Hope begins in the dark,
Anne Lamott
the stubborn hope that if you just show up
and try to do the right thing,
the dawn will come.
Pink Clouds of Hope
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Pre-dawn over campus on my bicycle ride this morning to Mugs -
I found it healing…
Mom and Dad sometime around 1948 
All smiles on his 80th birthday I watched a spectacular sunset show last night from about 4:45-5:05 pm through my bedroom window. The show was an unusually long and wonderful experience. For some reason I felt no need to grab my camera but just wanted to experience the beauty of its gift. About fifteen minutes later, while I was journaling about the sunset, I received a message from my sister that dad had died peacefully about 5 pm. I cried, have continued to cry and expect to cry more! It’s all part of the grieving process. An hour or so later I awakened to the realization that the sunset we were experiencing was happening about the same time as dad was saying goodbye to Colorado or Colorado was saying goodbye to dad. And then this morning’s sunrise was just as spectacular, which I received as a message that they are both still present in our lives. Today I have been going through old photos to put in a small book to give to all the grandkids, which we did when mom died. So, I have been deep in memories today as I go through photos. I found it healing for me.
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Carrying the Light
Morning sunrise from 2006 Darkness cannot be dissipated with more darkness. More darkness will only make darkness thicker. Only light can dissipate darkness. Those of us who carry the light are called to shine the light, to share it so that the world will not sink into total darkness.
Thich Nhat HanhMy weather app said it was 22 degrees this morning. We had a dusting of snow during the night, but nothing measurable. No bicycle ride this morning. Instead I met Eric for coffee in Windsor and will shortly meet Steve at 4:30 pm. It’s a rather simple day. Stay warm and dry!
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Thanksgiving’s Predawn Sky
Finding beauty in a broken world is creating beauty in the world we find.
Terry Tempest WilliamsIt was a very cold morning at 22 degrees. I felt gratitude for the life I am living as I stepped from my car and walked to my favorite rock at Pineridge Natural Area. The rock was just as hard as the last time I sat on it but this morning it was also quite cold. The sky was beginning to turn a light pink then shifted into a darker pink. I accepted the gift of a beautiful predawn sky. It was quiet, still and serene. In the early twilight I could see a group of four hardy runners bouncing along the trail with their headlamps as they circled Dixon Reservoir. I assume they were working up an appetite for turkey dinner later today or maybe a warm cinnamon roll with coffee when they returned home. I agree Terry Tempest Williams quote, there is much beauty to be found in this broken world. I then made my way to Mugs in Old Town for a mocha and blueberry scone. They were having the annual Turkey Trot going on so the streets were blocked off for the race and people were gathering for the race. I decided to head back home before it became a mess. I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!
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Overcast and Cold
Selfishness seldom has to do with reaching for the biggest piece of cake on the plate;
Marcus Borg
rather, it is preoccupation with our selves.It is overcast and cold here this morning. A brisk 22 degrees when I left for coffee. Needless to say I did not ride the bicycle to coffee. However, it’s up to 30 degrees now. I put on a crockpot of chili soup earlier and will indulge in that later. I sure do like how my house smells when I’m cooking with a crockpot. Today will be a quiet day at home with reading, journaling and some flute practice. I took this sunrise and reflection image at Arapaho Bend Natural Area back in October. Have a wonderful day!
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Colorado predawn colors…
Took this at Pineridge Natural Area this morning. It’s blurry as I forgot to turn off the IBIS while using the tripod. As I headed home I became aware that I was rushing while taking this mornings images. I had nothing urgent on my calendar until later in the day but I was acting like I did. Therefore I was not as present to the moment or what I was doing. I was physically in a natural sanctuary but mentally I was in another place. After a few deep breaths I settled down and the day has gone smoothly. It has been overcast today but the temperature is in the low 60s. For the fun of it here is something from 10 years ago today. I hope you are having a wonderful weekend!!
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Sacred Places
To encounter the sacred is to be alive at the deepest center of human existence. Sacred places are the truest definitions of the earth; they stand for the earth immediately and forever; they are its flags and shields. If you would know the earth for what it really is, learn it through its sacred places. At Devil’s Tower or Canyon de Chelly or the Cahokia Mounds, you touch the pulse of the living planet; you feel its breath upon you. You become one with a spirit that pervades geologic time and space.
N. Scott MomadayThese are two images taken at Arapaho Bend Natural Area, just one of the natural areas that I consider a sacred place. The natural areas are where I enjoy attending sunrise and sunset services or an afternoon’s walk. These sacred places I enjoy do not have stained glass windows, pews, organs, a pulpit, or membership requirements. I stand or sit on the ground or a rock and experience the presence of the Spirit through the wind, a red winged blackbirds song or the warmth of the setting sun. But more often than not, just the silence. If I am fully present, I am never the same after spending sacred time in nature. Sacred places like this are where I go and sit to be one with the Spirit and feel alive. Both images were taken in 2013. May you have a wonderful day!
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My ride to coffee…
With the time change my morning ride to the coffee shops will be safer since there is more light. It was a much warmer morning than yesterday, even though there was frost, so I rode the Spring Creek trail to coffee and back. That is also a safer ride, primarily free of all traffic. My traffic this morning was this buck. I stopped and tried to start a conversation but he would have none of it. However, he didn’t seem to mind sharing the trail. I hope you have a great Sunday!
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The Gift That It Is
This morning’s sunrise So I rose early on this first day of November to watch the darkness of night give way to today’s sunrise. I felt the cold air that blankets the meadow and took several deep breaths of that cold air into my lungs. I savour this moment not as an observer but as a participant. Nature’s beauty awakens something within me as I witness the new day bringing the hope of blessings to come. And I find myself falling in love with the sky, the quiet, the stillness, creation and the gift of it all. May you have a wonderful November!!
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This Morning’s Sunrise
Jeff and I switched things up and met for coffee at the Lory Student Center this morning. The 30 degrees made it a cool ride for both of us but the sunrise colors were stunning. I shot this image by resting my camera on my bicycle seat and holding it as still as I could in the cold. It was shot at ISO 3200 and .4 sec exposure at f8.0. I used Lightroom’s Denoise to clean it up and think it did a fair enough job. Happy Halloween! And, I’ve decided to wear the same costume today that I wore yesterday.
