This Energy

My intentions
in this life clear
realize the truth
within my being
this energy divine
consciousness....

01111996

Look Carefully

Triumphs and disappointments
makeup all our passing days
lessons held within each one
should we care to look carefully

02151992

Like Smoke

Deep in the night,
while I slept....
an angel came to me,
she brought me hope,
gave me love, set me free...
together we wept...
in joy and delight,
despair vanished like smoke....

01101996

Fear Not

Feel the energy of love,
let it flow through you...
give faith substance,
and you'll fear not....

01091996

Give

Follow your heart,
live a meaningful life,
committed fully.
Learn from faith,
accept uncertainty.
You'll be guided,
protected, and loved,
always, at all times.
Give and you will receive.

03201996

Fill My Heart

Fill my heart with grace
let me know God's love
seeing each day a new
a miracle and blessing
opening before me...

03221996

Trust

In searching for my path
life has brought me to God
guided here by angels
I've had to learn to trust
before I could be set free

03201996

The Power

The Power of God
living within me
I realize this truth
acknowledging it
sets my soul free

03201996

Finding Gifts

Love eternal, unconditional
what our true nature holds
when we open our hearts
we touch our essence
we grow and flourish
this the substance of faith
our gift to be found....

04051996

Guilty Goodbyes

You weren't there
but I visited anyway
just a shell, silent
you sat and stared
aged stone, cold eyes
once my father
now just a shell
you'd gone deep
beyond all reach
these visits now
my guilty goodbyes

02001217

Made Visible

Teach me,
oh, spirit,
that I may serve,
open my heart and my eyes,
let me be as a newborn,
the road, made visible before me....

04041998

Knowing

This is the day the Lord has made, be grateful for this new day, it is yours. At times it seems as if our minds are muddy, sit still, meditate and let all become clear. All will be revealed when it's supposed to be and no sooner. Have patience and know that this is a test of faith, for it is the Holy Spirit who opens us to knowledge, and gives us the gift of knowing.

04041998

Joy and Love

My consciousness
the spirit within me
unlimited in potential
a divine power filled
by our creator, God
with joy and love

04041998

Silence

God's language is silence
awaiting my translation
quite gifts of the spirit
waiting to teach us to love

04291996

The Door

The Buddha came to me
in meditation, he called
a voice of deep silence
a door that opened to me
and there I found the way

06181996

The Seed

The holy spriit descended on Jesus and he too became a manifestation of holiness and spirit, love supreme. With the Holy Spirit in Him, Jesus' power as a teacher and healer transformed the world. We so, the seed was planted within us, and so too, the capacity form healing, transformation, and love. We but need to touch the seed within, let it grow, and know God the Father.

06101996

Be Mindful

The Buddha was asked, "holy one, what is it that you and your monks practice?" The Buddha replied, "We sit, or walk, or eat." The questioner continued, "but sir, everyone does that," and the Buddha replied, "When we sit, we know we are sitting. When we walk, we know we are walking. When we eat, we know we are eating. We and our acts are one. We strive to be mindful of our lives."

06081996

No other way

In God alone,
will my soul rest...
and my spirit free.
There is no other way.

04201996

Destiny

Resolve Conflicts
Flourish in Peace
This is the possibility
When we find the way
Our path becomes free
Our destiny is clear....

03121992

Embrace the day

This morning I gave a prayer of thanksgiving for a clear deck and driveway. When I went out on the lower deck in front both the quail and chipmunk came asking as I put out seeds, as they were hungry. They didn't run off but instead to stood there watching me and as soon as I accommodated them the quail went to get his friends while the chipmunk thanked me and started eating. I imagine very soon there will be quite a party there for breakfast. Feeding friends inhabit every deck but the lower back one and I am grateful they come to visit.

The sky is overcast with a few blue streaks running through, and the sound of snow popping from the trees in all directions as well as the incessant dripping from the roof can be heard.

The squirrels are running up and down the sides of the house and across the roof and climbing the tree outside the window to check on our indoor activity. The birds too are very active this morning and a variety visitors have come to call, one was a new orange breasted one the size of the dove. Song in many forms, each unique to its species, is being sung. The red-crested finch, the Blue Jays, the morning dove, wrens, all are here as if it is social hour at my home and they have all come calling.

