Somewhere Above

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

Somewhere above the twilight clouds
there are stars.
Always stars.
Timeless stars.
When a spring evening like this,
cool and rainy,
paints overcast skies deep violet
and turns trees into ruffled silhouettes,
when the wine-red triangles
of burgundy shamrocks
take a hint from the fading light
and fold themselves like tiny umbrellas,
when the cat snuggles into my lap
for fur-soft cuddles,
then time itself seems to pause
for one last look
at the wondering, wandering world
at the close of day.
For one moment,
two,
three,
time holds its breath,
listens,
lingers.
And then,
soft as a sigh,
it drifts into night.
And somewhere above the clouds
there are stars.
-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.

Windows and Wings

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

Surfacing from the depths of dream
in the middle of the night,
I find my mind replaying
a difficult day,
rewinding, reminding.
All I want to do is turn over,
return to sleep.
Instead, I walk the edge of wakefulness
wishing to will myself into slumber,
but my mind hums,
will not will itself
to leave life alone for a while.
At last, I ease open my eyes.
There on my night-gray ceiling
are two splashes of light
from my neighbor’s yard,
filtered through my window
and stretching above me,
skewed and angled,
softly crossing
like stylized wings
painted protectively overhead.
Windows have become wings,
and that feels just right,
for windows are wings for me.
By day, by night,
windows set my soul to flight,
open me to the dancing expanse
of wonder and hope
that lies beyond
and beyond the beyond.
My eyes drift closed.
Grateful for windows,
grateful for wings,
I settle once more
into sleep.
-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.

I Looked for the Moon

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

I looked for the moon tonight,
wanting to find this faithful friend
who’s currently a waxing crescent.
I wanted to admire her curve,
contemplate the stars beyond,
feel the wonder of time
stretched
into eternity.
I wanted to sit with her serenity awhile.
But the night sky is crowded with clouds
reflecting city-shine,
making the darkness nightlight-soft,
vanishing the vastness of deep space
and disappearing the moon.
Still, the moon is in her place
up in the cold silence
and still, I am in my place
down in the warm hope of home.
The moon is so ancient
she will not remember me.
But I remember her.
I close my eyes, see all her moods,
her shifts and shapes
from plump and playful
to a bright bowl pouring out stars
to a slim curving thread of possibility.
I see all her colors,
her brilliant bride-white joy,
her reddened omen eye,
her haloed softness,
her rising orange-gold bravado.
Sometimes she’s a sky-sailing galleon,
sometimes a pale canoe
caught in the branches of a tree.
I looked for the moon tonight
and found her in my heart.
-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.

Night Has Not Fallen

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

It’s early twilight,
that gray-blue time of evening
when the neighborhood eases into
the quieter hours of our day.
Chili is simmering on the stove
and the table is set,
so I sit in my rocking chair
to witness the world beyond windows,
to watch the night fall.
“Fall” is a strange way to say it.
Night doesn’t really fall;
it slips in,
seeps through bare, laced branches,
slowly veils the hills.
Tonight the sky is cloud-covered,
a full sweep of blue-gray
gradually growing violet in the east
as if heaven’s light switch
is slowly dimming the day.
It’s a peaceful drift,
moment by moment
as the sky lets go of its dusky gray
and drapes itself in a deepening blue
inviting all who pause and watch
to enter its ease,
to breathe its comfort,
to settle into the serenity of evening
and experience the magic of
twilight blue turning into velvet dark,
whispering calm to a world
that will soon settle into sleep.
No, night has not fallen.
It has snuggled in.
-kh-

Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the week (made by sun shining through a bottle of syrup):

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I Imagined Fog Drifting In

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

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:

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Something About the Night

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

There is something soft and friendly

about the night,

a slowing,

settling,

deep drift

that creeps silently over the world

as the light folds her brightly colored fan

and fades.

Evening shadows gently wash over

grasses and gardens,

chipmunks and squirrels,

bugs and birds.

Darkness rises to the rooftops,

shoulders over the treetops

until all rests under a dome of darkness

where stars sail and the moon smiles

and the night breeze dances.

When I was young,

I was taught about heaven.

“There is no night there,” we sang,

which saddened me for years.

No night?

No beautiful, calming, restful night?

No chirp of crickets?

No whirr of night bugs?

No lovely call of a lone owl?

I am not convinced about heaven,

but I know the night.

I love the night.

There is something soft and friendly

about the night.

-kh-

Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the Week:

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For the Love of Stars

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

“I have loved the stars too fondly

to be fearful of the night.”

– Sarah Williams –

“The Old Astronomer” (1868)

Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.

Nature of the week—The stars (image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScl).

You can see more at space.com .

Shadow of the Week—shadow of water droplets on a glass table:

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Star photo from NASA, ESA, CSA, STScl.

When Evening Edges Soften

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

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:

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A Splash of Light in the Darkness

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

“Tonight after I turned off my bedside lamp, I paused to settle into a restful peace, letting my eyes linger on the skewed rectangular pattern created by my neighbor’s garage light shining through my windows. A car passed, and its lights lit the angles of the dormer ceiling for a moment. Then all settled back to the grayed tones of the shadows cast by my windows. When I was a young girl, I often spent the night at my grandmother’s house, which was on the corner of a busy street. After dark, snuggled in her king-sized bed, I would watch light flash through the bedroom windows from the headlights of cars turning the corner. Like Tinkerbell, the light splashed one wall, flowed around the room, and then darted back out, chasing the car.” – Karyn Henley, 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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I Have Loved the Stars

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

“I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.”

– Sarah Williams –

Even when stars are not visible – in daylight or under cloud cover at night – they are still there. And when life around us seems cloudy and dark, love is still there. Love holds steady. Grace holds. Kindness holds. These are our stars in the darkness. If we locate them, we can trust them to guide us on our journey; out of trust, hope is born. Step toward love. Step toward grace. Step toward kindness. And carry the calm.

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the Week:

For my posts on coming of age in a community of faith, link here.

The Essential Invisible