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The Word that Waved

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Has a word ever waved to you
from something you were reading,
like a kid in school, hand held high,
Me! Me! Choose me!
“Expansive.”
The word waved to me,
sat up and saluted,
highlighted itself,
and I paused,
right then,
right there,
hooked and held.
Expansive.
The word unfolds
like opening hands,
arms swinging out,
stretching,
reaching beyond.
Expansive
raises my head,
puts a smile on my face
fills me with a feeling of all’s well.
Expansive says,
“Here is the gift,
sun warming your face,
breath of air flicking your hair,
call-and-response, bird to bird,
scent of blooming and greening things,
the embrace of invisible strands
of love and goodness
weaving through the universe,
vining and twining and blooming
in small acts of generous grace
or large acts of courage and kindness.
Expansive says
there is room—
room for you,
room for me,
room for all of us
in this universe of abundant,
all-embracing
love and goodness
that flow freely
like light seeping through cracks,
like springwater bubbling up through rocks,
like breezes drifting through open windows.
Love and goodness
find their way,
refuse to be bound,
refuse to be hoarded,
grow and overflow.
They wave—“Choose me”—
for love and goodness
are forever and always
expansive.
-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 2025. All rights reserved.

I Imagined Fog Drifting In

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Steep narrow stairs spiraled up

past a small kitchen and parlor,

past even smaller bedrooms

on the upper floors.

At the top of the lighthouse,

I stepped out onto a walkway

circling the towering lens.

Fresh breeze,

choppy waves,

a clear sky all the way

from hazardous coast to horizon.

I imagined fog drifting in,

wild waves crashing,

night falling.

I imagined sailors

squinting through a foggy night,

cresting a wave,

sliding into a trough,

land somewhere near–

but where?

Then a glint of light.

It comes again.

Here I am,

the lighthouse signals,

through the fog,

in the night,

I am standing,

I am shining,

I am here,

and you will find your way.

If you are sailing rough seas,

watch for lighthouses.

They are there.

If you are on solid ground,

keep standing,

keep shining,

take care of your flame,

for someone is squinting,

watching and waiting

for glimmers of hope

in the fog.

-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 © 2024 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.

When Dawn Raised Her Window Shade

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This morning,

dawn quietly raised her window shade, releasing

a stream of gold that flowed

across reaching roofs and leaf-strewn lawns.

The brilliant stream wandered west,

a glowing, growing, widening river

warmly hugging the autumn garden.

Orange peppers blushed red,

purple pansies nodded,

black-eyed Susans brightened.

The river of sun dappled fallen pinecones,

speckled spent coneflowers,

splashed up tree trunks to spotlight the elms

and burnish yellowing poplar leaves.

I saw this golden gift of dawn

this morning

when she raised her window shade

and I raised mine.

-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 © 2023 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.

When Evening Edges Soften

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Tip of shadow,

rimmed in light,

your sharp edge softens

in the lowering sun

and you melt

into the quiet peace

of night.

– 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 © 2022 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.

Light and Color

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“How beautiful the leaves grow old.

How full of light and color are their last days.”

– John Burroughs –

 

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 © 2020 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.