Go Out to Go In

 

“There’s a sense of wonder, a joy, a gratitude that can only be accessed by returning to the childlike practice of experiencing the moment with as many senses as possible. There’s a peace that can only be found by lingering and noticing. If you’re in the habit, it doesn’t take long, just a pause really, a breath or two to take in the moment, to be inspired, to be enriched, to go out to go in.” – kh, Linger: 365 Days of Peaceful Pauses

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.

Beneath Birdsong

 

I’ve started a practice of trying to listen beyond or underneath the shouts and clangs and alerts and clashes that demand attention. I’m trying to rediscover soft sounds, the hums, the sighs, the whispers. It’s like trying to pick out one instrument’s musical line while listening to a symphony. Right now, underneath the birdsong, there’s a soft whispering whoosh. I think it’s the sound of wind in the trees. It ebbs and flows and reminds me to listen for the constant, soft undertones of wonder, joy, peace, and hope in each day, the life-giving grace of love’s whispers. – kh, Linger: 365 Days of Peaceful Pauses

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.

Gifts for Every Season of the Soul

 

My soul is deeply nourished by simple things.

My grandson’s smile.

The laughter of friends.

A pepper turning red on the vine.

The dance of leaves in a breeze.

The sun shining red through a broad canna leaf.

The scent of citronella leaves at the back door.

The prickly center of a coneflower.

The smooth texture and hint of sweetness in coconut yogurt.

The chirring of a wren as it guards its nest box.

Simple, sacred gifts,

each creating a stir of wonder,

each offering inner peace.”

– kh, Linger: 365 Days of Peaceful Pauses

 

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 © 2021 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.

Nature’s Invitation

 

Nature invites me to linger and fills me with wonder.

And wonder, I believe, is a kind of gratitude.

– kh, Linger

 

Wonder and gratitude nurture peace, so as always: Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.

And Happy Thanksgiving to friends and family in the U.S.!

 

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the Week (It’s a triple shadow.):

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.

Simple and Sacred

 

“The art of art,

the glory of expression…

is simplicity.”

Walt Whitman

 

It’s the simple things that nourish me. My grandson’s smile. The laughter of friends. A pepper turning red on the vine. The dance of leaves in a breeze on a hot day. The sun shining red through a broad canna leaf. The scent of citronella leaves at the back door. The prickly center of a coneflower. Smooth, sweet coconut yogurt. The chirring of a wren as it guards its nest box. Simple, sacred gifts, each a wonder of art and glory, each an invitation to 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.

Text and photos © 2021 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:

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.

A Moment of Wonder

 

“To let the moment teach us, we must allow ourselves to be at least slightly stunned by it until it draws us inward and upward, toward a subtle experience of wonder.” – Richard Rohr

Let yourself be stunned by something as small as a rosebud or as large as a sky full of thunderheads. Let yourself be drawn into wonder.

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.

Wonder Doubled

 

“[G]ratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.”

G.K. Chesterton

 

Wishing you happiness doubled by wonder this week.

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.

Slant, Hue, and New Song

 

“Every night the river sings a new song.”

Eva-Lis Wuorio – ­

 

Nature changes in subtle, quiet ways hour by hour, day in, day out. The slant of the sun, the placement of the stars, the hue of leaves, the folds of petals. And the song of flowing water. Perhaps we, too, change in subtle ways as we watch and listen with wonder.

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.

Listening for Nature’s Secret Message

“The whole culture is telling you to hurry,

while the art tells you to take your time.

Always listen to the art.”

Junot Diaz

 

I’ve posted nature’s art in bloom and shadow below. Notice nature’s art in your own part of the world this week. Listen to it telling you to take your time. Explore. Enjoy. Wonder.

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.