It is very easy to sit in judgment upon the behavior of others but often difficult to realize that every judgment is a self-judgment.
Howard Thurman
Hope you have a wonderful long weekend.
Self-judgement
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Sacred Moment
The remembrance of the sacred is like a central note within life. Without it something fundamental to our existence is missing.
Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, Seasons of the Sacred -
And, I call it prayer…
Clouds at Riverbend Ponds Natural Area “There comes a time on our mystical journey when prayer embraces all of life. We are always inwardly in a state of prayer….How can one not live a life of prayer when we have so much need, when so much is given?”
Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, Prayer of the HeartI know that some viewers of this blog will be tired of all my landscape images that include clouds. I’ve actually been told that. I also know some won’t. But I never get tired of being there, experiencing all of it, taking a few images when I can to share, because we truly are given so much. And, I call it prayer…
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Taking Care of the Soul
“When you practice solitude, you dedicate yourself to the care of the soul.”
Stephen BatchelorI took care of my soul this morning with solitude and silence at Pineridge Natural Area. Afterwards I made my way to Mugs for coffee where there was a lot less solitude and silence since classes at CSU started today. It was a surprising 68 degrees this morning when I left the condo. The moon was just dropping behind the mountains when I arrived. Bats silently circled above me. Grateful for these moments. This is an HDR image of two images at +/- 1 stop. I like how it turned out.
I’m roasting up a pan of vegetables with andouille sausage this morning. I’ll let you know how that turns out. While having my mocha, I wrote in my journal that I felt like crying and wasn’t exactly sure why. But as I began to write this post at home I realized my mom died 3 years ago today. Makes me believe the soul knows. Hope you have a wonderful Monday and week!!
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A Time in Wilderness
“It is a commonplace of all religious thought, even the most primitive, that the man seeking visions and insight must go apart from his fellows and love for a time in the wilderness.”
Loren EiseleyFort Collins is a Platinum-rated Bicycle Friendly Community and maintains more than 200 miles of dedicated bike lanes and 50 miles of marked or signed bike routes. I have been riding them the last week or so and finding gems everywhere. You may be seeing more images taken along these trails and blog posts about them. I can be on the Spring Creek Trail after a short 2 block ride from my condo. Yesterday evening I headed east on the Spring Creek trail then connected to the Poudre Trail. I had the pleasure of having a white tail doe and her two fawns pass in front of me, and squirrels and rabbits darting in front of me. The fawns were still in their spots. It will be interesting to ride these trails in the different seasons and watch how things in nature change. I am realizing how easy it is to be close to nature within this city when on these trails. Enjoy your Sunday!!
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Meaningful Silence
No doubt about it, silence is the beginning of wisdom as it sorts and casts out, rethinks and reclaims, plans and proceeds so that you can become your true self. As someone once wrote, “A meaningful silence is always better than meaningless words.”
Joan ChittisterI met my friend Eric for coffee this morning at a favorite place in Windsor. The coffee shop is a busy one and also loud. I would suspect some of it being meaningless words. The ambiance is not all that conducive to journaling or reading but I enjoy the conversation and time with Eric. I’m usually relieved to walk out the door to silence. On the way home I had a chance to stop and take in this view of the Rocky Mountains, a beautiful blue sky filled with wispy clouds, while enjoying the meaningful silence. I hope you are enjoying your weekend!
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May we not forget…
Spiritually ecology is a recognition that at the root of our present ecological crisis is a spiritual crisis, and that the essence of the spiritual crisis is a forgetfulness of the sacred nature of creation.
Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, Seasons of the SacredI am enjoying a nice cool morning here in Colorado. I’m leaving in a short while to meet my classmates for our monthly luncheon picnic. I took this photo last month on my way back from Red Feather Lakes area. I loved how the pre-sunset light presented parallel lines across the landscape. It was another one of those spiritual moments to enjoy.
