• leaves,  quotes

    Never Doubt

    January 12, 2024

    “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

    Margaret Mead

    Clouds began rolling in just before noon. Forecast is for snow later tonight and into tomorrow and bitter cold, with a wind chill warning of 40 below. The cold is expected to hang around over the next 3 days. I did make it to a coffee shop this morning. And, believe it or not there were a few brave bicyclists out on this blustery day. I’m not that brave or maybe I’m wiser. I took this image of a backlit leaf a week ago. I assume the leaf is most likely in Kansas or beyond by now. Stay warm and hang on to your hat.

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  • leaves,  quotes

    The Constance of Change

    January 5, 2024

    “A self that goes on changing is a self that goes on living,”

    Virginia Woolf

    Not many people enjoy changes. In fact some of us will fight against change. Yet, I’ve found change is where transformation takes place in our lives. I don’t ask for changes in my life because they can be difficult to move through but they are the only constant in my life. If I want transformation in my life then I must accept changing as part of that. It is cold this morning as it seems to be in most of the US. Enjoy your day and stay warm!

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  • frost,  leaves

    A Cold Blanket of White Frost

    December 15, 2023

    I took these images after leaving the coffee shop and heading to the transit center to catch the bus home yesterday. The sun was warming things up and much of the cold white blanket of frost was melting away. But not to worry because there is the promise of its return. I loved the patterns of the sunlight and shadows at the CSU Oval and felt the calling to walk among them. I soaked up the warm sunshine as I stood in it’s rays then felt the coolness when I stepped into the shadows. So shadows seemed to be the theme but there is always the need to post a few images of the white ice crystals clinging to those fallen leaves. You can click on the images below to see a larger image and slideshow.

    This morning is crisp with no frost and a magnificent cloudless sky. My drive to meet Eric for coffee was directly into that bright sun. So I’ve done a bit of squinting. Have a wonderful weekend!

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  • leaves,  musings,  nature

    I truly believe…

    December 14, 2023

    The less we allow ourselves to be touched by nature or to be present to nature the less we will believe nature to be the foundation of our life, that we are an essential part of nature and the less we will know about ourselves. When we do not know ourselves we are incapable of knowing others, yet we will think we do. Just watch how someone who thinks they know-it-all treats you and all of creation. I truly believe that what we do to the earth we are doing to ourselves, and the way we treat nature is the way we treat all of humanity and all of creation. I pray we lovingly touch nature and allow nature to lovingly touch us.

    We awoke to a heavy fog and had a layer of ice to scrape off of the windshield. Now off to coffee. Stay warm!

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  • leaves,  quotes

    Godful

    November 26, 2023

    But now I’ll have to go, for there is nothing to spare in the way of provisions. I’ll surely be back, however, surely I’ll be back. No other place has ever so overwhelmingly attracted me as this hospitable, Godful wilderness.

    John Muir

    I discovered a new word in some of John Muir’s writings, called “Godful.” At first I thought it was a play on the word grateful but then realized it’s his way of expressing the presence of God in all of nature. Some people may say these brown, orange and red leaves are dying with the autumn frost but I’m not so sure. Just maybe, as I’ve heard it said, they are just flowing through the current of life and those wonderful colors are a way of expressing their excitement in the new phase of life? Maybe the colors express Joy? Happiness? Could their colors and the frost be the expression of that word “Godful?” Well, I have no factual answer to any of those questions and a thousand other questions like them. However, as I experience and see the divine presence in nature I am drawn more and more to the idea of nature expressing itself to us. “Godful” I like that word.

    We have blue skies, sunshine and it’s cold. 🥶 Stay warm if it’s cold where you are and have a wonderful day! If there is a stupid rule that you can’t have a piece of chocolate cake before noon, I just broke it. 😂

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  • Family,  leaves,  quotes

    Presence of the Divine

    November 17, 2023
    Frost on leaves last week

    Meister Eckhart said that nothing in the universe resembles God so much as silence, so if you think about silence in that sense, then to come into silence is to come into the presence of the Divine.

    John O’Donohue

    I head back to Colorado tomorrow and have enjoyed my time with family. We have had overcast skies and a couple of light rains while down here. Right now I am sitting on their huge patio and enjoying one another’s presence, while quail and cactus wrens offer their songs. Will finished the day with ice cream from Handel’s.

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  • fall season,  leaves,  quotes

    Masterwork of Wisdom

    November 13, 2023

    To know how to grow old is the masterwork
    of wisdom, and one of the most difficult
    chapters in the great art of living.

    Henri Frédéric Amiel

    I remember the moment distinctly. I had ordered a sandwich and then questioned the price as it seemed too low. The response was, “I gave you the senior discount.” Wait a minute! What just happened? It took a second to pull myself together then accept the discount but the words left their mark somewhere deep within me. I’ve had time to ponder those words and I realize I had just passed over some unseeable line and into a stage of life I knew nothing about. It was a strange land I was not ready or prepared for.

    Gratefully I’ve come to see things with older and more seasoned eyes and a spattering of wisdom. I am learning to accept living in this stage of life’s journey and it’s gifts of wonder, awe, surprises, moments of joy, and the strength and courage to face life’s difficulties. I’m also discovering the aches and pains of an aging body that comes with this new territory. I’m coming to know how to grow old rooted in the masterwork of wisdom. Even though it can be difficult at times I find the learning to be one of life’s greatest adventures. I’m enjoying this chapter of my life and the art of living it.

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