The Sky’s Gift

It is the sky that makes the earth so lovely at sunrise,

and so splendid at sunset.

In the one it breathes over the earth the crystal-like ether,

in the other liquid gold.

painter Thomas Cole

A wondrous sky greets this cold, crisp morning. It’s criss-crossed with contrails, probably due to holiday travel. Toward the horizon, a wide sweep of thin, feathery clouds spans the blue like a skyscape dry-brushed in white across a deep blue canvas. All this, and the sun is still on the rise. It’s painting tree tops gold, while their lower trunks and branches rest in twilight shadow. The sky is breathing over the earth, waking it up with beauty.

Nurture peace, cultivate kindness and carry the calm.

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the Week:

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Text and photos © 2022 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.

Morning’s Gift

 

The rising sun traces

outstretched elm branches,

kisses budding tips of topmost twigs

with a warm, bright white glow

like lit candles

honoring this new day.

Wrens and cardinals chip and chirp,

overjoyed with the spreading warmth of sunrise,

with the fresh gold-green fringe of hackberry,

butter yellow buds of forsythia,

delicate white dogwood,

show-off pink azaleas

and whispers of a gentle breeze.

I step outdoors to sit in the sun,

to breathe Spring,

to be witness to silent, stretching leaves,

to birdsong and bloom.

But they need no witness.

It is I who need this,

I who need to witness

their existence,

their persistence,

their extravagance.

It is I who need this hope

of a new day.

– kh –

 

Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.

 

Nature of the week—lily of the valley:

 

Shadow of the Week—A windy downpour left a puddle on a plastic tablecloth and tossed leaves onto it. When the sun came out, the floating leaves cast this shadow:

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Text and photos © 2022 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.

Sunrise and Song

 

“The sun is rising. All the green trees are full of birds, and their song comes up out of the wet bowers of the orchard. Crows swear pleasantly in the distance, and in the depths of my soul sits God.” – Thomas Merton

 

Nature of the week – Gardeners made out of Lego by Sean Kenney for Cheekwood Botanical Gardens’ new art show:

Shadow of the Week:

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

A Glass of Hope

A special breakfast for you today:

A plate of love,

A bowl of peace,

A spoon of kindness,

A fork of caring,

A glass of hope.

– based on a Vietnamese blessing –

Nurture peace. Cultivate kindness. Carry the calm.

 

Nature of the week – a lotus from my visit to Vietnam/Cambodia:

Shadow of the Week (stretching it to a silhouette) – sunrise at Angkor Wat:

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Text and photos © 2020 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.

The Wonder of Small Gifts

 

This day is a gift –

the breeze brushing my face,

the call of the chickadee,

the glint of sunrise on the windowpane,

the flavor of nut-warm coffee

and morning blueberries,

the wonder of breath,

one and then another,

receiving the moment,

the day,

the grace,

the gift.

– KH –

 

In this holiday season of bright bows and shiny paper, may we also find wonder in the small gifts that grace every day.

Nurture peace. Cultivate kindness. Carry the calm.

 

Nature of the week – ice in a flower pot:

Shadow of the Week:

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

As the Round Earth Rolls

 

“This grand show is eternal. It is always sunrise somewhere . . . a shower is forever falling; vapor is ever rising. Eternal sunrise, eternal sunset, eternal dawn and gloaming, on sea and continents and islands, each in its turn, as the round earth rolls.” – John Muir

 

Enjoy the grand show!

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.