The weather seems uncertain of itself, not knowing whether to rain, snow or be a brighter, more beautiful day, and it leaves us confused as well. There is a strong chill in the air and in the late afternoon the birds exhibit nervousness I interpret as a weather change of a possible storm and soon enough fat flakes of snow start to fall.

The neighbor and I discussed whether we will be shoveling snow in the morning and how he would rather do it daily; to strengthen his back, than to have the brakes I'm grateful for. He is anxious to be off out of town again and I wish them a safe journey but I refuse to let his discouragement affect my appreciation of this day or those to come whatever the gift of weather mother nature of God Himself bestows on us.

Soon enough spring will be here and the winter just a memory captured on film. I treasure all that I see, experience, and grow through. This is the only today I have and I will embrace it with all the love in my heart.

12021990

Another original day

Everything is white in all directions, a kind of monochrome morning; mountains, trees, homes, and sky, as the new day comes slowly to life. I get new pictures of the same view previously photographed. Just as each day is an original so is each picture.

I've cleared the decks early as the squirrels and birds have already come to call, awaiting their meal of fruit and nuts. They don't run off but wait impatiently, trusting that I will provide for their hunger needs. I have become a constant in their world and to them, I serve a purpose thus am accepted as a necessity.

It is another day for shoveling but the snow is light, almost airy and damp without clinging and it goes faster and easier than usual. There are only two of us clearing our space this morning and we exchange greetings, comments, and encouragement as the work progresses as well as the day. I am satisfied with what I have accomplished although I acknowledge my belief that this is not the last before the winter is over.

I never try to anticipate what tomorrow will bring but wait instead to see what unfolds. The day is enjoyably warm, no need for many layers of clothing, and I am able to drive myself into the village and marvel at what a good job of clearing the plows did on the roads. The mail wasn't worth retrieving, just an ad, but the drive was exhilarating and the stop at the wee market to get some fresh bread and exchange pleasantries.

I spent the afternoon at the computer working on my pictures and greeting cards. Blank paper comes to life as a new winter scene, thanks to technology, prints itself onto the grain and trees, mountain cabins, snow, become more than a photo but a representation of God's country ready to mail, complete with envelope.

It is been a productive day and makes me eager to capture more of our village on film, to explore and discover new visions and grasp the essence, not just the scene but also the spirit, peace, as well as the beauty of this winter season. Blue shadows against white snow, crisp ice you can almost breathe in. I love to look through the lens and then discover own the life in the development.

12031991

A universe of change

We create our own universe and each of us is at the center of it. What we invite into the core of our world is our choice; what we allow ourselves to see, to experience, to feel. We can be alive to the moment or just exist. This is what I meditate upon.

To being in consciousness is to not just observe but to become part of all that is around you. The mountains become our strength, the stars our visions, the daybreak our rebirth each morning to all the possibilities we can allow ourselves to live within. Each moment of each day is important, as are we. There is a purpose to each one and everything in creation. Nothing is stagnant but constantly changing, evolving, becoming.

My world in the mountains this winter has been a very white world as we have had record snowfalls. The last two days have been combinations of rain and wet snow but at Four this afternoon heavy snow started to come down again in earnest. The kind of snow that claims to the branches, leaves, and bends the young saplings. I see my Aspen curved again toward the ground. It was finally beginning to recover from the first big snow that changed its shape. The current snow has been dampened and heavy enough to cause a repeat.

The fruit trees and bushes are altering appearances as they take on the shape formed by the wet, white powder clinging to them, forming clumps in areas, leaving only brown patches where the trunk climbs out of the ever-increasing buildup, layer upon layer over many days, weeks, months, never being warm enough, long enough, to decrease it significantly before it accrues more.

The path my grandchildren created riding their sleds down my hill is no longer visible and the entrance to the igloo they built is steadily being filled in, by morning only those who know would recognize it as anything but a huge pile berm above the road.

