Grieve not the future nor the past but in the moment. That is where joy can be found along with peace and wonder and, yes, sorrow can be there, too.
Seeking to be CONTENT in all things, JOYFUL in HOPE, PATIENT in affliction.
Grieve not the future nor the past but in the moment. That is where joy can be found along with peace and wonder and, yes, sorrow can be there, too.
Was it really 5 years ago when the world stopped? We learned so much during our time of isolation. Unfortunately, I think we’ve already forgotten many of those lessons. We learned to make peace with peace. Empty streets and the emptying of public spaces made the whole world quieter. We learned to be ok with …
Continue reading Peace and a Pandemic: Lessons Learned in 2020
The endangered California Red-legged Frog (Rana draytonii) in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area The worst thing we used to say about winter was that it was dull. After brightly lit festivities, the warmth of friends and family together, January has always seemed bleak. Just cold and barren. February isn’t much better, although there is …
I went outside to drink my coffee by the fireplace and the warming sun and light breeze summoned me to stay. Come find the first camellias hidden beneath leaves and fern fronds, it bade. Come to see if the hydrangeas are budding. Oh no! Something is infecting our berry vines. Make a note to head …
Look up and away from the turbulence all around you to the one true source of power and peace.
Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord Almighty is with us... Psalm 46: 10-11 Email after email is screaming at me: There’s still time to buy this!!! Last-minute gifts still available. Few things provide a sense of calm this time of year as the knowledge that you are done …
For God alone my soul waits in silence; from Him comes my salvation. Psalm 62:1 Until just recently, porch pumpkins and Christmas cheer coexisted on our front porch. Unlike most of my neighbors and friends, I do not rush into the Christmas season. I like to ease into the idea, not unlike savoring the last of the Thanksgiving stuffing and gravy. This is how I’ve always done things, so this pause didn’t really strike …
They are cutting down the tree. The angry sound of a chainsaw makes me think of enraged wasps. As exhaust fumes seep in around doors and windows, the sound – not really the sound, but the knowledge of what the sound means – gnaws at my bones. This machine is not just ripping the tree away, but our peace. The peace it steals is the peace that a mature tree brings to a space. Sadly for this majestic, leafy tree, it was planted in exactly the wrong spot and was tearing up neighboring walls and garage floors. The landlord said it had to go even as he lamented the need for more trees in …
Today, I took a moment. Sitting in a mottled patch of sun, I tilted my head back and watched the breeze run its fingers through the top of a tree. I listened to birds twitter. Were they arguing? Maybe, since the pair tore past me at top speed a moment later. I felt the sun …
California typically rushes through spring in its frantic dash to summer. Bulbs bloom in February and are gone. Trees bloom and leaf at the same time. If you want to see wildflowers, you better not blink.This year, however, is very different. For the first time in many years, a cool wet spring is unfurling slowly.Buds form and pause, teasing us with what is to come. Wildflowers paint the landscape with wide brushstrokes of yellow, orange, purple. Bulbs – some of them …