Simplicity

         The ordinary arts we practice every day at home are of more  importance to the soul than their simplicity might suggest.  The simplicity of beauty is the beauty of simplicity.

Be Open

       One of the most basic spiritual principles in many philosophies is the idea of opening your heart to "what is" instead of insisting that life be a certain way. This idea is so important because much of our internal struggle stems from our desire to control life, to insist that it be different that it actually is. The greater the surrender to the  truth of the moment, the greater will be our peace of mind.  I must learn to accept the moment for what it is. This for me, will take patience and practice to accept moments that can unravel , upset and create moments of uneasiness. This peace of mind has been disturbed in the last twenty four hours, and my reaction was non acceptance. I must remember everything is the way it is supposed to be, and that we as humans can not control events, situations, conditions, or others. It is in this wisdom that one finds the peace to let life be the potential teacher. I am so blessed to have the opportunity to practice such living moments because these moments are sent to us for practice, and so many of us need these lessons sent time and time again.   

Merry Christmas 2013

"It is good to be children sometimes,

 and never better than at Christmas,

 when its mighty founder was a child himself."

~Charles Dickens~

Tattoo

 

 

     Several years ago our grandson attended a Scottish Tattoo Festival with
 us. For those that are wondering what a tattoo is-- it's a British / Scottish tradition of music played by a corps of drums and bag pipes. This practice was first encountered by the British Army when stationed in Flanders during the War of Austrian Succession.(1740-48)
      After a time of increasing frustration mid loud noises and shooting of canons, our grandson cryingly said, "I want a pretty day! " I want a pretty day!" Remembering that incident, I'm struck again by the aching poignancy of that cry. There is a self-awareness in it, an attempt to articulate a frustration that remains wordless in many of us. But what  makes it particularly sad, is our understanding that his awareness of self is clearly not yet balanced with an awareness of reality, of other, of place, culture or responsibility; with the discovery of that, not only do we not get to live in our "pretty place" but for the most part society doesn't  really care if we are not in that space or place. His cry is the cry of all of us wanting to find the balance between what is, and what we want it to be. Between dark and light, between "pretty" and ugly, between self and other. I think it may be in that balance that the truest, richest, deepest most saturated moments live. I suspect that working to achieve that balance is the work of a life time. I find many "pretty" moments when behind my camera, just as the image above depicts the truest, richest, deepest saturated moment for me; for however brief, there is that balance of inner peace.

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Image taken at St. John the Divine in Denver

                              "And He shall be named Emmanuel"
                                               ~Isaiah 7: 10-14~

Gratitude

WHAT IF

you woke up

TOMORROW

with only

What you were

GRATEFUL for

TODAY?

A little Bit of Wonderful

 

Christmas Joy

"And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow,
stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons.
It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags.
And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before.
What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store.
What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more"
                                        ~Dr, Seuss~

Gaudete Sunday: The Third Sunday of Advent

"Like the crocus it shall bloom abundantly,

and rejoice with joyful song."

 

Image from file 2012

Isaiah 35: 1-10

Dietrich Bonhoeffer on Advent

Image from the book: Bonhoeffer Pastor Martyr Prophet Spy

  "A prison cell, in which one waits, and hopes does various unessential things and is completely dependent on the fact that the door of freedom has to be opened from the outside, is not a bad picture of Advent."

 

  After reading several books about Dietrich, I have a deep feeling of admiration and inspiration for what he stood up to and for. His intellect, background and love of God brought to a Nazi Germany a way of seeing evil that was imperative to defeat, so that freedom could embrace all of humanity. He is an inspiration and a symbol of what goodness and hope can bring to a suffering world. And this very inspiration, goodness, and hope is what Advent brings each year.  Reading what he has to say is refreshing.



The Greatest Gift

    The greatest gift you will ever receive will never be found under a Christmas tree. It is far too valuable to be stored in any other place but in the depths of your heart.

Nelson Mandala

“No one is born hating another person
because of the color of his skin,
or his background,
or his religion.

People must learn to hate,
and if they can learn to hate,
they can be taught to love,
for love comes more naturally
to the human heart
than its opposite.”
~ Nelson Mandela~
     From Long Walk to Freedom

The eve of Nelson Mandela's funeral. December 9, 2013

Paying it Forward

 

 

 

The life I touch for good or ill

 will touch another life,

 and in turn another,

 until who knows where the trembling stops

 or in what far place my touch will be felt."

 ~Frederick Buechner~
from

The Hungering Dark

Second Sunday of Advent

 

 

                         And John the Baptist began preaching throughout 
                          all of Judea.                

Nature in All

 Nature is so powerful

So Strong

Capturing its essence is not

Easy ~ Your work becomes a

Dance with light and weather

It takes you to a place within

yourself.



