Reflections

There is lots bubbling around in my mind this morning with very little time to write or process. I decided to share this peaceful (I think) reflection written on holiday as 2007 winded down. Enjoy!

Listening to the voice inside my head and outside in the world. The sunlight dancing across the veranda. The wind gently rustling the green vegetation. The "tink tink tink" of the fan. The call of the kiskadee. The voices of my loved ones. A veritable symphony in creation surrounds me. The blank pages of a new notebook await my thoughts and musings. My ponderings. A new year lies before me. Much will feel repetitive, but each day will be new. There will be no other exactly like it. No two moments are ever the same. They are each created in the instant they happen.

Graffiti Wisdom

the apple doesn't fall far from the tree...

...but from there it can go on.

Checking In

Home again and trying to catch up while also spending time with wonderful friends who are visiting for a few days. Add two teenagers to the mix--one starting high school and all the at entails and the other experiencing "re-entry" into the family after living on his own for several months. I long for a little time to reflect and write. Today, however, I am just checking back into the blogosphere and sharing this piece of art that arrived at my house yesterday. I love the blend of painting and poetry.

Blessings today!

"Gooseneck Cottage"
Painting is silent poetry and poetry is painting that speaks. --Simonides

No Words

reflections from bermuda #7
Pure, perfect, calm. Sometimes there are no words to describe the magnificence of creation. Silent prayer. Words spoken through a breeze. The sound of a gently flowing fountain. Sunbeams and shadows cast across the brilliant green lawn. Flowers bursting with color saying, “Look at me. Dance with me.” Soft white clouds float above a sea of azure blue.

Timeless. Breathless. Wordless. Good morning, God. I see you. Feel you. Know you are here with me. I am grateful. Thankful. In awe of all that surrounds me. Beauty. Still and calm today. Safe and secure. Gentle. Kind. Lovely. Free. They are I. I am they.

Thank you. Stillness and calm. The birds are even quiet today. Giving space for contemplative prayer and worship. Here we go. The new day has come. Pure. Perfect. Calm.

7/27/07

photo by bill

Forget About Comfort - Part 2

reflections from bermuda #6

It is the illusion of comfort that keeps us locked in fear and turmoil. For comfort is not about material wealth and trappings (a powerful and apt word!). Comfort is being at rest and at peace with God and with oneself for the two cannot be separated. Comfort is surrendering to the still small voice that says, ‘Let the little children come. Come to me all who are weary and heavy burdened.’ Seek comfort and peace.

Your comfort zone is an illusion—a trick—to keep you in conflict. Take a step—move beyond—just one tiny step can change your life. One honest moment of moving through or past fear creates a miracle. Taking the risk to do something different can break the chains that bind.

Each day it looks different. Some days the biggest thing I can do is get out of bed, step out from under my cozy covers. Or speak to a stranger as my heart pounds wildly. Go to graduate school. Give up a good job. Travel to a foreign country. Let go of my teenagers. Take a step. A single step outside my zone of comfort.

If there is a battle raging inside (whether loudly or nearly undetectable) then something is yearning to shift—to move. Complacency holds fast, but risk is the ticket to freedom. What would I do if I were brave?

“Forget about comfort.” God sent those words to me over three years ago. They were not just for that day. They are for a lifetime. They continue to be worth the risk and the discomfort ☺.

What would you do today if you were brave?

7/26/07

photo by bill