Seeing Solstice

There is a pause now
this quiet Solstice time
before light slowly lengthens.

The temptation?
To count the days.
To hold our breath
until daylight stretches into evening
and early morning forces back the darkness.

What a relief it will be
these light-starved eyes
to see again
no longer fumbling in darkness.

Still,
somewhere deep inside
past resistance and reason
you know this darkness, too, is your home.

A place […]

For the peace and promise of a sunrise.
The quickening of breath that comes
when we take in the beauty of our surroundings.

For the mystery and humility
of daring to see how we are all connected.

For the opportunity, over and over again,
to choose joy.

For waking up every day to the unknown
and the courage to walk into that day.

For […]

Leaves Take Flight

It is the season for letting go.

A time when even trees move
bending and swaying in the strong gusts
adding their whispering song to the wind.

Leaves touched by autumn’s cool hand
let loose from sturdy branches.
Taking flight, of all things–
a wild dance in all directions.
They land finally, amidst their brightly colored companions
only to scramble on the […]

It doesn’t matter how many decades I’ve been doing it. Every single year, when I plant vegetable seeds the size of a pin…

When the fog lifts

Socked in.
As clouds touch down.
As the sun rises
filtered by fog
to a gentle glow.

The world softens in this light.
It’s the perfect temperature
the perfect humidity to breathe gently. Deeply.

On mornings such as this
we humans have to slow our relentless pace
in order to see.
In order to be seen.

Fog can settle restlessness.
Can ease the strain of […]

What if we could hear our own soul speak?
I mean, we already do from time to time, right?
A bolt of intuition or a deep sense of knowing comes,
or a feeling of calm wisdom settles upon us.
We can and we do tap into our inner spirit
especially if we make room and pay attention.

But what if our […]

Air thick with humidity.
Sun hazy but blinding still in its glare.
Today holds ease in its harsh light.

Ease in that we best not rush,
the heat will overwhelm.
Move slowly—unlike everything we ever hear
in our human to human exchanges.
Walk carefully, pause in the shade
so that you might drink in the beauty of this day.

Move too fast and the […]

It doesn’t matter how many decades I’ve been doing it.
Every single year, when I plant vegetable seeds
the size of a pin head into soil
I am mesmerized and astonished when they sprout.

Some are tenderly nursed along indoors
establishing some roots before they are set in the garden-
exposed, then, to elements
that both hinder and encourage their growth.

Others, when […]

An orchard full of questions

In grasping for answers
–when we hold too tight–
we squeeze the juice right out of the question.

In search of definitive, black and white certainty
we unwittingly plot a rigid path that narrows with each step.
It’s hard not to dig in, once we’ve begun.
To press on, unyielding in our quest for certitude,
no longer noticing […]

Mud and Muted Miracles

I’ll be honest.
April is not my favorite month.
The snow is either gone
or too crunchy or punchy to play with.
The ground is still frozen
so garden prep can’t really happen.

It’s a time of in between
known here in the northland
as Mud Season.
Some years are more dramatic than others
but we experience mud ponds
(far too expansive to […]