Fragility

nothing which we are to perceive in this world equals the power of your intense fragility

e. e. cummings

The Doe

She was running blissfully

alongside me, when suddenly

she switched direction -

toward the road where that truck

was moving fast on the other side.

I screamed.

I covered my face,

trying not to know,

but I heard the thump

Of her body

against the grill

and I saw it

Slide across the road

Then twitch. and go still.

I went to her

and looked into her eyes

Just as the light of consciousness

went dark.

Deer are so strong. They are out surviving in weather that would freeze our bones - but this week I was reminded once again how fragile they are, how fragile we all are.

I was really sad and shocked to see the little doe die this week while I was out running, but grateful that it was quick. The driver of the truck stopped to make sure I was ok before he pulled her body off the road and said some kind words over her. We shared this inexplicably tender experience of letting her go for just one moment, then surreally went on with what we were doing before the accident. I finished my run. He kept driving.

The experience has made me even a little more appreciative of the deer that live around me and the fragility of their and all of our lives.

A buck at the edge of my lawn, standing still and staring straight at me-

even when a doe walked in front of him, he didn’t break eye contact.

The waning moon, haloed in its own light on the night of my birthday. I have remembered my own fragility and mortality this week, but also the great good fortune of having a life I love.

Even in our best shape we are a brittle piece of mortality. Your life is a breath, don't waste it.

LeCrae

I am grateful that you are here with me on this journey, friends. Hope all is well with you. See you next week.

Sacred Steps

As you walk upon the sacred earth, treat each step as a prayer.

Black Elk

Requiem

A fallen grey feather

caught by stone,

stretched over stone,

its gull long gone.

There is so much beautiful detail in a single feather

View fullsize

A little limb reached out over my path, beads of rain glistening along its length

A nearly heart-shaped puddle in the road, reflected skeletal treetops

On Christmas eve morning in the fog, trees that normally would be lost in the backdrop of the woods, came into sharper focus

Bright red berries on a thorny branch asserted their presence.

Dried and twisted blossoms were frozen in time - as if a storm passed and they remained where the wind blew them.

Viburnum berries hung from a bare branch - ripe for a hungry bird.

Something opens our wings. Something makes boredom and hurt disappear. Someone fills the cup in front of us: We taste only sacredness.

Rumi

A mood of reverence came over me this week, giving everything I saw so much significance. I hope the pictures convey what I felt. These are gifts that I am so grateful for.

Thank you for being here.

I hope your holidays are full of love, joy, and wonder. See you next year!

Walking Into Winter

This is the solstice, the still point of the sun, its cusp and midnight, the year's threshold and unlocking, where the past lets go of and becomes the future; the place of caught breath.

Margaret Atwood

Winter Sun

Beneath heavy clouds

blazing brilliant light it dropped

then fell out of sight

Saturday -a beautiful expanse of dune grass blew gently in the wind. (Saugatuck Dunes)

Sunday over ripe berries hung from a bare branch…but those looked like tiny buds below them.

Monday, a dark-eyed Junco sat still for a moment looking right at the camera

Tuesday, a neighbors Hydrangeas; blossoms dried, faded and gone to seed…delicate as paper

Wednesday in the garden, a dried up rhododendron blossom that Dr. Seuss could have drawn.

And on the beach, a pair of pigeon’s prints in the sand by Lake Michigan - as if he just stood there, looking over the water and then flew off

Today - Winter Solstice, the sun was muted by cloud cover but still came through - looking more like the moon.

Movement is good for the body. Stillness is good for the mind.

Sakyong Mipham

This is a time of year that often gets me down, so I did a lot of walking and looking for little signs of light and life. A little color, a little sun, some flowering plants with seeds and buds waiting for spring, a couple of footprints in the sand, the stars in the morning, the cold crisp air and crunchy frost-covered grass under my feet - all these things get me outside of my mind as well as my house and those are both good things. And today the days begin to grow longer again! Happy winter solstice- and Merry Christmas if you celebrate!

Thank you so much for being here! I will see you next week!

The morning sky on the shortest day. Within the darkness, there is the promise of light to come.