mindful

by Mary Oliver

Every day
I see or I hear
something
that more or less

kills me
with delight,
that leaves me
like a needle

in the haystack
of light.
It is what I was born for---
to look, to listen,

to lose myself
inside this soft world---
to instruct myself
over and over


in joy,
and acclamation.
Nor am I talking
about the exceptional,

the fearful, the dreadful,
the very extravagant---
but of the ordinary,
the common, the very drab,

the daily presentations.
Oh, good scholar,
I say to myself,
how can you help

but grow wise
with such teachings
as these---
the untrimmable light

of the world,
the ocean's shine,
the prayers that are made
out of grass?

lucy's photos @ mount rainier 5.01.08

winds of change

photo and poetry invitation found at abbey of the arts:

winds of change where do you begin?

is it a whisper in our ear or
the roar of a God whose belly fills deep
upon the ocean?

ponder this...

Creativity flourishes not in certainty but in questions. -- Sue Monk Kidd

stars of the beach

Oh, stars, and dreams, and gentle night;
Oh, night and stars, return!

excerpted from Stars by Emily Bronte

miracles and magic

"the true harvest of my daily life is somewhat intangible and indescribable as the tints of morning or evening. it is a little stardust caught, a segment of the rainbow which i have clutched." --henry david thoreau

collage inspired by "the paradoxical dance" couples' workshop. read more here.

tell me what you see...

...a poetry prompt perhaps? feel free.

another shade of blue

if I were to pick a color today to inhale beauty and exhale gratitude, it would be the color blue. blue sky. blue sea. all surrounding me. gratitude for heaven and earth. sun and sea. family and friends. Lord, I am ever grateful for this blessed life.

is it of my own making? or is it orchestrated outside of me? the universe in charge? I think. I ponder. it is up to me to decide what I bring to it. joy and gratitude are well-received. I could complain. be angry and resentful. “blue”, if you will, but these are not choices I want to bring to the world.

inhale beauty. exhale gratitude.

reflection from banderas bay 3.31.08