The light from the window highlights the sparkling flakes as they come spiraling down from heaven as thick as feathers during a pillow fight, exploding with motion, dancing on air. Icicles are growing, as are cotton like clumps of snow layered on branches, clinging to leaves and piled in the crooks and crevices. As he universe is continuously evolving, so are we, and the morning will bring a bright white and transformed landscape again, as each day brings its own blessings and surprises.

12021992

Radiant

God, please bless me
give me insight
let me focus and see
thinking clearly
let ideas take flight
ideas coming freely
like waves in the sea
radiant like starlight

03141996

Mine to explore

God lives within me....
oh, how long it took
to realize this truth
no more searching
the path is before me
together with angels
mine to explore

03201996

It waits

The harmony I seek
is here before me
I just had to look
and there it was
a tree, a cloud
hills and rivers too
all creation waits
for us to become

03301996

Essence

Let me remove my mask
and set aside the illusion
I've been hiding behind
my essence awaits ahead

04041996

Return

Eternal and unconditional
that is what nature is....
we, removed, must return
that is where our souls are,
where we will find ourselves

04161996

Focus

When we focus on the light,
we're able to see what it is...
truth and freedom ours,
love and peace too....

03121992

Winter is hanging on

Mother nature is not ready, as yet, to let go of winter. This morning she has unleashed another serious snowfall. The flakes are big and moist falling in a heavy sheet. The challenge to many, at this point, is to see the beauty of each one. So many of my neighbors who couldn't wait for the first snowfall as a wondrous sign of winter here in God's country are now bemoaning another storm instead of being grateful for the blessing and the gift. Too soon it will be over and spring will be here. Already small signs are raising their heads anxious for their turn.

The squirrels, up early, have arrived for breakfast. Life is present; snow makes no difference as long as they have food and shelter. The cats and I have that and more; and warm fire, a dry shelter with a wonderful view, hot showers and entertainment, and a shovel when the snow subsides. God provides me with all that I need and more, as well as the ability to enjoy, not wish away, the gift of today and to see it with eyes of wonder still.

The snow is alternating with rain and turning to/on the ground in melting off the driveway even though the air is quite frigid and requires gloves and hat outdoors. No need to shovel under these conditions, and the snowplow has been making regular runs but there is not a lot on the road to create a berm accept what he dislodges from the old piles and leaves all my driveway.

My friend blessed me with a ride to the post office but the only thing waiting was an ad. She also brought me a new Angel for my collection from her trip to Panama.

The morning snow became afternoon rain, slowly melting and washing away at the thin layer of mushy snow from the driveway and also creating a rivulet of ice to the backyard. Evening brings a magnificent sunset of charcoal clouds against the crimson sky over the broad ridge of the tree-topped mountain and a temporary deluge from the sky.

The wind is now silenced and the chill has paused, becoming a more tolerable cold. Night comes gently to God's country. The igloo my grandchildren built still stands, a monument to their weekend in the snow, of their persistence, and the sound of their voices echoes in my mind and heart.

03151992

What a beautiful day

What a glorious day it is today. No sign of any rain appears but instead unexpected warmth that allows me to shed my extra clothing and appreciate this special gift from God. It is not so hot that it melts the hill of snow so it is like having the best of two worlds at once. The squirrels are in the mood to play and arrive very early for their breakfast and games of tag.

Much time is dedicated to catching up on my computer work but I take frequent breaks outside to enjoy the wonder and the warmth. My cousin has invited me to travel with him to Italy, France, and Brussels, a very appealing offer indeed.

In the afternoon I make my mail run and take advantage of the wonderful weather and take the high roads and drive up the hills to capture the wonderful views, to see winter from a birds eye view. I brought my camera along in the hopes of collecting more pictures but unfortunately a UPS truck was tailing me and I found not one area where I could pull off. I will try again the first opportunity I get.

I am, as always, fascinated with the ever-changing scenery, the terrain, sky, and the beauty of God's country. No two days are ever alike but there is always a sense of being in a spiritual environment. I almost feel the spirit of the Chumash Indians who inhabited this area and would like to study further the special relationship they had with all living things and with the powers that govern the universe and all that is.

