Stillness

 

Still Life from Cozumel, December 2020

Waiting for angels

allowing hope to nestle

in sacred stillness

*As I worked with the Haiku, it doesn't seem that the nature of hope is to nestle. My experience of hope is that it springs up, - in motion. But in undisturbed stillness - I wonder if hope can nestle in, becoming part of us - the way a growing baby nestles inside his/her mother. 

**The figurine is a a souvenir from a trip to Cozumel about 1996 - many years before I learned silent or Centering prayer, but something about her called out to me. When I saw her in the outdoor market, my thought was, "This is what prayer should feel like. I want it to be like that for me." And some years later, prayer does feel like that in moments, not all the time, but enough. The white flowers she is holding are calla lilies, symbols of purity and devoted faith. 

Advent Blessing

Advent Prayer Garden, 2020

                Blessings on your Advent journey.

                Blessings as you enter the mystery.

                Blessings as something new grows within you. 

                Blessings as you set your eyes upon the star.

                Blessings as angels bring messages.

                Blessings as you light the candle of hope.

 * Click here for Christine Sine's post that inspired my prayer garden. 

                

    

All Day, Everyday and What I'm Learning

Watercolor, November 2020
"The Apron"

 

Unexpected grace

scooped and scattered out by hand

all day, everyday

Tomorrow marks the beginning of Advent, the beginning of the Christian year. So, before a new beginning, I'd like to note what I am learning from my blog project.

• Imperfection is part of the creative process - and if I wait to take the perfect photo or write the perfect words, it will never happen. So I begin each post, knowing and accepting that it will be imperfect. Instead of perfect it will be genuine - a true reflection of where I find myself on that day. 

• This project is a spiritual practice - both daily - and a discipline. A commitment I have made to be present each day whether I feel inspired or not. I started with the trust that God will reveal God's self in some way every day - something in the world will reflect something of who God is. It's my job to notice and engage. 

• This project is the fruit of time with God. I may write a few lines and God and I have an exchange. Often I hear - "Is this true?" "Is this how it really is?" "Is this at the heart of your experience?" I will write until it seems the words have clicked into place. 

• This project has helped me write again. Most days I'm crafting a Haiku, which has been a way in. Short, structured and not intimidating - and fun. Sometimes I wake myself up at night counting syllables on my fingers. My son has caught me in the kitchen counting out words. Phrases get scribbled on receipts and junk mail until I can sit down again. 

• This project has helped me practice visio divina and eco divina with my photographs. The photographs about more than taking pretty pictures - it's about learning to see something of God revealed and reflected in the image. 

• Starting the day by sitting quietly in the study allows me to have a soft, open mind before other thoughts and obligations break in. It secures me before the day continues. As the day goes on, I have an attitude of expectation - trying to notice where God directs my attention to shape, color, nature, beauty, light. 

• I am learning to use my own words. I have a great love for writers who gift us with powerful, true, and beautiful words. Many of the things I write have already been expressed better by other writers. I often think of a passage or poem or bible verse in the morning- and someday may include those, but for now, I want to find my own words. 

• Creating an entry each day has helped me rediscover joy and delight. If you have ever lost those two things - then you know what great treasures they are. 

• I am grateful to Steve-Garnass Holmes of Unfolding Light, whose work inspired me to make this a daily practice. I am grateful to Diane Walker of Contemplative Photography who inspired me to work with my photos in a contemplative way. I am grateful to Jerry Webber of Only a Sojourner, for suggesting the practice of Haiku on a Lenten Retreat in 2020.

Peace

Sunrise, November 2020

Soft sunrise welcomes

the world into a new day

washed in morning light

Thanksgiving Day

 

Talavera, November 2020

May thankfulness fill every corner of my heart.

Delight

House Finch, November 2020

When delight arrives

at your familiar table 

ask her to say grace

* I took this photo through a window so my dog wouldn't bound out the door and scare him away.  First time I've noticed a house finch in the backyard.

Intricate Designs

Fall Leaves, November 2016

 

Intricate designs

are woven into the leaves

and into us all

Beatitudes of Another Kind

Geranium on the back porch, November 2020

 

    Blessed are the fallen, for they will be received by love.

    Blessed are the faded, for what comes now is a new kind of beauty.

    Blessed are the fragile, for they will become a call to gentleness.

    Blessed are those who let go, for they will know the gift of surrender.

    Blessed are those who might seem invisible, for they will be seen and celebrated.

    Blessed are those with whom we share the world, for they will be our teachers and companions.

    Blessed are those who reach the end of life, for their seeds will make a new beginning.

* Today's entry is inspired by the art and writing assignment from Chapter 6 in The Artist's Rule: nurturing your creative soul with monastic wisdom by Christine Valtners Paintner. We are invited to write our own beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12) and we are invited to take a photo in the spirit of wabi sabi: "Wabi-sabi is the beauty of the withered, weathered, tarnished, scarred, intimate, course, earthly, evanescent, tentative, ephemeral," (p. 91) I started with the photo I took yesterday, a cluster of dead flowers that had fallen from the geranium. The beatitudes came from sitting with the photo this morning. The blue spots on the pavement are remnants of my son's spraypaint art on the back porch. 

