“I will pray for you in the quiet hours.”
Steven Charleston
The Quiet Hours
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Last night’s cloudless sunset over Longs Peak and the Colorado Front Range -
Each new horizon…
Do I use age as a reason for not following my heart’s desire?
mws
Do I search for motives to avoid living my life?
Do I look for excuses to spare myself the struggle required?
Do I run away when I face something challenging or new?
Do I have the courage to venture towards each new horizon? -
be the love…
Today I will conjure love from the empty air.
Steven Charleston
I will call it out from thin places
Where people walk without breathing
From dark places where they stumble without seeing.
I will find love in those I do not like
And let love appear in the faces I avoid.
I will make room for love in my life
Even if I feel overcrowded with worry.
I will offer love without restraint
Even if I have not received love in return.
I will dance with love in innocent pleasure.
I will sing love as though love were a new discovery.
Today I will be the love Spirit made me be
When Spirit loved me from the empty air. -
The Heart of Reality
January 2022 I am continually challenged to stop arguing with reality and instead soften into what is. Over time, I learned to find beauty, meaning, and wholeness in the heart of reality. Unpredictable, ever-changing, humiliating, and humbling reality.
Mirabai StarrIt began snowing last night and is still snowing as I write this evening. We do not have much accumulation, 3-6 inches, but roads are messy and slick. Morning will probably be worse. I met friends earlier this morning for brunch and have been inside the rest of the day. I am wrapped in a blanket and curled up in a cozy chair with a cup of hot tea. A day of reading, journaling, and grazing. That is the reality of my life. Stay warm and I hope you had a good day!
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Stocked with chocolate…
Colorado sunset – March 2020 If we listen from the mind of silence, every birdsong and every whispering of the pine branches in the wind will speak to us.
Thich Nhat HanhI had an enjoyable bicycle ride to coffee but had to face a stiff wind on the way home as a cold front moves in. Snow expected later today and into the night with frigid temperatures over the next few day. Looks very similar to the whole nations forecast. Stay warm, stock the fire and enjoy the weekend. And, make sure your stocked with chocolate!
And today is special because my dad is celebrating his 96th birthday!! I love you!
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Beauty
Colorado sunset at Arapaho Bend Natural Area – January 2025 The human soul is hungry for beauty; we seek it everywhere – in landscape, music, art, clothes, furniture, gardening, companionship, love, religion and in ourselves. No-one would desire not to be beautiful. When we experience the Beautiful, there is a sense of homecoming. Some of our most wonderful memories are of beautiful places where we felt immediately at home. We feel most alive in the presence of the Beautiful for it meets the needs of our soul.
John O’DonohueThey say the perception of beauty is subjective – people can have differing opinions on what is beautiful. So what one person perceives as beautiful might be ordinary or unappealing to another. I would also add that perception changes as we change. The beauty I see today is different than what I saw 10, 20, 30 years ago. It’s a gift to see beauty in so many things but what sets Beauty apart for me is the experience of being present to it! And, in many ways feeding my soul.
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Time Well Spent!
A waxing crescent moon at sunset from the Cathy Fromme Nature Area – 1/3/2024 “…some changes happen deep down inside of you. And the truth is, only you know about them. Maybe that’s the way it’s supposed to be.”
Judy BlumeI can find myself in a funk, or drifting into one, every once in a while. When that happens I need something to lift my spirits besides sitting at home reading a book or journaling so I opted for time at Cathy Fromme Prairie Nature Area and let the quiet touch my soul. Nature threw up a few clouds against the sky, offered a warm golden glow on the horizon and hung a thin waxing crescent moon above. Even though I felt the cold it was time well spent. For me, each time I enter into the presence of nature there can be a change within me: mind, body, heart and attitude. Some may notice a change in me while others will have no clue. The important thing is that I do. It’s time well spent!
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Make ripples…
Yesterday’s sunset over Longs Peak from Arapaho Bend Natural Area “This is how you change the world, the smallest circles first… That humble energy, the kind that says, ‘I will do what I can do right now in my own small way,’ creates a ripple effect on the world.”
Richard WagameseI’m now at Mugs. It’s another wintery morning here, 31 degrees and a dusting of snow blows in the wind. Adrianna is my barista! She made me an extra hot Old Town mocha! Just writing that brings a smile to my face.
It’s good to remind her the effect she has on my life. It’s the small things that change the world. So maybe the message today is to make some ripples!
