My online journal sharing interests in photography, nature, coffee life, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, spirituality and asking deep questions.
Encountering the Divine Presence
ms
in sanctuaries of silence
Where Creation is speaking when
meadowlarks and robins sing
Listening with the ears of the heart
to this nonverbal language
Embracing those unspeakable words
a benediction of silence.
Grateful…as God speaks in this place of silence.
Sitting on this rock, watching the sunrise with awe and wonder. The grass around me is wet from the mornings dew and also from the rain we had yesterday. The temperature is perfect. There is almost no wind. I take sips of my chai latte, listening to a meadowlark perched atop the fence singing its morning praise. The sun rises behind the clouds, offering hints of pink and letting me know the new day is here. I’m grateful for this moment, this place, this experience, this life, all the green that surrounds me, the clouds, the new day, even the cold hard rock I’m sitting on. This is one of my favorite times of the day… one of my favorite places…
I read of a man who stood to speak
The Dash Poem (By Linda Ellis)
At the funeral of a friend
He referred to the dates on the tombstone
From the beginning…to the end
He noted that first came the date of birth
And spoke the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years
For that dash represents all the time
That they spent alive on earth.
And now only those who loved them
Know what that little line is worth
For it matters not, how much we own,
The cars…the house…the cash.
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.
So, think about this long and hard.
Are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left
That can still be rearranged.
If we could just slow down enough
To consider what’s true and real
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.
And be less quick to anger
And show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
Like we’ve never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect
And more often wear a smile,
Remembering this special dash
Might only last a little while
So, when your eulogy is being read
With your life’s actions to rehash…
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent YOUR dash?
This poem was read at the Celebration of Life yesterday for our friend and loved one, Antonella (Toni). The poem does call us to think about how we want to live out all of our years in between those two significant dates of birth and death. I remember her smile, that grin which sometimes had that mischievous look. I am grateful to have received the gift of knowing you. You will be missed, my friend! 😢
Here is a link to a recording of the author reading the poem.
“Everything is a gift. The degree to which we are awake to this truth is a measure of our gratefullness, and gratefullness is a measure of our aliveness.”
Brother David Steindl-Rast
It is cold this morning, requiring me to scrape frost off the windshield. But blue skies and sunshine. Enjoy the gift of this wonderful day!
At the end of the day, give up your worries and give thanks for the journey.
Ben Vereen
It is another beautiful day here in Colorado. Just finished a busy morning with cardiac rehab and an echocardiogram. Good news is the new aortic valve is working just fine. Hope everyone is thankful they remembered where they hid all the eggs!
“The simplest spiritual discipline is some degree of solitude and silence. To be with our own thoughts and feelings is probably the most courageous act most of us will ever do.”
…and the sun has been shining most of the day. However, when I left the condo this morning for my chai latte a massive cloud bank sat along the easter horizon hiding the sun. It finally broke above the cloud bank about 8:00 am and immediately began to warm and brighten our day. People were out enjoying this beautiful day. Parking lots to the natural areas were full this afternoon. Now the long late afternoon shadows have faded into the coming darkness as the sun sets and the feeling of cold surrounds me. I’m in for the night to read and post these simple words. Hope you had a good weekend and pray you have a good week.
Saw a bumper sticker today that I liked and it made me smile. It’s a bit different than its cousin by one word. It says, “Make America Grateful Again.” I’m not so sure either grateful or great are the best words but I would like to have our country be known as grateful rather than great.
“A mystic is anyone who has a gnawing suspicion that the apparent discord, brokenness, contradiction, and discontinuities that assault us every day might conceal a hidden unity.”
Krista Tippett
A light drizzle began falling this morning then changed to a wet snow. It stopped at about noon. It has been overcast and gray all day. I can easily see why people can feel down or depressed on days like this. I have felt its effect. I also feel a bit down as I have a friend who is in ICU from a heart attack and another one who has gone into hospice. It has been a struggle to accept where I’m at now in life and the weather and news have not helped.
Yet, I watch as this precious moisture creates “dewdrop ornaments” that glisten and sparkle with the wind on the juniper outside my bedroom window. Nature is always offering us something to enjoy and so simple. I smile and am grateful.