Children’s books often perfectly capture the human experience. In the Frog and Toad story The Garden, Toad admires Frog’s garden and then plants some seeds of his own. Toad waters the garden and then begins to obsess about when the seeds will come up. He paces, worries, sings, and shouts at the seeds, which … Read more
Shores of Lake Erie Opening up to the Aliveness of nature is this week’s mindfulness focus. Some settings immediately open our eyes to the aliveness of the natural world. I grew up along the shores of Lake Erie(1) and walking along the beach on even the calmest days, the aliveness is palpable. On stormy … Read more
Spring is Coming I know it is super cold in much of the country, but there are sure signs of spring if we are paying attention. The minutes of sunlight are increasing each day and seed catalogs are arriving in the mail. If you are not a gardener, it might be hard to understand … Read more
My 2017 Intention It’s the last Sunday of the year and I’ve made it to a finish line of sorts. At this time last year, I set an intention to write a weekly blog on a word or a concept for mindful focus. My goal was multi-purposed. Setting a weekly focal point would give me … Read more
The mindfulness focus this week is turning points. The funny thing about turning points is that we don’t always know when we’ve made it around the bend. Oh sure, sometimes it is obvious. It may be something dramatic like a new job or a move to a new city. But often, turning points … Read more
The blog post below was written one year ago. Sadly, it feels even more relevant 365 days later. In hopes that the light will overcome the darkness very soon, I am re-posting it now. Thoughts on the Longest Night – Winter Solstice Winter solstice always carries the symbolism of light overtaking the darkness. The longest … Read more
Arguing With Winter I am not a fan of winter or the darkness that accompanies it. The sun sets in Denver just after 4:30 PM this week, making for a very long night. And although the weather can be balmy here when the sun is up, temperatures can plummet twenty degrees after … Read more
Green organisms respond quickly to small changes in soil, water, sun, and wind. They also respond to other plants and insects by changing their own chemistry. Often this is instantaneous. It is hard to imagine what it would look like for a plant to not show up or be present. They don’t have … Read more
Hawthorne berries(1) are brightening up my back yard at a time when many other plants have faded away. The tiny apple like berries all all about heart healing and so have provided inspiration for this week’s mindfulness focus…heart centered awareness. Western herbalists have used Hawthorne as a heart tonic for centuries. The … Read more
75 degrees is the high today in Denver, but it will change to cold and snow overnight. I’ve pulled in all the green tomatoes, green beans, and basil, and covered hardier plants with frost cloth. Gardeners constantly have their eyes on the weather and know that it can be unpredictable, with quick … Read more
