• landscape,  mountains,  quotes

    Another one… wait make that two

    July 31, 2024

    I took this image on a ridge that looks out over an open space and a large farmland area that has not been scrapped and “developed” into housing. It shows we have two fires burning near us. The Alexander Mountain fire is on the left and the new one, Stone Canyon fire, is on the right. As of last night the Alexander fire was at 5080 acres and 0% contained. The Stone Canyon fire started yesterday and is about 1300 acres and 0% contained. Sadly there has been one death in the Stone Canyon fire. Neither fire grew during the night but today is going to be hot and dry. Then this morning I find out a third fire ignited last night in Jefferson County called the Quarry fire. Sheesh!! Stay safe.

    Evolution means that nature does not operate according to fixed laws but by the dynamic interplay of law, chance, and deep time; that is, one cannot understand natural processes apart from developmental categories. The interaction of forces creates a dynamic process of unfolding life, pointing to the fact that nature is incomplete; there are no fixed essences. Instead, nature is consistently oriented toward new and complex life.

    Ilia Delio
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  • landscape,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  quotes,  reflections,  sunrises

    Resting in Solitude…

    February 19, 2024

    Resting in solitude, I could sit in the silence of my own being and drink deeply from the well spring of divine love that sustained me.

    Ilia Delio

    Nothing like sitting in silence while taking in a beautiful predawn sky over Dixon Reservoir. Well, to be honest with you, I was not resting in solitude so much as freezing my buns off! I took this image last week.

    I spent part of yesterday afternoon sitting along Strauss Cabin Road, watching a bald eagle and journaling. There is power in being with others, getting outside of myself, while there is also power in solitude, being with myself. I pray for the balance! 🙏 Have a wonderful Monday.

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  • clouds,  quotes,  trees

    Enjoy the Surprises

    February 14, 2024
    A touch of soft pastel pink clouds outside the coffee shop

    We humans can easily lose our perspective on our humble place in the universe. We get locked up in our heads, prisoners of our limited ideas and thoughts, cutting ourselves off from the wider world of experience. We forget or are simply unaware that we are part of an immense cosmic history that continues to stretch into a vast unknown future.

    Ilia Delio

    I cringe when I hear anyone claim they know how a situation will turn out, how people will react, or the course nature will take. Even when challenged about their assumptions, they will say yes they know. Way too much ego for me and a total turnoff. I admit we can make pretty accurate assumptions based on past evidence and experiences but we cannot predict the future. Just ask any weather forecaster. So, I try to live life with the awareness that I don’t know all that my ego would like me to think I think I know, or believe all my assumptions and opinions. And, in truth those assumptions and opinions are evolving over time. When I remain in a place of humility, accepting my limited ideas and thoughts as just that, I am open to the wider experiences life offers. Then, I’m in a place to watch as the day unfolds and enjoy the surprises, like soft pastel pink clouds outside the coffee shop! Happy Valentine’s Day!

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  • Arapaho Bend Natural Area,  quotes

    Engagement with the future…

    November 14, 2023

    “We are created out of love and are made to energize the world in love… Aging can be either a life of nostalgia or whole hearted engagement with the future.”

    Ilia Delio

    I leave today for Phoenix to have an early Thanksgiving with my dad, two sisters and brother-in-law. I may not be active here as I’m only taking my tablet and phone. Hold the fort down while I’m away.

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  • Art,  lifestyles,  quotes,  shadows,  spirituality,  still life

    …everyday life

    March 18, 2023

    In the end, the only thing that will matter will be how well we loved. If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is to pay attention to the person we encounter, more so, to be attentive to the ones we love (and often take for granted). To be present in the moment, heart and soul, attentive to the sounds of life in the midst of anxiety, laughter, sorrow, and wonder…. The moral of the story is that grace is everywhere and love abounds, but it must be received and celebrated. This is the sacrament of everyday life.

    Ilia Delio, The Hours of the Universe

    Looks like snow and cold in the upper Great Lakes while rain in the southeast. Clear and sunny here but cold and windy. I do believe in her words that grace is everywhere and love abounds. However, far too many aren’t aware of it or don’t believe in it or don’t live life as if it is. I wonder could it be that each of us must fan that flame to live it. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, enjoying the sacrament of everyday life we each have, no matter the weather!

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  • leaves,  Plants,  poems,  writing/reading

    Community of Love

    October 15, 2021

    Creation flows from the fountain fullness
    of creative energy,
    Springing from a creative and dynamic Source of Love.
    Relational, personal, generative, communicative
    Love
    Spilling over on the canvas of space-time;
    Creation is like a song
    That flows in the most beautiful of harmonies.

    What could possibly account for such
    Creative beauty bubbling up
    Into life?
    Could it be
    The Beauty of Life itself,
    A Divine community of Love? . . .

    Ilia Delio
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