Our common prayer day and once again my thoughts turn to our dear Ursula. I don’t ever want to forget her and my heart desires to keep her memory alive. I am so grateful for her beautiful spirit that she shared so generously with us here. For her openness about her sorrows and struggles. For her kindness….despite feeling so sick she took the time and what little energy she had to reach out in love to each one of us. My life will be forever enriched by the miracle of having her friendship and companionship…..across the miles and oceans yet so near and dear.

I am grateful for this beautiful season as never before. This autumn is bringing me more joy this year….I’m grateful to be fully present in it rather than mourning the passing of summer and dreading the coming of winter when I turn into a popsicle for a few months! The morning glories are abundant during the day, we are still picking tomatoes off the vines, and the moon-flowers are still opening up at night. The night sky has been clear and bright out here in farmland…I must be sure to wrap myself in a warm blanket tonight and go out to greet our brother moon and sister stars.

I am grateful for our wood burning stove. It has served us so well since we moved here 4 years ago. I love having a fire going in my little kitchen while we eat dinner.

It’s strange having just the 2 of us at the dinner table again and I miss my daughter’s vibrant and fun-loving spirit. But I am grateful that she is settling into her new surroundings in Colorado with my older daughter and son-in-law and the multitude of friends that they are sharing with her. I remind myself daily and give thanks that God has always directed her path and will continue to do so in her young life, just as He did for our older daughter.

All shall be well, all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well. Thank you Julian of Norwich! 🙏

That is all for now dear friends. My heart is full of gratitude and I am grateful to be grateful for the season’s abundances….pumpkins on the front porch, apple cider in the refrigerator. Yellow, orange and red leaves when I look out my windows, the smell of the “apple orchard” candle that is beside me. My fibromyalgia pain is spiking, as it always does this time of year, but the blessings of this new season are a balm for my body and spirit. 🍂🍁🍎🔥🌖⭐

~Wishing you peace dear friends. Om Shanti ♥

Good morning friends

I am so very grateful to be here on this our common prayer day. On this day, my thoughts turn to our dear Ursula. I imagine her spirit hovering over us and sprinkling us with blessings and grace.

After much activity lately, I am grateful for this time of rest and repose. My meditations this morning were filled with cleansing tears. I often forget to be thankful for my tears….I am an easy crier and I consider it a gift! I feel as if, in addition to the tears, I am shedding my anxieties as well.

I am lighting a prayer candle with gratitude for this incredibly beautiful community of souls that I have been a part of for the past 3 years….October is my “anniversary” month here with you all 🙂
Thank you for traveling with me and for allowing me to be a part of your journeys. My heart is full of love and gratitude.

~Om Shanti dear friends ♥

Dear grateful sea….I was thinking of you just this morning during my meditations. And here you are…as if I conjured you 🙂

Thank you for sharing….and I hope it is an encouragement for me to say that we all feel lost from time to time. I know I have felt that way often enough on my journey. I would like to believe that we are never really lost…just taking detours that eventually bring us back to peace and wholeness once again. I wonder too about those detours…that they serve their own mysterious purposes?

There is something so sacred about the ritual of lighting a candle, isn’t there? And particularly in a beautiful cathedral that, although made by human hands, is an expression of the majesty of the Divine and, in my mind, is filled with a special Spirit. Again….one of the many mysteries we encounter on our journey that somehow enrich our lives immeasurably.

I hope you are enjoying your time with family in Sweden….I imagine it as a most beautiful country. Know that no matter where we may roam, we are always connected here in this sacred space.

~Om Shanti my dear friend ♥

Cara Anna….our dear friends have offered you so much of their wisdom and grace. I want you to know that I am with you and that everything you shared I recognize in my own life….you are not alone.

Please be gentle with yourself and do whatever it takes to take care of you! Living for many years with chronic illness, I have learned that there is help and comfort and healing available in many different forms. I use both holistic remedies and prescription medications to manage my symptoms. I consider all of these a gift….they are all part of my “toolbox” (In Italian “cassetta degli attrezzi”).

You are so very dear to me Anna and my heart is with you. I am lighting a prayer candle for you this morning and sending a virtual hug across the ocean to you. 💜

~Blessings for a peaceful spirit, an awareness of God’s presence, and the surety that you are so loved.

Dear Palm
Thank you for your sharing…of the joys you have found in Scouting with your daughter and the gorgeous Jacaranda flowers! I have not seen these beauties in my neck of the woods..they are truly magnificent.

I hope you will continue to heal and regain your strength from your recent bout of the flu….and I am inspired by your gratitude. It reminds me of the article by Kristi Nelson that I read just this morning on this site “Ten True Things About Gratefulness”.
#3, she offers: “There is always something to be grateful for, even in the midst of fear and pain.”

~Have a blessed day dear friend 🙏

Dearest Pilgrim…thank you for letting me know how you are doing and the challenges you are facing. I understand the frustration and depression that can come with dealing with physical limitations….my heart and my prayers are with you my friend as you continue to navigate your way through this part of your journey.

And may I offer and share a simple thing that is like medicine to me, particularly when I am struggling physically. I read this quote recently and it is so true in my life:
“Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life”
(Ned Rorem)

Music and aromatherapy have often been a needed balm for my weary soul and spirit…. I offer this “prescription” to you with grateful love ♥

With love and blessings ♥