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Posts tagged ‘Flowers’

Apr 16

The Cusp of Spring

“…new life starts in the dark. Whether it is a seed in the ground, a baby in the womb, or Jesus in the tomb, it starts in the dark.”― Barbara Brown Taylor, Learning to Walk in the Dark

“To be human is to live by sunlight and moonlight, with anxiety and delight, admitting limits and transcending them, falling down and rising up.”― Barbara Brown Taylor, Learning to Walk in the Dark: Because Sometimes God Shows Up at Night

To beautiful imperfection
To joy in struggle
To falling, shaking it off and popping back up
To fresh air of spring with lingering winter breeze
To the dark where seeds wait, ruminate then break ground to seek and bask in light
To resistance then sweet surrender to change, growth, full bloom
Signs of life in unexpected places, thin spaces and wide-open fields
Rooted in winter, spring is springing, ready to bust at the seams.

“Time will explain” – Jane Austen

Apr 9

Sparkle and Bloom

“Man’s main task is to give birth to himself. ”― Erich Fromm

“You don’t need anyone else’s permission to be happy, to pursue your passions, express yourself more, or to live the life you’ve always dreamed of. The only permission you need is your own.”― Mel Robbins, The Let Them Theory

How far you’ve come, not how far to go
Where you are, not where you thought you would be
Roads taken, not taken, yet to take
Pause, reflection, anticipation, then motion
Unfolding, becoming, unfurling
Try new things
Wander off path
Plant seeds
Harvest beauty
Sparkle and bloom, right where you’re planted.

“You are your best thing.”― Toni Morrison, Beloved

Apr 4

Lilacs Under Construction

“Beauty is the only thing that time cannot harm. Philosophies fall away like sand, creeds follow one another, but what is beautiful is a joy for all seasons, a possession for all eternity.” – Oscar Wilde

“A flower must bloom inside first before revealing its beauty to the world.”― Matshona Dhliwayo

Planting seeds.
Rooting in good soil.
Pruning for growth.
Waiting in anticipation.
The slow unfolding.
Winters to springs.
Transitions to transformations.
Order, disorder, reorder.
Seasons, circles, cycles.
Trusting the Gardener.
Spiraling up.
Preparing for bud, burst, bloom.
Lilacs under construction.

“Spring is here and my old joy blooms in the world.”― Steve Scafidi, For Love of Common Words: Poems

Apr 3

Suppleness of Mind, Radical Amazement

“Our goal should be to live life in radical amazement....Get up in the morning and look at the world in a way that takes nothing for granted. Everything is phenomenal; everything is incredible; never treat life casually. To be spiritual is to be amazed.” – Rabbi Heschel

“Our goal should be to live life in radical amazement….Get up in the morning and look at the world in a way that takes nothing for granted. Everything is phenomenal; everything is incredible; never treat life casually. To be spiritual is to be amazed.” – Rabbi Heschel

“Until we know the assumptions in which we are drenched, we cannot know ourselves.”― Adrienne Rich

Suppleness of mind.
Generosity of spirit.
Lightness of heart.
Invitation of belonging.
Gift of encouragement.
To calm the internal, when the external thrives on fear and chaos.
Steadfast in hope, kindness, courage, reflection, awe, connection, wonder, compassion, joy, amazement.
Radical amazement amidst the hard work and waiting for and of transformation.
Cast light.

“We often think that there is just one way to look at things – the way we always have. In fact, there are an infinite number of ways to look at most everything. An open mind allows for a multitude of perspectives from which to choose in any given moment. That suppleness of mind allows for true choice, and opens us to a whole new realm of possibility.”― Jeffrey R. Anderson, The Nature of Things – Navigating Everyday Life with Grace

Apr 1

Varieties of Presence, Spring Awakening

“As Spring rain softens the Earth with surprise
May your Winter places be kissed by light.
As the ocean dreams to the joy of dance
May the grace of change bring you elegance.
As day anchors a tree in light and wind
May your outer life grow from peace within.
As twilight fills night with bright horizons
May Beauty await you at home beyond.”― John O’Donohue

“At any time you can ask yourself: At which threshold am I now standing? At this time in my life, what am I leaving? Where am I about to enter? What is preventing me from crossing my next threshold? What gift would enable me to do it? A threshold is not a simple boundary; it is a frontier that divides two different territories, rhythms, and atmospheres. Indeed, it is a lovely testimony to the fullness and integrity of an experience or a stage of life that it intensifies toward the end into a real frontier that cannot be crossed without the heart being passionately engaged and woken up. At this threshold a great complexity of emotion comes alive: confusion, fear, excitement, sadness, hope. This is one of the reasons such vital crossings were always clothed in ritual. It is wise in your own life to be able to recognize and acknowledge the key thresholds: to take your time; to feel all the varieties of presence that accrue there; to listen inward with complete attention until you hear the inner voice calling you forward. The time has come to cross.” – John O’Donohue, To Bless the Space Between Us

Seasons, transitions, transformations
Thresholds, frontiers of before and after
A foot on each side, past and present, winter and spring
Between ashes and Resurrection
Spring and Lent holding hands together
Walking the external and internal journey
Of reflection, waiting, seeding, tending, blooming
Slow walk, road unfolding a step at a time
Glimpses of spring
Calling forward to cross over soon
Buds breaking ground around the corner
Beauty for ashes, joy too

“Behold, my friends, the spring is come; the earth has gladly received the embraces of the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love!” – Sitting Bull

Mar 23

Gratefully Present in the Present

“If you must look back, do so forgivingly. If you must look forward, do so prayerfully. However, the wisest thing you can do is be present in the present…Gratefully.”— Maya Angelou

“When the mind is festering with trouble or the heart torn, we can find healing among the silence of mountains or fields, or listen to the simple, steadying rhythm of waves.
The slowness and stillness gradually takes us over.
Our breathing deepens and our hearts calm and our hungers relent.
When serenity is restored, new perspectives open to us and difficulty can begin to seem like an invitation to new growth.
This invitation to friendship with nature does of course entail a willingness to be alone out there.
Yet this aloneness is anything but lonely.
Solitude gradually clarifies the heart until a true tranquility is reached.
The irony is that at the heart of that aloneness you feel intimately connected with the world.
Indeed, the beauty of nature is often the wisest balm for it gently relieves and releases the caged mind.” – John O’Dononue, Beauty, The Invisible Embrace

Color
Nature
Flowers
Poetry
Roots and sky, and all the beauty in between to behold
Stillness
Rest
Wonder
To restore, root, release
Be filled back up
Not in doing but in being
Ever present in this day
Overflowing, abundance, ease
Curious, receptive, open to where the space, quiet, awe leads
Follow

“Beauty was not simply something to behold; it was something one could do.”― Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye

Mar 14

Kaleidoscope Twist

“Life is a kaleidoscope of colors; a myriad hues and shades that form patterns and pictures in constant motion.” – Ellen Hopkins

“The world is your kaleidoscope, and the varying combinations of colours, which at every succeeding moment it presents to you are the exquisitely adjusted pictures of your ever-moving thoughts.” – James Allen

Take a field trip from …
Black, white, grey to bold color, hues, shades
Striving to restoration, sit down!
Speed to slow, a pause to reset
Complaining to gratitude, even a sliver
My way or the way, walk it out one step at a time
Judgement to empathy, a smile will do
Worst case scenario to best, better even
Doing to being, check nothing off the list for a bit
Serious to laughter, joy does wonders
Scarcity to abundance, knee deep in a river dying from thirst
Adjust your view, twist the kaleidoscope
Shift the narrative, write the next chapter
Wander off the old beaten path, get muddy
Open the windows, fresh air
Skip out the door, don’t trip
New possibilities brimming, overflowing, bursting
Blank canvas, use all of the colors
Paint your day anew, even an hour will do

“At the height of laughter, the universe is flung into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities.” – Jean Houston

Mar 10

The Gardener’s Work

“We mature by meeting life, just as God and nature designed it, and accepting there the invitations that beckon us ever deeper into the heart of life itself.”― Ronald Rolheiser, Sacred Fire

The Gardener by Mary Oliver

“Have I lived enough?
Have I loved enough?
Have I considered Right Action enough, have I come to any conclusions?
Have I experienced happiness with sufficient gratitude?
Have I endured loneliness with grace?

I say this, or perhaps I’m just thinking it.
Actually, I probably think too much.

Then I step out into the garden,
where the gardener, who is said to be a simple man,
is tending his children, the roses.”

Live
Love
Right Action
Gratitude
Grace
Till, plant, water, wait, trust, rest, hope.
Winter creates the runway.
Spring always lands.
The Gardener of all seasons ever-present.
Tending.

“True restfulness, though, is a form of awareness, a way of being in life. It is living ordinary life with a sense of ease, gratitude, appreciation, peace and prayer. We are restful when ordinary life is enough.”― Ronald Rolheiser, The Shattered Lantern: Rediscovering a Felt Presence of God

Mar 8

The Science of Art

“Colors have the capacity to change our respiration, our blood pressure, even our body temperature.”― Susan Magsamen, Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us

“Play is a key component of the arts and aesthetics in myriad ways. Art and play are like two sides of the same coin, with play being a part of artistic expression, imagination, creativity, and curiosity.”― Susan Magsamen, Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us

Outstanding podcast on making this week by Kelly Corrigan with the authors of Your Brain on Art on the science of how art heals, develops, expands and transforms us.

Get outside
Doodle, color, paint
Listen to music
Nature
Art museum
Play
Have fun
Fresh air
Colors, fragrances, light
Awaken all of your senses
Make rather than do
Build up rather than break down
Unfold rather than bind up
Breathe, in and out
There’s plenty of chaos, noise and destruction right now
Regain your footing to add and multiply rather than divide and subtract
Permission slip granted to go on a field trip daily
To be renewed, refreshed and ready to participate meaningfully rather than spectate in exhaustion
Long game, joy, resilience and grit required
Recess on

“Learning comes in many forms: cognitive, emotional, embodied. There is explicit learning, where you actively seek knowledge, and implicit learning, where you passively take in experiences that change you. Many elements go into making experiences more salient for learning, among them novelty, humor, curiosity, attention level, creativity, motivation, environment, and the unique way your brain develops.”― Susan Magsamen, Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us

Mar 4

2 Comments

Power of Encouragement, Small Acts Stacking

“What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. These are but trifles, to be sure; but scattered along life’s pathway, the good they do is inconceivable.” – Joseph Addison

“Words are singularly the most powerful force available to humanity. We can choose to use this force constructively with words of encouragement, or destructively using words of despair. Words have energy and power with the ability to help, to heal, to hinder, to hurt, to harm, to humiliate and to humble.” – Yehuda Berg

Till the dry soil
Plant seeds, daily
Of hope
Peace
Kindness
Smiles
Invitation
Belonging
Joy
Compassion
Enthusiasm
Welcoming
Empathy
Hospitality
Laughter
Encouragement
Healing
Small acts
That stack, build, grow
Bloom
Keep planting
Good, inconceivable until it is
Love wins again and again
Not without struggle and toil
Fight the good fight

“Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events. It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”― Robert F. Kennedy

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