breath

In The Realm of Inner Peace

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In the realm of inner peace

of deep, cleansing breath,

of heart and hope and holiness

of the spirit’s table set for welcome,

in this realm of inner peace,

the weather is not constant

but ebbs and flows like waves of the sea,

like the drift and rush of wind,

unseen and elusive,

now whispering with joy,

now howling with grief,

weaving each together in a swirl

of uncertainty,

breathing life into our fragile frames,

humming wholeness into our startled hearts,

returning us to the settled sureness

of in-breath and out-breath,

the steady beat of life.

In the realm of inner peace,

of the momentous moment,

ordinary or extraordinary,

witty or wary,

of questions held gingerly,

answers held loosely,

in this realm of inner peace

two rivers flow,

one tumbling incautiously over stones

gray with pain,

one smooth and rippling,

easing its way with glints of courage,

fresh vision,

and quenching calm.

These two rivers often run side by side,

one splashing into the other

before joining and sharing their waters.

We dip cupped hands in and drink

and bathe our spirits in both.

We laugh.

We weep.

We find our own way through the rapids

and into pools of momentary stillness

before we journey on.

For this is the way,

the path,

the course of life.

There is no map.

But listen.

Listen to the wind.

Follow the flow of the two rivers.

For here in this realm,

there is inner peace,

and the table is always spread

for welcome.

– kh –

 

Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.

 

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the Week:

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Text and photos © 2023 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.

Bugs and Birdsong

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Listen.

Listen past the noise

to softer sounds.

Wind, water,

bugs, birdsong,

a church bell, a distant train.

Listen

to your own deep breath

drifting in and out.

Listen as the sounds of peace

calm your soul.

– kh –

Linger: 365 Days of Peaceful Pauses

 

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 Wonder of Small Gifts

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This day is a gift –

the breeze brushing my face,

the call of the chickadee,

the glint of sunrise on the windowpane,

the flavor of nut-warm coffee

and morning blueberries,

the wonder of breath,

one and then another,

receiving the moment,

the day,

the grace,

the gift.

– KH –

 

In this holiday season of bright bows and shiny paper, may we also find wonder in the small gifts that grace every day.

Nurture peace. Cultivate kindness. Carry the calm.

 

Nature of the week – ice in a flower pot:

Shadow of the Week:

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Text and photos © 2019 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.

A Greater Mystery

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“It is sometimes the mystery of death

that brings one to a consciousness

of the still greater mystery of life.”

– Kate Douglas Wiggin

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm

 

I’m in Texas this week with my Dad and my three younger sisters at my mother’s hospital bedside in ICU as she breathes with the help of oxygen. Mother is 90 years old, and from her hospital bed, she has been writing her good-byes on sheets of paper on a clipboard – amazingly, without looking at pen or paper. We don’t know what will happen from one moment to the next, but we do know that each breath is precious.

Pay deep attention. Breathe in the mystery of life; breathe out gratitude. Nurture peace, cultivate loving kindness, and carry the calm.

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the Week:

 

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For my posts on life, faith, and the mystery we call God, link here.

 

Text and photos © 2017 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.

Where Does the Sky Begin?

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“[T]he sky actually begins at the earth . . .

We breathe it deep within us.”

– Diane Ackerman –

Take a breath of sky today!

Nurture peace, cultivate loving-kindness, and carry the calm.

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the Week – a tree casts its shadow in the Japanese Garden at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens, Nashville:

 

Text and photos © 2017 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.

 

Long, Easy Strides

 

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For my posts on life, faith, and the mystery we call God, link here.

“The Heart Must Pause to Breathe”

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“For the sword outwears its sheath,

And the soul wears out the breast,

And the heart must pause to breathe,

And love itself have rest.”

Lord Byron, “So, We’ll Go No More A-Roving”

 

My across-the-street neighbors hung their outdoor Christmas lights right after Thanksgiving. I was still in autumn-harvest mode, so it felt a bit too early for me. But my son and daughter-in-law also decorated their house for Christmas that weekend – and for good reason. She’s a manager in retail, working at a mall, so if she decorates at home early in the season, she has at least a few minutes to sit and enjoy a bit of holiday peace before she gets caught up in the melee of shopping season and all the work hours it requires of her.

In spite of cards and carols announcing “Peace On Earth,” we’re often personally overwhelmed and anxious during end-of-the-year holidays. But “the heart must pause to breath.” And that’s what I encourage you to do to maintain – or regain – peace and joy in this season.

One practice that helps me is consciously, intentionally taking a moment or two to feel and listen to my breathing. When we do this, it focuses our attention on a movement that began and sustains life. Breathing, as necessary as a heartbeat, is so basic that if you already practice conscious (or mindful) breathing, you’re probably rolling your eyes. Stay with me, though. For some of us, it’s new, and even if it’s not, it never hurts to gain a fresh perspective on the practice.

Take a few seconds right now to consciously breathe in and out as you draw your thoughts away from the past, away from the future, and into the present moment. Listen. Feel. You might think of the cycle of breath as symbolic: inhale and receive, exhale and give (which is the way David Whyte describes it). Or think of it as Muriel Rukeyser suggests: “Breath-in experience, breath-out poetry.” Or think of the ancient word for breathing: inspire. Or in-spirit. Inhaling is, then, in-spiriting.

This month, try to take a few moments each day to reel yourself in from the rushing world. (Focused breathing may be especially helpful in traffic or in a checkout line at the mall.) Breathe into yourself love and hope; breathe out to the world peace and grace.

Nourish peace, cultivate lovingkindness, and carry the calm.

Shadow of the Week – a toy ship:

ShipShdw

Nature photo of the week – winter-blooming mahonia:

WntrBlooms

Text and photos © 2014 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.