Which Way to Peace?

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

“There is no way to peace; peace is the way.”

– A.J. Muste –

(but often attributed to Gandhi)

Nurture peace, cultivate loving-kindness, and carry the calm.

Nature of the week – hollyhock:

Shadow of the Week:

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For my posts on life, faith, and the mystery we call God, link here.

A Curious Old Word

To Cherish a Just and Lasting Peace

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

“With malice toward none; with charity for all;

with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right,

let us strive on to finish the work we are in:

to bind up the nation’s wounds;

to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan,

to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves,

and with all nations.”

– Abraham Lincoln, second inaugural address, 1865 –

Nurture peace, cultivate loving-kindness, and carry the calm.

Nature of the week – celebrating the summer solstice in Norway:

Shadow of the Week:

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For my posts on life, faith, and the mystery we call God, link here.

Four Simple Guidelines to Live By

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

“Be good, keep your feet dry, your eyes open, your heart at peace.”

– Thomas Merton –

Nurture peace, cultivate loving kindness, and carry the calm.

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the Week:

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For my posts on life, faith, and the mystery we call God, link here.

Joy, Resting

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

“Peace is joy at rest and joy is peace on its feet.”

– Anne Lamott –

May your peace find its feet. Nurture peace, cultivate loving kindness, and carry the calm.

Nature of the week – our weekend snow:

Shadow of the Week:

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For my posts on life, faith, and the mystery we call God, link here.

What Have You Missed Until Today?

A Winged Heart

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

“Wake at dawn with a winged heart

and give thanks for another day of loving.”

– Kahlil Gibran –

Nurture peace, cultivate loving 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 week, simply sign up on the right.

For my musings on life, faith, and the mystery we call God, link here.

When is an Ordinary Sunday Extraordinary?

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

“Sometimes I have loved the peacefulness of an ordinary Sunday.

It is like standing in a newly planted garden after a warm rain.

You can feel the silent and invisible life.”

– Marilynne Robinson –

The ordinary becomes extraordinary when we open all our senses to it. Be aware. How would you describe it? As a garden? Warm rain? Find your own description. Notice. Feel the silent and invisible life. It’s one way to nourish peace, cultivate loving kindness, and carry the calm.

This week’s nature and shadow come in one photograph – a fern unfurling.

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

Now Trending . . . or Now Tending?

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

“Where you tend a rose, my lad,

A thistle cannot grow.”

– Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden –

Tend is short for attend. Meaning pay attention.

Peace is found more often by paying attention not to what’s trending but to what needs tending. Sure, sometimes they’re the same. But be aware. Pay attention. Nourish peace, cultivate loving kindness, carry the calm. And tend the roses.

Nature photo of the week – tiny beauty blown off a pine tree: