Wednesday, October 31, 2012

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.

---------

Air is holy.

It gives life to life.

It cleanses the spirit.

It cools a parched earth.

Air is life.

----------

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


Tuesday, October 30, 2012

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.



Sunday, October 28, 2012

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

Saturday, October 27, 2012

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.)




Friday, October 26, 2012

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.


Thursday, October 25, 2012

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.


Monday, October 22, 2012

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


Friday, October 12, 2012

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.)




Tuesday, October 09, 2012

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.




Monday, October 08, 2012

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.




Sunday, October 07, 2012

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.





Friday, October 05, 2012

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.




Thursday, October 04, 2012

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

acomplishments as I ramble

a day of accomplishments


Feels so good…..walked, prayed, heard, saw, wandered in mind, heart and spirit.

As I walked I prayed

As I looked I saw (2 deer)

As I listened I heard (a hawk’s cry)

As I breathed I was refreshed

As I opened my senses I felt God’s presence

All three devotions today have reminded me to be: hospitable to all, aware of good everywhere every day, comforted by each new day.

Yesterday was hard and I balked at it in my spirit. It’s time I realize my “present” life, appreciated the significance of it and value its many components (opportunity to repay parents, ability to assist, time to still love and share my life with and resources them.)

Lord, in your mercy, I don’t ever deserve to hope you hear my prayers, let alone answer them. I sincerely ask you to forgive my anger and bad attitude. I deeply praise and thank you for my many blessings and answered pleas. I humbly ask you to grant my parents healing, understanding, and cooperation. I’ve learned lessons though ignored many of them so please give me the chance to keep learning and growing spiritually to be a better person. I love you Lord, Amen

The train rumbles and blows its whistle.

I wish I could “hobo” it like my grandmother did.

Planes climb in the sky and I wish I had the courage to get one and go somewhere I only dream of.

The trees rustle in the autumn air and I feel the same chill yet it makes me hug my warmth deep in my soul.

Summer’s flowers fade but I still see their beauty and respect the life left in them.

Ants crawl ambitiously looking for food…. I crawl agonizingly looking for meaning.

It’s there.

In the sky I see hope.

In the still green leaves I see life.

In the sunrise I see the light of God.

In the morning songs of birds I hear joy and opportunity.

In the day I feel possibilities.

In the neighbor’s dog’s frantic pacing I see determination and perseverance.

In the garbage truck’s roar I hear “life goes on.”

In the noises of nature I hear “don’t give up, be patient.”

What a blessing these early mornings on my deck are. I find peace I’d forgotten existed. I find hope I’d thought lost forever. I find joy to live another day.

Why do I sometimes let the tasks of the day rush me? I have so few days like this one to take moment by precious moment. I need to pause for as long as I can and smell the proverbial roses. I need to set the navigational standards to follow this meandering path of the day and enjoy each breath, each nano second of it.

Even the tiny sparrow, whom God’s eye is on, took a long refreshing pause on the tip top branch of the sugar maple and was not deterred by the branch’s sway in the breeze.

I still feel a struggle in my spirit.

I long for long peaceful stretches of days and months and years.

I still yearn for a calm to reside in my days and nights.

I crave to know God’s “peace that passes all understanding.”

That sparrow must feel like king of the universe up there so high and loved.

I prayed for it to fly down and light on my shoulder like the little bird and Tuesdays with Morrie and answer my question, “when is the day?”

He left. He did not light on my shoulder. I guess I got my answer.

Sunlight filters through the trees now. The shadows appear longer this fall than last. My heart has a new lightness. My soul comes alive. My spirit bubbles up. Lord, in your mercy, let it last.
Afternoon has come. I finished house cleaning, laundry, did some computer work, made banana bread, wasn’t even upset by the dishwasher repairman’s $70 house call to tell me it needed replacing and now I sit here typing all this into my journal, realizing the next tasks of the day. I pray sincerely to have this calm repose for a while longer. I realize life is not a perfect thing without troubles, not for believers either. If God didn’t allow our choices to involve problems we may never go to Him. If we didn’t have to learn to survive the storms of life, we may never learn determination and perseverance. If every day was perfect we may never appreciate them like we should. (but I’d like to try…)






Tuesday, September 25, 2012

strength is there

God’s strength is mine if only I ask.

God’s hope is mine if only I ask.

God’s joy is mine if only I ask.

God’s peace is mine if only I ask.




Thursday, September 20, 2012

Good things will come with effort!

Wisdom does not come without work.

Hope does not come without belief.

Joy does not come without choice.

Love does not come without giving.

Peace does not come without seeking.

Mercy does not come without asking.

Grace does not come without God.