something holds and something pulls inside of us too.”― Jean Hersey

Mar 16

Bright Spark of Resurrection

“Nothing is yet in its true form.”― C.S. Lewis

Let There Always Be Light (Searching for Dark Matter)
by Rebecca Elson

“For this we go out dark nights, searching
For the dimmest stars,
For signs of unseen things:

To weigh us down.
To stop the universe
From rushing on and on
Into its own beyond
Till it exhausts itself and lies down cold,
Its last star going out.

Whatever they turn out to be,
Let there be swarms of them,
Enough for immortality,
Always a star where we can warm ourselves.

Let there be enough to bring it back
From its own edges,
To bring us all so close we ignite
The bright spark of resurrection.”

Sun in all seasons.
To warm, melt, guide.
Lighthouse to shore.
Gentle anchoring.
Wonder, awe, delight in unseen things.
Pay attention.
Ignite.
Seek light.
Cast light.

“Each second we live is a new and unique moment of the universe a moment that never was before and never will be again”― Pablo Casals

Mar 15

Not Yet. Settle In.

“The pine stays green in winter… wisdom in hardship.” – Norman Douglas

“Winter is not a season, it’s an occupation.” – Sinclair Lewis

“Not yet.”
Said winter to spring.
“Soon.”
Said spring to winter.
The dance ensues.
Winter takes the lead back from spring.
Beauty and bounty in both.
Slow. Sunday. Settle in.
The call of Sabbath.
Making space, giving way, finding treasure.

“It is the life of the crystal, the architect of the flake, the fire of the frost, the soul of the sunbeam. This crisp winter air is full of it.” – John Burroughs

Mar 14

Threshold of Threshold

“Often when something is ending we discover within it the spore of new beginning, and a whole new train of possibility is in motion before we even realize it. When the heart is ready for a fresh beginning, unforeseen things can emerge. And in a sense, this is exactly what a beginning does. It is an opening for surprises.” – John O’Donohue

“When we choose indifference, we betray our world. Yet the world is not decided by action alone. It is decided more by consciousness and spirit; they are the secret sources of all action and behavior. The spirit of a time is an incredibly subtle, yet hugely powerful force. And it is comprised of the mentality and spirit of all individuals together. Therefore, the way you look at things is not simply a private matter. Your outlook actually and concretely affects what goes on. When you give in to helplessness, you collude with despair and add to it. When you take back your power and choose to see the possibilities for healing and transformation, your creativity awakens and flows to become an active force of renewal and encouragement in the world. In this way, even in your own hidden life, you can become a powerful agent of transformation in a broken, darkened world. There is a huge force field that opens when intention focuses and directs itself toward transformation.” – John O’Donohue

Transitions to transformation
On display
Nature shows the dance and delay
Late winter sun
Ice moving to water
Crisp air
Ice lingers longer
In between time
Threshold of threshold
Winter is not done yet
Spring hokey pokey
One foot in, one foot out
Tide and breathing
Cusp of emergence.

“Part of the art of living wisely is to learn to recognize and attend to such profound openings in one’s life.” – John O’Donohue

Mar 13

Blooming in the Questions

“How can I begin anything new with all of yesterday in me?”― Leonard Cohen, Beautiful Losers

“It may be that when we no longer know what to do,
we have come to our real work
and when we no longer know which way to go,
we have begun our real journey.

The mind that is not baffled is not employed.
The impeded stream is the one that sings.”― Wendell Berry

Good questions
Curiosity
Listening
Seeking
Bloom that comes from seeds of inquiry.

“The greatest discoveries in life come not from finding the right answers but from asking the right questions.”― Sahil Bloom, The 5 Types of Wealth

Mar 12

Attention to Devotion

“Attention is the beginning of devotion.” — Mary Oliver

“Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.” — Simone Weil

Slowing.
Noticing.
White space.
Margin.
Pause.
Focus.
Inquiry.
Unknowing.
Curiosity.
Listening.
Kindness of presence
Generosity of spirit
Gift of rapt attention.
Cast light.

“You become what you give your attention to.” — Epictetus

Mar 11

Try on Joy, You Look Good in that Color

“Blessed are we who are learning to hope.
And how to let go.
When to act.
And when to stop.
Holding together two irreconcilable truths:
that our lives are so valuable
precisely because we have much to fear
with much to love.” – Kate Bowler

“Blessed are we needing help waking up
to the music, the movement,
and the color of living,
who need help trying on joy instead.
The wonder of the daffodil,
the power of the tiniest seed,
cracked open and sprouting new life,
reaching, at its own pace, toward light.
Blooming.
Blessed are we who long to awake.
May we find the places where
beauty and love can reach us.
We’re ready for something new.” – Kate Bowler

Double blessings.
Grateful in real time and in memory.
To be exactly where we are and present on this day.
Whether mess or bliss.
Usually, a blender of both and mostly in between.
To let go of the illusion of someday when.
Entering now with vigor, delight, anticipation.
From muted, black and white to the brilliant color of living.
A day at a time.
Planting seeds, sprouting new life, spring in bloom.
Try on joy.
You look good in that color.

“The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.”― Eric Hoffer

Mar 10

Circles of Nature

“The universe is transformation: life is opinion.” – Marcus Aurelius

“Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help. Gardening is an instrument of grace.” – May Sarton

Tilling soil
Planting seeds
Wait and weight
Time and timing
Anticipating and abiding
The work of seasons
Transitions
Transformation
Spring.

“In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.” – Margaret Atwood

Mar 9

Anchor to the Sky

“Everything in life has a pattern and a coincidence is simply the moment when the pattern becomes briefly visible.”― Anthony Horowitz, Moonflower Murders

“Pay attention to the world around you. Stories are hiding, waiting everywhere. You just have to open your eyes and your heart.” – Kate DiCamillo

Comma, Period.
Hard stop.
Look up.
Steep in beauty.
Pause in wonder.
Anchor to the sky.
Root in awe.
Peace. Light. Love.

“the birds … own nothing–the reason they can fly”― Mary Oliver, Felicity

Mar 8

Melting into Spring

“We sat in silence, letting the green in the air heal what it could.”― Erica Bauermeister, The Scent Keeper

“May you be capable of absurd joy,
ridiculous love,
audacious risk,
and even fear,
as your heart stretches to hold
this gloriously messy yes…and today.” – Kate Bowler

Melting into spring.
Slow and bumpy.
Sunday well.
Time out and off.
Hard stop.
Sit. Stay.
Up. Out.
Wander and wonder.
Absurd joy.
Love woven through it all.
Fresh meaning.

“Bless the poets, the workers for justice,
the dancers of ceremony, the singers of heartache,
the visionaries, all makers and carriers of fresh
meaning—We will all make it through,
despite politics and wars, despite failures
and misunderstandings. There is only love.”
― Joy Harjo, Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings: Poems

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