Waking to Snow

 

Waking to snow,

deep quiet,

feathered flakes,

whispers of wind,

and no one going anywhere.

Time pauses,

takes a break.

Why was I rushing around

all these days past?

What was the hurry, the worry?

Plans have now shifted,

busy has been put on hold.

My old clock softly ticks,

keeping time.

Really, dear clock?

Keeping time?

You keep it only long enough to measure its

passing,

and before you can tick again, it’s

gone.

And yet, this morning,

time is asking to be kept,

held,

witnessed

in this white cocoon,

this quiet tiptoe of a morning

waking to snow.

 –kh–

Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.

 

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the week:

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Text and photos © 2024 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.

Winter’s Best Secret

 

Over the land freckled with snow half-thawed

The speculating rooks at their nests cawed

And saw from elm-tops, delicate as flower of grass,

What we below could not see, Winter pass.

Edward Thomas, “Thaw”

 

Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the Week:

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

The Wind is Polished

 

“Already it is October, and the wind blows strong to the sea

from the hills where snow must have fallen, the wind is polished with snow.”

D.H. Lawrence, “Butterfly”

 

At last cooler weather has come to my part of the world. I fill my lungs with calm air carrying the scent of wood smoke. I inhale a cold, sharp, snow-polished breeze. I breathe gusts of wind that rush and whirl and billow, shaking loose the shivering gold and red leaves, sweeping away the season past, and whispering sharp, clean hope for the season to come.

Nurture peace. Cultivate kindness. Carry the calm.

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the Week (with silhouettes and reflections):

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Text and photos © 2019 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.

As Deep as Eternity

 

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:

 

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

 

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

 

Snow Puddles

 

“Crossing a bare common,

in snow puddles, at twilight,

under a clouded sky . . .

I have enjoyed a perfect exhilaration.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson 

 

Whatever the weather in your part of the world, may you enjoy a perfect exhilaration this weekend. Happy Holidays to all!

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, faith, and the mystery we call God, link here.

 

Text and photos © 2017 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.

Joy, Resting

“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:

 

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

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

 

Text and photos © 2017 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.

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