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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You Have the Answer
Prairie Blazing Star At the center of your being
Lao Tzu
you have the answer;
you know who you are
and you know what you want.Prairie Blazing Star is a hardy native perennial forb. It can grow up to 5 feet tall. It has abundant grass like leaves and hairy stems. The lowest leaves can be well over 1 foot long and up to ½ inch wide. The flower heads are in a dense spike at the top of the plant and bloom top-down. The stamens and styles protrude from the tufted flower heads creating a soft fuzzy appearance. It is one of the most popular varieties of blazing stars. It is native to the midwest where it naturally occurs on prairies, rocky bluffs and open areas. It prefers slightly acidic, poor, well-drained soils and demonstrates both heat and drought tolerance. They are common in all the natural areas I visit. I haven’t seen one 5 feet tall, yet. Hope you had a good Monday.
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The Love of Sunrise Reflections
It was unusually quiet this morning at Pineridge. Seemed like everyone slept in late. Almost no one at the natural area and no traffic sounds from the city. A few magpies and blackbirds along the shore were excitedly chatting about the colors in this mornings sunrise. It was a peaceful and silent time to me. I was loving and being loved by the reflections in the water.
Just as the sun broke the horizon, a light breeze out of the northwest sent small waves across Dixon Reservoir. Yet, the water still offers it’s reflection. I stood in awe and wonder as a lone pelican gracefully and silently flew over the water. How do they do that? Nature is amazing. After allowing nature to fill me with love and refreshing my soul I headed home. I had my prayer and meditation time, put on a crockpot of 16 bean soup, then rode the bicycle to meet Jeff for coffee and conversation.
“Love is the inheritance of mystery that we leave to the universe—the proof that consciousness is more than chemicals and fire, but rather a song that sings the why and how of all creation. Love sings it now and will sing it until the end of time.”
Steven Charleston -
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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Last night’s sunset
You are the only you that has ever lived; your idiom is the only idiom of its kind in all the existences and if you cannot hear the sound of the genuine in you, you will all of your life, spend your days on the ends of strings that somebody else pulls….
Howard ThurmanI took my camera for a short walk at Riverbend Ponds early yesterday evening. The clouds were amazing and I knew it could be a good place to watch the sunset. I hope you have a wonderful day!
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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!!
