“I place on the altar of dawn:

The quiet loyalty of breath,

The tent of thought where I shelter,

Waves of desire I am shore to

And all beauty drawn to the eye.

May my mind come alive today

To the invisible geography

That invites me to new frontiers,

To break the dead shell of yesterdays,

To risk being disturbed and changed.

May I have the courage today

To live the life that I would love,

To postpone my dream no longer

But do at last what I came here for

And waste my heart on fear no more.”

-John O’Donohue

“May we not neglect the silence

printed in the center of our being.

It will not fail us.”

-Thomas Merton

 

“dawn peeks her head

over the horizon softly sweetly

like a child playing peek-a-boo

her smile shimmers warmly

all across the land, cascading

through the branches of trees

across the lakes and streams

glittering like jewels on the petals

of flowers as dew drops cling

to the coming of yet another chance

to embrace one another, love

one another, be kind to yet

another person who longs

for a smile, a hug, a willing ear,

someone dear

yes, dawn is smiling on us

from up above, loving us

with kindness and warmth

giving us this day to

work and play

oh what a beautiful way

to greet the new day “

-Michael Traveler from “morning song”

Notes on a Pandemic

“What stories shall we tell
past knotted fear:

Of touching without flesh
of Winter-seeded faith
of viral music trumpeting
imagine all the people
of hands sounding gratitude
of words looped over metered space
threading a collective
of parked tyres, dusty tarmac

the exhaling earth
the constancy of sun
a pink crescent moon
the usual light on
all our faces”

-Susan Waters

(“Imagine all the people” credited to John Lennon by Susan Waters, author.)

I loved Susan’s words. “The constancy of sun”, as shown at sunrise here over newly fallen April snow.  “The exhaling earth” as she prepares for Spring’s unfolding, the new soft snow blanketing her with the promise of fresh seeping water to nourish the roots of all that is pushing forth.

And when next I find a crescent moon, I will add it to this post…

“Every day a million miracles begin at sunrise!”

-Eric Jerome Dickey

I can hear the sunrise
gentle stirrings as she wakes
eyes fluttering open
after the long cold night

I can hear the sunrise
an explosion of color
full of passion and fury
and promise

I can hear the sunrise
boiling in the clouds
shimmering off
the waves

announcing
the new day

-Michael Traveler

 

 

You can click onto any individual photo to view a full size version – then use right and left arrows for a slideshow.

“A lake carries you into recesses of feeling otherwise impenetrable.”

-William Woodsworth

This lake certainly did carry me into impenetrable recesses of feeling!   It’s incredible depth carries an equal depth in peacefulness.  The blue is otherworldly, the reflected mirror of the sky and clouds serene and beautiful.

At 1,949 feet, it is the deepest lake in the United States, and 7th deepest in the world.  The caldera was created when Mount Mazama’s top quarter was blown off in a powerful volcanic eruption and over time it was filled entirely from rain and melted snow.  The purity of the water is felt as well as seen.

I loved the feelings accessed here, and just being absorbed by the tranquil quiet of this lake’s shores…

Sunrise Crater Lake

“To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides.”

-David Viscott

Sunset Amelia Island

“Let yourself fall in love with nature. Visit new places and discover your own back yard. Spend more time outside watching sunrises and sunsets. Make time to star gaze. Stand barefoot in the beautiful earth and reconnect your soul. To the energy that created you. You are a part of a magnificent universe. Take the time to be present with it all. Allow nature to feed your soul. Those who wander will never feel lost.”

-Carly Marie

Visit new places

and discover your own back yard

Spend more time outside watching sunrises

and sunsets

Make time to star gaze

Stand barefoot on the beautiful earth. To the energy that created you. You are a part of a magnificent universe. Take the time to be present with it all. Allow nature to feed your soul. Those who wander will never feel lost.”