Sounds of Peace

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

Old Pond

Frogs jumped in

Sound of water.

– Basho –

(translator, Lafcadio Hearn)

Pause.

Shoulders and hands relax.

Listen.

Listen past the noise

to sounds of wind, water,

bugs, birdsong,

church bell, distant train,

your own deep breath

drifting in and out.

Listen to sounds of peace.

Calm your soul.

Nurture peace. Cultivate kindness. Carry the calm.

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the Week:

If you want me to send these thoughts to your email each Sunday, simply sign up on the right.

Seeds Come Flying

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

“Arching grasses come one by one;

seeds come flying on downy wings,

silent as fate,

to give life’s dearest beauty for the ashes of art;

and strong evergreen arms

laden with ferns and tillandsia drapery

are spread over all –

Life at work everywhere.”

– John Muir –

Nurture peace. Cultivate kindness. Carry the calm.

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the Week:

If you want me to send these thoughts to your email each Sunday, simply sign up on the right.

The Singing Bird

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

“If I keep a green bough in my heart, the singing bird will come.”

Chinese proverb

Nurture peace. Cultivate kindness. Carry the calm.

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the Week:

If you want me to send these thoughts to your email each Sunday, simply sign up on the right.

What Holds Us

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

What our hearts hold will, in the end, hold us.

– kh –

Hold kindness. Hold gratitude. Hold peace.

And carry that calm. The world needs it.

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the Week:

If you want me to send these thoughts to your email each Sunday, simply sign up on the right.

Infinite Love Will Rise

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

“On blue summer evenings I’ll go down the pathways

Pricked by the grain, crushing the tender grass –

Dreaming, I’ll feel its coolness on my feet.

I’ll let the wind bathe my bare head.

I won’t talk at all, I won’t think about anything.

But infinite love will rise in my soul . . .”

– Arthur Rimbaud –

Nurture peace. Cultivate kindness. Carry the calm.

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the Week:

If you want me to send these thoughts to your email each Sunday, simply sign up on the right.

Unlearning

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

“We have to unlearn hurrying.”

– Robin Wall Kimmerer –

Nurture peace. Cultivate kindness. Carry the calm.

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the Week:

If you want me to send these thoughts to your email each Sunday, simply sign up on the right.

Calling to the Forest

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

“The forest will answer you in the way you call to it.”

– Finnish proverb –

Nurture peace. Cultivate kindness. Carry the calm.

Nature of the week – a bee loudly buzzing as it enjoys crape myrtle:

Shadow of the Week:

If you want me to send these thoughts to your email each Sunday, simply sign up on the right.

The Poetry of Earth

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

“The poetry of earth is never dead:

When all the birds are faint with the hot sun,

And hide in cooling trees, a voice will run

From hedge to hedge about the new-mown mead;

That is the Grasshopper’s – he takes the lead

In summer luxury, – he has never done

With his delights; for when tired out with fun

He rests at ease beneath some pleasant weed.”

– John Keats –

“On the Grasshopper and Cricket”

My young grandson and I spend time each week listening to the summer hummers and buzzers in the trees and the grass – cicadas, grasshoppers, bees. Take a moment to listen to the sounds of summer – bugs, birds, water splashing from a garden hose, children at play, even the whir of an air conditioner. Let the sounds of summer refresh your spirit. Nurture peace. Cultivate kindness. Carry the calm.

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the Week:

If you want me to send these thoughts to your email each Sunday, simply sign up on the right.

Sun-Hot Days

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

“Stands the Sun so close and mighty –

That our Minds are hot.”

– Emily Dickinson –

Years ago, a slogan for Secret deodorant advertised being “cool, calm, and collected.” I wish that for you (not the deodorant but the sentiment) this week. Pause. Take a deep breath. Stay cool, calm, and collected. Nurture peace. Cultivate kindness. Carry the calm. (And remember to wear sunscreen.)

Nature of the week – from last month’s trip to Arizona: