bald eagle in a low branch above the highway, white feathers glistening in morning light
wind rocking the upper halves of tall Douglas firs, boughs akimbo; bamboo chimes sounding
impossible huge moon rising up bright yellow against pink above blue sound
rain soaking my hair as I roundtrip twice up the driveway with our and the neighbors’ recycling and garbage bins
first light: praise and promise of a new day
satisfaction-turned-delight as I create a little cloth covered box
a difficult rhythm momentarily mastered with handbells
my sweet old dog’s low groan of pleasure as I massage her chest
nootka rose shoots just barely breaking the soil, beige until photosynthesis can miraculously green them
a fresh baby slug, three quarters of an inch, calling me to bend.stoop.peer closer into the grass to admire him
great feet-long sheets of moss, thick as a sandwich, brocading the trunk and limbs of a daughter’s birth tree
the slant of light behind clouds, reminder that the sun enables life
cat’s paw on my journal as I write
an invitation to share my work
a handmade box of drawers, each containing tiny sacred talismans
incense: sweet holy spirals
These are just a few of the simple occurrences that have brought me back
to pure presence,
blessed gratitude,
a reawakening to the numerous miracles that we breathe through each day.
Simplicity can be powerful.
Present awareness can feel like waking up all over again.
(Originally posted in 2018.)
