• landscape,  mountains,  natural areas,  quotes,  silence

    Art of Presence

    January 20, 2025

    Prayer is the art of presence. Where there is no wonder there is little depth of presence.

    John O’Donohue

    I stood in wonder this morning at the scene before me. A silence surrounded me. With almost no wind I became aware of the stillness, the beauty, and the penetrating cold. I felt alive. There was a voice inside reminding me that I was an integral part of this world. And, my presence in this world is to love all of creation, to be anchored in justice and compassion, to accept our interconnectedness with all things, to listen and observe our natural world as a teacher, and that living life, being present with all its ups and downs, is a spiritual experience. So, if prayer is the art of presence, then I wish to practice this art of presence until my heart beats for the final time! I guess you can say even that is a prayer.

    If you enlarge this image of the frigid morning at Reservoir Ridge Natural Area you can faintly see the setting of the waning gibbous moon just to the right of center. Stay warm, be safe and pray.

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  • landscape,  natural areas,  quotes,  shadows,  silence,  winter scenes

    Winter’s Shadows

    January 19, 2025
    Winter’s shadows and fresh snow

    This is a time (winter) when action becomes non-action, sound becomes silence. We see the essence in things, within ourself and within the world. It can be a time when we consider what is essential in our own life, and what needs to fall away, or we left behind. The ability to let go is a wisdom that belongs to Winter.

    Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee

    It was a frigid morning here in Colorado. My weather app said -7 degrees at 4:26 am. We received 3-4 inches of snow the past 24 hours and may get another inch later this evening. I took this image at Reservoir Ridge Natural Area about 9:45 am when we had warmed up to 2 degrees and the sun popped out. This arctic blast is a reminder that we are in the midst of winter and its gifts of silence, non-action, and repose. Winter is time for nature to slow down and rest before the onrush of rebirth and new birth of spring. And, how relevant that is in our lives, society and the world. Stay warm wherever you are!!

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  • frost,  quotes,  winter scenes

    You are a living message

    January 8, 2025

    Here is one way to look at yourself through spiritual eyes: you are a message. When you wonder what existence is all about, when you ask about your purpose in life, or when you feel small in comparison to the troubles of the world: remember that you are a message sent by the Spirit into creation. What you say, what you do, how you think and feel: your whole life is a long and sustained message for others to encounter, experience and receive. You are a living message: sent to touch more lives than you can imagine.

    Steven Charleston

    My car’s dashboard showed 2° as it grumbled to start this morning. But I was bound and termined to make my way to Mugs and support my baristas. Could be one of my purposes in life. This morning Winter was my barista, and a name fitting for this wintery day. I needed to be there, to share the message of how awesome she is and that I’m one of the many lives she touches. I was surprised how many people were at the coffee shop. They gotta be nuts to be here on a morning like this!!!!

    By 7:30 the blue skies and sunshine were a welcome sight. I stayed a little longer than normal, leaving about 9:30 am. I drove to the Reservoir Ridge Natural Area to experience the beauty of the wintery scene and capture a photograph or two of the snow and frost. It was a magical time! I wish people offered more nurturing messages like our natural world does. Yes, magical!

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  • fog,  frost,  landscape,  winter scenes

    A Wintery Scene

    January 5, 2025

    It was 13 degrees when I left the condo at about 6:47 am. No wind. No bicycle! It was cold enough I could blow off the dusting of snow covering my car. I could feel the peaceful stillness and quiet on this winter morning. I moved on to my coffee life at Mugs where my barista, Dean, made me an extra hot Old Town Mocha. It hit the spot. The coffee shop was rather quiet because of the cold morning. Only a few brave souls would be out on a morning like this. I was able to chat with a two of the brave souls, Jeff and Chris, then had some journaling time. My POD (Pen of the Day) is a Pilot Custom 823 with Yama-guri ink. It is a good combo to find words on blank pages.

