A Pause In Nature

I love the Fall season, when Mother Nature takes a deep breath, a pause, and calls, "Break Time!"  Then she gathers up all of the stresses of the rest of the year and lets them all go in one glorious coloured exhalation.  

 Those stresses may have been in the form of uplifting growth experiences, or the weighty regrets of our individual unique gifts that have been left un-added to life's beauty;  Add in the fears created by world events and it's no wonder that our posture becomes less than erect and our gait slower .  Then along comes Nature with her reminder to be patient with ourselves,  that the year is maturing, and so are we, as day by day we release our own amazing colours into the world, both in our speech and in our actions.

  In this season of thanksgiving, as  Autumn colours swirl around us, Let's take her lead, and exhale - just let it all go;  A humble, quiet walk can be just what the doctor ordered:

A Humble Walk, A Silent Talk

I contemplated God's beauty

As I walked in the woods;

I breathed in His peace,

And it did my heart good.

In this green sanctuary,

In soft, quiet mood,

I lowered my head,

And it did my heart good.

How many have passed here,

And paused where I stood?

I greeted their presence,

And it did my heart good.

My spirit watched humbly

As leaves gently fell,

And covered my footsteps

'Till no one could tell

That one Fall afternoon

I had come to these woods,

I had partaken peace;

It had done my heart good.

Gentleness - Don't You Just Love It!

Gentleness - Don't you just love it?

Children are the most honest critics, aren't they?  They are able to sense the true character of those they interact with; They are attracted to playfulness and gentleness, especially when they find those qualities in surprising people or creatures, like a great big friendly giant or a fierce monster who just needs someone to pull a thorn out of its paw!

Throughout my life, I have been blessed to have so many family members, teachers  and friends who exemplify those positive qualities, despite the thorns that have caused them pain.

 Their presence  surrounds others with comfort and encouragement as we all struggle to share our gifts with the world.  They are the ones that we miss the most when they are no longer with us, those  faces graced by warm gentle smiles and mischievous twinkling eyes.

 Fear and disappointment will always be there, knocking  at our door, wanting to take over our agendas and drown our inspirations, placing the blame squarely on others.   It is up to us to choose how we answer those knocks; whether we open up to let  intolerance in with its negative view of others and of ourselves, or do we take a breath and wait  a few extra minutes for the chime of  gentleness to ring.  

  I hope that gentleness and good humour will win out in the battle for my attitude and that I will be courageous enough to pull out as many thorns as I can.   Tweezers up!

Apologies to Dylan Thomas:

Let me go gently

As I walk through this life,

Adding no harshness,

Bringing no strife;

When fear walks in boldly,

Disguised as my friend,

Carrying  anger

As it tries to pretend

That it came to protect me,

That I need to strike out,

Then, let me strike fear instead,

Turn it about,

And catch it off guard

With a warm, gentle smile,

Replacing its gloom

With the hope of a child.

No Ordinary Thing!

No Ordinary Thing!

No matter how many times I watch a child jumping in a puddle, skipping rope, playing hide -and-seek, or swinging, I am amazed at how beautiful these ordinary actions are, and how powerful their ripple effects can be;  I automatically stop and smile when I witness their play; a positive ripple, created out of thin air, with the power to change my mood.

  Children love to give gifts - pictures they have drawn, an original dance routine, notes and stories that they have written and ones that their voices create, in the form of songs or jokes.  They have an inner desire to share their gifts.  Over time, that desire becomes either stronger or weaker depending on their sense of freedom to share.  They notice our actions as much as our words, so Let us set an example for them; grab hold of our own inner child and jump into life's puddle with enthusiasm and courage as we share our own gifts:

It was something ordinary,

But a treasure that I'll save;

It clothed the extraordinary,

Music turned into a story;

A child's sweet gift she gave;

She sang a song about a dream;

No sooner did she start,

Than the simple little melody,

Very unexpectedly,

Reached right into my heart;

I was, once again, that little child,

Swinging in a  tree,

Seeing colours in its bark,

Then, piling leaves up in the park,   

And it delighted me!

She looked at me with hopeful eyes

As she laughed the final note;

No other would be quite like this,

Signed and given with a kiss;

A lump formed in my throat;

It was something unexpected,

On an ordinary day,

But, to touch a heart  and make it sing

Is no simple ordinary thing -

It's a miracle at play!