Good morning dear friends

Our Brother Sun is playing “hide and seek” this morning….the clouds are increasing in number as the day progresses and rain is in the forecast. I welcome these Spring showers with joy for the abundance they bring….trees and flowers are blossoming everywhere I turn. Our plum trees and forsythia are in full bloom and our little dogwood and mighty sugar maple are starting to bud.
And there is so much green it is almost blinding! I am grateful every day to be living in rural farmland…but most especially at this time of year 🙂

I was raised Catholic and there are traditions from that faith that I carry with me still. Today is Good Friday in the Christian tradition and it is my intention to honor this day and all that it symbolizes. Thank you Jesus for your incredible life and for your presence in my own life each and every day.

~With grateful love ♥

1 The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley,I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Psalm 23

I was not able to participate daily and have saved all of the practices…to do on the slower, quieter days. when they come to me. Today is day 2 for me….and it is Good Friday in the Christian tradition. I was raised Catholic and although I don’t practice Catholicism per se any longer, some of the traditions and rituals remain beautiful and meaningful to me. So today my mind and spirit is filled up with the life and death of Jesus.

.Spring
Right before my eyes
Death becomes life
Once again

here I am-
somewhere between ocean and moon
somewhere between lost and found

I am drawn to this haiku because to me it speaks of being fully present, yet paradoxically “somewhere between”. I am on a journey towards embracing paradox in my life and in the world.
I am drawn to this haiku because during this Lenten season I have been reading and reflecting on Henri Nouwen’s book about the biblical parable of the return of the prodigal son. I have felt many times in my life that I am the prodigal daughter…ever leaving and returning to the awareness of divine Love.

This haiku brings grateful tears of recognition and acceptance to my eyes.

Good morning lovely people:

On this our common prayer day, my heart is smiling with gratitude for the gift of being here with you. I am spending the day in my little farmhouse, enjoying the silence and solitude this morning as my daughter sleeps. Perhaps I shall have a walk later.

Along with our dear friend Ose…I offer up a Buddhist prayer that has been a source of joy for me and has helped me over the years when my anxiety is trying to take over.
This is my prayer for all of you:

“May you be filled with loving kindness.
May you be well.
May you be peaceful and at ease.
May you be happy and safe.

~With grateful love 💜

Good morning dear friends

Last night as I drifted off to sleep, I held each one of you close in prayer. What a joyful blessing in my life to be a part of this community and to know that, on our common prayer day, we are connected in a special and sacred way. It is a sort of miracle that we have found each other and that, although we have never met in person, we are truly friends in every sense of the word. Sharing our lives, our joys and sorrows, struggles, pain, and blessings…..all with a heart full of gratitude. There is no other community in my life like this one….I am so very grateful to be here.

I am working tomorrow and Friday but today I am grateful for a day of rest and recovery from the busyness in my life lately. Spring has most definitely arrived and I am rejoicing in it! We had a relatively mild winter here and for that I am grateful too…but there is something magical about watching the trees come to life after a long slumber. Right before my eyes they are bursting out as if to proclaim “I am here….I am awake….I have a gift for you….I am rejoicing with you.”

My intention today is to soak up the sunshine. I hope to take a walk down the road to visit with the horses and then stop by my neighbor’s home for a visit with her. She has become so dear to me, this tiny little lady…so lovely and loving. An “abuela” who reminds me so much of my own dear Italian “Nana”. She is a widow in her 80’s, living alone and she will be moving soon into her daughter’s home….I will miss her terribly. We have become so close these past few years since we moved here. Her daughter has expressed gratitude to me for my regular visits with her but honestly she has blessed my life more than I ever could hers. I am grateful for her presence in my life.

I am wishing you all a day filled with sunshine, no matter the weather where you are! Our Brother Sun is always shining, even when hiding behind the clouds 🌞 Or perhaps he is sleeping right now and letting Sister Moon and her star companions take over in the sky! 🌜⭐ No matter….these miracles of creation are always there for us to remind us that we are always being watched over.

~With grateful love 💜

Good morning dear friends

I’m having an anxious morning….my thoughts and feelings all a big old tangled mess. But I carry hope in my heart as well and have made it my intention today to live the serenity prayer:

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change.
The courage to change the things I can.
And the wisdom to know the difference”

Ursula…you are especially in my thoughts today. I have been praying for you and wondering how you are feeling? Are your fevers gone….have you been able to begin your treatments?
I am keeping you close in my heart and mind dear friend.

~Blessings ♥

Sylvie…..reading this actually brought tears to my eyes. It reminds me of something I learned from Fr. Henri Nouwen…..he called Jesus the “wounded healer” and suggests that we too can become wounded healers as we share our lives with others. This idea has always given me such hope and helped me to be grateful for the wounds in my life.

And since I am a great lover of trees and their spirituality…..your story about this Jesus figure takes on even more meaning for me! Thank you so much dear friend for sharing this…I will carry this image with me throughout my day.

~With grateful love 🌳💜