May you recognize in your life, the presence, power and light of your soul. May you realize that you are never alone, That your soul in its brightness and belonging connects you intimately with the rhythm of the universe. May you have respect for your own individuality and difference. May you realize that the shape of your soul is unique, that you have a special destiny here, That behind the facade of your life there is something beautiful, good, and eternal happening. May you learn to see yourself with the same delight, pride, and expectation with which God sees you in every moment.
After we flew across the country we got into bed, laid our bodies delicately together, like maps laid face to face, East to West, my San Francisco against your New York, your Fire Island against my Sonoma, my New Orleans deep in your Texas, your Idaho bright on my Great Lakes, my Kansas burning against your Kansas your Kansas burning against my Kansas, your Eastern Standard Time pressing into my Pacific Time, my Mountain Time beating against your Central Time, your sun rising swiftly from the right my sun rising swiftly from the left your moon rising slowly from the left my moon rising slowly from the right until all four bodies of the sky burn above us, sealing us together, all our cities twin cities, all our states united, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Today I’m grateful for short days, long nights, freezing snow and ice…
The harsh weather of winter calls me home to the warmth of good food and loving family and friends. Winter blows in and I know it’s time to slow down, snuggle up and relax in the safety of my home den, surrounded by my pack. Thank you winter for encouraging me to pause for a little while.
“I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says “Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.” ~Lewis Carroll
“It is a wholesome and necessary thing for us to turn again to the earth and in the contemplation of her beauties, to know of wonder and humility.” ~Rachel Carson
Rachel Carson is one of my personal heroes. She published a thoughtful little book called Silent Spring in 1962. Her book exposed the dangers of environmental pollution and galvanized the early environmental movement in the United States.
I honor Rachel today.
Here’s to people who hold onto their knowing. Here’s to people who realize that we owe our lives to this beautiful Earth mother that nurtures and supports us. And here’s to people who change the world by standing up for what they love.
“You are the sky. Everything else – it’s just the weather.” ~Pema Chodron
Today is another January Blue kind of day…Anything is possible when the Sky is this blue!
But, why is the sky so blue?? Why not red or purple or green? Am I the only one who wonders about this? Apparently not. 🙂 NASA scientists share the scientific reason for our brilliant blue sky below:
“It is easy to see that the sky is blue. Have you ever wondered why? A lot of other smart people have, too. And it took a long time to figure it out!
The light from the Sun looks white. But it is really made up of all the colors of the rainbow. Like energy passing through the ocean, light energy travels in waves, too. Some light travels in short, “choppy” waves. Other light travels in long, lazy waves.Blue light waves are shorter than red light waves.
All light travels in a straight line unless something gets in the way to reflect it (like a mirror, bend it (like a prism, or scatter it (like molecules of the gases in the atmosphere
Sunlight reaches Earth’s atmosphere and is scattered in all directions by all the gases and particles in the air. Blue light is scattered in all directions by the tiny molecules of air in Earth’s atmosphere. Blue is scattered more than other colors because it travels as shorter, smaller waves. This is why we see a blue sky most of the time.”
(from http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/blue-sky/)
So, that’s the logical reason. Pretty cool.
But I also love this 14th century Persian mystic’s “crazy”, illogical thoughts about our blue sky:
“Even After All this time The Sun never says to the Earth,
“You owe me.”
Look What happens With a love like that, It lights the whole sky.”
~Hafiz
Hope you’re having a January Blue sky kind of day too. And if you woke up to face a gray sky – inside or outside – what would it take to shift and choose January Blue instead? Just go for it.
