• coffee life,  People/Portraits,  quotes

    Top of my Gratitude List

    Adriana and Emma

    May the light of your soul guide you; May the light of your soul bless the work you do with the secret love and warmth of your heart; May you see in what you do the beauty of your own soul; May the sacredness of your work bring healing, light and renewal to those who work with you and to those who see and receive your work; May your work never weary you; May it release within you wellsprings of refreshment, inspiration and excitement…

    John O’Donohue

    My coffee life this morning had a special perk to it. I was pleased to see Emma at the coffee shop when I arrived. Let me tell you about it. So Adriana, in the background, is one of the current baristas, a full time student at CSU and a manager at Mugs. Emma, in the foreground, worked at Mugs for many years while a student at CSU. She now lives in Massachusetts after graduation and is in town for a visit. These two were roommates for several years and two of the most beautiful people on the earth. They both have made a lot of my mornings better by their presence, offering their smiles, their morning greetings and making my mocha lattes. My life has been enriched because of the gifts they are and I believe the world is richer because of their presence. Even though I am much older, they inspire me through the lives they live! I also consider them adopted granddaughters. They are at the top of my gratitude list! Even though I knew Emma was going to be here, it was still a wonderful surprise to see her. I’m still smiling!

  • poems

    Facing the Coming Storms

    We will be known as a culture that feared death
    and adored power, that tried to vanquish insecurity
    for the few and cared little for the penury of the
    many. We will be known as a culture that taught
    and rewarded the amassing of things, that spoke
    little if at all about the quality of life for
    people, for dogs, for rivers. All
    the world, in our eyes, they will say, was a
    commodity. And they will say that this structure
    was held together politically, which it was, and
    they will say also that our politics was no more
    than an apparatus to accommodate the feelings of
    the heart, and that the heart, in those days,
    was small, and hard, and full of meanness.

    Mary Oliver
    Red Bird (2008)

    I’ll begin by saying it seems the majority of the world does not have the ability to develop relationships, even with themselves. I’m not sure I could 20 years ago. There is more focus on ourselves, our wants and a fear of losing what we already have. Relationships ask us to step out of our comfort zones and change. Thus, we have a world in constant turmoil and conflict with seemingly few solutions and people become disheartened. 

    I have changed throughout my life and hopefully for the better. Some changes have come from pain and suffering and some from asking questions that uncover self-knowledge already within me. I attribute some of that to my journaling. Many of those pages are filled with questions. Wonderfully each question leads to another question and another and another…. Can I look for the similarities in others rather than differences? Can I accept that I am not the center of the universe but a small, significant part of all of creation? Can I have the courage to believe others may have more to teach me than I have to teach them, requiring me to always remain a student? Can I believe peace starts within me, the small world I can touch and then spreads outward, not the other way? Can I be willing to take action in my life to stand up against any neglect, abuse, and stigmatization of all creation? Can I respect all of life? Can I change my way of living without expecting the rest of the world to change with me? I’ve become a firm believer that once there is a psychic change within anyone’s life they and the world around them change. And, what about this thing called forgiveness? How well do I forgive? Contrary to some, true change always starts with me! Having said that, can I now, like the mosquito in a tent, believe that I can make an impact on the world no matter how insignificant that may seem? Am I willing to take the risk to change, to be attacked by those who cannot relate or maybe unwilling to change themselves? History has shown that some have paid a high price when they change or suggest that we can change. We call them prophets. So, instead of living with a heart that is small, hard and full of meanness, I am seeking a larger heart that is soft and full of love. Can I believe my few words and actions can bring about change? Can I be the tree that stands on the ridge facing the storms of life?

  • landscape,  Plants,  quotes,  seasons,  snow,  trees,  winter scenes,  writing/reading

    Learning to Be a Listener

    A gentle snow storm at Arapaho Bend Natural Area in 2014

    Generous listening is powered by curiosity, a virtue we can invite and nurture in ourselves to render it instinctive. It involves a kind of vulnerability – a willingness to be surprised, to let go of assumptions and take in ambiguity. The listener wants to understand the humanity behind the words of the other, and patiently summons one’s own best self and one’s own best words and questions.

    Krista Tippett, Becoming Wise: An Inquiry into the Mystery and Art of Living

    Over the years I’ve discovered how poorly I listen. Some of the discovery is from encountering people who are poor listeners, enabling me to see the reflection of myself in them. Becoming a better listener allows me to be the student rather than thinking I need to mansplain it. I agree with Krista that listening is a virtue we can invite and nurture and overtime becomes instinctual. It seems to me listening is the very foundation to any healthy relationship with another human and all of creation. With that in mind, my curiosity begs to ask the question, what do we learn when listening to the silence of a winter snowfall?

  • architecture,  Black and White,  Documentary/Street,  lifestyles,  window

    A Common Scene

    Student life at Lory Student Center

    It was snowing when I took this image at the Legacy Lounge in the Lory Student Center last week. You couldn’t see the mountains but today we have have clear skies and it is now 54 degrees. That’s warm to most of us this time of the year. But, that will change tonight as a front moves in and we get another 1-2 inches tonight and tomorrow. This student had his laptop open but he was looking at his smartphone. A common scene nowadays. 

  • Candid Portraits,  coffee shops,  Documentary/Street,  John O'Donohue,  lifestyles,  People/Portraits,  quotes

    The Warmth of the Coffee Shop

    It’s cold outside but nice and warm inside the coffee shop

    A Blessing of Solitude
    “May you recognize in your life the presence, power, and light of your soul. May you realize that you are never alone, that your soul in its brightness and belonging connects you intimately with the rhythm of the universe. May you have respect for your own individuality and difference. May you realize that the shape of your soul is unique, that you have a special destiny here, that behind the facade of your life there is something beautiful, good, and eternal happening. May you learn to see yourself with the same delight, pride, and expectation with which God sees you in every moment.” 

    John O’Donohue, Anam Cara
  • Black and White,  Candid Portraits,  Documentary/Street,  lifestyles,  People/Portraits

    Busy Campus

    Student leaving the Lory Student Center

    I find the Lory Student Center to be a quiet place to read and journal. It is also a place to find decent mocha lattes at a reasonable price. However, when classes are in session from about 8:00 am to 5:00 pm there is a hustle and bustle about every hour when students move from classroom to classroom. This image is taken at a very active intersection. It is a primary doorway between the courtyard and the food court so from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm it is busy. It is also near to one of the four small coffee shops on campus.

  • lifestyles,  spirituality

    A Few Books

    This is some of the books I’ve read or going to read for this retreat starting on Saturday. There are going to be 17 books used in these five weeks where we will cover a chapter or two of the book and no written essays. There will be a lot of practicum in this retreat, actual participation, rather than just gathering more knowledge and information.

    Today is my 69th birthday. The coffee shop, Mugs, gave me a free mocha and a chocolate éclair, which made my morning. I also receive the sweetest phone message from Julie and Tom as they sang happy birthday. Brought me to tears and not because their singing was bad. 🙂