My religion
My religion is kindness.
My church is nature.
My god is a feeling that lives deep inside.
My job is to be conscious.
My path is forgiveness.
My religion is kindness and I practice it every day!
cold gray day. beautiful still.
Ice on the trees. Today’s image of simplicity.
Flowing Toward the Light
One of my favorite Josephine Wall paintings
My wish for the new year:
May you flow FEARLESSLY
toward the light,
Surrounded by BEAUTY
and filled with LOVE.
Old Year/New Year: Continuing the Journey
Tall Red Flowers, Santa Barbara, 2014
Last year: We spent the first week of 2014 in Santa Barbara, CA. This was one of the highlights of our epic journey from west to east. Maybe it was because I knew I might never see that part of the country again, but I really soaked it all in. Images and emotions are burned into my memory. Photos like this remind me.
On that day last year I had no idea where I would be today. I must say, I am happy and satisfied that we made the right choice. I have been able to reconnect with my family and have a strong sense of what I missed for those 25 years in California. But that is the past. This is a new day, and coincidentally, a new year.
This year: For me this first week of 2015 has been focused on clearing out space, both in my own mind and in my mother’s house. For the last two days I have been helping her go through things like old china cabinets filled with crystal and plastic crucifixes, and plastic bins brimming over with old photos and love letters from my grandfather to my grandmother, and surveyors’ maps of the house they lived in for my entire childhood. It’s amazing how much stuff we accumulate, and how much of it seems precious and irreplaceable. We left those things alone, knowing that another day we might be ready to decide their destiny.
We recycled quite a bit of other stuff, which, at this moment is still in the back of my car. It seems like I will be selling, donating and recycling for the next five years or so. It’s OK though. I am glad to be a part of this movement toward a simpler, more focused and meaningful life. And I am very proud of my mother for jumping on the bandwagon with such enthusiasm.
My overwhelming thought is this: simplifying your life is not a simple process. It takes courage and persistence, and clear-headedness. And it’s not something you can do in a weekend, or even three or four weekends. Depending on your level of energy, it might take several years to get to a place that feels balanced. If you can take your time, you might realize that you are really on a spiritual journey, going deeply in toward a person (your Self) who has always been there, but who got lost in the details.
May you find the courage to let go of the past, and the persistence to really live in the present.
Swiftly Flowing River
I got this from one of my yoga books. It seems to be a theme for me lately
“There is a river flowing now, very fast. It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid. They will try to hold on to the shore. They will feel they are being torn apart, and they will suffer greatly.
Know that the river has its destination.
The elders say we must push off into the middle of the river, keep our eyes open and our heads above the water. See who is in there with you, and celebrate.
At this time in history we are to take nothing personally, least of all ourselves, for the moment we do that, our spiritual growth comes to a halt. The time of the lone wolf is over.
Gather yourselves; banish the word “struggle” from your attitude and vocabulary. All that we do now must be done in a sacred way and in celebration.
We are the ones we have been waiting for.”
Hopi elder, Native American gathering, 1999
color magic. today’s image of simplicity
Saw this as we were leaving the beach. Thought it was a good image to end 2014. What a year!!
Reflections of Kudzu. Dismal Swamp, Virginia
This photo was taken at the Welcome Center at the southern end of Virginia. It is part of the Intracoastal Waterway. Makes you wonder what kind of magic waits around the corner…
More proof of impermanence
We get a lot of “pop-up” storms here in Williamsburg. They can be short but intense. A couple days ago, between storms, I saw something big laying on the ground beside my car. It was a birds’ nest. The storm must have knocked it down.
Sticks, pine needles and oak leaves.
How ingenious!
But, like sandcastles, temporary.
The divine impermanence of it all
Heading north
another shell and shadow
Once the geese flew overhead, I turned around and thought it must be time to start back toward the beach house. I saw a few more shells and other beach ornaments, but my eyes wandered toward the line of houses where I was headed.
neighbors
In our family there has only ever been one “beach house.” It belongs to my Uncle Ron and Aunt Kathy. Ron has lived there in that spot for, well, longer than I’ve known him. the house burned down about 15 years ago and was rebuilt.
the beach house
It is small compared to most of the other houses on this beach. But to me it is just right. When I have the priviledge to stay here for a day or two, I feel like I am in paradise. Period. And I try very hard not to get attached. I spend as much time as I can walking in the sand, but mostly I just sit and look out at the horizon. It opens my mind and helps me find some clarity and peace beneath all the chaos of my life.
Castles in the sand…for now
This series of moments ended with a solemn thought and image. I saw this former sand castle on the way back. It reminded me how impermanent everything in this world is…houses, seashells, waves, people, and thoughts. This is why I work so hard on staying present. Because this moment is really all we have. Really.
on the road to simplicity 