Choosing Peace.

If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

~ Romans 12:18

... I'm having a much different journey with my one little word this year. It seems quiet for days and then in the span of just 24 hours, I see it over and over again. Yesterday's devotion talked about peace.

...peace is more than quiet tranquility. True peace is the result of my intentional efforts...

It's a choice. I can dwell in chaos or trouble, or I can be calm, even if it's just in my heart.

Seeing this tree on our* morning walk prompted me to share these thoughts (instead of the way less serious post I had planned!).  Wishing all of you peace, especially as we begin a new season.

*yes, Holly & I walked this morning! I really appreciate all your kind words and good wishes. She's on the mend - from who knows what, but the vet didn't make me feel silly for bringing her in!) He gave her fluids and antibiotics and I'm happy to report she's eating, wagging her tail, growling (mostly only when appropriate) and generally starting to seem like herself.

Slow Down and Breathe.

(oops, I just realized this post that I wrote last night on my iPad never posted...)

...I wrote it down - twice! - on Friday and it's been resonating since. I didn't manage much of it on Saturday when I started with a run, then pilates, lunch out, dinner prep and then dinner at Katie & Rob's to celebrate Sara. There was a good bit of knitting the Through the Loops Mystery Clue 2 and a 30 minute nap, but really, none of that was "slowing down to breathe".

That's Marc, Sara and Katie (Rob was just off to the right and not at all worried he didn't fit into my square cropped photo - one of the many things I love about him!). and I'm gonna admit here that I got a lump in my throat imagining we might not all be together again until Christmas. when there will be a 6th person to join us!

Sunday was a little better. Katie and I walked two early-morning laps at the park. We kept a good pace and managed a bit of catch up conversation...and a good many of those comfortable silences that come with friends who see each other often enough. It left my heart a bit lighter even though I didn't stand still for a second. Then church (with a hymn sing! Amazing Grace, How Great Thou Art, and so many more!) and a nice knitting break before my Sunday afternoon class. I finished listening to The Importance of Being Earnest and really enjoyed it. Yay for book bingo that's making me step outside my normal reading zone! Then Sunday class - it was great to re-connect with everyone and hear fun stories about WWKIP day. I told them I wasn't going to be teaching on Sundays anymore (breathe deep!) and they all said they were hoping to continue classes with me on Mondays or Wednesdays. I couldn't ask for more. Then soccer (breathe deeper!), more knitting, more soccer and more knitting. 

I finally finished the 2nd clue on the Through the Loops Mystery Shawl. Hope to get all caught up this week because I really want to have the finished shawl soon - the linen is perfect for summer!

And then it was Monday with the photo prompt "in this moment". Perfect way to make me pay attention to the little things...but sadly to fail at photos for nearly all of them. Dark early coffee in the quiet. Finishing my linen poncho and LOVING it. Catching up on summer with my running group and a hard five plus-mile hill run. Helping Sara unpack the boxes to sort out "recycling", "donations" and "move to Madison". A phone interview with a top candidate for a new position at the church. Helping Sara choose furniture and accessories (oh my, online shopping is the best!)...all while I knitted! and then class. Drive home before dark to see the beginning of a beautiful sunset. and finally, a photo.

I'm reminded that I need not only to pause to breathe...but also to say "thank you".

Choosing Gratitude.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also rests secure.

~Psalm 16:9

Yesterday's devotion* struck a chord with me. It talked about how being dissatisfied with what we have, where we are and even who we are is encouraged by our culture. But really, I have what I need. It encouraged me to start a gratitude journal (that's a practice I had for several years...and let go)...and to actively begin each day choosing gratitude.  Here's what I wrote yesterday:

1. a good night's sleep (finally!)

2. up dark early to hear the birds singing (love how Kym calls this "bird joy")

3. Sunday mornings at my church - the liturgy, music, fellowship and message really feed my soul.

It's a daily reminder that I am choosing gratitude.

*My daily devotion is from These Days, a quarterly publication from the Presbyterian Church.

Choosing to Pay Attention.

It doesn't have to be

the blue iris, it could be

weeks in a vacant lot, or a few

small stones; just

pay attention, then patch 

a few words together and don't try

to make them elaborate, this isn't

a contest but the doorway 

into thanks, and a silence in which

another voice may speak. 

~Mary Oliver

Choosing the Present.

…I haven't been sleeping well lately. I wake up at 1 or 2 am and can't quiet my mind to fall back to sleep for several hours. Considering my alarm goes off before 5, these sleepless nights are taking a big chunk of my rest, leaving me heavy for the day. Last night was one of the worst…a bad start to a new week. Monday mornings I usually run six "hill miles" with my group and then take yoga. This morning, I wasn't up to a hard run (or conversation) and opted instead for an easier route on my own. The air was crisp and damp; I could smell the wet earth as I ran along the creek.

the cattails, waterlogued*

Two miles in, my mind finally wakened and I stopped to walk. The birds are everywhere, squirrels too…I think the weathermen are right about more snow and ice this week. The landscape is shaded brown and gray, and in the cloudy daylight seems almost black and white. I leave the trail to get a closer look at the cattails in the pond.

I can't remember what kept me awake last night.

I finish my run and head to yoga. I arrive a few minutes early (happy my run wasn't too slow) and have time to sit still and quiet on my mat.

Daniela starts class; we're going to focus today's practice on the present. on being here in the moment. with our bodies and our breath. I work my body hard as I focus my mind on right now. I hope I can take that practice into tonight. My body and my mind need the rest.

*and yes, maybe a bit late to the game but I am obsessed with the waterlogue app! here's the original photo:

One Little Word | Choose.

It is not what you first think. There is no effort of will, no firm resolve in the face of this thing called living. There is only paying attention to the quiet each morning, while you hold your cup in the cool air & then that moment you choose to spread your love like a cloth upon the table & invite the whole day in again. ~Story People

This word snuck up on me last fall. I wavered about it a lot in late December because I wasn't quite ready to commit. But then I came across this story in a scrapbook that my family made for me last Christmas. And I realized the choice had been made.

Then it took nearly a month to knit the mitts and get the photo. Huge thank you to Katie for braving the sub-freezing temperatures this morning for the photoshoot. (She also captured a few of the snow day mittens since we were already cold).