My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, coffee life, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, spirituality and asking deep questions.
Wakan Tanka, Great Mystery,
Lakota Prayer
teach me how to trust
my heart,
my mind,
my intuition,
my inner knowing,
the senses of my body,
the blessings of my spirit.
Teach me to trust these things
so that I may enter my Sacred Space
and love beyond my fear,
and thus Walk in Balance
with the passing of each glorious Sun.
May all I say and all I think
Chinook prayer, Pacific Northwest Coast
be in harmony with thee,
God within me,
God beyond me,
maker of the trees.
Almost 9:45 am. It has been a busy morning already. Made a drive to Pineridge Natural Area to greet the morning sunrise. The predawn sky was an intense red, not sure my sensor would pickup the true color. Shortly after shooting this image the clouds did take on a beautiful shade of pink and orange colors. Interestingly I preferred this image. Later, people at the coffee shop were talking about the morning’s intense sunrise. Reminded me the gift of sunrises are not just for my pleasure but for all of creation.
Will meet with friends at noon and then later in the evening with other friends but it will not be to watch the game. My interest in such events has passed on to other interests. Tomorrow morning will be my procedure (Left Heart Cath) then will meet with surgeons on Wednesday.
A smile comes across my face as I imagine what a peaceful world it would be if everyone prayed the simple prayer above as a way to start each day. And each day we changed the word trees to something different, naming anything of creation. Anyway, may you have a wonderful day and may all we say and all we think be in harmony.
Loved the predawn clouds at Pineridge Natural Area this morning. Happy that Nature offered me a subtle hint of pink/orange over the eastern horizon to begin this new day. The wind has blown all day (currently 19 mph). Even with the sun shining almost all day it never warmed up. Yet, with the sun shining the past couple of days, the snow has been melting which has caused the city to close down many of the trails at the natural areas. Those wet and muddy conditions destroy the trails. Shot this from the parking lot. Met a friend for a Thai lunch at a new restaurant, at least for me. Food was good and I walked away stuffed. I spent some time at the Pineridge Natural Area this afternoon and soaked up the sun while journaling. Rather quiet there. Hope you have a great day!
The mind is but a visitor;
Rilke’s Book of Hours: I, 51
it thinks us out of our world.
I saw last night that the morning hours could have scattered clouds so I drove to Pineridge Natural Area thinking nature could offer me some colors. I waited for a few minutes in the cold penetrating wind but my thinking mind, who Rilke suggests will think us out of our world, told me nothing was going to happen and a better choice would be to head for the coffee shop. By the time I was halfway there that pink streak you see on the horizon burst into a blazing pink sky. Sigh! This post actually follows up with yesterday’s post about going out with my camera and seeing what nature offers. Seems there’s a need for patience, even in a cold wind, to see what nature has to offer. Oh well, I enjoyed my mocha and told myself, tomorrow morning. And, it has been overcast and windy all day.
“Within the mystery of life there is the infinite darkness of the night sky lit by distant orbs of fire, the cobbled skin of an orange that releases its fragrance to our touch, the unfathomable depths of the eyes of our lover. No creation story, no religious system can fully describe or explain this richness and depth. Mystery is so every-present that no one can know for certain what will happen one hour from now. It does not matter whether you have religion or are an agnostic believe in nothing, You can only appreciate (without knowing or understanding) the mysteries of life.”
Jack Kornfield
Awoke early and headed to Pineridge Natural Area for some sanctuary time and to take a dozen images of the sunrise. Last sunrise image up there was on December 11th, so it had been a while. Always a good way to begin the day and appreciate the mysteries of life. Seems to be cold almost everywhere so stay warm and dry!
My responsibility is to speak the truth as I feel it, and to attempt to speak it with as much precision and beauty as possible.
Audre Lorde
The truth this morning is: it’s cold and I feel it! A brisk -4 degrees at 7:00 am. And, overcast skies and a light snow are part of the truth. We will not see the sun today but hoping to see it tomorrow. This image was taken this past November at Dixon Reservoir. My son is coming over for a late lunch today and bringing butternut squash soup. Bring it on, I say. Thanks for stopping by.
The ancient rhythms of the earth have insinuated themselves into the rhythms of the human heart. The earth is not outside us; it is within: the clay from where the tree of the body grows.
John O’Donohue
Sorry for another quote by John O’Donohue but he is one of my favorites. Yesterday was a fairly good day for me, I rested well and the energy carried through the day. We have been in a cold spell the past few days. We received about 1-2 inches of snow a week ago and it still is on the ground. Overcast skies and the cold temperatures have kept the Colorado sun from melting the snow and warming us up. However the weather app says we can see sunshine this afternoon. Anyway, here is an image from a cold December sunrise in 2011. Have a great weekend!!!