• landscape,  natural areas,  poems,  snow

    Miracles Everywhere

    November 9, 2024
    Snow covered foothills at Reservoir Ridge Natural Area

    I was sad
    Mad
    Big things going wrong
    Big
    Asked for a miracle
    Nope
    Screamed for it
    Nope
    Then looked around
    Miracles everywhere
    Just not the one I so badly wanted

    Joyce Wilson-Sanford, I Pray Anyway

    It has been overcast and cold all day. The snow stopped around mid-morning. I made a drive to Reservoir Ridge Natural Area this morning knowing it was closed due to wet conditions but hoping to get a photo of the snow sitting atop the foothills from the gate. What a miracle it is to be alive and live in this beautiful world. In my quiet this morning I took a book down from my shelf called I Pray Anyway and thumbed through a few of her poems until I came across this one. Sometimes a poet will just say what I need to read. Her poem speaks to me because so many miracles that didn’t/don’t/won’t happen the way I want them to. She reminds me to look around at all the other miracles in my life and let go of what I think outcomes need to be. And then I can make a gratitude list of miracles everywhere in my life!!

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  • fall season,  leaves,  quotes

    It is all a miracle!!!

    October 24, 2024

    The wind has blown hard today, gusting up to 30 mph. The blue sky is filled with an infinite number of yellow, gold, brown, red, pink, and multi-speckled leaves. And, all are being invited to dance and sing with the wind. Yet some hold on, not ready to let go, even though it’s an essential part of their journey. I must confess, I do love the music that they make together, this chorus after chorus of rustling leaves and wind. Their music is one of the primary reasons I enjoy this time of the year. This image is taken outside my front door where the wind swirls leaves into a delightful blanket of beauty just for me. It is all a miracle!!!

    A touch of pink

    Somewhere along the way, you realize that no one will teach you how to live your own life — not your parents or your idols, not the philosophers or the poets, not your liberal arts education or your twelve-step program, not church or therapy or Tolstoy. No matter how valuable any of that guidance, how pertinent any of that wisdom, in the end you discover that you make the path of life only by walking it with your own two feet under the overstory of your own consciousness — that singular miracle never repeated in all the history and future of the universe, never fully articulable to another.

    Maria Popova

    This quote by Maria Popova is from a wonderful blog post which you can read here.

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  • poems,  shadows

    a silent miracle

    April 8, 2024

    dancing sunlight through a window
    unpredictable, playfull, offering delight
    suddenly emerging, spreading its gift
    the eyes see, the heart recognizes
    a silent miracle of the familiar1Inspired by a John O’Donohue Poem

    mws
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  • Avian,  meadowlark,  quotes

    The Quiet Miracles

    April 3, 2024

    Take time to see the quiet miracles that seek no attention.

    John O’Donohue

    Clear skies and sunshine this morning in Colorado. Listening to the meadowlarks send their songs across the open meadow, urging us to seek the quiet miracles all around us.

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  • landscape,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  quotes,  sunrises,  winter scenes

    It’s a Miracle

    February 5, 2024
    Predawn light over Dixon Reservoir

    To be alive and walk on the Earth is a miracle, and yet most of us are running as if there was some better place to get to. There is beauty calling to us every day, every hour, but we are rarely in a position to listen.

    Thich Nhat Hanh

    I can easily find myself running, sometimes unaware of the direction I’m running. Often times it’s driven by fear, worry, fatigue, anger, running late, and not surprisingly, influenced by our highly driven society. I have a few of ways to slow down. One is to journal. Another is time in nature. Prayer and meditation time is another. As I think about that I realize they allow me to see more of the beauty in this world. Enjoy your Monday!

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  • insects,  quotes

    The Small Wonders

    August 11, 2023

    “Because I was watching for miracles on an epic scale, I didn’t recognize the small wonders that were occurring every day.”

    Spiritual Awakenings, Journeys of the Spirit

    I began this day watching the sunrise at Pineridge Natural Area, always a good start to any day. I am amazed at this life I am living. It is nothing like I would have imagined. All of life’s experiences have led to this time and place. I am so grateful today! May we all look for each small wonder as a spiritual awakening! 🙏

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