Winter Treasures

Even in the depths of winter
in the heart of the city
winter treasures
can be discovered...

if we have eyes to see them.

Nature's Graceful Transitions

Nature has a way of transitioning gracefully
from one season to the next,

reminding us that
we need not fear
the cold barrenness that may follow...
it can be faced with dignity, beauty even,
giving us hope
to sustain us through those
long dark days of winter.

Rainbow smile :)

Conducting a storm

Forgotten

Long ago,
we lived in harmony and respect,
learning from nature and
following the voice of our Father.

But we have forgotten.

Now we only listen to
each other
and hear our own voices
echoing back to us.

Sometimes, if we are still enough,
we might catch a glimpse
of some long-forgotten wisdom
which the natural world
has not forgotten,
we might still hear
the whispers of our Father's voice
carried on the wind...

Wild Nature

The thing about nature is,
no matter where you are in the world,
no matter what season it is,
when undamaged by human touch,
and left to be wild,
nature has the ability to revive our souls,
connect us to each other and the earth itself,
heal our damaged spirits
and ignite the wild within.

Elevate...

Like the sun shining through
the clouds on a grey day,
like a cool breath of
fresh air on a hot day,
I long to be...
to elevate others and bring peace.

But, like so many things,
it's easier said than done.

Rainbows

Rainbows are
reflections of the sun
in warmth, brilliance and color.

The sun's light brings them to life
and they sparkle,
bringing a smile to the face
of everyone who sees them.

I want to be like a rainbow...

To be...

Remember when it was ok
to just be?

To relax and inhale the fresh air
surrounded by no other noise
than the sweet and wild sounds of nature?
How that fed my soul!

It is in these moments
that I have truly felt alive,
reminded of who I am
and my reason for being.

But most of all,
reminded that it is ok
to just be.

Wild and Beautiful

I was a strong-willed child.
But then I was broken.

Now there are remnants of
who I was, fragmented shards
scraping against the facade
of who I've been forced to become,
longing to be heard, to be made
whole again... to be free.

And I have a strong-willed child,
a spirited girl
who just longs to be free.

Can I give her
the space to experience freedom
and to be her true self
even when I was
denied the very same?

To be wild...
and beautiful...
To be free.

Ode to Trees

                                                                                   

A leaf, a twig

a patch of green,

a trunk, a branch

to climb and dream

to watch the sunlight

sparkle down

on leaves reflected

all around.

A haven children

freely roam,

a place where

I am truly home.

Ode to a lost Home

To step outside and smell

the pine-scented air...

to inhale the cool wind that

caresses my face and sweeps

up my hair into a wild mess...

to look up and see a beautiful

host of sparkling stars looking down...

to hear the sound of silence

and in the distance, the occasional

hooting of an owl from the wild

forest beyond...

to gaze at the lone, wild cherry tree --

a vision and a dream

through all seasons...

to watch the sun set in

beautiful shades of warm orange and
gold on the forest across the valley...
to feel the exhilaration and rush
of an approaching storm...
to observe and encounter the wild --
both flora and fauna...
to feel alive, to feel free...
to be at home.

Windows

What do you see when you look out
behind the curtain, beyond the glass?

Do you see a wide, open sky
with glorious blue and streaks of
white clouds?

Do you look down on hundreds of
busy and tired people who have
empty eyes of longing?

Does the sun shine down its
warm rays upon your face,
reminding you that everything
will be ok?

Do you look out across
the city rooftops and hear
the bells toll in the distance
while the last colors of day
fade into the deep hues of night?

Do you see stars sparkling
down from a dark, vaulted sky
and watch whisps of clouds
race across the glowing moon?

What do you see?

So many windows...
So many perspectives...

Too good to be true...

People.

Sometimes, they are lovely,
sweet, even surprising.

Other times, they disgust me
and are so predictable.

I am one of them.

But this is hard to accept
since I often feel like an
outsider looking in.
And then...

Someone unexpected reaches
out unexpectedly
and gives me hope
in mankind once again.

Are we worth loving?
Worth saving?

The answer must either be
a resounding 'no'
or an unbelievable 'yes'.

I do not know which it is.
But our fates are one and the same.

And if it is a 'yes',
it really does seem 'too good to be true'.

Breathe

I breathe in, I breathe out
I wake up
I eat
I work
I do
I help
I relate
I clean
I maintain
I create
I observe
I smile
I yell
I hug
I yawn
I sleep
I do it all again...

And all the while
I am waiting...
Waiting...

Waiting for Life
to really begin.
Waiting to be filled,
to see and touch the Real
and pass it on.
I know it must be real
because of the longing.

But I'm so tired
and I don't see the Real anywhere.

I cannot lose hope.
Please, don't give up...
Please, show me...

