Silent Conversation

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

On a shelf in my kitchen
sit two pieces of art
created by my grandson,
one a painting in bright acrylic
swoops and curves
of red and dark blue
with one bold yellow line
across the top
dancing up and down
in roller coaster fashion.
The other piece is less-permanent,
black and white sand
sandwiched between glass panes.
Turned and shaken,
it has settled into shapes
that zig and zag into white peaks
and swoop down into dark drifts.
The two pieces share similar shapes,
the lines and angles of one
flowing across the space between them
to circle back like an echo,
to reach out like a handshake,
to nod in silent conversation.
The bold yellow, red, and blue
sings of Mardi Gras,
all flowing ribbons, feathers, and scarves,
loud and proud and dancing free
while the black and white sand
is as staid as a winter mountain,
as elegant as a tuxedo at a wedding,
as formal as a ballroom waltz.
The black and white is a soaring symphony.
The bold color is reggae.
They are not alike
and yet they are.
Each fills its space with rhythm,
each falls and rises in waves.
But the best thing they have in common
is that they were both created
by the same young hands.
-kh-

Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the week:

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A Blank Piece of Paper

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

Smooth and inviting,
full of potential,
here sits a pristine piece of paper,
generously blank,
an open field,
an open window,
an empty space patiently waiting
for me.
So where do I start?
Where is my heart?
I see so many possibilities.
Write? Paint? Draw?
A splash? A dash?
Elegant? Edgy?
And if I dare to make my mark,
if I dare to share myself
with this page, this paper,
this wide open future,
the possibilities narrow.
Each mark means making a choice.
A mark is a visible voice,
a stake,
a statement:
this way, not that.
It says, “You have found me;
Now work around me.”
Blank.
This paper is still blank.
I hesitate, lost in “what if?”
What will it become?
How will it turn out?
A wise woman once told me,
“If you know how it’s going to turn out,
why bother?”
There is adventure in the blank page.
Its invitation is to discover,
to make possible the possibilities,
to make known what’s unknown,
to create out of curiosity,
to encounter what never existed
before that first mark,
that first spark,
that daring decision to dance
with the blank page.
Smooth and inviting,
full of potential,
here sits a pristine piece of paper,
generously blank.
But not for long.
-kh-

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 © Karyn Henley 2026. All rights reserved.

One Way to Know It’s Love

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

“Love always creates, it never destroys.”

– Leo Buscaglia –

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Love.

Create.

Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.

Nature of the week – ice at the edge of a pond:

Shadow of the Week – a lantern:

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Inside Each of Us, a Piece of God

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

“Maybe the desire to make something beautiful

is the piece of God that is inside each of us.”

– Mary Oliver –

Make something that you feel is beautiful this week. You could take a photograph of something that strikes you as beautiful – a plant or an arrangement of rocks beside a driveway or a leaf after the rain. Or you could make a beautiful arrangement of food, like cheese and croutons sprinkled on a bowl of soup. Or trace a wavy design in the steam on your bathroom mirror after a shower. Or toss throw pillows in an interesting arrangement on a bed or couch. Or if you’re inclined, paint or sketch or arrange flowers or rearrange a room. No one else has to think it’s beautiful but you. Rest in the piece of God inside you. And the peace of God inside you.

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.

For my longer posts on the wonder of life, link here.