A source of grace
A way of seeing
A way of being
Finding space
In every challenge
Every sunrise
Every sunset
For in the depth
Of a thankful
Heart
There remains
A start
Of something new
Something true
For you
For what and whom are you thankful? Does it take a holiday to remind you?
I invite you to share your observations, feelings, and experiences by leaving a Reply in the Comments section, below. Soul-to-soul!
A bonfire blazes tall, a beacon in the night
Its crackling flames like whispers
with wisdom to uncoil
Inviting us to gather ’round and to let our spirits sail
The bonfire’s glow, a mesmerizing sight to behold
It paints the evening sky with dancing hints of rubies and of gold
Drawn in like moths, we form a circle tight
Sharing laughter and our stories
igniting pure delight.
As the embers crackle and leap
the warmth from them felt upon our skin
We find solace in their flickers, a respite from the din.
For in this fiery haven, worries gently fade away
Replaced by joy and camaraderie, where memories form and play
With friends and loved ones by our side
we find a sense of bliss,
A soft breeze with hints of revealing secrets
with every nuzzle and quiet kiss
We bask in summer’s glory, as the stars adorn the sky
And in this shared existence, our souls are lifted high.
As the night seeks out its slumber, and embers fade to gray
We take comfort in the new memories, caught within the bright display.
For in our hearts, a spark will forever reside
Always ready to inspire
A reminder of that summer’s eve
when life met all of our desires
Whether it be memories of summer camp, or summer school, or staying up late…what does the heat of the summer time invoke in you?
I invite you to share your observations, feelings, and experiences by leaving a Reply in the Comments section, below. Soul-to-soul!
Oh, sweet fragrant May
you mischievous sprite
with blooms aplenty
in full delight
with playful winks
appearing in every nook
if you look
around the bluffs
and with a child’s eye
towards the sky
Embrace the wonder,
the joy,
the splendor
you may
deploy in May
And spread the cheer
of this silly poem
without decorum
In all the lovely ways
that love
may find you
And those you hold
dearly
within your heart
This day
in May.
Blink!
And so, May… it may be the most magical of all. Do you agree?
I invite you to share your observations, feelings, and experiences by leaving a Reply in the Comments section, below. Soul-to-soul!
© 2023 Lori A. Noonan. All Rights Reserved.
I see
I am
You are
We are
one.
Passing through
this lifetime
Birth Death
Birth Death
Neither of these
do we choose
Both do we experience
In-between
is up to each of us.
Explorers
Adventurers
Beyond the mind
Beyond the pale
Of that which we tend to hail
Mental constructs
Personality conflicts
All at the expense of what
is directly in front of us.
Did you miss it?
Live today as if it’s your favorite birthday!
Light the candles
Sing
Party like it’s
nobody’s business.
Life is truly
a gift
Accept it with glee and satisfaction
As if you picked it out for your very self
Remember to enjoy the ride
As you never know when the ride
will stop.
Around we go!
When is the last time you got lost in time? Could it be today? Tomorrow? Every day?
I invite you to share your observations, feelings, and experiences by leaving a Reply in the Comments section, below. Soul-to-soul!
From the center
outward
revolving
evolving
contacting
communicating
relating with
all the relations
Across the veils
so thin
and frail
To avail
myself the opportunity
to connect
with those
who have passed on
to other worlds
across the multiverse
only to converse
in telepathic ways
among the waves
of grief
When we say someone has passed on, have they really left us, truly?
This time of year, with the observance of Samhain, All Hallows’ Eve, All Souls Day, Day of the Dead, all converging upon early November, the connection with the spirit world is stronger than ever. I feel it. I lean into it. I blend with it. With each subsequent year, I emerge more and more connected, more and more at peace, with all that was – and all that – is.
Have you lost loved ones, and if so, did the love leave with them?
I invite you to share your observations, feelings, and experiences by leaving a Reply in the Comments section, below. Soul-to-soul!
With the tides
all that no longer holds us
in our victimhood
All that is too salty
too painful
in what was once upon a time
an open wound
No longer open
But now healed
and firmly held
in abundant love
and full forgiveness
No longer open for business
Closed for the winter
not to be reopened
not to be left gaping
or oozing
for attention
Smoothly soothed over
Encased in the promise
of an oh perhaps not always familiar
sheath of protection
translucent and glorious
in the natural light.
During these times of global as well as for many of us local, uncertainty — in both the physical and political realms — it begs the question for each of us to consider:
What does this mean for me emotionally and spiritually? Where in my own life have I been met with uncertainty and challenges that may trigger previous wounds? Have those wounds been healed through my physical and spiritual growth? Am I willing to accept that healing and embrace the current (and future, because there will always be more) uncertainties and challenges from a place of healing and not open wounds? For me, the answer is yes.
What does it mean to you to read words like these? What, if any, emotions arise for you?
I invite you to share your thoughts, feelings, and experiences by leaving a Reply in the Comments section, below. Soul-to-soul!
Isn’t it?
Don’t you think?
Actually,
don’t.
Don’t you,
think.
Don’t think
Instead, feel
into what
matters.
What matters to you, to your soul?
A few things that matter to me:
In addition to money as currency
(not to be confused with ‘currentness,’ which is something different, altogether)…
Love as currency
Caring as currency
Compassion
Respect
Understanding
Empathy
Oneness
Wholeness
The sustainability of each of us
And the planet
Depends on it
On us.
What matters to you?
Does it matter?
Yes.
It matters
No matter
what.
Set a countdown clock on your phone or computer, for a quick 11 seconds. Without thinking, blurt out (and write down on a piece of paper), the first three things that matter to you. They can be lofty or grounded, simple or complex. No editing allowed. No filtering. No worrying about what others’ opinions may be. This exercise is for your eyes and heart only.