I breathe in, I breathe out...
You are real.

To be Alive

Embrace the good and the bad--
I may not like it all,
but every part of it has value.

Accept what I cannot change.
Forgive myself and
don't hold a grudge.

Be present to every  moment
and drink it in without
any feelings of guilt.

Breathe in, breathe out...
Be alive!

Whispers

What are these glimpses...

Green life budding in springtime,
the unexpected sweet scent of
a tiny meadow flower or
the bud of a luscious, dark green bush?

The warm kiss of a gentle summer breeze,
and so many more things that
I cannot even put into words?

What is all of this
that transports my soul to another world
and puts my mind at ease,
giving me room to breathe
if not whispers of a Loving Creator?

Remember

Unable to put into words
the beauty and serenity of
the place I have come to love,
the place that is home,
I must remember.

For fear of forgetting it,
of losing it and
believing it was all just a dream
I didn't want to let go,
I must remember.

Could I be home anywhere else?

Now I know
that the answer is "yes".
But I will never cease to remember
and carry the beauty
of 'home' in my heart.

Enough

I do not need to grasp
what's happening.
I do not need to know
the future.
I do not even need to
understand the past.

All of this gives
a false sense of peace
and control
and leads to pride.

It is enough, in humility
to simply know
that I am loved
to surrender my past, present and future
to Him
and to trust
that He is holding me.

Purpose

Our purpose is not
to get something done,
to accomplish something.

Our purpose is
to be in harmony with our Creator,
with other people, and with the world around us.

For fear of the dark clouds ahead
we miss the warm sunshine
which surrounds us.

Love is...

Love is... humble
Love is... gentle
Love is.. kind
Love is... full of surprises
Love is... beautiful
Love is... free like the wind.

If only this
could be said of me
towards my children,
towards those I love,
towards myself.

I know it is the
only way to live.

What is hope?

Too many grey days
and you start to forget...
What is hope anyways?

What is hope anyways?

Is it a naïve belief in
something positve
depite the overwhelming
'evidence' of negative all around?

Can it be found
in the ripples
caused by millions of raindrops
dancing on crowded streets?

Does its voice whisper to us
in the soft ruslting
of the wind through the trees
who continue to stand the test of time?

One tiny speck of light
in the darnkess
is enough to spark the flame
ignited so long ago.

Is it the soft rays
of warm sunlight
breaking ever so gently
through the grey clouds
that it almost takes our breath away?

The sun... yes, the sun
calling us back to life
reminding us of a place
and the Love we once knew
where our hearts long to be home.

Magic calling...

It's strange that we encourage children to believe in magic and we try to keep that world alive for them for as long as possible.
But when we 'grow up', magic is frowned upon and we're told it's silly to believe in 'fairy tales'.
Where is the real logic?
Of course, I'd much rather believe in magic and the happy ending of fairy tales.
Which one is real?
Most days, mundane, 'grown up' life seems more real.
But then,...
I can always hear the whisper of magic calling...

Perspective

It's not what you see
but how you see it
that makes all the difference.

Carried on the Wind

Stop trying and just be...
Catch the wind and let it carry you.

The Great Divide

There seems to be a great divide beween what we hope for and sometimes catch glimpses of:
transcending beauty, breathtaking landscapes and sunsets, stary skies and thunder storms, loving gestures and peaceful moments...
and everything else that makes up our days:
mundane routines, angry quarrels over nothing, expectations, fears -- sometimes realized, loneliness, frustrations and despair.

Is there any connection in this life that seems so real?
Which one is reality?

What is this thing we call reality anyways?
And why do we all perceive and experience it differently?
Are we all lead players in our own stories?
Or are we actually, collectively part of something greater than any one of us individually?

Expectation vs. Expectancy

Balcony Plants:

I do not compare the one which is not yet in bloom to the one in full bloom...
Rather, expectantly, I watch each day with loving nurture and care as the new life takes shape and gradually progresses into glorious bloom!

 Life in The Green is:

soul-reviving

a place where our hearts can soar

a place where dreams come alive

awe-inspiring

surprising

a place where we can make many new discoveries

beautiful

exciting

refreshing

relaxing

wild

a breathing space (lit. and fig.)

a place that makes us feel alive

a place that helps us to feel connected (to our history, each other, the earth) = more human

a place that helps us to remain learners and observers

a place that challenges us
a place where life is allowed to flourish

Life in The Grey is:

soul-crushing

a place where no one cares

a place where no one feels
a place where no one is seeking

a place where we have no hope

a place where we have no dreams

monotonous

depressing

unexciting (boring)

a place where there are very few new discoveries

not inspirational

ugly

stressful

suffucating

scary

empty

controlled

slowly dying (inside and out)
a place where we feel isolated
a place where life withers away