NEW SERIES - PSYCHOLOGICAL LANDSCAPES

Daily we walk the paths of our lives.

Some are well lit places of joy and goodness.

Some are dark spaces of melancholy and malice.

Some we go down by choice, some by chance, and some by influence.

Who’s to say we shouldn’t go down each path for different reasons?

The dark paths either make us or break us.

The well-lit ones either encourage us or defy us.

earth's glow

Water is holy.

It refreshes a thirsty soul.

It baptizes a new saint.

It relieves dry land.

Water is life.

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Air is holy.

It gives life to life.

It cleanses the spirit.

It cools a parched earth.

Air is life.

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An island is earth.

An island is protected by air and water.

An island is taunted by air and water.

Air and water can take life or give it.

A strong wind can blow away cobwebs of trouble but it can also blow away trees and homes.

A strong sea can move a vessel to its destination but it can also swallow up that same vessel.

Respect the earth.

Revere the island.

Value the air.

Regard the water.

Treasure the island

sea thoughts and observations

The tide is steady, predictable.


The tide is comforting and regulated but also forceful and able to steal you away in a moment.

The tide is always there, high and low.

The shore changes with every tide.

The shore shrinks and grows with every moon.

The shore is always there bare and open but also covered and closed.

The moon is beautiful and reliable.

The moon is regular and stable.

The moon is always there, full or waning.

The sea is vigorous and strong.

The sea is always moving even when still on the surface.

The sea is always there, shifting and readjusting.

Like the tide we must be steady and regulated.

Like the shore we must be changing and open.

Like the moon we must be stable and reliable.

Like the sea we must be strong and moving.

Where is the healing now?

Healing waters wash over me and my soul is cured of longtime pain.

Restorative breezes lighten my spirit and it is strengthened.

A warm sun shines into my heart and it is soothed of its ache.

The earth below me holds me up and my mind is sure of its therapeutic power.

coming soon, my new series in progress:

PSYCHOLOGICAL LANDSCAPES

further beach reflections

Kiawah is where I become a daughter of deliverance.

The seaside is where I am a child of contentment.

The beach is where I discover my gift of grace.

Walking as the sun rises I become one with all life.

Standing before a sinking sun I believe in my strength.

Flowing with the sea breeze I realize my life is near perfect.

(For no one’s is truly perfect.)

trying to hang on to the peace from Kiawah

I recall Kiawah with a love in my heart that is always requited when I am there.


I long to embrace its sea breezes and sunny vistas.

I need to feel the saline in my veins and be a part of the sea.

I have to revere the views and believe there is nowhere more sacred on earth.

I exist to go there again and again for each time I find another part of myself.

I am there in my mind as I write these words.

Anne Morrow Lindbergh had her island and I have mine.

Without them we would never be real, whole, or complete.

It is on an island she and I both find our peace, our missing grace, and our unfinished lives.

Island life is a life of wholeness.

continued reflections

I will walk in the surf and be restored.

I will cry into the sea and be redeemed.

I will shine in the sun and be enlightened.

I will hold a shell and be amazed at its strength.

I will feel the ocean breezes and know my heart.

I will smell the brine and understand balance.

I will taste the sweet breath of maritime and believe in its magical power.

I will hear the surf and recognize the voice of God.

I will see the end of the island and know that heaven is near.

RESPITE for HEALING

The sea of life overwhelms me; I nearly drown in its troublesome waves.

They crash all around me and I forget God beckons me to walk on water and meet him.

I bob and cling to the rock of my salvation knowing I will lose my grip and sink.

I must release my hold and go with the flow of faith.

He will not abandon or forsake me. He is my safe haven in every storm.

He is harbor from rough seas.

He is my port in every inch or rough patches of water.

I will anchor my faith in him.

inspiration to come

respite before respite

Sitting by the creek at my precious Fernwood I find new peace.


Praying on sacred ground I feel a very present hope.

Realigning with my spirit I am set free.

Allowing God control and his mercies to flow I am revived.

Giving myself moments of respite to carry me through is not selfish.

It is praise and worship.

It is a holy time of refreshment.

The Mt. Pleasant church bells ring in the distant.

Another reminder that I am not alone.

- - -
I will trust God to give what he feels fit these next 10 days.


I will no longer beg, borrow, or steal troubles.

I will not “awfulize”.

God knows what is best and how to bless and when to test and when to intervene.

-=-=-=

If greenery can grow from dry rock crevices, I can grow a new spirit.

If creeks can flow through any season, my soul can flow through a week of uncertainty.

If trees can stand for a century, my heart can stand whatever life throws its way.

If ferns along the path can die and return in the spring, I can live again and return from the death by hopelessness.

If tree roots can be exposed to life’s storms and the tree still live, I can bare my soul, expose my heart, open my mind, and give my spirit to living a blessed life despite inconveniences.

-=-=-

I wish I could do this every day.

Find quiet and peace.

Know solitude and hope.

Feel mercy and grace.

It doesn’t take a beautiful location.

It takes a soul willing to pause and reflect on its blessings.

It takes a heart willing to open and receive continued goodness.

It takes a spirit willing to accept the beauty of life.

(I will be on respite at Kiawah Island for the next week.)

how to

how to look at life:

We should take snapshots along life’s paths. We should note beauty in nature. We should mark our days with little joys. We should keep a calendar of all the blessings we receive. We should keep lists of all the wonderful people we contact. We should remember all the hard lessons we learned and the valuable messages we receive over our lives. We should log the memories. We should write volumes about our lives. We should document each and every important step in our development as citizens of the world.


If we do this, we will find meaning beyond imagination. We will know hope without fear. We will find answers to questions we haven’t even asked yet. We will believe in the grace of God. We will want to serve him in everything we do. We will share his love. We will find all that our soul and spirit could ever need for a long and happy life and eternity.

looking forward to Kiawah

prayers and realizations

Lord, in your mercy,

This is my prayer,

To learn the sacredness of doing nothing

To believe in the beauty of self-realization

To accept the hope of healing from within

To value the wonder of beginning anew

To know the ease of choosing self

To have the strength and courage to speak truth

To be able to ask for everything and expect nothing and be content no matter what.

Lord, in your mercy, this is my prayer.

Amen.

God dwells within the heart of the happy and peaceful.

God lives within the soul of the content and rested.

God resides within the spirit of the hopeful and faithful.

God abides within the life of the living and blessed.

God inhabits within the center of the sacred and holy.

God exists within the presence of truth and love.

God stays within the mind of the courageous and strong.

authenticity

True joy will reign in me again.

True hope will spill from me.

True peace will spread through my days and nights.

I will be authentic again.

surrendering season

Surrender to God.

Allow his will to unfold.

Give him your life.

Let his power be your strength.

Permit his love to guide.

We fight for our own power and will.

This gets us in trouble every time.

forgotten gifts