As part of an online course with Abbey of the Arts, we were encouraged to take a contemplative walk – a purposefully slow meander, just to notice what we notice around us. I offer here a few photos and reflection from my brief sojourn around the neighborhood.
In a season of fullness, to scale back requires work and faith; freedom to fully see. I wrote this Advent Hiaku last year as part of an online course through Abbey of the Arts. It speaks to me now as much as it did then as I embrace the paradoxes of the season and prepare … Continue reading
Penny, a sweet furball the color of a perfectly baked croissant, is my teacher. Her recent lesson? That my ability to attend to my surroundings, and thus to God, is inversely proportional to how rushed I am. When pressed for time, Penny and I hustle around the small block. This is a focused mission, a … Continue reading
the way leaves danceswaying and sighing melancholythin, spidery and fragilethe way light dancesstreaming and bursting throughholes, cracks and tearsthe way that I lovewobbling and triumphant sometranslucent with effortthe way that you loverising and setting everover, around and through This post is inspired by the WordPress online course, Writing: Finding Everyday Inspiration (Day 4: A Story in a … Continue reading
This spring I decided to begin a practice of bird watching. The spot where I sip my coffee and pray in the morning has an expansive view of the front yard, so I figured I’d start there. I bought a bird feeder and hung it, with great expectation. For a day or two nothing changed … Continue reading
In a season of fullness, to scale back requires faith and work; freedom to fully see. This Haiku was birthed during an online Advent Retreat (put on by Abbey of the Arts).
This is the fourth installment of a series on the color brown and seeing things as they really are. Read the other posts. I love lists. Groceries, errands, things to get done today, next week, this year…having things all spelled out in an orderly fashion soothes me. Checking things off my list is immensely satisfying. … Continue reading
This is the third installment of a series on the color brown and seeing things as they really are. Read the other posts. Not far down my street, I almost stepped in it. Dog poop. Bits and pieces of crumbly goose poop littered another spot on the walk. At one point I noticed some crap, … Continue reading
This is the second part of a series on the color brown and seeing things as they really are. Read the introduction to the series. With the first step out my door, I notice brown. Leaves, leftover debris from an unfinished fall cleanup, littered the snow. In fact I remembered my husband’s comment as he … Continue reading
Wedged in between the pristine beauty of winter and the glory of spring is a time that we in New England like to call Mud Season. Gone is the white beauty of snow; the bursts of life and color have yet to make themselves known. The brisk excitement of winter has become wearying, and the … Continue reading
