presence

11-11-21

I watch as the morning light gathers, revealing the colors of the day.

Seeing the silver sky behind the smallest branches.

The fine points of existence-The countless details of creation.

There is a sweet sadness in this moment

No wind, some leaves still hang on, color dots on the high branches.

The birds too are fewer, quieter.

The less I become the more I see,

Slowly , I arrive at stillness, I find my place in the moment.

I still hear my judgements, but I believe them less.

Let me believe in this moment, Let me believe in my purpose-

To see the sacred in all things.

10-24-21

Empty branches silver sky

The moment holds me, I start to cry.

Love is not in the mind, it’s in the heart,

Sadness is our guide at the journey’s start.

We don’t always walk sometimes we crawl,

We don’t always hear, we feel a call.

Not afraid of sadness, we have discovered gratitude,

Not afraid of crying we change our attitude.

It is our true home, it is our sacred ground-

The reason we cry-we are finally found.

10-14-21

A rainy morning, I watch the slow steady movement of the clouds.

West to East.

Occasional pockets of light shine through, then dissolve.

Slowly .. Slowly ..

After a brief downpour shades of blue appear.

In the western sky some cloud tops catch the first sunlight.

It has taken me a lifetime to learn –

The world always works perfectly –

It is in the natural world that we learn –

To see beauty in what is – as is.

9-30-21

It is the clouds that have created the glorious colors of the sunrise today.

Today let me avoid seeking perfection, and seek acceptance.

Today let me enjoy the colors of the dawn, and the darkening sky.

Today let my opinions not find a voice.

Today let me allow people to find their own way.

Today let me not feel the need to protect myself.

Today let me break the mirror, and open to oneness.

10-4-21

Today I am able to get back to my spot – back to the tree –

Back to my teacher.

So many leaves are already gone, still beautiful.

So unremarkable, so unnoticed.

Nothing is gained, nothing is lost.

I watch as the leaves fall –

Making way for the resting season –

Making way for the growing season –

How perfect is living

How perfect is life.

10-7-21

The dawning light gathers, cloud hidden

This moment of peace will not be forbidden.

Don’t run away, stay just a little longer

Patience reward, the heart grows stronger.

Finding our purpose not in the doing –

In the being.

Finding love is not in the holding –

It’s in the freeing.

8-10-21

No movement in the sky today

No movement in the trees today

Such total stillness is unusual

Let me be at peace with this moment.

This is a moment of “not yet”.

Let me allow it in myself.

The stillness will teach me.

I don’t have to force anything.

The breeze will return, The winds will return

The storms will return, all is well. Only This.

9-19-21

I hear the geese in the distance-

Quite a ruckus-

They must be planning their trip.

The geese take off, I see them now,

As they gain altitude, they are still raising a ruckus.

What sounds like a disagreement to me-

Is one voice to them-

Life is Magic.

9-26-21

Once again, it is the simple beauty of nature

My own reduction in its’ presence.

Such peace here, alone- but not.

To find my place here,

And to know despite appearances-

I am not lost now, I have never been lost,

We are never lost, Its’ just that sometimes

We forget to look inward.

9-9-21

Observing this morning, I see the smallest birds, find the tallest branches.

The first sun, The warmest spot.

The universe is gentle with us.

We have our place, we have our ways.

While my mind worries about the confusion-

My soul is at peace with the stillness.

Finding balance in our life,

We find acceptance in this moment.

Our life is our contribution.

9-11-21

The stars over Chicago

They shine both day and night.

The darkness that we dread so much

Is what reveals their light.

So let me love this living world

Not judging right or wrong.

And before I try to run away

I’m right where I belong.

9-12-21

This old tree, I come here every week.

She has taught me so much.

This morning just just being in her presence makes me cry.

God I love it here, this time this place, make it stay,

Make it stay.

The heavens will not allow it, The wind will not allow it,

Our bodies will not allow it.

I notice some leaves already turning.

It seems too early, is it sickness, old age?

In this old tree

I see the living and the dying I am, we are.

It is the dying that makes life so precious.

Sitting in front of this tree, I believe in all the

Religions and all the science.

9-2-21

Do not fear loneliness, for that is where our most important work can be done.

Observe your thoughts, feel your sadness, talk to your fear, laugh at your anger.

Do not stay tangled up in memories. See that the imagination that brought you

happiness as a child now brings you anxiety, it is your imagination, you can change it.

Find a spot in nature to call your own, and when someone else takes it, move on;

That is how the other animals do it. Detach from your busy-ness, you are so much

More than the things you do. Bring yourself to meditation everyday; what begins as

a single second of peace, will become a life of peace. The most important things in life

We learn from ourselves.

9-5-21

In each day, a new way to learn what we have always known.

Back again.

In an angry world, let me bring a moment of peace to someone.

In a frightened world let me bring a moment of calm to someone.

In a lonely world, let me bring a smile to someone.

In a hungry world, let me bring whatever is needed to someone.

For there is no joy in wanting, our joy is in the giving.

It is what we have always known.

8-24-21

I see the full moon fading in the western sky,

I want it to stay longer, let the sacred night last.

The burning sun will not hesitate.

The absurdity of wanting to control time-

But why not?

Everything is so wonderful, so perfectly now.

I feel inadequate, unable to meet the challenges of the day.

Will the next moment ever stop being so frightening?

The moments will pass – my joy will be silent and everlasting.

8-5-21

Owl of wisdom clever crow, eagle soaring earth below.

Magic morning endless skies, it’s hard to leave behind my lies.

Harder still to believe they are true-

I find the courage I learned from you.

Life abides secret one, silent wonder almost done.

Holding fast the eternal now, in this breath the truth allow.

Love is for all there can be no selection,

Together we create divine reflection.

7-18-21

Today I am learning from a Black Walnut Tree.

I let my heart feel the presence my mind cannot comprehend;

Learning the more still I become – the more love that I send.

7-20-21

I want to live in peace, I want to create, I want to love and be happy.

But I must learn to live with conflict as well.

I must accept my part in the Great Mystery.

I must accept that the things that I say and do are part of the harmony of life.

I am not important but I am necessary.

Everything is, Everyone is, Being and Oneness.

7-22-21

The infinite layers of our universe hold me now.

How can everything in our universe be so different, so alike?

How can everyone?

Creation is ongoing.

The harmony of opposites.

The magic of unity

The glory of oneness.

Just to be present – Just to be.

7-23-21

Today it is the blue sky that touches my heart,

I cry because it is all that I can do,

In the stillness I learn that love is the only reality.

My sorrow is that I am unable to reach anyone.

My greatest peace and my greatest terror are when I am alone.

I seek solitude as if it were a refuge,

And yet I never know if I will find peace or despair.

Let me stay until I must go.

Alone in this world.

Alone in this world.

Alone.

Let me stay until I must go.