Singing Along the Journey

#pandemicpractice

Seeing is believing…or is it?

I think a lot about the relationship between our physical senses and our spiritual understanding of our selves and the universe of which we are a part, particularly as I wander the streets in the early morning hours of the day. And more often than not, I am thinking about the importance of what we think we see and what we think that means, an importance that informs our identity and our interactions with life around us. I mean, what do we do with these images? I keep thinking about this quotation from Rainer Maria Rilke's poem, "The Turning Point," (translated by Stephen Mitchell): The work of the eyes is…
Read More

Lost angel recovered…

Off and on, all day long, I have sat with my silver cloth, cleaning years of tarnish from this little medallion. The nooks and crannies continue to defeat my efforts, a bit at least, but I think that I have finally achieved a level of clean that makes it wearable again. And tomorrow, I'll add it to a chain again and place it around my neck. That might seem a lot of intention for a tiny medal of angel, particularly for a person who does not consider herself to be an "angel" person. You know what I'm talking about. But I want to wear this medal tomorrow. I want to…
Read More

Hints of resurrection…

I have to give credit to my friend Mitzi Budde for the phrase that has become the title. This was her observation and it stuck. I continue to be in awe of this plucky little former tree. This was what hope looked like on a Wednesday morning. Not the greatest picture, but if you look at the bright green shoots with the tinge of color, that's what I'm talking about. Three weeks before this morning late in August, a tree surgeon came and cut down our beloved 20+ year old crepe myrtle. It had split under the weight of snow during the winter and then picked up an infestation called…
Read More

Contemplating the unexpected…

I owe the phrase of this title to my friend the Rev. Kathy Guin. Sometimes, others can see so much better than I can, even when I know that I see something. Sometimes it is through the eyes of others that we actually can see what we are doing, and a little bit about why we do it. I was just surprised by the presence of a light, dainty, pink rose after weeks of a Washington-style heat wave. I mean, I was only able to write, "As the hottest stretch of summer continues, all over the neighborhood, the roses have decided to bloom again...this little one is mine, on a…
Read More

For the beauty of the earth…

I always think that I have planned my garden well, that I have spaced things nicely and given each and every plant enough space to do its own thing. And then comes the end of June and the full sun of a DC summer. And the rain, there is so much rain sometimes (like this year). And silly me, I forget that those growing conditions turn plants labeled as "growing to 12 inches in diameter" into plants that would cover a small car with their height and width. I planted new rose bushes this year, and I was oh so sure that I had taken everything into consideration. And yet,…
Read More

Do you think I planted enough…

Daylilies. The final word in that sentence is daylilies. And maybe roses. I'm not sure if I planted enough of either. I've just returned from more time in the mountains of the western part of Virginia, and I returned to a flower explosion. I like that. Yes, I probably planted a few things too close to one another, but hey, I can always move them in the fall. And no matter how carefully I scan the planting guidelines, I never get the distancing right. That is mostly because nothing ever grows to the size stated in those guidelines -- most plants get at least two times bigger than specified! I…
Read More

Lo, how a rose ‘ere blooming…

No. I haven’t jumped ahead to Christmas. I am fully aware that today is Thanksgiving. Painfully aware most of the time. The day we celebrate as Thanksgiving is such a complicated day for so many, and for me. Even without the personal struggles that so many of us (myself included) face as the holiday onslaught of images of perfect families and perfect houses and perfect lives flood our way, there are the cultural struggles that we face as we work our way through the mythology of “America” to something closer to a truthful history of the taking of this land. I survive all of this internal complexity by holding tight to the…
Read More

I keep trying…

I'm still out here, each morning. I'm out here, walking the sidewalks of Capitol Hill, just as I have been since the day the world went pear-shaped with the news of COVID. But unlike those early days, I now walk well before sunrise. And the funny thing is, I like it. I like walking in the dark. There is something magical about walking across the border between night and day. There is something magical about feeling the transformation from cool night breeze to the stillness that often comes with the warmth of the sun. And I can almost forget that I am literally in the center of one of the…
Read More

Nothing as it seems…

I'm still walking long before sunrise. Even though the temperatures are cooling a bit, that hour before the sun transforms the day with its power still draws me. There is no experience like feeling the wisps of a spider's work strung across the sidewalk, work that has been undisturbed because no human presence has walked that way in hours. But this morning, the glory of the hour was the call was the moon. As I looked at the near-harvest moon, I thought -- wait, maybe this beauty is not as far away as we think it is. Here I stand, on the back landing of my home, with a tiny…
Read More

Dark peace by the light of the moon…

For most of the month of August, my day has begun before sunrise. I haven’t made this choice because of scheduling requirements or even a desire to walk so early. I have made this choice because the only way to spend substantial time moving outside these weeks has been to do it as early or as late as possible. And I am not an evening person, not in the slightest. The world is different, in those moments before the sun is visible over the horizon (or, in my case, over the buildings that block the horizon view). Even though I know that the day ahead will test my ability to…
Read More

Seeing is believing…or is it?

I think a lot about the relationship between our physical senses and our spiritual understanding of our selves and the universe of which we are a part, particularly as I wander the streets in the early morning hours of the day. And more often than not, I am thinking about the importance of what we think we see and what we think that means, an importance that informs our identity and our interactions with life around us. I mean, what do we do with these images? I keep thinking about this quotation from Rainer Maria Rilke's poem, "The Turning Point," (translated by Stephen Mitchell): The work of the eyes is…
Read More

Lost angel recovered…

Off and on, all day long, I have sat with my silver cloth, cleaning years of tarnish from this little medallion. The nooks and crannies continue to defeat my efforts, a bit at least, but I think that I have finally achieved a level of clean that makes it wearable again. And tomorrow, I'll add it to a chain again and place it around my neck. That might seem a lot of intention for a tiny medal of angel, particularly for a person who does not consider herself to be an "angel" person. You know what I'm talking about. But I want to wear this medal tomorrow. I want to…
Read More

Hints of resurrection…

I have to give credit to my friend Mitzi Budde for the phrase that has become the title. This was her observation and it stuck. I continue to be in awe of this plucky little former tree. This was what hope looked like on a Wednesday morning. Not the greatest picture, but if you look at the bright green shoots with the tinge of color, that's what I'm talking about. Three weeks before this morning late in August, a tree surgeon came and cut down our beloved 20+ year old crepe myrtle. It had split under the weight of snow during the winter and then picked up an infestation called…
Read More

Contemplating the unexpected…

I owe the phrase of this title to my friend the Rev. Kathy Guin. Sometimes, others can see so much better than I can, even when I know that I see something. Sometimes it is through the eyes of others that we actually can see what we are doing, and a little bit about why we do it. I was just surprised by the presence of a light, dainty, pink rose after weeks of a Washington-style heat wave. I mean, I was only able to write, "As the hottest stretch of summer continues, all over the neighborhood, the roses have decided to bloom again...this little one is mine, on a…
Read More

For the beauty of the earth…

I always think that I have planned my garden well, that I have spaced things nicely and given each and every plant enough space to do its own thing. And then comes the end of June and the full sun of a DC summer. And the rain, there is so much rain sometimes (like this year). And silly me, I forget that those growing conditions turn plants labeled as "growing to 12 inches in diameter" into plants that would cover a small car with their height and width. I planted new rose bushes this year, and I was oh so sure that I had taken everything into consideration. And yet,…
Read More

Do you think I planted enough…

Daylilies. The final word in that sentence is daylilies. And maybe roses. I'm not sure if I planted enough of either. I've just returned from more time in the mountains of the western part of Virginia, and I returned to a flower explosion. I like that. Yes, I probably planted a few things too close to one another, but hey, I can always move them in the fall. And no matter how carefully I scan the planting guidelines, I never get the distancing right. That is mostly because nothing ever grows to the size stated in those guidelines -- most plants get at least two times bigger than specified! I…
Read More

Lo, how a rose ‘ere blooming…

No. I haven’t jumped ahead to Christmas. I am fully aware that today is Thanksgiving. Painfully aware most of the time. The day we celebrate as Thanksgiving is such a complicated day for so many, and for me. Even without the personal struggles that so many of us (myself included) face as the holiday onslaught of images of perfect families and perfect houses and perfect lives flood our way, there are the cultural struggles that we face as we work our way through the mythology of “America” to something closer to a truthful history of the taking of this land. I survive all of this internal complexity by holding tight to the…
Read More

I keep trying…

I'm still out here, each morning. I'm out here, walking the sidewalks of Capitol Hill, just as I have been since the day the world went pear-shaped with the news of COVID. But unlike those early days, I now walk well before sunrise. And the funny thing is, I like it. I like walking in the dark. There is something magical about walking across the border between night and day. There is something magical about feeling the transformation from cool night breeze to the stillness that often comes with the warmth of the sun. And I can almost forget that I am literally in the center of one of the…
Read More

Nothing as it seems…

I'm still walking long before sunrise. Even though the temperatures are cooling a bit, that hour before the sun transforms the day with its power still draws me. There is no experience like feeling the wisps of a spider's work strung across the sidewalk, work that has been undisturbed because no human presence has walked that way in hours. But this morning, the glory of the hour was the call was the moon. As I looked at the near-harvest moon, I thought -- wait, maybe this beauty is not as far away as we think it is. Here I stand, on the back landing of my home, with a tiny…
Read More

Dark peace by the light of the moon…

For most of the month of August, my day has begun before sunrise. I haven’t made this choice because of scheduling requirements or even a desire to walk so early. I have made this choice because the only way to spend substantial time moving outside these weeks has been to do it as early or as late as possible. And I am not an evening person, not in the slightest. The world is different, in those moments before the sun is visible over the horizon (or, in my case, over the buildings that block the horizon view). Even though I know that the day ahead will test my ability to…
Read More

Seeing is believing…or is it?

I think a lot about the relationship between our physical senses and our spiritual understanding of our selves and the universe of which we are a part, particularly as I wander the streets in the early morning hours of the day. And more often than not, I am thinking about the importance of what we think we see and what we think that means, an importance that informs our identity and our interactions with life around us. I mean, what do we do with these images? I keep thinking about this quotation from Rainer Maria Rilke's poem, "The Turning Point," (translated by Stephen Mitchell): The work of the eyes is…
Read More

Lost angel recovered…

Off and on, all day long, I have sat with my silver cloth, cleaning years of tarnish from this little medallion. The nooks and crannies continue to defeat my efforts, a bit at least, but I think that I have finally achieved a level of clean that makes it wearable again. And tomorrow, I'll add it to a chain again and place it around my neck. That might seem a lot of intention for a tiny medal of angel, particularly for a person who does not consider herself to be an "angel" person. You know what I'm talking about. But I want to wear this medal tomorrow. I want to…
Read More

Hints of resurrection…

I have to give credit to my friend Mitzi Budde for the phrase that has become the title. This was her observation and it stuck. I continue to be in awe of this plucky little former tree. This was what hope looked like on a Wednesday morning. Not the greatest picture, but if you look at the bright green shoots with the tinge of color, that's what I'm talking about. Three weeks before this morning late in August, a tree surgeon came and cut down our beloved 20+ year old crepe myrtle. It had split under the weight of snow during the winter and then picked up an infestation called…
Read More

Contemplating the unexpected…

I owe the phrase of this title to my friend the Rev. Kathy Guin. Sometimes, others can see so much better than I can, even when I know that I see something. Sometimes it is through the eyes of others that we actually can see what we are doing, and a little bit about why we do it. I was just surprised by the presence of a light, dainty, pink rose after weeks of a Washington-style heat wave. I mean, I was only able to write, "As the hottest stretch of summer continues, all over the neighborhood, the roses have decided to bloom again...this little one is mine, on a…
Read More

For the beauty of the earth…

I always think that I have planned my garden well, that I have spaced things nicely and given each and every plant enough space to do its own thing. And then comes the end of June and the full sun of a DC summer. And the rain, there is so much rain sometimes (like this year). And silly me, I forget that those growing conditions turn plants labeled as "growing to 12 inches in diameter" into plants that would cover a small car with their height and width. I planted new rose bushes this year, and I was oh so sure that I had taken everything into consideration. And yet,…
Read More