Repeat this process as many times as your heart desires. By the end of the day, take the entire list or sets of lists (remember, no editing), and put the paper under your pillow and sleep on it. Dream on it.
The next morning (again without thinking, without editing), jot down anything that arose for you since the previous day. Anything new that you discovered really matters to you? Anything that really doesn’t matter to you, after all?
On each new moon, if you so desire, revisit your list and see what still matters.
Have you really felt into what matters to you? If not, why not? If so, what has been revealed? Anything surprising? Anything unusual? Anything you’d like to reprioritize?
I invite you to share your thoughts, feelings, and experiences by leaving a Reply in the Comments section, below. Soul-to-soul!
COVID-19 doesn’t care where you’re from
It doesn’t check for your passport
Or your citizenship
Or your next of kin
It doesn’t ask whether you have the new state-issued “Real ID”
With the special star symbol on it
COVID-19 doesn’t care how great you were
Or claim to be
Or whether you will be great again
From everything we know so far
It doesn’t attack plants
Or rocks
Or dogs
Or cats
It doesn’t go after
The winged ones
Or the finned ones
Or the creepy crawlers
COVID-19 attacks us as a species
It seeps into us as a human
It takes over our respiration
(Maybe it’s time for a re-SPIR-ration).
It forces each of us to come to terms with the fact
that
we are truly all in this one together.
So, to whom do you turn as your trusted news source?
Yourself
Your mind
Your discernment
Your wise judgment
Your body
Your heart
Your spirit
Your inner knowing
If it sounds like a duck
Walks like a duck
It is well, you know,
A duck
And so it is.
We’re all in this together.
Don’t lose heart
Or common sense
Which seemingly is not so common
Right now
After all
Despite the challenges, and even because of them, this pandemic provides an opportunity for each of us to take a humility break. Let us be sensitive to what unites us rather than divides us. It’s what first responders do. Take heed. Let’s all be first responders. As humans. Let’s reSPIRate.
During this time of the stay-at-home directive in California, I’ve found myself giving the flowers and plants in my garden a little extra attention and tender loving care. And, the rainbow this morning appearing as a semicircle of rays of light above the roofline during the early mist reminds me that not all things beyond our control are unwelcomed. Even in the most trying of situations, there can be much beauty to behold.
What does the phrase “forced oneness” mean to you? Is it an opportunity, or a curse? Or, is it something else altogether?
I invite you to share your thoughts, feelings, and experiences by leaving a Reply in the Comments section, below. Soul-to-soul!
With this season of holy nights and holy lights illuminating the darkness and lighting our path, we await each new dawn. We emerge into the day’s light, having risen from our moments of respite and retreat. I write this symbolically and yet from the physical realm, too. The deeper the well, the deeper the water; the deeper the reach down fully into the source.
At this, the final new moon of 2019 and among the few remaining nights and days of the 2010s, we are each about to step across a threshold from one decade into the next. It’s a time of high energy and high holiness.
All are holy
Are we wholly holy?
Yes
Does our wholly holiness show up wholly?
Not always
We focus on the season
We can focus on a lifetime
Well spent
Well enjoyed
Well served
Well shared
Deep from within
our own well
Our whole selves…
Sacred
Sacral
Sacrificial
Sacrum
Consecrated
Chamber
Heart
Night
Day
and
Light
again
As we leave behind 2019 and cross into 2020, I wonder this: What’s on the horizon?
What is it that you hold most high? Most holy? Will you express it? Wholly?
I invite you to set a timer for 11 minutes, take three long deep breaths, close your eyes and allow an image, a word, a phrase, a feeling of what the next decade will represent for you and how you will move through this new decade as we approach that door, our front foot resting serenely and confidently upon the threshold.
When you hear, read, or contemplate the word “holy,” what comes up for you? Is it tied to a particular holy-day, or a certain season? It is something to which you aspire? Do you bring it into your interactions at work or other communities, with your family, with your friends?
I invite you to share your thoughts, feelings, and experiences by leaving a Reply in the Comments section, below. Soul-to-soul!
Stemming from the Latin bonitas, meaning “good,” bounty refers to all the goodness that one harvests. This week is an ideal time to consider the bountiful riches in our lives. Take a moment to reflect on the abundance all around. There’s richness in all the planet provides, naturally. There’s richness in personal connections, and love. There’s richness in faith, spirit, and confidence in the greater good, and in everlasting beauty. Even in those moments when we may feel less than bountiful, consider the pearl that emerges honed, smooth, and polished by enduring the repeated friction against it.
Let us give thanks for all that mother gaia provides us, and all that sustains us. Let us give thanks for our daily practices AND our daily bread. Let us give thanks for each other, and our resolve to see the light shine against every darkness.
And, let us trust that more is yet to come. That’s faith: Faith in the unseen. Faith in the seeds planted below ground that they will reach the surface. Faith in the sun and the moon rising and setting and rising again. Faith in yourself rising, experiencing setbacks, and rising again.
In what ways have you incorporated thankfulness in your life?
I still send in the mail handwritten Thank You cards, in business and personally. I suppose they stand out even more in this digital age. I hope so. I like envisioning that, even if but for a brief moment, the recipient stops to read the handwritten message and knows that I send along kindness and my gratefulness to them.
So whether it’s this Thursday, or at some other time during the next few weeks, I invite you to:
Say grace
Offer grace
Receive grace
Be grace.
Be heartfelt
Be genuine
Be sincere
Be thankful
Be true.
Count your blessings.
Make them count.
What traditions, if any, resonate most with you during this time of year? Is giving thanks a regular part of your daily life, or do you tend to focus on it only on certain occasions?
I invite you to share your thoughts, feelings, and experiences by leaving a Reply in the Comments section, below. Soul-to-soul!