    As I left the coffee shop the sun was beginning to break through the clouds, offering blue skies and sunshine on the frost covered trees of the foothills. So I drove home along Horsetooth Reservoir. Nature offered its wintery gifts of low lying clouds, mist rising and floating across the open water, frost covered trees and a touch of blue sky over the foothills. And more quiet! Back home I started laundry and will have a bowl of chili soup later today. May you have a wonderful Sunday! Stay warm!

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  • landscape,  natural areas,  poems,  snow

    Miracles Everywhere

    November 9, 2024
    Snow covered foothills at Reservoir Ridge Natural Area

    I was sad
    Mad
    Big things going wrong
    Big
    Asked for a miracle
    Nope
    Screamed for it
    Nope
    Then looked around
    Miracles everywhere
    Just not the one I so badly wanted

    Joyce Wilson-Sanford, I Pray Anyway

    It has been overcast and cold all day. The snow stopped around mid-morning. I made a drive to Reservoir Ridge Natural Area this morning knowing it was closed due to wet conditions but hoping to get a photo of the snow sitting atop the foothills from the gate. What a miracle it is to be alive and live in this beautiful world. In my quiet this morning I took a book down from my shelf called I Pray Anyway and thumbed through a few of her poems until I came across this one. Sometimes a poet will just say what I need to read. Her poem speaks to me because so many miracles that didn’t/don’t/won’t happen the way I want them to. She reminds me to look around at all the other miracles in my life and let go of what I think outcomes need to be. And then I can make a gratitude list of miracles everywhere in my life!!

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  • clouds,  horizons,  landscape,  poems,  poetry,  storm clouds

    The voices of the rain…

    April 22, 2024

    “I close my eyes and listen to the voices of the rain.”

    Robin Wall Kimmerer

    The wind blows in my face. Mesmerized, I watch, listen and accept the day’s gift from nature. I am privileged and grateful to have this front row seat. I watch the sun’s rays break through clouds, reaching down and touching the earth. I watch rain fall from the dark ominous clouds releasing their gift that nourishes the land. I watch the wind constantly reshaping the clouds, carrying them along the mountains. I watch the grass dancing excitedly in the wind in front of me. I am too far away to hear the voices of the rain but I do close my eyes and listen to the voice of the wind, urging me to dance with the grass. How can I not be filled with awe and wonder, holding them tightly on this Earth Day 2024.

    A Prayer on Earth Day 2024 

    We give thanks for Your gifts of awe, wonder and beauty.
    For Your voice heard in the winds of each season,
    the meadowlark’s song, the rumble of thunderstorms,
    the undulations of the ocean’s waves,
    the silence heard in a spring snowstorm,
    and especially for the fruits of Your bounty
    that sustains all of life.

    May we always be aware there are no political solutions
    to our spiritual problem of indifference and the abuse we cause.
    But may we know we are chosen stewards,
    whose task it is to live in harmony with all of creation.

    May we live every day in celebration and gratitude of life! 
    May we allow You to transform us in the very ground of our being.
    And, may the Great Mystery of all life fill us with love.

    mws

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  • flowers,  landscape,  snow,  winter scenes

    Springtime in Colorado

    April 20, 2024

    Welcome to springtime in Colorado as we awoke to another dusting of snow. I cleaned off about 2 inches from my car, heavy and wet stuff. Perfect snow for snowball fights or making a snowman. I find these snowfalls to be a beautiful experience. I watched big moisture laden snowflakes quietly drift through the air, doing what snowflakes are meant to do. Love the silence they bring!

    The roads were clear so I could meet Eric for coffee in Windsor. When I came back into town I stopped at the CSU Experimental gardens, knowing I could find a couple of photo opportunities. All the tulips were closed and snuggled in a blanket of snow. Since it’s just above freezing these tulips will most likely survive to show us more of their beauty in a day or so. Will meet friends later for dinner. Enjoy your Saturday!

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