Swallowing Sunshine

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

Today I picked three palm-sized stars

with pure white petals.

Mandevilla they’re called,

a fancy name for a friendly flower that grows

on vines that twine around fence and stake

and the gangly stems of neighboring black-eyed Susans.

In the center of each bloom

is a deep throat of golden yellow,

as if they’ve swallowed sunshine.

They hold this inner glow of morning

through afternoon

and sunset

and twilight

and into the night.

Today I picked three palm-sized stars,

and they asked me what glowing ideas

I have swallowed.

Which are worth holding center-deep?

Which lead to peace and kindness

in this vining, entwining life?

Which will hold a warm glow within me

through sunset and twilight

and into the night?

I think I know the answer.

Only the golden grace of peace and lovingkindness

can last the day and pass through the night.

Today I picked three palm-sized stars

and, for a moment, held in my hand a hint of

nature’s wisdom.

-kh-

Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the Week:

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The Magic of the Ordinary

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

I would say it’s magical—

although it can be explained—

the way the pepper bush hides

within a pale, flat, round seed

snuggled in the warm dirt,

the way it wakes only when it’s ready,

the way it unfurls arrow-shaped leaves,

stretches thin arms to bask in sunshine,

flirts with wind,

revels in rain,

and smiles in small white blooms.

I know this can be explained,

but it seems magical,

the way those blooms shed petals

and take on pale green skin,

the way they curve and grow longer each day,

turning gold,

blushing orange,

deepening to red,

every day ripening

smooth, shiny, plump.

I pluck them free,

split them,

scoop out scores of seeds,

pale, flat, round,

magic,

for inside each

hides a pepper bush ready to emerge

when the time is right.

I dice these plump, ripe peppers,

stir-fry them,

taste their snappy sweetness,

and marvel at the goodness of the garden.

All of this can be explained,

I know.

But I say

it’s magical.

– kh –

Nurture peace, cultivate the seeds of 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.

Before the Robins Sing

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

“We must live through the dreary winter

If we would value the spring;

And the woods must be cold and silent

Before the robins sing.

The flowers must be buried in darkness

Before they can bud and bloom,

And the sweetest, warmest sunshine

Comes after the storm and gloom.”

– unknown author, from Poems That Live Forever –

The seasons of our lives seem to follow that same pattern – storm, gloom, and then sweet warmth. “I have been bent and broken,” said Charles Dickens, “but – I hope – into a better shape.”

May your heart bloom in the warm sunshine of hope.

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.

Being Alive is the Magic

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

“The sun is shining – the sun is shining. That is the Magic. The flowers are growing – the roots are stirring. That is the Magic. Being alive is the Magic – being strong is the Magic. The Magic is in me – the Magic is in me. . . . It’s in every one of us.” –Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

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

Nature of the week – from a walk at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens:

Shadow of the Week – Can you see the heart?

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.

Far Away in the Sunshine

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

“Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations.

I may not reach them,

but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them and try to follow where they lead.”

Louisa May Alcott

Follow your highest aspirations . . .

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

Nature photo of the week – a fringed tulip – from my Wednesday Walk at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens:

Shadow of the Week – I did not set this up but found it exactly like this on my deck after a windstorm. The shadows are few, but it’s appropriate for today. Happy Easter!

The World In Your Hand

Carry the Calm

Karyn Henley

sunshine

Swallowing Sunshine

The Magic of the Ordinary

Before the Robins Sing

Being Alive is the Magic

Far Away in the Sunshine