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Posts tagged ‘Peace’

Feb 14

Messenger of Wonder

“Wonder is the heaviest element on the periodic table. Even a tiny fleck of it stops time.”― Diane Ackerman

“Of all the errands life seems to be running, of all the mysteries that enchant us, love is my favorite.”― Diane Ackerman, A Natural History of Love

Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday merge.
Love.
In all forms.
Earthly and transcendent.
Imperfect and perfect.
May you give and receive love each day.
And be transformed by it.
The only way the world will be.

“I will not dishonor
my soul with hatred,
but offer myself humbly
as a guardian of nature,
as a healer of misery,
as a messenger of wonder,
as an architect of peace.
I will honor all life
—wherever and in whatever form
it may dwell—on Earth my home,
and in the mansions of the stars.”
― Diane Ackerman, I Praise My Destroyer: Poems

Feb 5

1 Comment

The Right Instructions

“When I rise up
let me rise up joyful
like a bird.
When I fall
let me fall without regret
like a leaf.”
― Wendell Berry, The Mad Farmer Poems

“You mustn’t wish for another life. You mustn’t want to be somebody else. What you must do is this:
“Rejoice evermore.
Pray without ceasing.
In everything give thanks.”
I am not all the way capable of so much, but those are the right instructions.”― Wendell Berry, Hannah Coulter

Praise.
Thanksgiving.
Communion.
Gratitude.
Laughter.
Kindness.
Connection.
Generosity.
Enthusiasm.
Delight.
Wonder.
Awe.
Our daily calling to joy.
Though we come up short, we should never ever stop trying.
Joy found not perfect conditions or circumstances but imperfect execution and effort in this place.
Transforming ordinary to extraordinary.

“Be joyful because it is humanly possible.”― Wendell Berry

Jan 25

All Shall Be Well, Is Well

“All shall be well, and all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well.”― Julian of Norwich

“If there is anywhere on earth a lover of God who is always kept safe, I know nothing of it, for it was not shown to me. But this was shown: that in falling and rising again we are always kept in that same precious love.”― Julian of Norwich

For a moment, halt.
Quiet. Pause. Listen.
Rapt attention, attunement.
Soft whisper.
Gentle pull.
Gravity.

You are loved.
You are love.
Give and receive without reserve.
All is well.
Now carry on anchored, rooted, buoyed, and held in this sweet space.
Game changer.
Available, overflowing, and given to all.
Same precious love.

“Lord, let not our souls be busy inns that have no room for thee or thine,
But quiet homes of prayer and praise, where thou mayest find fit company,
Where the needful cares of life are wisely ordered and put away,
And wide, sweet spaces kept for thee; where holy thoughts pass up and down
And fervent longings watch and wait thy coming.”― Julian of Norwich

Jan 24

Marvelous Promise

“When I looked, I knew I might never again see so much of the earth so beautiful, the beautiful being something you know added to something you see, in a whole that is different from the sum of its parts. What I saw might have been just another winter scene, although an impressive one. But what I knew was that the earth underneath was alive and that by tomorrow, certainly by the day after, it would be all green again. So what I saw because of what I knew was a kind of death with the marvelous promise of less than a three-day resurrection.”― Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It and Other Stories

“We find that, all along, we had what we needed from the beginning and that in the end we have returned to its essence, an essence we could not understand until we had experienced the actual heartbreak of the journey.”― David Whyte, Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words

Pausing
Slowing
Looking
Listening
Quiet
Reflection
Time unfolding
Threads weaving together to tapestry
Discovery
Renewal
Pieces to pattern
Wholeness
Thresholds to cross
Transformation
Thin spaces of discernment and clarity
Grace unfolding and holding
Trust, unwavering
Rising up again and again
Knowing wherever, whatever, all is well
May lucidity, understanding, and peace come to you on your journey
To lighten the load, widen your view, and welcome you home.

“For it is not knowing much, but realising and relishing things interiorly, that contents and satisfies the soul.”― Ignatius of Loyola, The Spiritual Exercises

Jan 22

The Natural Side

“At sunrise everything is luminous but not clear.”― Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It and Other Stories

Paul and Normal are fishing scene in A River Runs Through It. Norman narrates, “There was a balance to my father’s system. Every afternoon, I was set free, untutored, and untouched, till supper to learn on my own the natural side of God’s order. And there could be no better place to learn than the Montana of my youth.”