Do you think I planted enough…

Daylilies. The final word in that sentence is daylilies. And maybe roses. I'm not sure if I planted enough of either. I've just returned from more time in the mountains of the western part of Virginia, and I returned to a flower explosion. I like that. Yes, I probably planted a few things too close to one another, but hey, I can always move them in the fall. And no matter how carefully I scan the planting guidelines, I never get the distancing right. That is mostly because nothing ever grows to the size stated in those guidelines -- most plants get at least two times bigger than specified! I…
Read More

Lo, how a rose ‘ere blooming…

No. I haven’t jumped ahead to Christmas. I am fully aware that today is Thanksgiving. Painfully aware most of the time. The day we celebrate as Thanksgiving is such a complicated day for so many, and for me. Even without the personal struggles that so many of us (myself included) face as the holiday onslaught of images of perfect families and perfect houses and perfect lives flood our way, there are the cultural struggles that we face as we work our way through the mythology of “America” to something closer to a truthful history of the taking of this land. I survive all of this internal complexity by holding tight to the…
Read More

I keep trying…

I'm still out here, each morning. I'm out here, walking the sidewalks of Capitol Hill, just as I have been since the day the world went pear-shaped with the news of COVID. But unlike those early days, I now walk well before sunrise. And the funny thing is, I like it. I like walking in the dark. There is something magical about walking across the border between night and day. There is something magical about feeling the transformation from cool night breeze to the stillness that often comes with the warmth of the sun. And I can almost forget that I am literally in the center of one of the…
Read More

Nothing as it seems…

I'm still walking long before sunrise. Even though the temperatures are cooling a bit, that hour before the sun transforms the day with its power still draws me. There is no experience like feeling the wisps of a spider's work strung across the sidewalk, work that has been undisturbed because no human presence has walked that way in hours. But this morning, the glory of the hour was the call was the moon. As I looked at the near-harvest moon, I thought -- wait, maybe this beauty is not as far away as we think it is. Here I stand, on the back landing of my home, with a tiny…
Read More

Dark peace by the light of the moon…

For most of the month of August, my day has begun before sunrise. I haven’t made this choice because of scheduling requirements or even a desire to walk so early. I have made this choice because the only way to spend substantial time moving outside these weeks has been to do it as early or as late as possible. And I am not an evening person, not in the slightest. The world is different, in those moments before the sun is visible over the horizon (or, in my case, over the buildings that block the horizon view). Even though I know that the day ahead will test my ability to…
Read More

Seeing is believing…or is it?

I think a lot about the relationship between our physical senses and our spiritual understanding of our selves and the universe of which we are a part, particularly as I wander the streets in the early morning hours of the day. And more often than not, I am thinking about the importance of what we think we see and what we think that means, an importance that informs our identity and our interactions with life around us. I mean, what do we do with these images? I keep thinking about this quotation from Rainer Maria Rilke's poem, "The Turning Point," (translated by Stephen Mitchell): The work of the eyes is…
Read More

Lost angel recovered…

Off and on, all day long, I have sat with my silver cloth, cleaning years of tarnish from this little medallion. The nooks and crannies continue to defeat my efforts, a bit at least, but I think that I have finally achieved a level of clean that makes it wearable again. And tomorrow, I'll add it to a chain again and place it around my neck. That might seem a lot of intention for a tiny medal of angel, particularly for a person who does not consider herself to be an "angel" person. You know what I'm talking about. But I want to wear this medal tomorrow. I want to…
Read More

Hints of resurrection…

I have to give credit to my friend Mitzi Budde for the phrase that has become the title. This was her observation and it stuck. I continue to be in awe of this plucky little former tree. This was what hope looked like on a Wednesday morning. Not the greatest picture, but if you look at the bright green shoots with the tinge of color, that's what I'm talking about. Three weeks before this morning late in August, a tree surgeon came and cut down our beloved 20+ year old crepe myrtle. It had split under the weight of snow during the winter and then picked up an infestation called…
Read More

Contemplating the unexpected…

I owe the phrase of this title to my friend the Rev. Kathy Guin. Sometimes, others can see so much better than I can, even when I know that I see something. Sometimes it is through the eyes of others that we actually can see what we are doing, and a little bit about why we do it. I was just surprised by the presence of a light, dainty, pink rose after weeks of a Washington-style heat wave. I mean, I was only able to write, "As the hottest stretch of summer continues, all over the neighborhood, the roses have decided to bloom again...this little one is mine, on a…
Read More

For the beauty of the earth…

I always think that I have planned my garden well, that I have spaced things nicely and given each and every plant enough space to do its own thing. And then comes the end of June and the full sun of a DC summer. And the rain, there is so much rain sometimes (like this year). And silly me, I forget that those growing conditions turn plants labeled as "growing to 12 inches in diameter" into plants that would cover a small car with their height and width. I planted new rose bushes this year, and I was oh so sure that I had taken everything into consideration. And yet,…
Read More

Do you think I planted enough…

Daylilies. The final word in that sentence is daylilies. And maybe roses. I'm not sure if I planted enough of either. I've just returned from more time in the mountains of the western part of Virginia, and I returned to a flower explosion. I like that. Yes, I probably planted a few things too close to one another, but hey, I can always move them in the fall. And no matter how carefully I scan the planting guidelines, I never get the distancing right. That is mostly because nothing ever grows to the size stated in those guidelines -- most plants get at least two times bigger than specified! I…
Read More

Lo, how a rose ‘ere blooming…

No. I haven’t jumped ahead to Christmas. I am fully aware that today is Thanksgiving. Painfully aware most of the time. The day we celebrate as Thanksgiving is such a complicated day for so many, and for me. Even without the personal struggles that so many of us (myself included) face as the holiday onslaught of images of perfect families and perfect houses and perfect lives flood our way, there are the cultural struggles that we face as we work our way through the mythology of “America” to something closer to a truthful history of the taking of this land. I survive all of this internal complexity by holding tight to the…
Read More

I keep trying…

I'm still out here, each morning. I'm out here, walking the sidewalks of Capitol Hill, just as I have been since the day the world went pear-shaped with the news of COVID. But unlike those early days, I now walk well before sunrise. And the funny thing is, I like it. I like walking in the dark. There is something magical about walking across the border between night and day. There is something magical about feeling the transformation from cool night breeze to the stillness that often comes with the warmth of the sun. And I can almost forget that I am literally in the center of one of the…
Read More

Nothing as it seems…

I'm still walking long before sunrise. Even though the temperatures are cooling a bit, that hour before the sun transforms the day with its power still draws me. There is no experience like feeling the wisps of a spider's work strung across the sidewalk, work that has been undisturbed because no human presence has walked that way in hours. But this morning, the glory of the hour was the call was the moon. As I looked at the near-harvest moon, I thought -- wait, maybe this beauty is not as far away as we think it is. Here I stand, on the back landing of my home, with a tiny…
Read More

Dark peace by the light of the moon…

For most of the month of August, my day has begun before sunrise. I haven’t made this choice because of scheduling requirements or even a desire to walk so early. I have made this choice because the only way to spend substantial time moving outside these weeks has been to do it as early or as late as possible. And I am not an evening person, not in the slightest. The world is different, in those moments before the sun is visible over the horizon (or, in my case, over the buildings that block the horizon view). Even though I know that the day ahead will test my ability to…
Read More

Seeing is believing…or is it?

I think a lot about the relationship between our physical senses and our spiritual understanding of our selves and the universe of which we are a part, particularly as I wander the streets in the early morning hours of the day. And more often than not, I am thinking about the importance of what we think we see and what we think that means, an importance that informs our identity and our interactions with life around us. I mean, what do we do with these images? I keep thinking about this quotation from Rainer Maria Rilke's poem, "The Turning Point," (translated by Stephen Mitchell): The work of the eyes is…
Read More

Lost angel recovered…

Off and on, all day long, I have sat with my silver cloth, cleaning years of tarnish from this little medallion. The nooks and crannies continue to defeat my efforts, a bit at least, but I think that I have finally achieved a level of clean that makes it wearable again. And tomorrow, I'll add it to a chain again and place it around my neck. That might seem a lot of intention for a tiny medal of angel, particularly for a person who does not consider herself to be an "angel" person. You know what I'm talking about. But I want to wear this medal tomorrow. I want to…
Read More

Hints of resurrection…

I have to give credit to my friend Mitzi Budde for the phrase that has become the title. This was her observation and it stuck. I continue to be in awe of this plucky little former tree. This was what hope looked like on a Wednesday morning. Not the greatest picture, but if you look at the bright green shoots with the tinge of color, that's what I'm talking about. Three weeks before this morning late in August, a tree surgeon came and cut down our beloved 20+ year old crepe myrtle. It had split under the weight of snow during the winter and then picked up an infestation called…
Read More

Contemplating the unexpected…

I owe the phrase of this title to my friend the Rev. Kathy Guin. Sometimes, others can see so much better than I can, even when I know that I see something. Sometimes it is through the eyes of others that we actually can see what we are doing, and a little bit about why we do it. I was just surprised by the presence of a light, dainty, pink rose after weeks of a Washington-style heat wave. I mean, I was only able to write, "As the hottest stretch of summer continues, all over the neighborhood, the roses have decided to bloom again...this little one is mine, on a…
Read More

For the beauty of the earth…

I always think that I have planned my garden well, that I have spaced things nicely and given each and every plant enough space to do its own thing. And then comes the end of June and the full sun of a DC summer. And the rain, there is so much rain sometimes (like this year). And silly me, I forget that those growing conditions turn plants labeled as "growing to 12 inches in diameter" into plants that would cover a small car with their height and width. I planted new rose bushes this year, and I was oh so sure that I had taken everything into consideration. And yet,…
Read More

Do you think I planted enough…

Daylilies. The final word in that sentence is daylilies. And maybe roses. I'm not sure if I planted enough of either. I've just returned from more time in the mountains of the western part of Virginia, and I returned to a flower explosion. I like that. Yes, I probably planted a few things too close to one another, but hey, I can always move them in the fall. And no matter how carefully I scan the planting guidelines, I never get the distancing right. That is mostly because nothing ever grows to the size stated in those guidelines -- most plants get at least two times bigger than specified! I…
Read More

Lo, how a rose ‘ere blooming…

No. I haven’t jumped ahead to Christmas. I am fully aware that today is Thanksgiving. Painfully aware most of the time. The day we celebrate as Thanksgiving is such a complicated day for so many, and for me. Even without the personal struggles that so many of us (myself included) face as the holiday onslaught of images of perfect families and perfect houses and perfect lives flood our way, there are the cultural struggles that we face as we work our way through the mythology of “America” to something closer to a truthful history of the taking of this land. I survive all of this internal complexity by holding tight to the…
Read More

I keep trying…

I'm still out here, each morning. I'm out here, walking the sidewalks of Capitol Hill, just as I have been since the day the world went pear-shaped with the news of COVID. But unlike those early days, I now walk well before sunrise. And the funny thing is, I like it. I like walking in the dark. There is something magical about walking across the border between night and day. There is something magical about feeling the transformation from cool night breeze to the stillness that often comes with the warmth of the sun. And I can almost forget that I am literally in the center of one of the…
Read More

Nothing as it seems…

I'm still walking long before sunrise. Even though the temperatures are cooling a bit, that hour before the sun transforms the day with its power still draws me. There is no experience like feeling the wisps of a spider's work strung across the sidewalk, work that has been undisturbed because no human presence has walked that way in hours. But this morning, the glory of the hour was the call was the moon. As I looked at the near-harvest moon, I thought -- wait, maybe this beauty is not as far away as we think it is. Here I stand, on the back landing of my home, with a tiny…
Read More

Dark peace by the light of the moon…

For most of the month of August, my day has begun before sunrise. I haven’t made this choice because of scheduling requirements or even a desire to walk so early. I have made this choice because the only way to spend substantial time moving outside these weeks has been to do it as early or as late as possible. And I am not an evening person, not in the slightest. The world is different, in those moments before the sun is visible over the horizon (or, in my case, over the buildings that block the horizon view). Even though I know that the day ahead will test my ability to…
Read More

Seeing is believing…or is it?

I think a lot about the relationship between our physical senses and our spiritual understanding of our selves and the universe of which we are a part, particularly as I wander the streets in the early morning hours of the day. And more often than not, I am thinking about the importance of what we think we see and what we think that means, an importance that informs our identity and our interactions with life around us. I mean, what do we do with these images? I keep thinking about this quotation from Rainer Maria Rilke's poem, "The Turning Point," (translated by Stephen Mitchell): The work of the eyes is…
Read More

Lost angel recovered…

Off and on, all day long, I have sat with my silver cloth, cleaning years of tarnish from this little medallion. The nooks and crannies continue to defeat my efforts, a bit at least, but I think that I have finally achieved a level of clean that makes it wearable again. And tomorrow, I'll add it to a chain again and place it around my neck. That might seem a lot of intention for a tiny medal of angel, particularly for a person who does not consider herself to be an "angel" person. You know what I'm talking about. But I want to wear this medal tomorrow. I want to…
Read More

Hints of resurrection…

I have to give credit to my friend Mitzi Budde for the phrase that has become the title. This was her observation and it stuck. I continue to be in awe of this plucky little former tree. This was what hope looked like on a Wednesday morning. Not the greatest picture, but if you look at the bright green shoots with the tinge of color, that's what I'm talking about. Three weeks before this morning late in August, a tree surgeon came and cut down our beloved 20+ year old crepe myrtle. It had split under the weight of snow during the winter and then picked up an infestation called…
Read More

Contemplating the unexpected…

I owe the phrase of this title to my friend the Rev. Kathy Guin. Sometimes, others can see so much better than I can, even when I know that I see something. Sometimes it is through the eyes of others that we actually can see what we are doing, and a little bit about why we do it. I was just surprised by the presence of a light, dainty, pink rose after weeks of a Washington-style heat wave. I mean, I was only able to write, "As the hottest stretch of summer continues, all over the neighborhood, the roses have decided to bloom again...this little one is mine, on a…
Read More

For the beauty of the earth…

I always think that I have planned my garden well, that I have spaced things nicely and given each and every plant enough space to do its own thing. And then comes the end of June and the full sun of a DC summer. And the rain, there is so much rain sometimes (like this year). And silly me, I forget that those growing conditions turn plants labeled as "growing to 12 inches in diameter" into plants that would cover a small car with their height and width. I planted new rose bushes this year, and I was oh so sure that I had taken everything into consideration. And yet,…
Read More

Do you think I planted enough…

Daylilies. The final word in that sentence is daylilies. And maybe roses. I'm not sure if I planted enough of either. I've just returned from more time in the mountains of the western part of Virginia, and I returned to a flower explosion. I like that. Yes, I probably planted a few things too close to one another, but hey, I can always move them in the fall. And no matter how carefully I scan the planting guidelines, I never get the distancing right. That is mostly because nothing ever grows to the size stated in those guidelines -- most plants get at least two times bigger than specified! I…
Read More

Lo, how a rose ‘ere blooming…

No. I haven’t jumped ahead to Christmas. I am fully aware that today is Thanksgiving. Painfully aware most of the time. The day we celebrate as Thanksgiving is such a complicated day for so many, and for me. Even without the personal struggles that so many of us (myself included) face as the holiday onslaught of images of perfect families and perfect houses and perfect lives flood our way, there are the cultural struggles that we face as we work our way through the mythology of “America” to something closer to a truthful history of the taking of this land. I survive all of this internal complexity by holding tight to the…
Read More

I keep trying…

I'm still out here, each morning. I'm out here, walking the sidewalks of Capitol Hill, just as I have been since the day the world went pear-shaped with the news of COVID. But unlike those early days, I now walk well before sunrise. And the funny thing is, I like it. I like walking in the dark. There is something magical about walking across the border between night and day. There is something magical about feeling the transformation from cool night breeze to the stillness that often comes with the warmth of the sun. And I can almost forget that I am literally in the center of one of the…
Read More

Nothing as it seems…

I'm still walking long before sunrise. Even though the temperatures are cooling a bit, that hour before the sun transforms the day with its power still draws me. There is no experience like feeling the wisps of a spider's work strung across the sidewalk, work that has been undisturbed because no human presence has walked that way in hours. But this morning, the glory of the hour was the call was the moon. As I looked at the near-harvest moon, I thought -- wait, maybe this beauty is not as far away as we think it is. Here I stand, on the back landing of my home, with a tiny…
Read More

Dark peace by the light of the moon…

For most of the month of August, my day has begun before sunrise. I haven’t made this choice because of scheduling requirements or even a desire to walk so early. I have made this choice because the only way to spend substantial time moving outside these weeks has been to do it as early or as late as possible. And I am not an evening person, not in the slightest. The world is different, in those moments before the sun is visible over the horizon (or, in my case, over the buildings that block the horizon view). Even though I know that the day ahead will test my ability to…
Read More

Seeing is believing…or is it?

I think a lot about the relationship between our physical senses and our spiritual understanding of our selves and the universe of which we are a part, particularly as I wander the streets in the early morning hours of the day. And more often than not, I am thinking about the importance of what we think we see and what we think that means, an importance that informs our identity and our interactions with life around us. I mean, what do we do with these images? I keep thinking about this quotation from Rainer Maria Rilke's poem, "The Turning Point," (translated by Stephen Mitchell): The work of the eyes is…
Read More

Lost angel recovered…

Off and on, all day long, I have sat with my silver cloth, cleaning years of tarnish from this little medallion. The nooks and crannies continue to defeat my efforts, a bit at least, but I think that I have finally achieved a level of clean that makes it wearable again. And tomorrow, I'll add it to a chain again and place it around my neck. That might seem a lot of intention for a tiny medal of angel, particularly for a person who does not consider herself to be an "angel" person. You know what I'm talking about. But I want to wear this medal tomorrow. I want to…
Read More

Hints of resurrection…

I have to give credit to my friend Mitzi Budde for the phrase that has become the title. This was her observation and it stuck. I continue to be in awe of this plucky little former tree. This was what hope looked like on a Wednesday morning. Not the greatest picture, but if you look at the bright green shoots with the tinge of color, that's what I'm talking about. Three weeks before this morning late in August, a tree surgeon came and cut down our beloved 20+ year old crepe myrtle. It had split under the weight of snow during the winter and then picked up an infestation called…
Read More

Contemplating the unexpected…

I owe the phrase of this title to my friend the Rev. Kathy Guin. Sometimes, others can see so much better than I can, even when I know that I see something. Sometimes it is through the eyes of others that we actually can see what we are doing, and a little bit about why we do it. I was just surprised by the presence of a light, dainty, pink rose after weeks of a Washington-style heat wave. I mean, I was only able to write, "As the hottest stretch of summer continues, all over the neighborhood, the roses have decided to bloom again...this little one is mine, on a…
Read More

For the beauty of the earth…

I always think that I have planned my garden well, that I have spaced things nicely and given each and every plant enough space to do its own thing. And then comes the end of June and the full sun of a DC summer. And the rain, there is so much rain sometimes (like this year). And silly me, I forget that those growing conditions turn plants labeled as "growing to 12 inches in diameter" into plants that would cover a small car with their height and width. I planted new rose bushes this year, and I was oh so sure that I had taken everything into consideration. And yet,…
Read More

Do you think I planted enough…

Daylilies. The final word in that sentence is daylilies. And maybe roses. I'm not sure if I planted enough of either. I've just returned from more time in the mountains of the western part of Virginia, and I returned to a flower explosion. I like that. Yes, I probably planted a few things too close to one another, but hey, I can always move them in the fall. And no matter how carefully I scan the planting guidelines, I never get the distancing right. That is mostly because nothing ever grows to the size stated in those guidelines -- most plants get at least two times bigger than specified! I…
Read More

Lo, how a rose ‘ere blooming…

No. I haven’t jumped ahead to Christmas. I am fully aware that today is Thanksgiving. Painfully aware most of the time. The day we celebrate as Thanksgiving is such a complicated day for so many, and for me. Even without the personal struggles that so many of us (myself included) face as the holiday onslaught of images of perfect families and perfect houses and perfect lives flood our way, there are the cultural struggles that we face as we work our way through the mythology of “America” to something closer to a truthful history of the taking of this land. I survive all of this internal complexity by holding tight to the…
Read More

I keep trying…

I'm still out here, each morning. I'm out here, walking the sidewalks of Capitol Hill, just as I have been since the day the world went pear-shaped with the news of COVID. But unlike those early days, I now walk well before sunrise. And the funny thing is, I like it. I like walking in the dark. There is something magical about walking across the border between night and day. There is something magical about feeling the transformation from cool night breeze to the stillness that often comes with the warmth of the sun. And I can almost forget that I am literally in the center of one of the…
Read More

Nothing as it seems…

I'm still walking long before sunrise. Even though the temperatures are cooling a bit, that hour before the sun transforms the day with its power still draws me. There is no experience like feeling the wisps of a spider's work strung across the sidewalk, work that has been undisturbed because no human presence has walked that way in hours. But this morning, the glory of the hour was the call was the moon. As I looked at the near-harvest moon, I thought -- wait, maybe this beauty is not as far away as we think it is. Here I stand, on the back landing of my home, with a tiny…
Read More

Dark peace by the light of the moon…

For most of the month of August, my day has begun before sunrise. I haven’t made this choice because of scheduling requirements or even a desire to walk so early. I have made this choice because the only way to spend substantial time moving outside these weeks has been to do it as early or as late as possible. And I am not an evening person, not in the slightest. The world is different, in those moments before the sun is visible over the horizon (or, in my case, over the buildings that block the horizon view). Even though I know that the day ahead will test my ability to…
Read More

Seeing is believing…or is it?

I think a lot about the relationship between our physical senses and our spiritual understanding of our selves and the universe of which we are a part, particularly as I wander the streets in the early morning hours of the day. And more often than not, I am thinking about the importance of what we think we see and what we think that means, an importance that informs our identity and our interactions with life around us. I mean, what do we do with these images? I keep thinking about this quotation from Rainer Maria Rilke's poem, "The Turning Point," (translated by Stephen Mitchell): The work of the eyes is…
Read More

Lost angel recovered…

Off and on, all day long, I have sat with my silver cloth, cleaning years of tarnish from this little medallion. The nooks and crannies continue to defeat my efforts, a bit at least, but I think that I have finally achieved a level of clean that makes it wearable again. And tomorrow, I'll add it to a chain again and place it around my neck. That might seem a lot of intention for a tiny medal of angel, particularly for a person who does not consider herself to be an "angel" person. You know what I'm talking about. But I want to wear this medal tomorrow. I want to…
Read More

Hints of resurrection…

I have to give credit to my friend Mitzi Budde for the phrase that has become the title. This was her observation and it stuck. I continue to be in awe of this plucky little former tree. This was what hope looked like on a Wednesday morning. Not the greatest picture, but if you look at the bright green shoots with the tinge of color, that's what I'm talking about. Three weeks before this morning late in August, a tree surgeon came and cut down our beloved 20+ year old crepe myrtle. It had split under the weight of snow during the winter and then picked up an infestation called…
Read More

Contemplating the unexpected…

I owe the phrase of this title to my friend the Rev. Kathy Guin. Sometimes, others can see so much better than I can, even when I know that I see something. Sometimes it is through the eyes of others that we actually can see what we are doing, and a little bit about why we do it. I was just surprised by the presence of a light, dainty, pink rose after weeks of a Washington-style heat wave. I mean, I was only able to write, "As the hottest stretch of summer continues, all over the neighborhood, the roses have decided to bloom again...this little one is mine, on a…
Read More

For the beauty of the earth…

I always think that I have planned my garden well, that I have spaced things nicely and given each and every plant enough space to do its own thing. And then comes the end of June and the full sun of a DC summer. And the rain, there is so much rain sometimes (like this year). And silly me, I forget that those growing conditions turn plants labeled as "growing to 12 inches in diameter" into plants that would cover a small car with their height and width. I planted new rose bushes this year, and I was oh so sure that I had taken everything into consideration. And yet,…
Read More

Do you think I planted enough…

Daylilies. The final word in that sentence is daylilies. And maybe roses. I'm not sure if I planted enough of either. I've just returned from more time in the mountains of the western part of Virginia, and I returned to a flower explosion. I like that. Yes, I probably planted a few things too close to one another, but hey, I can always move them in the fall. And no matter how carefully I scan the planting guidelines, I never get the distancing right. That is mostly because nothing ever grows to the size stated in those guidelines -- most plants get at least two times bigger than specified! I…
Read More

Lo, how a rose ‘ere blooming…

No. I haven’t jumped ahead to Christmas. I am fully aware that today is Thanksgiving. Painfully aware most of the time. The day we celebrate as Thanksgiving is such a complicated day for so many, and for me. Even without the personal struggles that so many of us (myself included) face as the holiday onslaught of images of perfect families and perfect houses and perfect lives flood our way, there are the cultural struggles that we face as we work our way through the mythology of “America” to something closer to a truthful history of the taking of this land. I survive all of this internal complexity by holding tight to the…
Read More

I keep trying…

I'm still out here, each morning. I'm out here, walking the sidewalks of Capitol Hill, just as I have been since the day the world went pear-shaped with the news of COVID. But unlike those early days, I now walk well before sunrise. And the funny thing is, I like it. I like walking in the dark. There is something magical about walking across the border between night and day. There is something magical about feeling the transformation from cool night breeze to the stillness that often comes with the warmth of the sun. And I can almost forget that I am literally in the center of one of the…
Read More

Nothing as it seems…

I'm still walking long before sunrise. Even though the temperatures are cooling a bit, that hour before the sun transforms the day with its power still draws me. There is no experience like feeling the wisps of a spider's work strung across the sidewalk, work that has been undisturbed because no human presence has walked that way in hours. But this morning, the glory of the hour was the call was the moon. As I looked at the near-harvest moon, I thought -- wait, maybe this beauty is not as far away as we think it is. Here I stand, on the back landing of my home, with a tiny…
Read More

Dark peace by the light of the moon…

For most of the month of August, my day has begun before sunrise. I haven’t made this choice because of scheduling requirements or even a desire to walk so early. I have made this choice because the only way to spend substantial time moving outside these weeks has been to do it as early or as late as possible. And I am not an evening person, not in the slightest. The world is different, in those moments before the sun is visible over the horizon (or, in my case, over the buildings that block the horizon view). Even though I know that the day ahead will test my ability to…
Read More

Seeing is believing…or is it?

I think a lot about the relationship between our physical senses and our spiritual understanding of our selves and the universe of which we are a part, particularly as I wander the streets in the early morning hours of the day. And more often than not, I am thinking about the importance of what we think we see and what we think that means, an importance that informs our identity and our interactions with life around us. I mean, what do we do with these images? I keep thinking about this quotation from Rainer Maria Rilke's poem, "The Turning Point," (translated by Stephen Mitchell): The work of the eyes is…
Read More

Lost angel recovered…

Off and on, all day long, I have sat with my silver cloth, cleaning years of tarnish from this little medallion. The nooks and crannies continue to defeat my efforts, a bit at least, but I think that I have finally achieved a level of clean that makes it wearable again. And tomorrow, I'll add it to a chain again and place it around my neck. That might seem a lot of intention for a tiny medal of angel, particularly for a person who does not consider herself to be an "angel" person. You know what I'm talking about. But I want to wear this medal tomorrow. I want to…
Read More

Hints of resurrection…

I have to give credit to my friend Mitzi Budde for the phrase that has become the title. This was her observation and it stuck. I continue to be in awe of this plucky little former tree. This was what hope looked like on a Wednesday morning. Not the greatest picture, but if you look at the bright green shoots with the tinge of color, that's what I'm talking about. Three weeks before this morning late in August, a tree surgeon came and cut down our beloved 20+ year old crepe myrtle. It had split under the weight of snow during the winter and then picked up an infestation called…
Read More

Contemplating the unexpected…

I owe the phrase of this title to my friend the Rev. Kathy Guin. Sometimes, others can see so much better than I can, even when I know that I see something. Sometimes it is through the eyes of others that we actually can see what we are doing, and a little bit about why we do it. I was just surprised by the presence of a light, dainty, pink rose after weeks of a Washington-style heat wave. I mean, I was only able to write, "As the hottest stretch of summer continues, all over the neighborhood, the roses have decided to bloom again...this little one is mine, on a…
Read More

For the beauty of the earth…

I always think that I have planned my garden well, that I have spaced things nicely and given each and every plant enough space to do its own thing. And then comes the end of June and the full sun of a DC summer. And the rain, there is so much rain sometimes (like this year). And silly me, I forget that those growing conditions turn plants labeled as "growing to 12 inches in diameter" into plants that would cover a small car with their height and width. I planted new rose bushes this year, and I was oh so sure that I had taken everything into consideration. And yet,…
Read More

Do you think I planted enough…

Daylilies. The final word in that sentence is daylilies. And maybe roses. I'm not sure if I planted enough of either. I've just returned from more time in the mountains of the western part of Virginia, and I returned to a flower explosion. I like that. Yes, I probably planted a few things too close to one another, but hey, I can always move them in the fall. And no matter how carefully I scan the planting guidelines, I never get the distancing right. That is mostly because nothing ever grows to the size stated in those guidelines -- most plants get at least two times bigger than specified! I…
Read More

Lo, how a rose ‘ere blooming…

No. I haven’t jumped ahead to Christmas. I am fully aware that today is Thanksgiving. Painfully aware most of the time. The day we celebrate as Thanksgiving is such a complicated day for so many, and for me. Even without the personal struggles that so many of us (myself included) face as the holiday onslaught of images of perfect families and perfect houses and perfect lives flood our way, there are the cultural struggles that we face as we work our way through the mythology of “America” to something closer to a truthful history of the taking of this land. I survive all of this internal complexity by holding tight to the…
Read More

I keep trying…

I'm still out here, each morning. I'm out here, walking the sidewalks of Capitol Hill, just as I have been since the day the world went pear-shaped with the news of COVID. But unlike those early days, I now walk well before sunrise. And the funny thing is, I like it. I like walking in the dark. There is something magical about walking across the border between night and day. There is something magical about feeling the transformation from cool night breeze to the stillness that often comes with the warmth of the sun. And I can almost forget that I am literally in the center of one of the…
Read More

Nothing as it seems…

I'm still walking long before sunrise. Even though the temperatures are cooling a bit, that hour before the sun transforms the day with its power still draws me. There is no experience like feeling the wisps of a spider's work strung across the sidewalk, work that has been undisturbed because no human presence has walked that way in hours. But this morning, the glory of the hour was the call was the moon. As I looked at the near-harvest moon, I thought -- wait, maybe this beauty is not as far away as we think it is. Here I stand, on the back landing of my home, with a tiny…
Read More

Dark peace by the light of the moon…

For most of the month of August, my day has begun before sunrise. I haven’t made this choice because of scheduling requirements or even a desire to walk so early. I have made this choice because the only way to spend substantial time moving outside these weeks has been to do it as early or as late as possible. And I am not an evening person, not in the slightest. The world is different, in those moments before the sun is visible over the horizon (or, in my case, over the buildings that block the horizon view). Even though I know that the day ahead will test my ability to…
Read More

Seeing is believing…or is it?

I think a lot about the relationship between our physical senses and our spiritual understanding of our selves and the universe of which we are a part, particularly as I wander the streets in the early morning hours of the day. And more often than not, I am thinking about the importance of what we think we see and what we think that means, an importance that informs our identity and our interactions with life around us. I mean, what do we do with these images? I keep thinking about this quotation from Rainer Maria Rilke's poem, "The Turning Point," (translated by Stephen Mitchell): The work of the eyes is…
Read More

Lost angel recovered…

Off and on, all day long, I have sat with my silver cloth, cleaning years of tarnish from this little medallion. The nooks and crannies continue to defeat my efforts, a bit at least, but I think that I have finally achieved a level of clean that makes it wearable again. And tomorrow, I'll add it to a chain again and place it around my neck. That might seem a lot of intention for a tiny medal of angel, particularly for a person who does not consider herself to be an "angel" person. You know what I'm talking about. But I want to wear this medal tomorrow. I want to…
Read More

Hints of resurrection…

I have to give credit to my friend Mitzi Budde for the phrase that has become the title. This was her observation and it stuck. I continue to be in awe of this plucky little former tree. This was what hope looked like on a Wednesday morning. Not the greatest picture, but if you look at the bright green shoots with the tinge of color, that's what I'm talking about. Three weeks before this morning late in August, a tree surgeon came and cut down our beloved 20+ year old crepe myrtle. It had split under the weight of snow during the winter and then picked up an infestation called…
Read More

Contemplating the unexpected…

I owe the phrase of this title to my friend the Rev. Kathy Guin. Sometimes, others can see so much better than I can, even when I know that I see something. Sometimes it is through the eyes of others that we actually can see what we are doing, and a little bit about why we do it. I was just surprised by the presence of a light, dainty, pink rose after weeks of a Washington-style heat wave. I mean, I was only able to write, "As the hottest stretch of summer continues, all over the neighborhood, the roses have decided to bloom again...this little one is mine, on a…
Read More

For the beauty of the earth…

I always think that I have planned my garden well, that I have spaced things nicely and given each and every plant enough space to do its own thing. And then comes the end of June and the full sun of a DC summer. And the rain, there is so much rain sometimes (like this year). And silly me, I forget that those growing conditions turn plants labeled as "growing to 12 inches in diameter" into plants that would cover a small car with their height and width. I planted new rose bushes this year, and I was oh so sure that I had taken everything into consideration. And yet,…
Read More

Do you think I planted enough…

Daylilies. The final word in that sentence is daylilies. And maybe roses. I'm not sure if I planted enough of either. I've just returned from more time in the mountains of the western part of Virginia, and I returned to a flower explosion. I like that. Yes, I probably planted a few things too close to one another, but hey, I can always move them in the fall. And no matter how carefully I scan the planting guidelines, I never get the distancing right. That is mostly because nothing ever grows to the size stated in those guidelines -- most plants get at least two times bigger than specified! I…
Read More

Lo, how a rose ‘ere blooming…

No. I haven’t jumped ahead to Christmas. I am fully aware that today is Thanksgiving. Painfully aware most of the time. The day we celebrate as Thanksgiving is such a complicated day for so many, and for me. Even without the personal struggles that so many of us (myself included) face as the holiday onslaught of images of perfect families and perfect houses and perfect lives flood our way, there are the cultural struggles that we face as we work our way through the mythology of “America” to something closer to a truthful history of the taking of this land. I survive all of this internal complexity by holding tight to the…
Read More

I keep trying…

I'm still out here, each morning. I'm out here, walking the sidewalks of Capitol Hill, just as I have been since the day the world went pear-shaped with the news of COVID. But unlike those early days, I now walk well before sunrise. And the funny thing is, I like it. I like walking in the dark. There is something magical about walking across the border between night and day. There is something magical about feeling the transformation from cool night breeze to the stillness that often comes with the warmth of the sun. And I can almost forget that I am literally in the center of one of the…
Read More

Nothing as it seems…

I'm still walking long before sunrise. Even though the temperatures are cooling a bit, that hour before the sun transforms the day with its power still draws me. There is no experience like feeling the wisps of a spider's work strung across the sidewalk, work that has been undisturbed because no human presence has walked that way in hours. But this morning, the glory of the hour was the call was the moon. As I looked at the near-harvest moon, I thought -- wait, maybe this beauty is not as far away as we think it is. Here I stand, on the back landing of my home, with a tiny…
Read More

Dark peace by the light of the moon…

For most of the month of August, my day has begun before sunrise. I haven’t made this choice because of scheduling requirements or even a desire to walk so early. I have made this choice because the only way to spend substantial time moving outside these weeks has been to do it as early or as late as possible. And I am not an evening person, not in the slightest. The world is different, in those moments before the sun is visible over the horizon (or, in my case, over the buildings that block the horizon view). Even though I know that the day ahead will test my ability to…
Read More