My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, coffee life, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, spirituality and asking deep questions.
Our religious experience begins and ends with the heart. It begins with the insight that our heart is restless. A world of things can never fully satisfy its restless quest. Only that nothing beyond all things that we call meaning gives us rest when we glimpse it. The quest of the human heart for meaning is the heartbeat of every religion.
Gratefulness, the Heart of Prayer
When I returned from my bicycle ride to coffee this morning I caught a glimpse of the sunlight coming through my bedroom window. I knew it as a voice telling me there was a photo being offered. Did I want it? Just a glimpse is all it takes for us to see something that’s small and irrelevant at times and now has something simple to offer. I wanted it! Some would call it a spiritual experience. After looking at the quilt I rememberd it was a handmade quilt given to me by my friend, Judith, who died of cancer 17 years ago. Maybe she was behind that voice.
Meditation is the attempt to provide the soul with the proper environment in which to grow and become.
Morton T. Kelsey
As the quote suggests I’ve come to believe that starting each morning with a meditation time provides my soul with the proper environment in which to grow and become. But, I also include my time in nature as part of my meditation. The beauty, serenity, and silence of a sunrise and being able to share it, does something to my soul, just as the twenty minutes sitting on a zafu cushion does. And, both of these experiences are the perks in my retirement years and for being an early riser. I am grateful!
When I left the condo this morning it was 36 degrees, clear skies and dry so it was a morning to bicycle to the coffee shop. A bright waning crescent moon hung in the southern darkness. The wind was blowing causing flags on campus to stand erect into the eastern sunrise and also made my bedaling tougher. The lovely Winter was my barista this morning and made me a spicy chai to start my day. A beautiful day is taking shape here in Colorado.
“This tells me two fundamental truths: one, that in order to evolve and grow, we must be prepared to face the erosive aspects of life. Two, it’s the weathering that creates the finest landscape of our lives, shaping us and defining us over time.”
Ruth Allen
There is a knowing within me that I am evolving. The obstacles of life, the weathering, has shaped who I am. And, I would venture to say everything else in the universe. The weathering of my life’s storms is allowing me to experience the inner landscape of my life. Grateful for this time in my life and my inner landscape! Have a wonderful day!!!
“The soil under the grass is dreaming of a young forest, and under the pavement the soil is dreaming of grass.”
Wendell Berry
I am grateful for the natural areas and the city of Fort Collins for setting aside these areas. They protect nature from those who want to profit from them and destroy the dreams of the soil. Because it was a beautiful day of blue sky and sunshine, I spent some time at Reservoir Ridge Natural Area this afternoon and journaled. I thought about people who know nothing but the asphalt, concrete and noise of big cities. For them to be present to the silence of the sunrise above or to look out over a vast horizon, could be startling if not frightening to them. So, this evening I’m aware of how lucky, blessed, and grateful I am to have these sanctuaries to experience. I will end with words written in my journal today: No asphalt here…
At 6:37 am my weather app said it was 0°, wind was out of the north at 11 mph, humidity was at 83%, wind chill at −17° and light snow was falling. Later at 7:13 am I was enjoying a mocha latte at Mugs and had to snicker at the insane individuals who would be out in this weather, unless they were my barista or the city snowplow driver. Told my baristas, Emma and Jess, that I needed to have a conversation with McCabe and Marlie (the owners) about paying them double-time for working on days like this. They thought it was a great idea! When I got home I noticed the geese were sleeping in late so I quietly took three images. They looked so comfortable I didn’t want to wake them. Now at my computer, slippers on, furnace running, sipping on a hot chai tea and have a grateful heart! Going to be a day for reading and writing. Looks like most of the country is cold today so stay warm!!!
We need to move: from a spirituality of alienation from the natural world to a spirituality of intimacy with the natural world, from a spirituality of the divine as revealed in words to a spirituality of the divine as revealed in the visible world about us.
Thomas Berry
I awoke early and made the short trip to Pineridge Natural Area for the predawn colors. We’re expecting snow later today, as much as 4-10 inches by Saturday morning, so I was expecting to see some red sky. I was not disappointed. Almost no wind. Silence, which is such an integral part of the language of nature.
Later, when I got to the coffee shop I felt a bit of regret as I may not have stayed as long as I could have. Seems my focus had moved on to enjoying a mocha rather than staying present and accepting all the gifts nature was wanting to share with me. Maybe I was intuitively aware of my spirit of alienation from the natural world over the past few days due of traveling. Maybe the divine in nature was asking me not to leave just yet. As I write this post I’m aware of my gratitude for the natural world that we are a part of, that is available to me, my ability to spend time within it and the amount of time I do spend in it.
I’ll end this post with a prayer on this Thanksgiving Day: I am thankful for family, friends, and those who are both. I pray for the healing of this wounded world and that we embrace the divinity of this natural world we share. Hoping you enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends.
After watching this evening’s sunset I realized how much I have to be grateful for in my life. I’m even grateful I can say that as often as I do. Even though I am not wealthy, I have enough to live comfortably. Even though I am aging and have a couple of health issues we are addressing, I have a healthy lifestyle. I have amazing and growing relationships with family and friends and those who are both. I have a spiritual life that I embrace and nurture. I have a coffee life that has become part of my family. I have these beautiful Colorado sunsets and sunrises that touch some deep place within me. I am grateful for gloves. I am grateful for all who read this post. Gratitude fills me this evening. Going to share this evening’s sunset with you and hope you have a wonderful weekend! A second post today.
Every moment is a gift. … Whatever life gives to you, you can respond with joy. Joy is the happiness that does not depend on what happens. It is the grateful response to the opportunity that life offers you at this moment.
Brother David Steindl-Rast
A light wet snow began falling about 6:14 am, our first snowfall for the 2023 winter. I was planning on meeting Eric in Windsor for coffee and conversation this morning but as I headed out of town I had second thoughts and returned home. We talked on the phone instead, which was still a good conversation.
Weather app says 2-7 inches possible by tomorrow noon and some much colder temperatures. Those temperatures will make roads nasty. During a lull, just after noon, I stepped outside and took this image. As you can see the trees still have a few leaves and with the snow being wet I’m afraid branches will be coming down. It’s Nature’s way of pruning.
My saga with the raccoons continues providing another opportunity for either anger or joy, my choice. I noticed they’d done more damage on Friday afternoon, tearing down another 1/3 of the insulation. So, I sprayed the remaining insulation and the firewall with a mix of water and peppermint oil last night. This afternoon when I started the car and began cleaning it off, a heck of a racket came from my engine compartment as two raccoons scrambled for their lives. Once they hit the ground they ran like crazy for the culvert. At first I felt angry to know they were back and fearful they had caused even more damage. It’s frustrating because I do not want them to cause electrical damage but also laugh at the situation. At some period of my past I may have waged war on them but I’ve come to understand waging war is not a solution. I want them to leave my car alone and they want to survive. It’s Nature’s way of survival. Anyway, I sprayed peppermint again and have decided to park my car in a different location, away from the culvert. And if that doesn’t solve it, I’m getting rid of the damn car because the car’s the problem!!!
In reference to David Steindl-Rast’s quote I must agree that every moment is a gift. It was a gift when I felt the anger then let it go. It was a gift to laugh as I watched them run like hell. It’s a gift when I can share this comical/serious situation with you. And, it’s a gift for you to hopefully laugh at my situation while being grateful it ain’t you. Think I’m gonna soak in a hot tub of water tonight before bed and look at it as a gift.
Going to be a day for reading and writing. Looks like most of the country is cold today so stay warm!!!
