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Posts tagged ‘Contemplation’

Sep 11

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Crisp

“Clarity affords focus.” – Thomas Leonard

“Clarity affords focus.” – Thomas Leonard

“Simplicity, clarity, singleness: These are the attributes that give our lives power and vividness and joy as they are also the marks of great art. They seem to be the purpose of God for his whole creation.” – Richard Holloway

As crisp as a Fall morning, may you be acutely aware of , , ,

the beauty that surrounds you;
the peace that can only come from God;
the voice deep within that invites you to unfold;
the longing in your soul to be more, not do more;
the steady pull that slows you down while moving you forward;
the call that quietly brings you back to center of what’s true;
the hope and joy that remain steady amidst difficulty;
the brevity of this life that reminds us to let go of the minuscule;
the beating of the hearts of those who are on this journey too:
the laughter of the child that is your own;
the delight that’s hiding in plain sight to be captured daily.

May gratitude lure you back again and again to all that is in this very moment.
Crisp and clear, freely enter the mystery and gift of each day.

Aug 17

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By Surprise

“We seem to thinks that God speaks by seconding the ideas we’ve already adopted, but God nearly always catches us by surprise. If it’s God’s Spirit blowing, someone ends up having feathers ruffled in an unforeseen way. God tends to confound, astonish, and flabbergast. A Bethlehem stable, a Roman cross, an empty garden tomb. We might as well reconcile ourselves to the fact that God’s truth often turns up in ways we don’t expect.” – Sue Monk Kidd, When the Heart Waits

When reading books, I mark pages with flags when the words jump off the page and hug me like an old friend who knows my heart. Sue Monk Kidd is one of my favorite authors and I was drawn to pull When the Heart Waits off the shelf last night. As I turned each flagged page, the quote above called to me.

“Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.” – Confucius

“Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.” – Confucius

May each day be filled with surprises, confident that each unforeseen encounter is leading you where you need to go. And while you are on your journey, you are also an important part of others journeys as well, helping them, if you choose, to unfold into their best self as well. Be kind and generous.

Last week, I wrote my 500th post on Cast Light. This journey that I tripped into, or rather was lead to, has been one of the most transforming and meaningful activities for me in many years. Each one of us is called beyond busily making a living to something much more. Whatever is whispering to you softly, get quiet enough to get clarity and follow it. There are so many reminders of life’s brevity. Start today, one new and simple step at a time.

Aug 14

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It’s Just the Battery

“The torment of precautions often exceeds the dangers to be avoided. It is sometimes better to abandon one’s self to destiny.” – Napoleon Bonaparte

My scooter, aptly named the Buddy, has been sitting in the garage collecting dust, not starting for the past three summers. Each summer I kept charging the battery and it wouldn’t start. Thinking there was a bigger problem, l let it sit to deal with it later. Later never came.

“I love the feeling of the fresh air on my face and the wind blowing through my hair.” – Evel Knievel

“I love the feeling of the fresh air on my face and the wind blowing through my hair.” – Evel Knievel

Realizing summer is winding down, I picked up a new battery this week to see if it could be as simple as that. When I tried to start it, nothing but it sounded different than before. I tried again and again but no spark. Not wanting to drain the new battery, I tried the manual kick start. Two, three, four…and seven was the lucky kick. Tentative, the engine sputtered. After a moment, I revved the engine and a puff of black smoke came out, clearing three years of idleness out of the engine.

More confident that it wouldn’t kill, I headed down the street, gradually picking up speed. After a few times around the block, I went full throttle, wind in my face, claiming victory with a few hoots and hollers. The Buddy rides again! As I pulled her back in the garage, I turned her off and then on again just to be sure. Fired right up.

Sometimes, many times, we make a bigger deal of things and hesitate to try and take action, even one step. We put it off until later and later never comes, only regret for not trying. Our mind is a powerful creation – it can hold us back or when we align it with our heart, it can propel us into endeavors we’d never dare. We risk disappointment and dive in with great abandon.

