In this busy season and unbalanced world, a Celtic blessing of peace for you:
Deep peace of the running wave to you.
Deep peace of the flowing air to you.
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.
Deep peace of the shining stars to you.
Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.
Nature of the week:
Shadow of the week:
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Text and photos © 2023 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.
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:
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.
“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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Text and shadow photo © 2022 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.
Star photo from NASA, ESA, CSA, STScl.
Deep peace of the running wave to you.
Deep peace of the flowing air to you.
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.
Deep peace of the shining stars to you.
– based on writings of poet William Sharp –
Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.
Nature of the week – poinsettia reaching for the sunlight:
. . . and its shadow:
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Text and photos © 2021 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.
“. . . feel the stars and the infinite
high and clear above you.
Then life seems
Almost enchanted after all.”
– Vincent Van Gogh –
In this busy holiday season, take time to feel the stars, sense the infinite, and rediscover the enchantment of life. Wishing you joy and peace!
Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.
Nature of the week:
Shadow of the Week:
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Text and photos © 2018 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.
“The blue sky is the temple’s arch,
Its transept earth and air,
The music of its starry march
The chorus of a prayer.”
– John Greenleaf Whittier –
Pause for a moment whenever you step outdoors this week. Look up and take in the cathedral of nature. Join the chorus of its prayer.
And as always, nourish peace, cultivate loving kindness, and carry the calm.
Nature of the week:
Shadow of the Week:
If you want to receive these thoughts by email each week, simply sign up on the right.
For my posts on coming of age in a community of faith, link here.
Text and photos © 2016 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.
“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:
Text and photos © 2016 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.
For my posts on coming of age in a community of faith, link here.