Aligning with Grace

I begin a journal of writing down 1000 things I am grateful for - 1000 reasons to give thanks and to touch the sky and kiss the earth... I am moved to do so, after reading Ann Voskamp's book, One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are... We miss so many of the opportunities we could be grateful for - for they are truly the simple things that fill our quotidian life and endeavors - a smile, a touch, a good cup of coffee, the sunrise, a walk through the woods, or your neighborhood, precious time spent with a loved one... There is such beauty in simplicity and often, it is so easy to miss... And it takes a snow storm - no - a blizzard - to slow me down - to show me the way of simplicity, of gratitude, of the exquisite beauty of a storm raging without any checks and balances, with nothing to corner it in... When it ends, everything is blanketed in stillness... There are no paths or streets - and no demarcations between one dwelling and the next... A...

This New Year is calling me to greater Silence... I awaken several times this week, as the first rays of dawn trickle into my bedroom - slyly coaxing me to rouse - beckoning me to meditation and quiet contemplation, and to the recitation of the Liturgy of the Hours, in solidarity with monastic communities everywhere... I move about this day - in total Silence... Everything I seem to stumble upon in my reading brings me back to the importance and necessity of Silence in this point and time... From those first rays of dawn to the first inkling of twilight - my day progresses - with its many domestic duties gently unfolding and spilling into each other, in total and simple Silence... I speak not a word, to anyone - save for my prayers, internally voiced, which I lay at the feet of the Divine... It is truly delicious for me in every way! Yes, I feel a call to greater Silence, to Quiet, to drawing more deeply Inward, and to spending less time online with its many distracti...

I wrap myself up in blankets and don toasty slippers on these cold winter days... I drink tea, and move slowly, and I think of what I would like to birth this year... There are so many things I would like to do and experience, but now is not the time for that. Now is the time for entraining with the rhythms of nature - it is a time for slowing down, for practicing self-care, and for nurturing the soul... Somehow, I sense this year will be different. I choose to dedicate it in a different way than I have in the past... There is much to do - much to clear - different directions to take - and all will unfold in its own time and in divine order... I embrace the long dark evenings and let go of what does not serve, in so many ways... I warm my hands around one cup of tea after another, and reflect on the attributes and values I want to cultivate this year. Like Pope Francis, I want to focus on the embodiment and greater reflection of mercy. But in order to do that, I must exer...

I do not end - and do not begin the bookend years the way I have done in the past - not in how I spend my time, not in the rituals I have regularly engaged in - not even in the food I normally make or eat! All about the year ending and the one beginning is different... I am aware of profound changes taking place - in my life - in the lives of many dear ones - and in the energy fields that surround us - and so much more... The latter half of this year witnessed a cleansing for me - of home - of body and spirit - deep changes I did not plan and could not have foreseen... All of it has resulted in a "lightening" of the load in my life and home - and as I begin this year - I realize it must go even further! I've detached from so much - and find it so much easier to do so... Profound insights come to me that significantly alter my perspective - my understanding, and my deep "inner knowing..." All shall be well... I dedicated this year to Mary and th...

"I am at PEACE with ALL that IS!" This mantra arises in my heart, barely just a week ago, after a magical weekend of seasonal and holiday music and a warm visit with a very dear soul friend of the heart... I drive through the countryside, on a magnificent and brilliant afternoon, after stepping out of place and time, inhabiting a place in-between here and the Other Side, for barely 24 hours... I AM at Peace, with ALL that IS! Truly... I am peace with my life, my relationships, my home, my family, my friends - with my limitations, what I did not accomplish - and where I am in my life... I am at peace with whatever the future brings, with what I cannot undo, with what is yet to come... I am at peace with the joys, with the sorrows - and with all that I have gained and lost... I am at peace with everything - for it has made me the woman I am today - and have yet to become... In the twilight of my life, as I journey towards the darkest deep of...

I usher in my 60th birthday with a number of special practices... On the eve of my birthday, I spend time in a nearby church, praying and setting my intentions, not just for the coming year, but for the remaining days of my life... I awaken with prayers on my lips - of gratitude - impregnated with my with intentions in the early dawn... I make haste to make my way to my yoga space, to begin my practice of sanctifying the coming year... I walk a personal labyrinth, and set my intentions once again in the early morning - which is sunny and brilliant after a grey day of rain... Ten years ago, on my 50th, I visited the labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral in France, overwhelmed by the energy of centuries of fervent prayers poured over those worn stones, illuminated by the most brilliant and exquisite stained glass... And while I was not able to visit France this year, and I am grieved by the terrorist attack on the city of Paris, I join in solidarity with all the souls...

The leaves are softly falling, each one of them gracefully giving up it's spirit, creating a kaleidoscope of colors... We must die to what we were, to become what we are meant to be... I reflect on turning 60, two weeks from today, and realize I have been filled with trepidation at arriving at this milestone because of all that has been left unsaid, and undone, and all the paths that have not been traversed... Several friends in their 60's, and one on its doorstep tell me that this is the best time of their lives and encourage me to not only open to that which brings me joy but what makes my soul sing. Yes, there is still so much to do... I read a blog entry on the autumn of life and it bids me not to fear the autumn of my years, for on its threshold I must indeed marvel at the treasure of acquired wisdom that I have assembled through many trials and tribulations... It is truly my time to choose how I will spend my time - because I have paid my dues, many times over. ...