Time Enough

The butterfly counts not months
but moments,
and has time enough.

~ Rabindranath Tagore

We truly live in timelessness, one moment at a time. It is an experience I am delving deeply into as I slowly recover from surgery. It is enough ~ each moment. Opening to each moment with an awe and wonder. Noticing the thoughts and emotions, often not fun, but simply what is. The beauty of the butterfly, the goldfinch, the black-eyed susan and day lilies remind me ~ it is enough, each moment is enough...

Our Sacred Calling

Listen to Life as it happens.
Watch what emerges within each moment.
Learn to trust the processes and energies
that move within and through our lives.
This is our sacred calling...

...for in learning to trust All That Is, as It is,
we begin to honor the majesty, meaning, and mystery
inherent within this Infinite universe.

~ Metta Zetty

It is easy to "listen to life" on days like these with the breeze gently moving the clouds across the sky and the sun warming every cell in the body. Learning to trust life, to truly let go is a huge lesson. It has taken me half a lifetime and now I move into the majesty and mystery of the Infinite Universe. Watching each moment unfold...

Loneliness: Living in the Prison of Me

I do not know if you have ever been lonely: when you suddenly realize that you have no relationship with anybody. And this loneliness is a form of death. As we said, there is dying not only when life comes to an end but when there is no answer, there is no way out. That is also a form of death: being in the prison of your own self-centered activity, endlessly. When you are caught in your own thoughts, in your own agony, in your own superstitions, in your deadly, daily routine of habit and thoughtlessness, that is also death - not just the ending of the body. And how to end it also one must find out. The ending of sorrow is possible.   What Are You Doing with Your Life?                         ~  J. Krishnamurti This quote from Krishnamurti reminds me there are many forms of death. One that brings unnecessary suffering is what he speaks of here. When we are caught in our own thoughts, in daily routines  and thoughtlessness, it is a kind of death. There are times when it feels like I'm caught in a pattern. I watch myself behave repeatedly in ways I don't like and ways I don't want to be. It feels like a prison of my own making and I experience suffering. What I want to do is discover how the ending of sorrow is possible. Is just being aware enough? I must find out...

Breathe before it's gone...

The morning wind spreads its fresh smell.

We must get up and take that in,

that wind that lets us live.

Breathe before it's gone.

                                            ~ Rumi

Rumi reminds us to experience each moment of life without trying to hold on. Life moves quickly with no promises of the next moment. Everything happens in the "Now." When we remain present, in the now, we are truly alive.


This morning I'm going to the beach for Yoga. There the sun will gently kiss my cheek and the wind will awaken every fiber of my being. Gratitude, such gratitude, my heart smiles and softly sighs.

Out of the Stars

Out of the stars in their flight, out of the dust of eternity,
here have we come,
Stardust and sunlight,
mingling through time and through space.

Out of the stars have we come,
up from time.
Out of the stars have we come.

Time out of time before time
in the vastness of space,
earth spun to orbit the sun,
Earth with the thunder of mountains newborn,
the boiling of seas.

Earth warmed by sun, lit by sunlight;
This is our home;
Out of the stars have we come.

Mystery hidden in mystery,
back through all time;
Mystery rising from rocks
in the storm and the sea.

Out of the stars, rising from rocks
and the sea,
kindled by sunlight on earth,
arose life.

Ponder this thing in your heart,
ponder with awe;
Out of the sea to the land,
out of the shallows came ferns.

Out of the sea to the land,
up from darkness to light.
Rising to walk and to fly,
out of the sea trembled life.

Ponder this thing in your heart,
life up from sea:
Eyes to behold, throats to sing,
mates to love.

Life from the sea, warmed by sun,
washed by rain,
life from within, giving birth,
rose to love.

This is the wonder of time;
this is the marvel of space;
out of the stars swung the earth;
life upon earth rose to love.

This is the marvel of life,
rising to see and to know;
Out of your heart, cry wonder:
sing that we live.
                                 ~ Robert Weston

The night sky has been magnificent these last few evenings with extraordinarily bright stars sharing the deep blue velvet of the night with the moon. It is easy to believe we are beings of lights, born of the stars as I feel the light breeze wash through me. I feel somehow connected to those little bright shining lights. Gratitude and the vastness of the universe fills me with peace.

