Not the Off-Hand “Thanks”

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

“Nature calms me,” said my grandson

as he stepped into his backyard,

left the stress of the school day,

entered the grace of afternoon.

I wish I had been that wise

when I was seven.

But nature is a patient teacher and

waited years for me to

pause at the call of a cardinal,

linger over the unfolding coneflower,

inhale the scent of honeysuckle,

finger the curling bark of the crape myrtle,

taste the wild strawberry,

settle my soul.

Nature waited years for me to be

deeply grateful,

and for me,

that’s where true peace begins.

I can’t imagine peace without gratitude—

not the off-hand, easily tossed “thanks”

but the gratitude that has no words,

the awe of a heart

full of the richness of being.

There is, of course, a dark side,

the underside of living,

but that’s all the more reason

to follow the wisdom of a seven-year-old

and at least once in a while

step into the grace

of Nature.

-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.

What Carries Us?

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

“What we choose to carry, in the end carries us.”

– kh –

Choose kindness, choose gratitude, choose peace.

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.

Go Out to Go In

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

“There’s a sense of wonder, a joy, a gratitude that can only be accessed by returning to the childlike practice of experiencing the moment with as many senses as possible. There’s a peace that can only be found by lingering and noticing. If you’re in the habit, it doesn’t take long, just a pause really, a breath or two to take in the moment, to be inspired, to be enriched, to go out to go in.” – 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.

Nature’s Invitation

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

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.

Peace and Possibility

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

The energy of this week lost some of its spark at the death of a lovely friend, a good, creative, and generous soul. I’m grateful for the community we shared at Art and Soul Nashville, where she was—and her memory continues to be—a joyful, hopeful part of the welcome, the creativity, the encouragement, and the peace.

Here are some thoughts on peace that I wrote a few weeks ago:

For Peace

I’m grateful for the gentle souls

who hear peace,

hold it in their hearts and

hum it into mine.

I’m grateful for the fiery souls

who envision peace,

sing it out loud and

shout its possibilities into the world.

I’m grateful for souls both gentle and fiery

who know peace is both deep and wide,

sometimes the gift of a whispered breeze,

sometimes a hard-won shelter in storm.

I pray for the holding,

the hoping,

the healing

of peace.

– KH

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the Week – short cat, long shadow:

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

A Green Tree and A Singing Bird

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

“Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps the singing bird will come.”

– Chinese proverb –

In this season when our thoughts focus on gratitude, I’m thankful for each of you, for the grace, goodness, wonder, and hope that fills your hearts. Nurture peace within yourself, cultivate kindness toward others, and carry that calm wherever your life journey takes you.

Nature of the week: