Skip to content

Posts from the ‘Faith’ Category

Aug 15

In the Details

“Just living is not enough… one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.” – Hans Christian Andersen

“To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work.” – Mary Oliver

When we get caught up in things not in our control, we forego the simple beauty calling out to us in the details of a mere flower. The complexity in the simple. The delight in a moment. The joy in connection.

Overwhelmed? STOP. LOOK AROUND.

Really look. And the only words that you can possibly utter will be “thank you!”

We have so very much to be grateful for even in challenging times. A purpose for every season to be sure. Wherever you are at, remember that you are enough. You are worthy. You have what it takes.

Lighten up. Savor now. And drink in the color and beauty in simple details. In the miracle of a flower.

Aug 6

2 Comments

Chasing Butterflies

“The winter solstice has always been special to me as a barren darkness that gives birth to a verdant future beyond imagination, a time of pain and withdrawal that produces something joyfully inconceivable, like a monarch butterfly masterfully extracting itself from the confines of its cocoon, bursting forth into unexpected glory.” – Gary Zukav

Abby loves to chase a ball. The challenge and precision of catching it on one bounce. Sasha will watch Abby chase the ball but has no interest in it. Sasha finds her joy in chasing butterflies. Pouncing from one to the next. Looking up and down and all around to share in the butterflies’ delight, in their freedom.

“Metamorphosis has always been the greatest symbol of change for poets and artists. Imagine that you could be a caterpillar one moment and a butterfly the next.” – Louie Schwartzberg

The butterflies dance and then still themselves in an instant and then take flight as if for the first time. Released from the cocoon, conquering gravity. From struggle to gradual transformation in due time into a brilliant, beautiful butterfly. Hope, grace, glory. Repeat again and again. The cycle of life.

Chase some butterflies. It’s good for the soul.

Jul 25

2 Comments

Renewed Tires

“And suddenly you just know…it’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.” -Meister Eckhart

“Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.” – Nathaniel Hawthorne

“Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.” – Nathaniel Hawthorne

We have the capacity and calling to transform. To become new and be renewed.  From cocoon to butterfly. From 40,000 miles on the road to colorful plant holders on the curb.

Never underestimate the potential in the dawn of each day, in a new beginnings. Magic and beauty. Delight and awe. Sheer wonder. We have many lives within our one life. It all ties together despite the our understanding in this moment. Trust is good. Faith is real.

Let it unfold and dive into uncertainty and discovery. Into the holy and sacred. It’s happening now. Your tires are being retreaded as you trod on.

More change, more mystery? Hell yeah – bring it on!

Jul 22

2 Comments

Loud Quiet

“Silence is the pause in me when I am near to God.” – Arvo Part

When we slow down and allow silence to enter, our own voice in the quiet becomes louder. The noisey voices in your head that tell you to go faster, don’t try because it’s too hard, you’re not worthy or enough are not the real you at all. It’s fear.

When faced with the choice of stepping out of the boat and facing fear or giving up and staying safe, get out of the boat. Every time.

Anything that is of value and worthy of our time and effort will be met with resistance. Push through it with one step, and then the next. Try, make mistakes, get up, try again, repeat, succeed. Don’t let the empty voices from others or the chatter in your head ever stop you from becoming your best you.

Every day, weave quiet and contemplation in, if only for 10 minutes. Take a walk in the woods and witness a symphony of birds singing, wildflowers waving and beauty unfolding. Gaze into the sky with reverence.

And in that awe and quiet, you will hear your own voice calling you to your purpose, loud and clear. Listen and move. Imagine if we all pursued our purpose and used our talents. What a world it would be!

Jul 15

2 Comments

Glide

“People tend to burden themselves with so many choices. But, in the end, you can throw it all away and just make one basic, underlying decision: Do you want to be happy, or do you not want to be happy? It’s really that simple. Once you make that choice, your path through life becomes totally clear.”

― Michael A. Singer, The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself

“Only you can take inner freedom away from yourself, or give it to yourself. Nobody else can.”
― Michael A. Singer, The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself

If we only let the wind take us to where it will rather than trying to control it all. All of the pining and consternation won’t change our ending, but it sure ruins the journey. Let go of what others think and what you overthink. Be happy in this moment and then the next and the next one after that.

Life is gliding along whether you choose to participate fully or not. So join in.

Glide.

Jun 24

1 Comment

Amazement

“When it’s over, I want to say: all my life I was a bride married to amazement. I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.” – Mary Oliver

“Every flower is a soul blossoming in nature.” – Gerard De Nerval

“Every flower is a soul blossoming in nature.” – Gerard De Nerval

Flowers, sunrises, sunsets, children and dogs all have one thing in common. They burst with the glory of God, uninhibited. Their colors, brilliance, simplicity, innocence, and sheer joy call us back to our true selves, to a longing that won’t be silenced until we acknowledge, engage and fulfill our purpose.

Amazement is their gift to us all.

Find your vivid color, your bliss, your genuine delight and pursue it with vigilance and fervor. Gratitude requires attention and awareness of this very moment, no more, no less.

Busily going through the motions is not worthy of this one precious life. Start each day new again, filled with possibility and hope. Be amazed and let it do its work on you.

Jun 13

Look Up

“One's destination is never a place but rather a new way of looking at things.” – Henry Miller

“One’s destination is never a place but rather a new way of looking at things.” – Henry Miller

“I try to avoid looking forward or backward, and try to keep looking upward.” – Charlotte Bronte

When given the option of accepting worldly things or striving for something more, something meaningful, the only viable option that we have is to look up. Beyond ourselves, above the fray, higher than our assumptions and limited view.

Tough day, tough week, tough month. It’s but a blink in the eternity of time. And if we don’t let it go, it remains a stronghold and steals our days. So move on, let go of the need to figure it all out right now, trust with conviction and look up.

The universe, the beyond is so much greater than our imagination. Transcend your burdens and absorb the light of your blessings.

Jun 10

A Wonderful Life

“What a wonderful life I’ve had! I only wish I’d realized it sooner.” – Sidonie Gabrielle Colette

So much of life is made up of multitasking, noisy distractions and the busy pursuit of what’s next. The velvet rut of familiarity convinces us to stay put, going rapidly through the motions.

Speed suffocates gratitude and numbs our spirit.

Slow down and breath. Do something different, even the smallest thing, each day. Then again and again until each simple act transforms ordinary days into an extraordinary life. Let awe and possibility takes root again.

Make each day sacred and joyful by participating fully in the moment. Realize your wonderful life right now while you are in it.

“Be happy. It’s one way of being wise.” – Sidonie Gabrielle Colette

Jun 1

Strivings Cease, Prayer Ensues, Peace Enters

“If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.” – Meister Eckhart

A simple glance, a quiet moment, a sliver of pause prompts a prayer. Of gratitude. Of depth. Of awareness. Sacred, holy and awe-filled moments surround us awaiting to be released into our very being. In play. In joy. In letting go of all that we carry that is not ours. A small, soothing voice of calm. Strivings cease, peace enters with ease. Amen.

“Drop Thy still dews of quietness,
Till all our strivings cease;
Take from our souls the strain and stress.
And let our ordered live confess
The beauty of Thy peace.

Breathe through the hearts of our desire
Thy coolness and Thy balm;
Let sense be dumb, let flesh retire;
Speak through the earthquake,
wind, and fire.
O still, small Voice of calm.”
– John G. Whittier hymn, Dear Lord and Father of Mankind

May 21

Giants Fall

“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” – Walt Disney

The door handle to the garage has been slipping for a few months. Wear and tear, getting more difficult to open. About three weeks ago, it made it on the list to pick up and I reluctantly picked it up a last week. It sat in the box staring at me as I passed by. Each time, I told myself that I would get to it when I had time.

I’ve never put on a door handle and it looked complicated. So I procrastinated and created a wall that got bigger the longer I put it off, a giant stopping me in my tracks.

Well, the giant fell tonight. I put it in and it works. Victory! So often we create giants that prevent us from even trying. Or we believe others when they tell us that we can’t do it.

But when we move, those giants fall with the simple step of starting, of risking failure. And sometimes we do fail, but we never start in the same place when we try and start again. And so many times, if we dare to pursue the feat, the giant falls and we win.

Giants fall, doors open.

“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” – Walt Disney

« Older Entries
%d bloggers like this: