A couple of weeks ago, I was sitting at my window desk, enjoying the fall colors. It was one of those stellar autumn days that appear on memes with animated leaves falling on someone in a cozy sweater, holding a mug of steaming chai with the question “Don’t you wish you could spend time here?” … Continue reading The Release
Crunch sounded beneath my hiking sandals; the rhythmic call of damp sand. It rained last night, and gratefully I can report - it poured. It wasn’t a long rain, but strong enough to wake me and kick into action thoughts about what we’d left outside, vulnerable to the elements. Well, too late now. I am … Continue reading A Comforting Ritual
“Dear God, I am sad to inform you that the planet is on fire and there’s a global pandemic that goes on and on and takes more and more from us. Haiti has been decimated once again and Afghanistan is looking doomed and last week some scientists said some pretty depressing stuff about our … Continue reading Tired Together
“I hope you have time to wander and tend.” These words were gifted to me from a friend who knows a bit of my schedule. Wander and tend…ah….the time of no agendas, where one can follow what draws the spirit and there, wait and care for what emerges. Restoration happens as I take time to … Continue reading resisting resistance
“The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you. Don't go back to sleep.” ~ Rumi Occasionally, when my body wakes at 3:00 a.m., with no intention of reconnecting with the dream world, this 13th-century Persian poet, theologian and mystic speaks into my soul, “The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you. Don’t go back to sleep.” At 3:38 a.m., I am following Rumi’s advice. I put my feet … Continue reading Firefly Grief
It was probably a morning like this when Richard Rodgers sat down at the piano and wrote the song ,“My Favorite Things.” A morning where you wake up and can touch gratitude, inhale goodness and taste it’s sweetness on the tip of your tongue. A screen door creaks in the summer heat, fresh cream clings … Continue reading Mornings Like This
Autumn is our 15 year old Sheltie. She is one of the most faithful companion dogs I have ever had, and I have had some very good ones. She has outlived many other dogs, a couple cockatiels and several cats, has been a regular travel partner to the North woods, is terribly afraid of lakes … Continue reading How to Develop Heart Courage
While driving to the hospital from my little space in the woods last spring, there were many days I would see billowing smoke from the previous nights fires, evidence of the deep embodied pain triggered by the death of George Floyd. The flames of course, were not about one death, but rather from over 200 … Continue reading The Illusion of Safety
3:53 a.m. It is early, yet not uncommon for me to be up at this middle-aged happy hour. I often insert soft sounds into my ears, close my eyes and hope for another hour of blissful sleep. Other times I follow the poet Rumi’s advice and get up to hear what the silence has for … Continue reading Be Gentle With Yourself
Before the sun comes up, it is quiet. Deer wander the line of pines searching for a frosty apple or two from the small grove. A cat sits by the computer screen purring in request of a soft lap for a nap. Sirius to the East, Arcturus to the South, and a brilliant beaver moon … Continue reading Prayer in the ICU: A COVID Story
Andrea Tatley 