First Sunday of Advent

Come Let Us Walk In the Light of the Lord

Isaiah 2:5



Always Thankful

Morning Beauty

    There are so many leaves. Piles of them. I take pleasure in their abundance. More saints than you could ever dream of. Each one singular. Each one itself. Yellow, red, orange, parchment. They sail down in the autumn air like fearless sky divers.  They are so trusting -- letting go, completely. Not questioning as I do... Will it be safe? Will I understand? Will it hurt? ... stalling, qualifying, questioning, instead of releasing and taking to the air ..."

Look and You Shall See

                  

       If you can't see what you're looking for, see what's there.

All we ever need is before us, around us, and within us.

Always There

I am the road
you did not take
because you were not sure
exactly where I'd go
or if you had
the traction you would need
to back out when the going
got too rough.

Yet still,
whenever you drive by,
you look at me and wonder...
And yet know that I will always
be on that road with you in the
roughness and in the joy of the
journey.

Silence and Stillness

To be able to live in the light, for the light, and because of the light we must strive at least once a day to taste the peace of paradise that dwells within us. We need to find some time each day to sit quietly in peace, in stillness, savoring the mystery of God within us. Such silent sitting will not only prepare us to find "eternal rest" at the time of our death; it will help us find infinite peace in the midst of the problems of life.

 

from FEATHERS ON THE WIND by Edward Hays

The Doors In Between

      Although it looks like a picture of a sunset in the sky, it is in fact, the reflection of the sky on the surface of a pond.  Life is frequently like this, what we perceive as real is only a reflection of our perception.  I often see things as known or unknown, and in between are the doors of perception. There are miracles that happen everyday. If I can change my perception of what a miracle is, I will be open to seeing them all around working in a space and time that is beyond  reality.

Halloween Hoot

 

Happy Halloween

 



The Passing of Color

"It is said an Eastern monarch once charged his wise men to invent a sentence, to be ever in view, and which should be true and appropriate in all times and situations. They presented him these words: "And this, too, shall pass away." How much it expresses! How chastening in the hour of pride! How consoling in the depths of affliction!

Fall Crabapple

   There is so much beauty in the world. But we need to open our eyes, stay alert, notice...  For some reason this makes me think of another, less edifying but still memorable prayer from the Episcopal Compline Service:  "Be sober, be watchful.  Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."

    I think I'd prefer an alternate admonition: "Be alert, be attentive: beauty glows everywhere like the dawn, seeking hearts to enlighten..."

The Hunter Has Risen

       On October 18th and 19th the moon entered its penumbral  phase. The Hunter's moon is the first full moon after the Harvest Moon which occurred on September 19th 2013. In addition, an eclipse also fell on October 19th, but, it might be so slight to see, if one is not paying close attention one could miss it. In the image above this eclipse is ever so slight.

 

    This northern movement of the moon occurs along the eastern skyline during moonrise for several days in a row, which helps give the Hunter’s Moon a kind of magical autumn glow. And, with both a Hunter’s moon and an eclipse in one evening, there might be real magic in the air. This image was taken from our deck. What a privilege and joy it is to be able to look to the night sky and see the beauty and stillness that is ever present for all of us to appreciate. The second image was taken as the moon was rising above the trees in the backyard. I love the dark outlining of the branches and leaves against the light of the moon. God gives us so many wonderful experiences in our daily lives.

 

Trust

"Come to the edge," he said.

They said, "we are afraid."

"Come to the edge," he said.

They came.

He pushed them....And they flew.

 

~Guillaume Apollinaire~







Divinity in the Sky

"I think a future flight should include a poet, a priest and a philosopher . . . we might get a much better idea of what we saw."

~ Michael Collins, Apollo 11~
"My view of the moon was a glimpse of divinity."
~ Edgar Mitchell, USA~
"Houston, Tranquillity Base here. The Eagle has landed."
    ~Neil Armstrong~

 The moon often seems like an ancient relic of space exploration, that dusty, dry, airless ball of rock and soil that we visited decades ago and have since left alone—possibly because we found nothing there but dust, rock, and soil. But for me there is still a fascination as I look to the night sky and see countless beautiful ways the moon presents is magical pull. It always seems to spark the imagination; what beauty and wonder the early astronauts must of experienced.
 

 

The Wisdom of Granite

                              If you come to a fork in the road take it. Mark Nepo
in his Book of Awaking says not to stall too long at the crossroads of life, not to hesitate our way out of living. We can't experience everything, and taking one road will always preclude another, but agonizing over which to take can eventually prevent us from knowing any road.

Eternal Fruit

A Study in Character

 

 

 

             A builder of dreams.

Life is to Short

 

Common Buckeye

 

  Life is to short to wake up in the morning with regrets. So love the people who treat you right, forget about the ones who don't.  Believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance take it, if it changes your life let it. Nobody said that it would be easy, they just promised it would be worth it.

Symboisis

"There is an eternal love between

 the water drop and the leaf.

When you look at them,

you can see that they

 both shine

 out of happiness."

~Mehmet Murat ildan~

Always Looking for Light

  From a distance, from a larger perspective, we see, not only that the light far outweighs the dark, but that the source of light is often hidden in the dark;  that those darkest moments, the ones that bring us to our knees, somehow allow us to see the light that fills the rest of life.  And it's actually the mix of dark and light together that makes the whole thing beautiful...

