Rumi

The Taste of the Moment

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It had been ages since I’d made pudding, the homemade kind. But I had more than two cups of milk left over from a visit with my older son and his family, which includes two preschoolers. Anyway, the only thing I could think to cook that would use a lot of milk was pudding. So I brought out the pan and sugar and milk and cornstarch and unsweetened chocolate squares (because, of course, my pudding must be chocolate). And I began.

Lots of stirring was involved. But I had time. The pudding thickened and bubbled and began smelling like the real thing. As I stirred, I pulled my focus to the moment. Nothing past to worry about right then, nothing future—though there was plenty of both if I let myself go either direction—but for peace, it was now, in that moment with a gently ticking clock, the soft purr of the air conditioner, a wren warbling outside, and pudding bubbling on the stove.

“Look past your thoughts so you may drink the pure nectar of this moment,” Rumi counseled. The pure nectar of that moment tasted like chocolate pudding.

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.

Welcome, Spring!

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Look how after the devastating winter

the new blossoms have covered the thorns,

look how tall the cypress has risen in glory.

Spirit and water have graced the rose garden

Enhancing its beauty.

What a blessed companionship!

– Rumi –

 

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the Week – a bird ornament on top of a shelf of plants:

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

Text and photos © 2021 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.

Like the Sun, Silent and Still

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“Be like the Sun,

King without courtiers,

silent and still as a fulcrum.”

– Rumi –

Wishing you moments of silence and stillness this week. Close your eyes. Listen to your breath. Feel the subtle messages your skin receives from the air and the textures you touch. Catch scents that drift to you. Open your eyes and focus on one small object. Notice its shape, size, colors. Listen to your breath again. Feel the peace of the moment. You’re a fulcrum, a support, a point of balance calming the world around you.

Nurture peace. Cultivate kindness. 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 © 2019 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.

When Spring Comes Rushing

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“I am a seed scattered from the barn of heaven

When spring comes rushing in my heart

I will burst in green.

Winter seems now a long forgotten dream.”

– Rumi –

 

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 © 2019 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.

The Dancing Breath of God

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“I talk of branches dancing in the wind

but what I mean is the breath of God.”

– Rumi –

Feel the wind. Listen as it tiptoes past in a whisper, or waltzes with swaying branches, or twirls like an ice skater, scattering sparkles of frost in wild abandon. Watch. Listen. Feel the breath of God.  

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 © 2018 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved. 

Love Like a River

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“Those who don’t feel this Love

pulling them like a river,

those who don’t drink dawn

like a cup of spring water

or take in sunset like supper,

Those who don’t want to change,

Let them sleep.”

– Rumi –

 

Peace is waiting for you – and joy and wonder and goodness and grace. And Love. Don’t sleep.

 

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.

For my longer posts on the art of noticing, link here.

Text and photos © 2018 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.

The Secret of the Beautiful Ones

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“Time and people change

but the essence of wisdom and justice is the same.

The beautiful ones mirror God’s Beauty . . .”

– Rumi –

 

Last night, I woke up sometime after midnight and was treated to a beautiful sight: the full moon with the planet Mars nearby. I thought of how the moon wasn’t really shining but was mirroring the light of the sun. It was also mirroring God’s Beauty as all of nature does. We mirror God’s Beauty, too, shining brightest when we reflect Love. And Joy. And Peace . . .

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.

For my posts on the wonder of life, link here.

 

Text and photos © 2018 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.

In the Sun Among the Flowers

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“Raise your head, look at the sun, walk among the flowers, become a human being.”

– Rumi –

 

You have to see these amazing National Geographic time lapse videos of flowers blooming. You’ll love them. Just click on this link. “Raise your head . . . walk among the flowers . . .”

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.

For my posts on life and the wonder of it all, link here.

 

Text and photos © 2018 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.

A Heart in Bloom

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“The blossoms of earth wither and fade

the blossoms of the heart, what a joy!”

Rumi

Happy February!

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 Sunday, simply sign up on the right.

For my posts on life and the wonder of it all, link here.

 

Text and photos © 2018 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.

As Deep as Eternity

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Sleet began falling yesterday morning as the temperatures outside dropped into the teens. By afternoon, the sleet had turned to snow, and this morning I woke to a silent world, blanketed in white. It’s now midday, but everyone seems to be staying indoors, and the quiet continues. At the end of a busy, noisy week, this interlude of stillness and peace is welcome.

“Silence is deep as Eternity; speech is shallow as Time.”

– Thomas Carlyle –

 

“Let silence take you to the core of life.”

– Rumi –

 

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

Nature of the week – the view from my desk:

Shadow of the Week:

 

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

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

 

Text and photos © 2018 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.