“When the song of the angels is stilled, When the star in the sky is gone, When the kings and the princes are home, When the shepherds are back with their flock, The work of Christmas begins. To find the lost, To heal the broken, To feed the hungry, To release the prisoner, To rebuild…
Category: photos
Hey there, feathered friend
I’ve made a new friend over the past month or so and I wanted to make sure that I posted about him. (Or her.) He’s very quiet and calm, and visits quite often. He never imposes, but I drop everything as soon as he arrives. When I shower him with compliments, he listens with detached…
Priceless
Write about someplace you’ve been that you’re grateful for. The fifth of 15 gratitude journal prompts is taking me to….my Grampa’s house during Christmas when I was a child. The little chapel pictured above is well over 100 years old, made by my Grampa as a tribute to the first little church he attended with…
Catching up
Write about a happy memory. I’m a little behind on my gratitude journal prompts, but this is a fun one. This time of year has a disproportionate number of happy memories compared to other months, thanks in no small part to the holidays. From my Grampa’s red Christmas sweater to my young sons fighting over…
Where do I start?
“Simple pleasures are the last healthy refuge in a complex world.” – Oscar Wilde So yesterday I started a series of “15 gratitude journal prompts” — and prompt number two is “What’s a simple pleasure that you’re grateful for?” I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that simple pleasures make up 95% of my…
15 prompts
What’s something that you’re looking forward to? I found a list of 15 “gratitude journal prompts” on Facebook this morning that I’ve decided to give a go. First up is the above question…which has several answers. In no particular order: – The gingkoes shedding their leaves – Frost flowers (fingers crossed) – My next visit…
I wonder
“Sometimes I wonder:What’s the point?Why be good?Why care?Why try to change things?Why — when we continue to wreck each other? Yet, I keep moving forward. Not because I am confident in any outcomes.But because I am still susceptible to sweet things:a sunset,a cup of coffee,a warm blanket,the smell of lilacs,the sound of my mother’s laughter…
Magic Hour
“If a year was tucked inside of a clock, then autumn would be the magic hour.” – Victoria Erickson Be it a pause at a stop sign or just a few steps outside my door, the magic is everywhere right now. I don’t even think this can be considered one of the prettiest falls we’ve…
Light
“Be a kind voice in this brokenhearted world. Give grace and be ready to receive it. Listen so well that the person you’re with can rest in your loving attention for a moment. Be a light. Be a light. Be a light.” – Nanea Hoffman
Gratitude Scavenger Hunt
“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” – G.K. Chesterton In recent years I have found that negativity and gratitude cannot co-exist in the same headspace; gratitude is simply too powerful. And it is absolutely our choice to make every single day —…
Second Spring
“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” – Albert Camus And we are enjoying every bloom.
Monday Message
Courtesy of our evening walk.
Discovered
“Beauty is a universal language, spoken by the world around us. To see it, you need only open your heart and gaze with curious eyes; it’s everywhere, waiting to be discovered.” – Louie Schwartzberg The loveliest transition is happening right now. It feels like it’s a little slow to get going, but fall colors are…
Glimmer
“Today I learned about a term called a “glimmer.” Which is the opposite of a trigger. Glimmers are those moments in your day that make you feel joy, happiness, peace, or gratitude. Once you train your brain to be on the lookout for glimmers, these tiny moments will appear more and more.” – Unknown Fall…
Think about such things
Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will…
I’m proud of you
Just in case no one has told you lately: You are free to create your own moments of celebration.You are free to reflect on all you’ve made it through and say this to yourself:“You know what? I’m proud of you.” You are free to be proud of how far you have come…even when it comes…
Just be here
“Everyday is not an opportunity to improve yourself. Some days are just there for you to accept yourselfand look at the clouds. This too is growth.This too is rising. Just existing is enough on some days. The flowers do it everydayand make the world more beautifuljust by being here. So do you.” – Nikita Gill
Nearer
“If you want to get warmyou must stand near the fire: ifyou want to be wet you must get into the water.If you want joy,power, peace, eternallife, you must getclose to, or even into,the thing thathas them.”– C.S. Lewis
Indeed
“The vital function that pets fulfill in the world hasn’t been fully recognized. They keep millions of people sane. When you pet a dog or listen to a cat purring, thinking may subside for a moment and a space of stillness arises within you, a doorway into Being. – Ekhart Tolle Just felt like a…
Something silly
Draw a crazy picture, Write a nutty poem, Sing a mumble-gumble song, Whistle through your comb. Do a loony-goony dance ‘Cross the kitchen floor, Put something silly in the world That ain’t been there before. Just some random photos from a little exploration over the past weekend. Sometimes lovely, mostly creative, even a little silly…
Close enough
“The world is absurd but I still cling to its flowers like a bee drunk on spring.” – Luke Levi So I guess technically these bees are drunk on summer. Close enough.
Everyone
“You can’t be best friends with everyone. But you can notice everyone. You can make room for everyone. You can be kind and generous and thoughtful and sympathetic to everyone. You can offer a smile to everyone. You can make eye contact with everyone. You can probably even offer a simple “hello” to everyone. And…
Miracle
“If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole world would change.” – Buddha I brought this bundle of tulips home recently and I’ve enjoyed watching them from bud to bloom. Each stage has been beautiful – a miracle – in its own way. Even when they were completely faded.
A wish for the week ahead
“May you keep waking up every day, even if you have to snooze the alarm a time or ten. May you continue sharing your triumphs, and sorrows, and jokes, and blurry, off-centered photos that bear witness to a life being lived. May you choose to let the other party in a pointless argument have the…
hey there, friends 