It is said that the Buddha's last words were "Make of yourself a light." In the Christian tradition, there is a verse in Luke 11, that says in part, "If you are filled with light... then your whole life will be radiant..."

Hmm, I wonder...

Don't Complain...

Don't complain of affliction,
for it's a smooth-paced horse
carrying you towards non-existence.
                               ~ Rumi



Often life brings unwanted afflictions: sickness, personal problems, career issues, family disagreements, chronic conditions, whatever. It can be so overwhelming to feel that all is lost or the pain will never leave. But the reality is that everything in life changes. Nothing lasts forever. 


Recognizing that who you are is so much more than all of the things that happen to you brings a deep sense of peace. Understand that, beyond all doubt, you are the changeless awareness within which all happens. Dissolve into who you are and let "a smooth-paced horse" carry "you towards non-existence."

Hummingbirds

Today I found my hummingbird feeder, unpacked and thoroughly cleaned it, prepared liquid food and placed it in the yard for all the hummingbirds to find.  The nectar is 4 parts water to 1 part sugar and directions for preparation are quite specific. Boil the water first; measure exactly; add pure granulated sugar and mix until dissolved; let cool in the refrigerator.

It was interesting to read that inaccurate mixtures could harm the little guys. They are very sensitive with tiny organs so it makes sense, but the directions warned that substituting ingredients could actually kill the birds. Also, it is extremely important to clean the feeder with warm, soapy water to insure all dirt, mold and debris has been removed.

By the way, using red food coloring is NOT recommended because the chemicals are quite harmful. Duh, what does that mean for us! How many foods are in your pantry with food coloring listed on the labels?  And in case you might be tempted, Kool-Aid contains chemicals that may cause death in hummingbirds.  Just pure granulated sugar and water in a clean feeder free of mold and dirt.

Legends say that hummingbirds float free of time, carrying our hopes for love, joy & celebration. The hummingbird's delicate grace reminds us:

• life is rich, 
• beauty is everywhere,
• every personal connection has meaning and 
• laughter is life's sweetest creation.

*from the back of a Papyrus greeting card

I love to watch the hummingbirds; they enjoy each moment and are so full of energy! They remind me that joy and connection are always present waiting to be recognized. I hope to capture a photo or two this summer. More on hummingbirds later...

A lifetime isn't long enough...

Life can be hard and soft at the same time. It feels that way today. Storms are roaring through the Midwest leaving so much destruction in their paths. Then the sun comes out and all is bright and beautiful. Except, of course, the stark reality of loss. Being human seems to be such a gift as well as a struggle. And it brings the ego to its knees ~ there are no tidy little answers. No way to make everything ok. At some point we have stand and say, "I surrender to whatever this is that I am a part of."

My heart is heavy from holding the sorrow, mine and all who knew and loved my husband's dear friend. He passed away on Monday doing what he loved, playing golf. Now we walk through all of steps that follow. We try to console each other. We remember the shared experiences that nurtured our friendships. We grieve and we know how very much this wonderful man will be missed.

As Mary Oliver says, " A lifetime isn't long enough for the beauty of this world and the responsibilities of you life." I believe those responsibilities include allowing all of our feelings to be expressed, the hard and the soft. We are all so deeply intertwined and the wisdom that we are one sustains me in ways I never imagined. 

"Let grief be your sister, she will whether or no..."

---

    

The poem is not the world.
It isn't even the first page of the world.  

But the poem wants to flower, like a flower.
It knows that much.  

It wants to open itself,
like the door of a little temple,
so that you might step inside and be cooled and refreshed,
and less yourself than part of everything.  

***  

When loneliness comes stalking, go into the fields, consider
the orderliness of the world. Notice
something you have never noticed before,

like the tambourine sound of the snow-cricket
whose pale green body is no longer than your thumb.

Stare hard at the hummingbird, in the summer rain,
shaking the water-sparks from its wings.

Let grief be your sister, she will whether or no.
Rise up from the stump of sorrow, and be green also,
    like the diligent leaves.

A lifetime isn't long enough for the beauty of this world
and the responsibilities of your life.

Scatter your flowers over the graves, and walk away.
Be good-natured and untidy in your exuberance.

In the glare of your mind, be modest.
And beholden to what is tactile, and thrilling.

Live with the beetle, and the wind.
This is the dark bread of the poem.
This is the dark and nourishing bread of the poem.

  ~ Mary Oliver ~

A Leaf and a Cloud