May moments rise up often to interrupt and redirect your attention;
To witness and be in awe of beauty within and around;
Wide open fields full of bloom;
Narrow paths worn by your feet as you go off trail to explore;
Immersed in the intensity of a sun rising on a winter morning;
Entering the current and flow of life;
Leaning back and into your softly becoming day by day;
Untutored, untouched, entering the natural side of God’s order.

“One of life’s quiet excitements is to stand somewhat apart from yourself and watch yourself softly becoming the author of something beautiful even if it is only a floating ash.”― Norman Maclean, River Runs Through It

Jan 20

The Harvest of Presence

“Beauty is the harvest of presence.”― David Whyte

“So may we, in this life
trust

to those elements
we have yet to see

or imagine,
and look for the true

shape of our own self,
by forming it well

to the great
intangibles about us.”

― David Whyte, The House of Belonging

Pause often.
Elevate to see anew.
A fresh perspective on the familiar.

Inquire often.
Listen to hear anew.
A symphony forming from disparate notes.

Open often.
Pumping heart to breathe anew.
Alive with love, light, joy.

“You know that the antidote to exhaustion is not necessarily rest? … The antidote to exhaustion is wholeheartedness.”― David Whyte, Crossing the Unknown Sea: Work as a Pilgrimage of Identity

Jan 19

A Single Sunbeam

“Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take with you nothing that have received–only what you have given.”― Francis of Assisi

“The deeds you do may be the only sermon some persons will hear today.”― St. Francis Of Assisi

Preach through simple acts
A smile
Conversation
Questions
Listening
Kindness
Pep in your step
Generosity
Reflection
Gratitude
Connection
Laughter
Fun
Encouragement
Scatter peace, light and joy with a happy heart
The power of a single sunbeam.

“A single sunbeam is enough to drive away many shadows.”― St. Francis of Assisi

Dec 25

Togethery

” ‘Christmas is a togethery sort of holiday.’ said Pooh. ‘That´s my favorite kind.” said Piglet.” — A. A. Milne

“Christmas is not as much about opening our presents as opening our hearts.”—Janice Maeditere

My five great nephews.
Professors of frolic, delight, laughter.
Masters of Christmas as well as everyday joy.
Gurus of play and fun.
Showing the way.
Inviting all in to participate.
A good contagious.
No accident that Christ entered this world as a child.
Witness it all in children and follow the leaders.
The ones who actually have it all figured out.
Awe, wonder, presence, trust, peace, love.
Merry Christmas.
May it overflow abundantly into each and every day that follows.

“The story of Christmas is the story of God’s relentless love for us.” —Max Lucado

Dec 24

Spirit of Love

“Christmas, my child, is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it’s Christmas.”― Dale Evans Rogers

“The earth has grown old with its burden of care, but at Christmas it always is young, the heart of the jewel burns lustrous and fair, and its soul full of music breaks the air, when the song of angels is sung.” – Phillips Brooks

Listen.
Connect.
Laugh.
Let go.
Forgive.
Praise.
Awe.
Wonder.
Kindness.
Magic.
Lights.
Color.
Joy.
Peace.
Open heart.
Kind words.
Warm embrace.
The ingredients of Christmas.
Love in action.

“My brothers and sisters, may the spirit of love which comes at Christmastime fill our homes and our lives and linger there long after the tree is down and the lights are put away for another year.” – Thomas S. Monson

Dec 22

Christmas Whisper

“Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. ”― Norman Vincent Peale

“Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.”― Hamilton Wright Mabie

Quiet for a few moments over the next days to take in Christmas.
The light.
The softness.
The depth.
The roots.
The reason.
No sermons.
No rules, regulations, boundaries.
A simple profound story.
More relevant and needed than ever.
Unconditional love.
Heaven brought to earth.
To walk the path we walk daily.
Saying “I understand” and then some.
The whisper of Christmas is offered to each one of us.
No credentials, membership card or perfection needed.
Cracking the door to let love into your heart.
To heed the call of the soft whisper of “welcome home.”
I am right here with you right now.
Always have been, always will be.
May the answer to the whisper be “Yes!” like Mary’s.
Grace, joy, peace, mercy, delight, awe, wonder.
May all of these be yours in the days ahead and well-beyond the season.

“This Christmas mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. Write a letter. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Manifest your loyalty in word and deed. Keep a promise. Forgo a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Apologize. Try to understand. Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. Be kind. Be gentle. Laugh a little more. Express your gratitude. Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love, and then speak it again.”― Howard W. Hunter

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