Early Birds

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

Birdsong begins in my yard at 3:45.
In the morning.
The birds remind me of this fact
when I sleep with windows open.
Night bugs have hummed me to sleep,
birdsong greets me when I wake—
or when it wakes me
in the wee hours.
This morning,
a mockingbird on some nearby perch
commenced his concert at 4:00.
He ran through his repertoire
interspersing chirps and chirrs
with fancy fluting phrases
rising and dipping and dancing.
But it’s early.
I glance at my clock.
Very early.
Are these birds singing in their sleep?
Or summoning the sunrise?
Or maybe the first hint of dawn
is already drifting into the sky
and summoning them.
If the early bird catches the worm,
these warblers will be well-fed.
Maybe this is their prayer before breakfast.
Maybe they are singing in pure joy
at the bounty, the beauty, the blessing
of simply being,
being a flying, perching, singing soul
here to see the sun circle
one more day.
I lie back, pillowed and peaceful,
listening and grateful.
As the mockingbird’s melodies
melt into morning,
I let him sing me back to sleep.
-kh-

Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the week:

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What Song Will Be First?

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

Dawn today comes soft and cotton-quiet,
spaciously silent but not empty,
brimming with the pulse of simply being,
a sentient serenity
flowing with what is,
buoyant with what could be.
I wonder what sound, what song
will be the first to find its way
into the fullness of this silence.
This morning, it’s the purr of a jet
flying west, fading fast,
followed by the hum of a distant train.
A bird begins chanting on repeat,
five sharp chirps sung again and again.
Now a bright bong of a song
calls out from a bell tower,
eight straight, measured, solemn tones.
I think of a poet I heard last night, who,
after reading her work said,
“Thank you for sharing this space with me.”
I thank the bell in the tower
for sharing this morning space with me.
Thank you, little bird
and distant train.
Thank you, jet flying west.
Thank you for being part of my morning.
Thank you for sharing this space with me.
And of course, there you are reader,
listening in all this time.
Thank you for sharing this space with me.
-kh-

Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the week:

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Text and photos © Karyn Henley 2026. All rights reserved.

Fog

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

(Today we have snow. Tomorrow ice. But a couple of days ago…)

A sweet sparrow-song wakes me this morning,
a tumble of bell-tones,
a liquid waterfall of notes
echoed somewhere in the distance
by a fellow sparrow singing in answer,
“Good morning, good morning.”
And what a gentle good morning it is.
A feather-soft cloud of fog
has silently settled
on us,
with us,
around us.
Nature has drawn a shawl of whispery mist
across her shoulders,
turning stoic trees into
shy, wispy silhouettes
barely visible through the veil of silver-white.
The rays of the rising sun scatter
through droplets of drifting cloud,
spreading a soft glow
that gradually brightens and lightens,
easing the silver of dawn into
a golden pink, cloud-hugged morning.
The sunlight is insistent,
though today it has to swim in,
but little by little, trees become more distinct.
Roofs emerge.
Just as quietly as it descended,
the fog lifts.
Nature sheds her shawl.
Still and soft,
the day opens.
A sweet sparrow-song,
a tumble of bell-tones,
liquid waterfall of notes
echoes somewhere in the distance.
-kh-

Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the week:

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Biting Into a New Year

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

This time of year,
the morning sun rises
in the bamboo next door,
sparkling through breezy leaves
as it outshines the night-stars,
sends them into hiding.
These are the dawns,
crisp, cold, and snappy,
that make biting into this new year
feel like biting into a fresh, crisp apple,
the first crunch and snap,
first fistful of round red goodness,
first taste of tart sweetness,
first scent of the promise of joy,
first yes to the perfect imperfection
of wholeness,
of what I hold in my hand,
of what I hold in my heart,
of what I hope for.
A few days ago, I cut an apple in half
crosswise,
discovered again a star hidden inside,
a star holding seeds.
We think of our heart as heart-shaped,
but maybe it’s more star-shaped,
unseen
like deep-space stars tucked away in daytime,
like the star tucked away at the core of an apple,
holding seeds to scatter in this new year,
seeds of love and kindness,
grace and goodness,
help and hope.
As we bite into a new year,
may we look for the star in each other.
May we look for the star in ourselves.
May we be generous with the seeds we hold.
May we shine.
-kh-

Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the week:

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Autumn Sunrise

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

I rose early on this chilly morning,
and the autumn sun rose late.
Perfect timing, our rising together.
Since we have crossed paths,
the sun and I,
I have paused (for she will not),
and I’m watching her paint the world.
Fiery and free,
ancient and newborn,
fresh and faithful,
this delicious, joy-filled,
silent laughter of first light
warms the world with color.
Morning’s smile
splashes the tops of the turning trees,
sparking their leaves
into flaming reds and yellows.
Liquid light trickles down tree trunks,
flows like a gentle incoming tide
across lawns and down streets,
streams through windows,
floods the floor,
leaves puddles of molten gold.
Dawn’s light is a gracious gift,
generous bright bounty of the universe,
the new day’s silent hum
whispering to the heart
with wordless wisdom,
Here, here,
here’s a new day for you.
Good,
good,
good
morning.
You’re awake,
our paths have crossed,
now it’s your turn
to paint the world with goodness,
with light.
It’s your turn
to step out and
shine!
-kh-

Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the week:

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Where is the Wake-up Chorus?

