As I travel this journey of life, I find both the unceasing chaotic chatter of the world and my mind brings turmoil within me. To quiet these voices of anxiety and confusion I use my journal and fountain pens. They have long ago become intimate friends who have the ability to bring a calming to my sometimes troubled spirit. As I hold these trusted instruments my breathing and thinking settle down into a place of peace. As I write, the world still shouts but now from a distance and the continuous chatter of my mind gradually becomes a soft whisper.
We are expecting snow to begin about midday with 1-3 inches total. Stay warm.
It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living.
In the attitude of silence the soul finds the path in a clearer light, and what is elusive and deceptive resolves itself into crystal clearness. Our life is a long and arduous quest after Truth.
“May I have the courage today To live the life that I would love, To postpone my dream no longer But do at last what I came here for And waste my heart on fear no more.”
John O’Donohue
This image was taken back in May. There is something about this tree that keeps me coming back to visit. Wonder if it’s the solitude this tree lives plus the courage to live the life it’s called to live. I also wonder how many of us have failed to live the life we would love.
morning sun enters through my window warms my soul with its abounding grace grateful and blessed for this life I live filled with love of family and friends
solitude and silence the foundations of my life it’s the staff I need to walk through life raises me up when I fall, again and again where I discern my chatter from your words
prayer and meditation my daily practice a lifeline to grasp when I begin to wander lifting the spirit when life weighs heavy opens a door to knowing beyond thinking
it’s been said that if the only prayer we say is thank you, that would suffice so I’m thankful for this wonderful life happy thanksgiving to you!
I felt a strong emotion rise to the surface while on my bus ride this morning. Tears welled up in my eyes, not from sadness or pain but more along the lines of some feeling of love. What is strange about this feeling of love is because of an incident of anger that happened 15 minutes earlier while leaving the condo. I was running a couple minutes late and if I didn’t hustle I would miss the bus which would cause me to have to wait a half hour for the next bus. As I grabbed the doorknob I remembered I needed to get my renewed bus pass out of the pocket of my backpack and felt the anxiety within. As I took the backpack off I got tangled up with the straps and my anxiety burst into anger and choice words (#@&!). Almost immediately after hearing the words come out of my mouth and noticed my increased emotions, I took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled. I ask myself what was I really angry at? It was sure not the backpacks fault. This led to a few moments of reflection. While walking to the bus stop I became aware of how much I wanted the world to run smoothly all the time, especially for me. But, the reality is life is not like that.
Then while on the bus I observed these students solemnly heading to class and wondered what they may be going through. I could see some to be stressed out with school or worried about some relationship that is struggling. Maybe there are health problems in their life, theirs or family. No one’s life runs smoothly all the time nor is there a reason to expect it. The real question is how we face and deal with life. For me the feeling of love on the bus was for those who may be going through much more than getting tangled up their backpack. I have much to learn. Sigh! If you read this far, thanks for listening.
