My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, coffee life, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, spirituality and asking deep questions.
Imagine how different life would be right now if Christianity could become a place for sacred conversations; a place to explore possibilities and express doubts and disagree and encourage voices on the edges.
Victoria Loorz
I was told yesterday I have a very active social life.
But maybe it’s really a multitude of sacred conversations.
Life is everything. Life is God. Everything changes and moves and that movement is God. And while there is life there is a joy in consciousness of the divine. To love life is to love God. Harder and more blessed than all else is to love this life in one’s suffering, in innocent suffering.
Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
After my quiet time and a bowl of Irish Oats I made a trip to Pineridge Natural Area to enjoy the predawn and sunrise on this Friday the 13th. It has been a while since I’ve ventured up there for sunrise. Instead, I’ve been spending more time riding the bicycle and at the coffee shops. I made a good choice as the clouds to the south were glowing pink and red. And, it was quiet and calm which quiets and calms my soul. I realized how much I missed these moments with nature. Who knows, maybe nature missed my presence also. Our cold days have left most of Dixon Reservoir with a layer of ice. I then met Jeff for coffee and conversation and will meet Don and Elizabeth for lunch later today. Yes, to love life while we still have time!
If you learn to love books, you will never be lonely. You will always have something to look forward to at the end of the day, first thing in the morning, on a trip, at the beach or anywhere else you can read.
Anne-Marie Slaughter, The Velocity of Being
For me, I would include coffee shops, natural areas, city parks, laying in bed or my recliner, and as she says, anywhere else I can read.
“The quality of our being is the basis of all our actions…The quality of our presence is the most positive element that we can contribute to the world.”
Thich Nhat Hanh
This morning’s ride to coffee found me surrounded by pink. This is looking west across the intramural fields on CSU campus just before sunrise. So glad I was present and stopped. The Old Town Mocha I had later was just what I needed to warm up.
Heroes are transmutation agents — people who alchemize suffering and restlessness and rage into love, who compost disappointment into fertilizer for growth, who break down cynicism to its building blocks of helplessness and hubris, then metabolize the toxin out of the system we call society.
Marian Popova
We awoke to a dusting of snow this morning. I meet my friend Mark this morning for breakfast then do a couple of things around the house. I am thankful this morning for the heroes that I have in my life, both men and women. My life is richer because of the heroes who have loved me, those beautiful transmutation agents. Stay warm and have a wonderful day!
Let me honor you today with the respect you deserve.
Steven Charleston
Let me acknowledge you as a person
Who has worth and value.
Our world would be diminished without you.
Our journey would seem longer.
You bless us with your presence.
You make a difference in our lives.
We need you.
There are many who would stand to say this with me.
You are loved.
I know you well enough to understand
That you do not expect
Or even want to hear this kind of praise.
But I believe the spirit intends every human heart
To hear a simple truth: you are a light others can see.
Today would have been my mothers 93rd birthday. I miss your light!
How beautiful our mother, the earth
Steven Charleston, Spirit Wheel
And how worthy of our love and respect.
I took a pleasant bicycle ride yesterday along Spring Creek Trail and the Poudre Trail. It was 31 degrees when I got up but we reached a lovely 70 degrees by mid-afternoon. Blue skies and a spattering of clouds brought a smile. I was not the only one out riding and walking. Just to my left was a women with a painting easel, sitting on a stool and an umbrella to keep the sun off while painting this very scene at the Cattail Chorus Natural Area. I agree with Charleston’s poem, we do have a beautiful Mother Earth and my prayer is we all learn to love and respect her. ❤️