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

Dawn quietly drifts
into my world this morning.
Too quietly.
I wonder where the usual wake-up chorus is,
the sweet greeting of birdsong.
I make my way outdoors,
but I see no birds.
None at the feeder,
none on the porch rail,
none at the birdbath.
A solo twitter sounds high in an elm.
A sharp chip-chip-chip comes
from a hedge.
A distant crow caws, and then
nothing.
Nothing at all.
I peer up into the morning-blue sky
with its drift of summer clouds.
I’m watching for a hawk.
I don’t see one, but
the songbirds know better than I,
and they seem to have made
a strategic, silent retreat.
I know people who have taken
a silent retreat,
a week or so away from home,
not speaking,
not being spoken to,
resting in silence,
trusting its soft strength,
listening
for the secrets it whispers to the soul.
I’ve never gone on a silent retreat,
although I do welcome silence.
Even so, as I stand here
watching a tiny twig
twirl like a weather vane
as it dangles from a spider web,
I miss the background music
of morning birdsong.
I look upward once again.
The clouds have shifted,
a breeze brushes the treetops.
Through the open spaces
where I can see sky
between branches and thick leaves,
I glimpse a glide of dark wings,
a hawk looking for breakfast.
I close my eyes
and inhale the serenity of the moment.
I will keep quiet with the songbirds.
I will wish them a safe, peaceful
silent retreat.
-kh-

Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the week:

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Playful Day

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

Dawn came layered in clouds this morning,
a parfait of light and shade,
pale peach and pale blue
turning lavender as I watched.
Out of the layer of peach,
a glow brightened, bloomed,
sparkled out—
the sun bubbled up,
a happy round lemon.
Those who know,
who foretell such things,
say that this will be our day,
an interplay of cloud and sun,
a mix of light and shade,
until the day tires of play,
leaving a mountainous cloudscape
in the west,
which will flatten, crestfallen
into a field of darkening gray.
The wind will sigh, strong and gusty,
and the playful day
will settle
into an evening
of rain.
-kh-

Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the week:

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The Contours of the Seasons

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

Sunlight gives a brief nod
to the north of the world
this time of year
as Day is quick to pull her cloak
back around her shoulders,
to doze in darkness again.
But from this Winter Solstice moment,
each new dawn will come earlier,
each sunset will take its leave later,
light will linger a while longer,
anticipating Sunlight’s reign.
All of nature—
cardinals, robins, juncos,
crickets and moths,
elms and hackberries,
even dirt and rocks—
follow the contours of the seasons,
the ebb and flow of light and dark,
the interplay of cold and warmth,
the whims of the wind,
the moods of the rain.
Darkness gives way to light,
cold eases into warmth,
wind calms,
rains soften.
Nature teaches the rhythms of life.
If I pause to feel her heartbeat,
listen to the whisper of her breath,
match my steps to the dance of Time,
then when sunlight gives a brief nod
at this dark time of year,
I smile and nod back.
-kh-

Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the week:

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The Invitation and Promise of Earth

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

When cool dawn drifts through

open windows,

when the rising sun

tips green and golding leaves and

trickles down tree trunks

in trailing drips of light,

when honking geese

cross the fresh sky,

when asters open

and the basil releases

tiny pepper-black seeds,

when the cat no longer sprawls

but curls into a cozy pose,

I know Autumn is on the way.

I also know Summer’s heat

is not done with us,

but these are hints of what’s to come,

promises of cooler days ahead.

Already, the earth is offering up

her generous, ripe gifts.

Soon enough she will invite us

to settle with her

into long, fallow days

of peaceful rest,

patient renewal,

potent re-freshening.

She will invite us

to join the slow, deep

in-breath and out-breath season

of all creation

calming,

becoming serene,

being revived.

-kh-

Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.

Nature and shadow of the week:

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Bowing Pines, Drifting Clouds, and the Scent of Rain

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

“Deep Peace,” a traditional Gaelic prayer, inspired my post today. You can hear a lovely musical version by Libera at this link. Below you’ll find my own words to this brief, traditional blessing. It’s my prayer for you.

Deep peace

of the bowing pines to you.

Deep peace

of the drifting clouds to you.

Deep peace

of the scent of rain to you.

Deep peace.

____

Deep peace

of a quiet dawn to you.

Deep peace

of a blooming garden to you.

Deep peace

of the gliding geese to you.

Deep peace.

____

Deep peace

of the dozing dog to you.

Deep peace

of the purring cat to you.

Deep peace

of a gentle hug to you.

Deep peace.

____

Deep peace

of the evening star to you.

Deep peace

of a cool night breeze to you.

Deep peace

of a silken pillow to you.

Deep peace.

____

Deep,

deep

peace

to you.

-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.