“I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which [one] has overcome while trying to succeed.” ~ Booker T. Washington
What obstacles have led you to succeed?
Overcoming
Silence
“Some of us allow [silence] to fully envelop and nurture our seeking; others who have been silenced by oppression seek to voice the joy of spiritual reunion in an evocative counterpoint.” ~ Barbara Holmes, Joy Unspeakable
Which way does the journey take you?
Snow covered
The snow fell all day long; slowly and continually it covered the ground like a blanket inviting us into its silent beauty. How does it invite you to linger and rest? What practices of warmth and comfort does it draw you to?
Lurking
“Whatever may be the tensions and the stresses of a particular day, there is always lurking close at hand the trailing beauty of forgotten joy or unremembered peace.” Howard Thurman
How do you pay attention to the “trailing beauty”?
Chiaroscuro
“…if our days were routinely sun-filled, peaceful, tranquil, predictable, without conflict, their very serenity would soon seem flat, humdrum, and stale. God allows his brilliance to be highlighted by shadow and his summer warmth to be contrasted with winter chill so that we will know the difference and appreciate the light and warmth. There is purpose in the divine chiaroscuro.” ~ Luci Shaw
How does the light come?
Winter patience
“Only with winter-patience can we bring
The deep-desired long-awaited spring.”
~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh
How deep a stillness is needed?
With the Eyes of the Heart 