Most of the time, it’s something as simple as replacing the battery, nothing more. Start changing some batteries, dive in and enjoy life.

Aug 12

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Enlightenment

“Life is full of miracles disguised as the ordinary. Enlightenment is the ability to see them in the commonplace.” – Joan Chittister

Our perceptions, expectations, assumptions, reactions and actions are all in our control. The world changes when you stop being driven by others and take that wheel, driving fast and furious on the road of goodness, fullness and light. May your ordinary day be filled with enlightenment fueled by fire. Expect, be and do more.

“To be filled with the fire of life is to be grounded in goodness and freed by the spirit to do more than life would normally expect of us.” – Joan Chittister

Jul 26

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Available Now

“The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the green earth in the present moment, to appreciate the peace and beauty that are available now.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

“The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the green earth in the present moment, to appreciate the peace and beauty that are available now.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

“God changes appearances every second. Blessed is the one who can recognize God in all God’s disguises. One moment God is a glass of fresh water, the next, your son bouncing on your knees, or an enchanting woman or perhaps merely a morning walk.” – Nikos Kazantzakis

May you see the depth, beauty and dimension of each moment today and in the gift of each day that follows. Grace and gratitude.

Jul 17

Untie

“Close your mouth,
block off your senses,
blunt your sharpness,
untie your knots,
soften your glare,
settle your dust.
This is the primal identity.”
― Lao Tzu

Peace is rooted in our soul, longing to rise, remain, seen and shared. Listen. Act. A candle and mirror of peace.

“There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.” – Edith Wharton

“There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.” – Edith Wharton

Jun 14

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A Breeze and a Stick

“Your sacred space is where you can find yourself again and again.” – Joseph Campbell

When walking the girls this morning with my thoughts bouncing to the week ahead and the month behind, a breeze came off the lake and for a moment I was held and engulfed, awakened to God right in the midst of the moment. Always present, never alone and gently carried whether I realize it or not.

Listen, watch and hear all that is around calling out to let us know that we are alright. A few hours later, the girls began to play with a stick. It instantly made for play and fun. A stick, a simple stick.

Enjoy each day and be open to the breezes and sticks that enter our day to call us out of our thoughts and worries into the moment. A breeze and a stick – sacred space found.

“Oh, my God, this amazing cool breeze is coming through my window and the sun is shining. I'm happy.” – Liv Tyler

“Oh, my God, this amazing cool breeze is coming through my window and the sun is shining. I’m happy.” – Liv Tyler

Jun 8

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The Waves

“Life is not a lily pond; life is a bay inside the ocean. Peace is what comes to us after we negotiate the roiling, pounding waves of life lived one surge at a time. The waves of life break into the center of our languor to remind us that the quality of our lives is not simply given to us, it needs to be earned.

Life doesn’t come cut to size; it requires shaping. Life is the way we deal with it as well as the way we look at it. It is time to adjust, to cope, to grow again beyond our old stale selves. We cannot simply float through life forever.” – Joan Chittister, Between the Dark and the Daylight

If we fight the waves, they take us under. Ride the waves, preparing for the next, getting stronger as we move through. Ride and make some waves today.

May 31

Dance

“Freedom lies in being bold.” – Robert Frost

“Freedom lies in being bold.” – Robert Frost

“To dance is to be out of yourself. Larger, more beautiful, more powerful. This is power, it is glory on earth and it is yours for the taking.” – Agnes de Mille

May you dance more than march;
Be more than do;
Laugh more than worry;
Find awe more than despair;
Fully present in each day;
Accepting nothing short of freedom to be you without fear.

Dance.

May 21

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Fill’er Up

“The compulsive need to amass things may be nothing more than a signal of the emptiness of our souls. To work hard, to play well, to enjoy life, to give to others, and to be satisfied with what we may be the only criteria we need to know whether or not we have really succeeded in life.” – Joan Chittister, Essential Writings

No shortcuts, no secrets, nothing really complicated. Go partake in some soul filling each day. Be grateful, go easy, open up. Work, play, enjoy and give.

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