August 2010

God Bless the brave caterpillar.

Munching luxuriantly on milkweed,

Hollowing away in their emerald chambers,

beset with golden locks.

Glimmer, at last, turns to darkness

and in that hush, I wonder,

is there sleep?

Is she content to let go, to simply

close her eyes?

Perhaps she’s done this before.

Perhaps she relies on ancient stories that tell her she will emerge,

fuller, lighter, freer. Does she know the story?

Either way, she goes.

God bless the brave caterpillar.

Deep, deep, away. Into the dark.

A brave caterpillar she is.

And when all that she has known

is let go,

a pin prick of light.

Simple, Sweet, Full. Here I Am!

“I didn’t see you.”

I was here.

Within that quiet journey, the fragrance of milkweed far away,

an urging,

a calling with different ears,

a nudging of new wings. The stretch!

Emerald armour fades, locks unfasten,

and Alas, I can fly!

God bless the brave caterpillar.

Anthea and Marigold greet each and every new butterfly in the meadow. Here, the black swallowtail visits one of Anthea’s zinnias while the Great Spangled Fritilary tests his wings. An Eastern Tiger Swallowtail rests upon her hat and of course, she is old friends with the yellow sulphur who sits merrily on her shoulder.

May 2010

"Carry the song of a thousand loves on a single petal," said the Angel to the Wild Rose.

And to the Honeysuckle, she begged, "Gather the Bees and bless them."

It was May when she spoke to the Autumn Olive, "Set your fragrance upon the wind . . . Ready the meadow with mirth!"

I don't know of the other conversations, but I can assure you, the Autumn Olive said yes!

Blessed be the Meadow.

April 2010

Happy Earth Day!!

Anthea and Marigold celebrate by singing a spring rain song with their friend Starling. The European Starling still wears his beautiful spotted winter coat.























Springtime falls on waiting stem

It falls on grasses new,

Anemone, Lenten Rose,

Dainty Scilla blue -


Misty morning buttercup

Cowslips full of dew,

Over, under, all around,

Springtime falls for you!

February 2010

Snowgeese sail overhead, their voices different than Candada Geese, but equally pleasant. Equally enthusiastic. Equally Majestic.

I can't help but run alongside. I wish I could journey with them, see what they see, feel what they feel. Know what they know.












Snow comes, and snow goes, like the two sides of a bridge. On one, the current flows towards you - inhale. On the other, away - exhale. Like all good blessings, it's the coming and going that makes them doubly sweet.

Mother Nature does not hoard her snow, off it goes to nourish rivers and streams. Likewise with us. A smile, or a compliment nourishes those downstream.

Inhale - receive.
Exhale - release.

Turn around and watch. The water's still coming - don't worry about that. It loves the flow.

January 2010

Have you ever held a kitty so close
and then had to let go?

Yet,

Does a Tree wish her leaves
back in her arms?

Or a Breeze take back her breath?

No, I think they chance it.

Maybe leaves get heavy, or air stale.

Or maybe they have a job to do . . .

Leaves crinkle and color the ground,

Breezes sway and lift birds in the air,

Raindrops cleanse, Snowflakes sparkle,

A smile soothes,

A word heals,

A thought carries - like the sound of a bird
Waiting to be picked up.

The January landscape is barren, but not empty. Everywhere there is promise, promise, promise. That letting go is the answer to receiving. The sleeping groundhog who laid his head down in Autumn is promised a warm spring, the buds that decorate the limbs of trees are the promise of leaves gone by, of leaves let go. The birds sing, (can you imagine if they didn’t!), they sing for all they’re worth and so, Spring comes.