• prayer,  quotes,  Thomas Merton

    the gift of silence, … and solitude

    A quiet cloudless predawn sky at Dixon Reservoir

    When I am liberated by silence,
    when I am no longer involved in the
    measurement of life,
    but in the living of it,

    I can discover a form of prayer in which
    there is effectively, no distraction.

    My whole life becomes a prayer.
    My whole silence is full of prayer.

    The world of silence in which I am immersed
    contributes to my prayer.
    Let me seek, then, the gift of silence, … and solitude,
    where everything I touch is turned into prayer:

    where the sky is my prayer,
    the birds are my prayer,
    the wind in the trees is my prayer,
    for God is all in all.

    Thomas Merton

    Someone introduced me to the above prayer/poem by Thomas Merton this past Saturday. This prayer resonates with me because both silence and prayer have become a major part of my adult life. I am never the same after standing in the silence and solitude before a predawn sky over Dixon Reservoir. I’ve come to believe it is in the silence and solitude I’m more apt to hear the prayers within me that do transform me. And in that transformation I’ve come to ponder the question, What would our world be like if more people listened in the silence and solitude of prayer? Plus, silence and solitude are great teachers at listening. I’d venture to say the world needs more listeners than talkers.

    I began writing this post on Sunday afternoon and will schedule its posting for 7:00 am today, which is when they start my surgery. I’ll let you know how that all turns out later.

  • National Parks,  quotes,  Yellowstone National Park

    You had to be there!!

    “You can only appreciate nature by feeling and seeing it with the heart and the eyes of a child.”

    Michael Bassey Johnson

    I would not be able to look myself in the mirror if I visited Yellowstone National Park without a photograph of the lower and upper falls of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. I got both! Crowds were small at Artists Point due to the time of year. Without crowds I was able to just stand there watching, listening, experiencing the awe and wonder of it all. I took this photograph about 2:00 pm and that’s why the lighting is flat, but I also know any image would fail to express the experience. You had to be there!!! The waterfall captures most people’s attention but the canyon with those precipitous jagged cliffs and that yellow rock cause me stand speechless while listening to the sound of the waterfalls power echo in the canyon. I already wanna go back.

  • architecture,  quotes,  shadows,  window

    Self Discovery

    Early morning light through my front-room window

    “A shadow is never created in darkness. It is born of light. We can be blind to it and blinded by it. Our shadow asks us to look at what we don’t want to see”

    Terry Tempest Williams

    There is a dark side of me I that I did not always want to see or admit to knowing about. It’s a side that can be full of hate, anger, jealousy, envy, fear, insecurity, self-centeredness, and the list goes on. I imagine everyone could also add to this list. When I was younger I avoided looking inward, always had a focus on how I wanted you to see me outwardly. I am grateful for this time in my life where I use self-examination along with prayer and meditation as the light to acknowledge and face the shadow side of myself. It is a path of self discovery.

  • animals,  natural areas,  poems,  poetry,  Reservoir Ridge Natural Area,  writing/reading

    Your True Self

    A deer at Reservoir Ridge Natural Area

    “It’s not possible to save the world by trying to save it. You need to find what is genuinely yours to offer the world before you can make it a better place. Discovering your unique gift to bring to your community is your greatest opportunity and challenge. The offering of that gift — your true self — is the most you can do to love and serve the world. And it is all the world needs.”

    Thomas Berry
  • clouds,  John O'Donohue,  landscape,  quotes,  rants,  sunsets,  trees,  writing/reading

    Artists of Our Days

    Each of us is an artist of our days; the greater the integrity and awareness, the more original and creative our time will become.

    John O’Donohue

    Thought I would share a few reasons I enjoy spending more time in nature, whether that’s dreaming of living in an RV or taking a short drive to one of the natural areas near me. Some of these I’ve written about before so I apologize if I’m repeating myself.

    Connection: My experiences in nature have always brought a deeper feeling of connection with nature. Connection with nature is a pleasurable experience for me. Sometimes I wonder if we are drawn closer to nature as we age, with some unconscious knowing we are nearing our time of returning to the earth. Finding a greater separation from the busyness of the city brings a deeper connection with nature. The connection includes not just observing through sound, smell, touch and sight but I also talk to creation. I used to see that as weird but seems so natural to me at this stage of life.

    Solitude: Solitude is a vital part of my spiritual life. As an introvert the solitude helps recharge my batteries. I like my condo and consider it a place of solitude, a sanctuary, but there are those times I must move away from the comforts it brings and the external noises around me.

    Silence: I find a deeper silence by driving to some place in the country where there is less man-made noise, allowing for the sounds of nature to dominate and heal. Once I passed the 60 year mark I needed fewer days listening to traffic, lawn mowers, leaf blowers, refrigerator, furnace, and trash trucks.

    Journaling: Journaling is also a part of my spiritual life and a daily exercise. What few times I’ve missed journaling was due to hospital vacations or where words could not be heard from within. I also find the writing on this blog to be fun and enjoyable. I was a horrible English student as a youth and disliked reading and writing. Now both reading and writing make up a majority of day. Never thought I would enjoy reading poetry but find I do, even venturing into attempts at writing in a poetic form.

    Photography: Photography is a real interest or goal for time in nature. I have loved nature photography since I was a teenager with my first twin lens reflex camera. Over time, photography has help develop what some call the eye of the heart, so that I see nature from a new place. A much larger world for me to experience.

    Discovery: There is a world to discover beyond the small world many of us spend most of our time living in. For many years I chose my world that consisted of a cubicle with a paycheck. There are new horizons of discovery and adventure yet to be seen and fully experienced. Time in nature helps me stay alive as a fulltime student.

    And, what are yours, if you care to share?

    May we be the artists of our days! 😎❤️

     

  • quotes

    New Eyes

    Seeing with new eyes
    Seeing with new eyes

    “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but having new eyes.” Marcel Proust