Shining Spirit

If these very stones could talk…Well, they can!

Of all the trees in the manicured garden,
this one merits a mere glance from
those who define a tree by its colorful
radiance, a foliage bearer, as if the leaf
is the life source, the nourishing agent of
nature’s creativity.

Should no leaf ever again appear on these
branches, beauty, personified in simplicity
and sacred purity, will cause consciousness
to gasp and stand anchored to the earth
in the presence of inherent symmetry.

Flaming reds and glorious golds deserve
the applause of those who see, but it is
barren beauty that startles the feelings
and haunts the heart.

Sometimes beauty is right there and we don’t see it. Oh, but when we do!
Which is the prettier? The Stone? The Butterfly?
Both?
Today you will be surrounded by beautiful things and experiences.
You might not see them unless you deliberately look.
So, go on a “Beauty Hunt” sometime today.
What do you see, hear, remember
that reveals Creation’s
beauty?

If it doesn’t challenge you,

it won’t change you.

I don’t know who said it. Whoever, I like that thinking. Sure fits my life. Yours?

Optimism is the child of Gratitude.

So much goes wrong, not the way I
expected or wanted. I live in a world
of rapid words, breathless words, words
that fly through the air like machine gun
bullets, words that murder my mind and
feed the darkness.

Optimism is the child of Gratitude.

I forget that I just flipped a switch and
created light, that my fingers race over
a machine capable of producing words that
instantly fly around the world, that the
bougainvillea’s delight-filled red blossoms
wait in the darkness, that my rumpled bed
was warm and the face in the gold frame is
the image of love that has withstood my best
and my worst for sixty years.

Optimism is the child of Gratitude.

When the last period is placed at the end of the
last sentence on this page, I will close my eyes,
a long blink, and when I open them, I will enter
the world of intentional gratitude. From the last
star visible in the fading night sky to the little
green plant I mindlessly water every day, I will
begin a journey of gratitude. And I will walk the
ever-broadening pathway that has no end.

Optimism is the child of Gratitude.
And I will be born again into a new world.

I have a friend who says he is losing his sight…regular sight, common sight. That kind of sight, he told me, is being replaced by another form of seeing. More and more he sees the world metaphorically. He describes himself as a Metaphorologist. The tree in the photo, for instance. It wouldn’t win first prize for beauty, but it is a living illustration of life. A metaphor. Some days he doesn’t know which way to go. This way, that way, standing tall, bending low. Kind of like that Bible story about the man who called himself “Legion” because there were so many different forms of himself enclosed in his one body. This tree is like that. We should name it a Legion Tree. The man in the story wanted to be freed of the many inside. My friend, on the other hand, wants a PhD in Metaphorology. Seeing through metaphorical glasses magnifies the moment and the messenger. At least that’s what he thinks. Seems that everywhere he looks there is a burning bush. If you happen to know of a University that specializes in Metaphorology, will you let me know. I’ll pass the information on to him. He’ll enroll tomorrow.

I looked up at just the right moment. The sky was on fire. I grabbed my camera, and still in my pajamas, ran to the middle of the street and started shooting photos. No neighbors out, thank goodness. Five minutes before I saw it, it wasn’t there. Five minutes after I saw it, it was gone. Beauty visited for only a few moments, but it was astonishing. That little taste will serve me through this day. I wonder what’s next on the agenda of amazement…

Be on the lookout!

Before you begin this momentous day, sit with this flower for about 10 minutes. Yes, you can spare 10 minutes. See how beautiful it is. Think of what this one flower adds to the world, this one flower. It is designed for offering the world a gift. It is a creation that contributes just by being. From the bright splash of color in the center, across the blending of a softer shade, all the way to the lovely edges that rise and fall gracefully. Everything about it is exquisite. Do you know that you are looking at yourself? What you see in this beautiful creation is a reflection of who you are. You may believe it, or you may not. But that doesn’t change the truth. You were made to be beautiful. And it worked.

The reflection of beauty is more powerful, more intense when the surface is calm. Reflections from troubled waters are distorted. Chaos is not the best reflector of serenity and peace.

If a lake understands this, or a river, or an ocean, why not human beings? I have a choice, unlike bodies of water. I have the capacity, but sometimes not the courage…the willingness but not the will…I possess the insight but not the intention. Courage, the will, intention…aren’t those elements that make me human? I pray for the courage of convictions, the will to wonder, and intentions that go far beyond wishing.

I pray to be a reflection of peace that passes all understanding, sacred serenity that only the Spirit can birth, intention with integrity. And I pray that living water will calm, not just the surface of your life, but all the deep currents that flow through your being.