… watching for the brushstrokes of God
People travel to wonder at the height of mountains, at huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars . . . and they pass by themselves without wondering. —St. Augustine, Confessions
How do you marvel at yourself?
Howard Thurman loved to watch the ocean. It gave him a sense of “the ebb and flow of circumstances”. Storms did not frighten him, “unafraid I was held by the storm’s embrace.” They gave him an “overring immunity against most of the pain with which I would have to deal in the years ahead when the ocean was just a memory. The sense held: I felt rooted in life, in nature, in existence.”
How do you reach the stillness of the eye?
Puddles, ponds, lakes, rivers, ocean – each unique in its shape and rhythm…ebb and flow, rapid or meandering, clear or rippling, still and reflective or with an invitation to splash.
What water are you drawn to?
The morning awakens,
day stretching out to the horizon,
blue sky with sun rising,
solid ground beneath the feet
and birds singing in grateful awakening.
What makes your heart sing?
Hiking an unfamiliar trail we need to let go of the myth that we are in control of what happens. We don’t know what’s around the next bend; steep inclines or sudden drops, a snake curled up in the sun or a bear with cub crossing the trail, a gnarly old tree or a bubbling creek, the sweetness of wild blackberries or the colors of wildflowers.
How do we keep trusting when the trail bends into the unknown?
“We think of [beauty] in opposition to narrowness, scarcity, drudgery, and constraint. We think instead of what is expansive, generous, abundant, connected, and expressive. Beauty also connects us with the why of living. It points to discoveries waiting to be made about the creation. It points toward questions of right relationships, of ultimate meaning, and even of eternity. It points backward and outward and forward to our ultimate Source and Sustainer.” ~ Makoto Fujimura
What discoveries are waiting for you?
With the Eyes of the Heart 