Make Room

 Turk's Cap branches on the porch, November 2020

Clear what's overgrown

bundle the branches, make room

where true Advent blooms

Reflection

Bougainvillea, November 2020
Fair Haven UMC, Houston Texas

You have framed my days

so that everyone I meet

bears something of you

The Difference a Day Can Make

Monarch Caterpillar to Chrysalis, November 2020

 

Draw me into life

draw me into all of life

O Lord, hear my prayer

Singing Bowl

Sky reflected in the singing bowl, November 2020
The Anchor House, Houston Texas

 

The singing bowl calls,

autumn's blue sky responds through

the open window

Serenity

Giant Milkweed, November 2020

 

November morning

aglow with serenity

without and within

 

An Altar Called Today

Feather Collection, November 2020

Bring your offering

set it in the light of love

let your soul breathe peace

Hello, Привет (which is Hello in Russian)

Russian Stamp, Fall 2020

 

You are a rare find

bearing marks of the journey

and stories to tell 

 

Sunday Blessing

Gruss an Aachen Rose, November 2020

 

Bless our eyes to see

small graces along our path

as we come and go

Bouquet of Sorts

Fallen Leaves, November 2020

 

My prayers drift and fall

you pick them up one by one

in the morning light

Something Grand

Crepe Myrtle, November 2020

Blessed are those who

know the joy of growing up

under something grand

* Upon reflection, most people wouldn't consider a Crepe Myrtle to be grand - but to a young and small shoot, it is grand...and what it gives is grand - strong roots, protective shade, an innate pattern for growth, connection to a larger world of birds and squirrels. What does it mean to grow up under something grand? Maybe a person - or a place - or a certain time or culture. I hope you will take a moment to ponder a person/place/time/culture that has shaped and encouraged you - and offer thanks. 

The Welcoming Tree

The Anchor House, November 2020
Houston, Texas

The welcoming tree

waves her orange and scarlet leaves

holy ground indeed

A Gift of Fall

Turk's Cap Fruit, November 2020

After the flowers

red fruit dots yellowing leaves

a feast for the birds

 

Held

Gathered Leaves, November 2020

In every season

no matter what change may come

we are held in love

 

Blessing

Honey Bees on China Aster, November 2020

                May the blessings of delight and wonder find their way to you today.
                May the blessings of forgiveness and freedom find their way to you today.
                May the blessings of beauty and belonging find their way to you today.

* These purple asters are blooming on the edge of a yard in my neighborhood. (read: no temptation to trespass) They caught my attention on yesterday's evening walk. I waited for the bees to fly away so I could get a photo of the flowers, but they were undeterred, even when I stepped in close. So, they get to be in the picture too. - a pair of bees in the photo and a pair of blessings in each line. The blessing was written yesterday, but it didn't click into place until I had today's photo.

         

Today

Newly eclosed Monarch, November 2020

 

Today is the day

step into the waiting world 

set your blessing free

What If? (Another Pantoum)

Hibiscus Mutabilis, November 2020
(Cotton Rose)

 

        What if we let love grow wild?

        What if we let it climb up over the house?

        What if love laughed at the tall fence?

        What if we didn't cut it back or stake it down?

        What if we let it climb up over the house?

        What if we didn't worry about what the neighbors might say?

        What if we didn't cut it back or stake it down?

        Love might tumble into someone's life unexpectedly

        What if we didn't worry about what the neighbors might say?

        What if love laughed at the tall fence?

        Love might tumble into someone's life unexpectedly

        What if we let love grow wild?

* Experimenting with the French Pantoum poetry style. Six lines of poetry are repeated in a given pattern, creating a certain effect. For more about writing a Pantoum, click here. 

**Also, if I got as close to this cotton rose as I would like, it would definitely be trespassing. The bayou where I walk has just been mown and much of it is the golden brown of fall, so these pink blooms were especially stunning on my walk yesterday.  

Nothing more, Nothing less

Bumble Bee on Penta, November 2020

 

The bee is faithful

she collects what will nourish

both flowers and hive

Sunrise Prayer

Sunrise, November 2020

 

 

Lord, in your mercy

make me alive like the sky

set my heart ablaze

*While I am standing in the backyard, the air around me glows with the colors of the sunrise. At the same time, my friends who are early risers are in their backyards or on a morning walk. I love seeing their photos and hearing their encounters as the day begins. 

Morning Watch

Morning Walk, November 2020

 

You keep sending them-

new mornings fresh from your hand

your love never fails

An Autumn Pantoum

 

Dove's Feather, November 2020

    Light shines under the door of night. I tie the apron around my waist
    Outside, the garden stirs and sings, blooms and fades

    I scatter seed for the birds waiting in the tall pines
    Ever giving and receiving, my pockets are filled up and emptied out all day long

    Outside, the garden stirs and sings, blooms and fades

    I gather what is given this day. Harvesting life and light

    Ever giving and receiving, my pockets are filled up and emptied out all day long

    Evening comes. I step out on the porch to see the moon

    I gather what is given this day. Harvesting life and light
    I scatter seed for the birds waiting in the tall pines
    Evening comes. I step out on the porch to see the moon
    Light shines under the door of night. I untie the apron from around my waist

* Experimenting with the French Pantoum poetry style. Six lines of poetry are repeated in a given pattern, creating a certain effect. For more about writing a Pantoum, click here. 

Seeds

Magnolia Seed Pod, November 2020

 

I count ripened seeds

imagining magnolias

that someday might be

All Saints Day

 

Dancing Lady Orchids, November 2015
Corpus Christi, Texas

As we say the names

are those who have gone before

love is rekindled