Monthly Archives: November, 2012
Bounty enough
“We do not want merely to see beauty, though, God knows, even that is bounty enough. We want something else which can hardly be put into words — to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it.” — …
Two things stand
“Life is mostly froth and bubble Two things stand like stone KINDNESS in another’s trouble COURAGE in your own.” — Adam Lindsay Gordon
Vibrantly alive
The Avenue des Champs-Élysées as seen from l’Arc de Triomphe, Paris 2005 “You must learn to be still in the midst of activity and to be vibrantly alive in repose.” — Indira Gandhi I love the city; I find its nonstop life energizing and stimulating. Even in the midst of the rush, we can pause long …
Absolutely, positively, certainly
“In our rush for newer, quicker, better, we seem to be missing out on what we fundamentally crave, a calmer, gentler, sweeter and more gracious life. Is it easy to achieve such a life? Definitely not. Is it possible? Absolutely, positively, certainly, yes. (Don’t look for impossible from me; I’ve never found a solution in …
Open to the day
That more and more a Providence Of love is understood, Making the springs of time and sense Sweet with eternal good; That death seems but a covered way Which opens into light, Wherein no blinded child can stray Beyond the Father’s sight… That all the jarring notes of life Seem blending in a psalm, And …
Nothing so easy
There is nothing so easy but it becomes difficult when you do it reluctantly. — Publius Terentius Afer While we lived in Hawaii, it amazed me when one of my sons complained, “Do we HAVE to go to the beach AGAIN?” It didn’t matter how often I told him we were lucky to live near the …
It’s the heart
“It is not flesh and blood, but heart which makes us fathers and sons.” -Friedrich von Schiller No matter what cares may be weighing on you today, make time to enjoy the people you love. Life is short. Spend it well.
The true measure of our thanksgiving
“Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving.” —W.T. Purkiser Black Friday has become almost as much an American tradition as Thanksgiving itself. Yet our shopping on this day is not always a selfish pursuit. Many of us are seeking gifts for people we love, …
Unlock the fullness of life
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and …
Unknown blessings
“Give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way.” — Native American Saying I wish I could always have as much hope as our dog has when he smells food being prepared. Although he’s an expert beggar, he is successful relatively rarely because we watch his diet carefully. Still, he never stops trying, and alway seems grateful …
An untroubled spirit
“The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit. The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are.” —Marcus Aurelius I’ve always admired my husband’s stoic nature, even as I get frustrated and impatient when he seems unable to share my highs and lows. In the face of his …
Pleasure in the pathless woods
“There is a pleasure in the pathless woods, There is a rapture on the lonely shore, There is society, where none intrudes, By the deep sea, and music in its roar: I love not man the less, but Nature more…” —Lord Byron There’s something very calming about nature that neutralizes the toxic overload of a …
If only we tune in
I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in. –George Washington Carver How can we make the time to “tune in” today and experience God’s love through creation? Can we really afford NOT to?
Even in darkness
Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.” Psalm 112:4 This photo is posted in gratitude for the ongoing prayers of so many who are following this blog, and in tribute to my beloved husband who is facing grave illness with faith, courage and strength.
Beyond all reason
“God does not die on the day when we cease to believe in a personal deity, but we die on the day when our lives cease to be illumined by the steady radiance, renewed daily, of a wonder, the source of which is beyond all reason.” – Dag Hammarskjold
Something in the autumn
There is something in the autumn that is native to my blood — Touch of manner, hint of mood; And my heart is like a rhyme, With the yellow and the purple and the crimson keeping time. — Bliss Carman Autumn reminds us of the brevity of life as the lush blossoms of summer fade …
Little advantages
“Human felicity is produced not so much by great pieces of good fortune that seldom happen, as by little advantages that occur every day.” — Benjamin Franklin Just as it’s often the minor irritations that distract us and wear us down, so too the power of small blessings can transform our lives. The trick is becoming aware …
Promises to keep and miles to go
“The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep…” — Robert Frost It’s tempting to be drawn into our own ruminations. Trouble can be an isolating experience, and solitude is a seductive force, both healing and dangerous. If we withdraw too long or too …
How the light gets in
Ring the bells that still can ring Forget your perfect offering There is a crack in everything That’s how the light gets in. — Leonard Cohen
If you can…
Lines from one of my favorite poems, If by Rudyard Kipling: If you can dream – and not make dreams your master; If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same; If you can bear to …
Defeat Despair 