Hope

 

 

    After a week of overcast skies, and rain that would not stop this double rainbow appeared Monday morning September 16th, 2013 after four days of ravaging water that devastated many homes, bridges, and destroyed the infrastructure that will take years to repair. This photo is looking north just outside Estes Park not far from Devils Gulch Road.
    As clearing began, the sun poked through to the beautiful robin egg blue skies that is so prevalent in the Rocky Mountains. Life was returning to a new normal that will ever pervade the lives and landscapes of Colorado. The resilience, hope, tenacity, and love of others and community will bring this state back together in a stronger and better way.
    I will miss and long to be back in my beloved summer "place" and will return next season to see friends and neighbors. The bigger picture for me, will be what can I do to help in recovery of the new normal. May all the people of Colorado receive many blessings as there lives more forward.

Disaster in the Rockies

 

 

   It is ironic that on September 10th, 2013 my last post talked about the greatest difficulties we face also offer the greatest opportunities to practice unconditional presence. Three days later on September 13th the worst disaster in Colorado history was beginning, and I found myself in the mist of raging water and the worst destruction I have ever witnessed. Surprisingly, the calmness I felt inside was a gift, constant prayers for friends,  neighbors, and first responders were clearly the presence I practiced.
  For four days my husband and I were literally cut off from the rest of the world. With the absence of electricity, phone service, the Internet and roads that were impassable in all directions the world just stopped. I felt the stillness and silence that is so rarely visited because of the world we live in. For me it was an erie yet beautiful stillness.
  I mentioned the difficulties we face also offer the greatest opportunities to practice presence. We were able to help our neighbor dispose of rotting food, as well as, alerting the sheriff to potentially trapped  people that had not been rescued. The picture below was the rescue of our neighbors to the West of us. They remained in their home unable to get out until late Sunday because of the  raging water and literally no access out from their home.

   For me one of the upsides of a dramatic event like this is it wakes me up from the complacency I tend to fall into, reminding me of how precarious and fragile life is, and helping me approach each day with more awareness and gratitude.
  On the other hand, dealing with disaster can easily pull me out of my spiritual practice and deeper perspective. For instance, helping friends and neighbors, watching endless news reports online, and responding to friends and  relatives who were anxious for updates once services was restored. Um, hello…who has time to meditate when there’s so much “important stuff” to take care of?!? We’re in a crisis, for God’s sake! Danger, Will Robinson!
  But after a few days of non-stop  activity, I needed a break. It became painfully clear that, precisely in the midst of high drama, it was even more crucial to create enough stillness to connect with my soul and to access God’s healing presence. As much as I wanted to be of service, I realized that if I make the deeper connection a priority, my helping actions will come from a clearer, wiser, more peaceful and loving place. My aspiration, always, is to develop better balance between the pressure to do and the longing to be.
 On Monday, September 16th, 2013 under sunny blue skies I felt encouraged by the "whop whop whop " of National Guard helicopters overhead as they rescued friends who were still stranded. I take a deep breath and tune into a larger picture. The natural world is sometimes tranquil and sometimes destructive; the waters of life are sometimes peaceful and sometimes raging; my daily life is sometimes centered and sometimes neurotic. I'm working on holding it all together in a greater embrace moment to moment.
   May God continue to be with those that are suffering and in need of strength and hope. The hard work is still ahead, and the many years it will take to rebuild infrastructure and communities. Often times the greatest difficulties become our greatest opportunities.

 

Uncovering the Veiled

"The greatest difficulties we face also offer the greatest opportunities to practice unconditional presence.  What is especially helpful in this practice is recognizing again and again that our experience is not as solid as we think.  Indeed, nothing is what we think it to be.  Meditation helps us recognize this by letting us notice and relate to the gaps or open spaces in our experience, from which genuine clarity and wisdom arise.

If we take this approach, our old wounds from the past can reveal hidden treasure.  In the places where we have contracted and turned away from our experience we can begin to uncover genuine qualities of our being that have long been veiled.  In the most painful corners of our experience something alive is always waiting to emerge.  So whatever pain or problem we have, if it helps us find a quality of presence -- where we can open to it, see it, feel it, include it, and find the truth concealed in it -- that is our healing." 

                         ~ Toward a Psychology of Awakening~
                                               John Welwood

Helping Others

               "The bee is more honored that other animals, not because she labors, but because she labors for others."

 

~St. John Chrysostom~

 

 

             

 

 

Enough

The heart sees
what is hidden to the eyes
and the heart knows things
the mind
cannot begin to understand

 

 

Learn to Fish

                           Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish you feed him for a lifetime.
                                  ~old Proverb~

A Castle in the Forest

A stone castle sits nestled 9,000 feet into the San Isabel forest it is an

amazing feet of human ingenuity. Jim Bishop has been building his dream for the past forty years. All of the work has been done by Jim himself with materials gathered from the surrounding area. This is truly an amazing place.