Each soul must meet the morning sun, the new sweet earth,
Ohiyesa
and the Great Silence alone.
The Great Silence
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Sunrise over Dixon Reservoir – July 2022 -
Sacred Conversations
A touch of pink over CSU campus just before sunrise Imagine how different life would be right now if Christianity could become a place for sacred conversations; a place to explore possibilities and express doubts and disagree and encourage voices on the edges.
Victoria LoorzI was told yesterday I have a very active social life.
But maybe it’s really a multitude of sacred conversations. -
To Love Life…
Predawn at Pineridge Natural Area Life is everything. Life is God. Everything changes and moves and that movement is God. And while there is life there is a joy in consciousness of the divine. To love life is to love God. Harder and more blessed than all else is to love this life in one’s suffering, in innocent suffering.
Leo Tolstoy, War and PeaceAfter my quiet time and a bowl of Irish Oats I made a trip to Pineridge Natural Area to enjoy the predawn and sunrise on this Friday the 13th. It has been a while since I’ve ventured up there for sunrise. Instead, I’ve been spending more time riding the bicycle and at the coffee shops. I made a good choice as the clouds to the south were glowing pink and red. And, it was quiet and calm which quiets and calms my soul. I realized how much I missed these moments with nature. Who knows, maybe nature missed my presence also. Our cold days have left most of Dixon Reservoir with a layer of ice. I then met Jeff for coffee and conversation and will meet Don and Elizabeth for lunch later today. Yes, to love life while we still have time!
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Thanks
Whoever invented the bicycle deserves the thanks of humanity.
Lord Charles BeresfordIt was 23 degrees when I rode my bicycle to the coffee shop. I missed the past two mornings because it was below 20 degrees, windy, and humid. I’m not tough enough to go any colder. This image was taken from a foot bridge on the Mason Trail over Spring Creek. As I’ve mentioned before I am able to stop almost anywhere along the trails for photo opportunities, which I can’t do in my car. I also am closer to nature scenes on the bicycle trails.
In reference to the quote I am at a place in life where I have much more appreciation for whoever invented the bicycle. There are several claims on the invention but the first verifiable claim for a practically used bicycle belongs to German Barón Karl von Drais Sauerbronn1, a civil servant to the Grand Duke of Baden in Germany. Drais invented his Laufmaschine (German for “running machine”) in 1817, that was called Draisine (English) or draisienne (French) by the press. Karl von Drais patented this design in 1818, which was the first commercially successful two-wheeled, steerable, human-propelled machine, commonly called a velocipede, and nicknamed hobby-horse or dandy horse. I wonder what he would think of the e-bike and our bicycle trails. Anyway, I offer thanks to whoever!
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Surrounded by Pink
“The quality of our being is the basis of all our actions…The quality of our presence is the most positive element that we can contribute to the world.”
Thich Nhat HanhThis morning’s ride to coffee found me surrounded by pink. This is looking west across the intramural fields on CSU campus just before sunrise. So glad I was present and stopped. The Old Town Mocha I had later was just what I needed to warm up.
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Quiet Sunrise
Sunrise at Arapaho Bend Natural Area – 2021 It is a wonderful day in our life
John O’Donohue
when one is finally able to stand
before the long, deep mirror of one’s own reflection
and view oneself
with appreciation, acceptance and forgiveness.
On that day
one breaks through the falsity of images and expectations
which have blinded one’s spirit.
One can only learn to see who one is
when one learns to view oneself
with the most intimate and forgiving
compassion. -
Damn, it was good!
Sunrise at the CSU Oval with a dirty lens I received an interesting email this past week from attorneys in California “demanding” me to remove images from my website because I was infringing on copyrighted images belonging to their company. They had a link to a file listing the images but the link was incomplete. I did some research on the attorneys and discovered they deal with estate and trust litigation. I was sure it was a scam of some sort because as far as I know I have no images on this blog that are not mine. I was concerned that I may have posted a quote or poem that someone was wanting me to take down, which I would do, so I called them. I found out they were aware someone was using their company name and that I could ignore the email. So confusing that people can think of doing something like that, then acting on it and never see the results. Anyway…
The other morning at Mugs I discovered one chocolate eclair sitting in their pastry case. I was flabbergasted because they normally do carry them except in the downtown store. I knew immediately some poor unsuspecting customer, maybe even a friend, was going to see that eclair and be tempted buy it. So, I quickly made the sacrifice and bought it, thinking only of them of course. Damn, it was good!