In the early evening great billowing clouds come over the mountains resembling fields of cotton opened to the sun, begging to be picked, areas highlighted as if God Himself had spotlighted them. Soon there was an avalanche of fog, heavy clouds, creeping quickly down the mountains as if an invasion were taking place by a force of nature that could be seen but not touched.

By nightfall the air again holds a bone numbing chill urging the necessity to again find warmer wear. The clouds have gone elsewhere and the stars have made their appearance. Tomorrow will be another God-given surprise to be revealed and I will create it with joy.

12121992

Sunshine on snow

The sky is so beautifully clear today Mr. Sun is out bright and shiny for the first time in at least a week. To be in the moment is to appreciate and embrace the experience and the gift of life. Right now it feels like God is smiling and the world is in a state of joy. Everything the sunlight touches glistens and the air is filled with Birdsong as if they are extolling God's praises and their gratitude.

The squirrels came early for breakfast, anxious to begin their day and the neighbors are off, I presume for an early trip to town. They've seemed to be suffering a bit from cabin fever of late. If it had been this nice yesterday I would have lingered longer in town.

The squirrels, I notice, have completely broken the bird feeder on the front tree and the seed is now scattered all over the ground below. They are joined in the foraging by the quail and bluebirds, all trying to get the greatest share.

Today is dedicated to catch-up, on settling some problems, housework, and email, as well as word-processing documents I am working on. I did take time to phone visit with both my daughters. My cousin is complaining he hasn't had any email from me of late. I guess dedicating so much time, due to the necessity, to snow shoveling does take time away from other things, but priorities take precedent

More rain is predicted for tomorrow, which may mean more snow here. So for tonight the sky is clear and the stars stand out like a tray of diamonds against a background of black velvet. Outback the lights from the houses on the hill shine like a double moon or beacons guiding an airplane on to a landing strip at midnight. Of the moon itself there is no sign. The houses themselves cannot be seen but you know their location by the lighted shapes of windows and doors hanging in space.

It is quite serene tonight. The hoot owl is silent and no coyotes have been heard in the near vicinity for weeks. It is comforting to sit in the rocker on the deck, bundled against the cold and just be. Not concentrating, but a part of all that is around me and at one with the universe and with God.

I appreciate each day, the gifts each one holds, God's guidance in leading me here, and the journey this life has taken me on. Amen!

12021989

A trip to town

The sky this morning is cloudy with great coral billowing clouds and others gray streaked, almost charcoal, moving in over the mountains. Much of the roof tops are cleared of snow and I notice the absence of the constant dripping caused by melting snow from my own roof and realize, it too, must now be clear, but I was mistaken. After walking up the hill on the road I see that one side of the roof is partly clear, the other side is still mostly snow-covered. It is just too icy as yet to drip but will continue on with the sun's warmth.

Today I will go into town, to Santa Clarita. The forecast is cloudy but no snow or rain is predicted. Oh, joy! As the clouds gather, increasing in density I question my decision, but as the sun begins to peek out briefly I feel I should not miss the opportunity presented as I don't know what next week will hold and my shagginess is beginning to bother me, also I look forward to the freedom of the drive. So with faith in hand I am off.

Is a beautiful drive with clouds closing in behind me as I descend down the mountain. As I get ever lower both are reaching to meet, cloud to land and land to cloud until all blends into one.

The continued threat of inclement weather was even in town as if, at any moment, the sky would open up. I took care of my business in record time rather than linger as usual but felt no sense of anxiety, rather a reassuring peace from God that the journey would be a safe one.

It is good to be home as a thick fog has descended hiding all below in less than half an hour. The mountains, trees, and houses behind my home are all hidden from view, only indistinct lights show through as an indication of where a home is located.

Pesky, the squirrel, is agitated and screaming on the deck and dives into a tree while still chattering loudly. Peeker on the front deck was clamoring as well.

There is a damp feel to the air, almost as if you could wring it if you could hold it and release a wealth of water to the ground.

The cats are all resting, Lil Bit centered on a pillow as if he is a royal offering, the little king of the house for sure.

A few stars appear in the night sky out front but are hidden from view behind. It is as if front and back are two different worlds, door-to-door, a house divided indeed.

12011989