Something of Yourself

 

“If you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to the people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person.” – Fred Rogers

Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.

 

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the Week:

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Text and photos © 2022 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.

The Wish to Wave a Wand

 

“This present moment is where peace starts—in the here and now, in my eye and yours, in my ear and yours, in my heart and yours. As much as we’d like to wave a wand over the entire world and make the jumbled and jagged pieces smooth out and fall into place, peace has to start with each of us being peace for everyone we meet.” – kh, Linger: 365 Days of Peaceful Pauses

Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.

 

Nature of the week – snow on the crape myrtle:

Shadow of the Week:

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Text and photos © 2022 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.

Peering Ahead on Tiptoes

 

“And now let us welcome the new year, full of things that have never been.”

Rainer Maria Rilke

 

Rilke’s simple welcome of the new year paints, for me, the image of a child standing on tiptoes at a window, peering out expectantly, looking for possibilities, good surprises, and delightful discoveries. May all this and more be yours in this new year. And may we all continue to nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm deep within us.

Happy New Year!

 

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.

Text and photos © 2022 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.

A Point of Balancing Calm

“I’m wishing you a few moments of silence and stillness today. Close your eyes. Listen to your breath. Feel the subtle messages your skin receives from the air and the textures you touch. Catch scents that drift to you. Then open your eyes and focus on one small object. Notice its shape, size, and colors. Listen to your breath again. Feel the peace of the moment. You are a fulcrum, a support, a point of balancing calm in the world.” – kh, Linger: 365 Days of Peaceful Pauses

Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.

And to all my friends near and far: Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas!

Nature of the week – the solstice moon:

Shadow of the Week:

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Text and photos © 2021 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.

Gifts for Every Season of the Soul

 

My soul is deeply nourished by simple things.

My grandson’s smile.

The laughter of friends.

A pepper turning red on the vine.

The dance of leaves in a breeze.

The sun shining red through a broad canna leaf.

The scent of citronella leaves at the back door.

The prickly center of a coneflower.

The smooth texture and hint of sweetness in coconut yogurt.

The chirring of a wren as it guards its nest box.

Simple, sacred gifts,

each creating a stir of wonder,

each offering inner peace.”

– kh, Linger: 365 Days of Peaceful Pauses

 

Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and 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.

Text and photos © 2021 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.

Peace, Angels, and Diamonds

 

We shall find peace,

We shall hear angels,

We shall see the sky

Sparkling with diamonds.

– Anton Chekhov –

When skies are clear, long winter nights make for good stargazing. If it’s a clear night, look up and linger for a moment with the stars. Let your cares float away, if only for a moment. Breathe in peace. – Linger: 365 Days of Peaceful Pauses

 Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and 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.

Text and photos © 2021 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.

A Splash of Light in the Darkness

 

“Tonight after I turned off my bedside lamp, I paused to settle into a restful peace, letting my eyes linger on the skewed rectangular pattern created by my neighbor’s garage light shining through my windows. A car passed, and its lights lit the angles of the dormer ceiling for a moment. Then all settled back to the grayed tones of the shadows cast by my windows. When I was a young girl, I often spent the night at my grandmother’s house, which was on the corner of a busy street. After dark, snuggled in her king-sized bed, I would watch light flash through the bedroom windows from the headlights of cars turning the corner. Like Tinkerbell, the light splashed one wall, flowed around the room, and then darted back out, chasing the car.” – Karyn Henley, Linger: 365 Days of Peaceful Pauses

 

Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and 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.

Text and photos © 2021 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.

A Single Grateful Thought

 

“One single grateful thought raised to heaven is the most perfect prayer.”

G.E. Lessing

 

Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and 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.

Text and photos © 2021 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.

Nature’s Invitation

 

Nature invites me to linger and fills me with wonder.

And wonder, I believe, is a kind of gratitude.

– kh, Linger

 

Wonder and gratitude nurture peace, so as always: Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.

And Happy Thanksgiving to friends and family in the U.S.!

 

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the Week (It’s a triple shadow.):

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

Text and photos © 2021 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.