Aligning with Grace

  Grief is a funny thing... This is what I texted a friend this morning. Today marks a year and a half since my father died... A lifetime ago, or only yesterday - depending on the day... There is no timetable for grief. It takes as long as it takes. It looks different for everybody. No two experiences are the same... And there is no right or wrong... This morning, I donned my new "Blessed" hat I picked up at Lidl and went for a morning walk. It was cool and overcast. A perfect day and reflection of how I felt. And then, unexpected and lovely things happened... I ran into a woman walking a small, scruffy white dog and three cats - none of them on leashes, just slowly ambling about, and I struck up a conversation with their mom. The cats, she said - think they are dogs. They literally walk with her and respond to her commands. They don't run off. She rescued one of them from a dumpster. The little dog was old and one eyed, and re-named Pearl. She was all bark and no bite a...

There are days that are filled with good things. Those days are easy and bright. And then there are days that are challenges - filled with anxiety and fear. And perhaps without even a ray of hope or sense of possibility. And in those days, we must especially hold on to hope - grasping it as tightly as we can. Yes my friends - despite everything - we must: Hold on to hope. As I went to a park near where I live this morning, feeling all kinds of things, this beautiful instrumental piece came on the radio, and it just happened to be titled,  "Hold on to Hope."  I sensed immediately that it was a message for me sent from the Beyond. Holding on to hope may not always be an easy thing - but it is a necessary thing. Hope gives us life. It helps us put one foot in front of the other when everything else seems challenging and bleak. We can even turn it into an affirmation, to repeat over and over again until it becomes ingrained in us: I hold on to hope. I used to come down to the riv...

Walking is a practice. Who knew? It can be a spiritual practice as well as a sacred time for the soul. Going for a walk can be a time to replenish your spirit, soothe your mind, and allow for your creative juices to flow. I often get so many amazing insights on my walks I can hardly wait to write them down! This beautiful spring morning, as I went on my walk, I admired the lushness all around me: green lawns, flowering dogwoods and redbuds - fresh on the heels of the majestic cherries in bloom recently. The birds were chirping all around me - having a party - cardinals, robins and a pair of blue jays, joyfully flying from tree to tree.   Why do I say that walking is a practice, and perhaps a sacred one at that? Because taking a walk is an invitation to dwell in the present moment. And that, is simply, the only time there is, and the only time we have. It is an invitation to experience mindfulness. Rather than rush through our day, we might find ourselves slowing down, and stopping ...

Yesterday was one of those magnificently beautiful spring days, and something told me to go out on a morning walk, which I don't normally do on a Sunday morning. I often take a path with a fork behind the houses where I live. One side leads to a pond I like to visit, and the other leads to a bridge over a vast expanse of marshes and beyond, usually visited by foxes, deers, owls, and other interesting characters. I decided on the pond... I had a lot on my mind - mostly good things - and when I came to the bench I usually sit on, I noticed the pond was empty. None of my duck or geese friends were about. I was a little disappointed. As I was sitting down, I noticed a small "post it" note that had been affixed onto the bench. The simple statement was meant for me. I know I was supposed to come down to read it: "Never let a stumble on the road, be the end of the journey." I smiled. Of course I thought it was meant for me. But it was really meant for...

I have seen him, every single day this week... This beautiful, but thin red fox on his long sturdy legs... I think he calls for me. And I listen. I feel impelled to go out when I think he is there, in the wooden sanctuary and its clearing, just a stone's throw away from my home. I think we connect somewhere - on some level, on some plane... This is something totally new for me... We stare each other down. We dance around each other... I approach him from behind and he does not sense my presence. So I muster a little cough to alert him. He stands. He examines me. I offer him Reiki - spiritual energy and healing energy as well - I speak to him - mind to mind and heart to heart and tell him I am his friend. My hands feel electric. I  feel the energy literally pouring out of me... My friend who work with animals tells me you must offer them the energy and they will take what they need. In time, they will teach you what you need to know for they are filled with wisdom...