Kathleen Botsford

A Living Part of the Infinite Story

 

It seems life has become a constant

struggle of to-do lists and schedules

swallowing our waking hours

and haunting our

dream times.

As if a great bookeeper in the sky

is keeping track of our days

and judging them with constant busy-ness

the holy goal.

 

What if we set out every morning with curiosity,

with the intention to notice

as many opportunities as possible?

Would it not be like reading the world

as a holy book~a Lectio Divina of sorts,

that ancient practice of spiritual reading?

Every day we could be pouring over

the unfolding of new and possible worlds.

 

There are innumerable, small opportunities

to be helpful, attentive or kind.

Taking up these opportunities,

would we not come to know that we are

a living part of the infinite story?

Gunilla Norris

 

 

Good Friday

Over the course of the years

I have moved from an obsessive church lady

to a more contemplative loner.

On Good Friday

I spend time alone listening to

 Jesus Christ Superstar

It never fails to bring me to tears.

 

 

New Year Resolution

I am trying a "new" kind of resolution this year. 

It's not about doing or losing

Not about accomplishing or goals.

 

It is about gently cultivating tenderness,

Within and for myself as well as for others.

It is about seeing with reverence,

eyes soft and non-judging.

"When you regain a sense of your life as a journey

of discovery,

you return to rhythm within yourself.

When you take the time to travel with reverence
a richer life unfolds before you.

Moments of beauty begin to braid your days.

 

When your mind becomes more acquainted with reverence,

the light, grace and elegance of beauty

find you more frequently."

John O'Donohue

Happy New Year to us all.

 

 

 

 

Change is Life's Only Constant

I have been on a leave of absencse from most of my creative endeavors of late.

I needed time to re-adjust and get comfortable in my own skin again.

It seems life sails along at a speedy clip and all of a sudden I awaken to an inner chaos,

rendering me desolate and empty.

Lots of new and different changes in so many areas of my life

can leave me searching for my blankie and a dark corner to hide in.

And while change is the only constant in life, it takes me a little while to get my new sea legs

and feel some sort of balance again.

 

Rushing into action, you fail.

Trying to grasp things, you lose them.

Forcing a project to completion,

you ruin what was almost ripe.

 

Do you have the patience to wait

till your mud settles and the water is clear?

Can you remain unmoving

till the right action arises by itself?

                                                                   Tao Te Ching

                                                                    Stephen Mitchell

 

Preparing for Paris

The weekend is over.

Black tie outfits returned to closets.

Guests gone and cold finally getting better.

Time to seriously immerse myself in preparing for our trip to Paris.

It will be here before we know it and

I am promising myself I will be prepared and ready ahead of time.

I wonder if we ever really feel prepared when taking

a trip of a lifetime?

I can read and re-read novels and travel guides,

slowly page thru art and picture books,

but then it is necessary to open the door wide to serendipity.

If we do not get out of our comfort zone

what good is the journey anyway?

 

 

Everything is Simple....

 

Everything

I want to make poems that say right out, plainly,
what I mean, that don't go looking for the
laces of elaboration, puffed sleeves. I want to
keep close and use often words like
heavy, heart, joy, soon, and to cherish
the question mark and her bold sister

the dash. I want to write with quiet hands. I
want to write while crossing the fields that are
fresh with daises and everlasting and the
ordinary grass. I want to make poems while thinking of
the bread of heaven and the
cup of astonishment; let them be

songs in which nothing is neglected,
not a hope, not a promise. I want to make poems
that look into the earth and the heavens
and see the unseeable. I want them to honor
both the heart of faith, and the light of the world;
the gladness that says, without any words, everything.

~ Mary Oliver ~

A Secret Vice

"What a commentary on our civilization,

when being alone is considered suspect;

when one has to apologize for it, make excuses,

hide the fact that one practices it ~ like a secret vice."

Anne Morrow Lindbergh

 

Venice Sunrise

I was working on a project yesterday

and happened to catch "Casanova"on the television.

It is filmed in Venice and I could watch it all day long,

project or not.  Like "The Tourist" and "Summertime",

Venice becomes a visceral element of the film.

Her mystery haunts and hypnotises,

casting enchanting spells on all who wander

into her magical embrace.

I almost captured her misty colors,

shimmering across the soft waves of sunrise

our last morning in bella Venezia. 

Almost.

Childlike Excitement

Some people like to explore their hotels on line before they arrive at their destination.  I on the other hand, love to be surprised.  There aren't that many situations that can make me feel like a child again but traveling is definitely one of them.   The customs of the culture, the melody of foreign language, the idiosyncrasies of the people, the splendor of the art, the magnificence of the cathedrals, the breathtaking landscapes.  And the centuries of history, history, history.  To experience these with the eyes of childlike wonder is a gift that seems only traveling can bestow. 

This lucscious bowl of fruit greeted us upon check-in on our last Italian holiday.  I immediately snapped a photo to include in my journal.  If you look closely you can see evidence of a younger, swifter hand as my daughter immediately pounced upon the fruit bowl upon entering.  Youthful hunger does not stop for wonder of any sort.  I can hardly wait to experience what awaits us on this trip abroad.  The excitement is brewing just like memories of childhood Christmas magic.  I can hardly wait.......

 

 

A New Year Blessing

Some of my  favorite things in the world are books, old movies and solitude.  My husband has recently made it clear he would like me to clean out some of the hundreds of books I have shelved and piled upon piles in our library.   And like a good wife, I complained and whined and then started going thru the stacks to weed out the ones I could live without.  There are not alot of books I was willing to part with but enough to make said husband happy for the time being.

Nothing says "heaven" to me more than a pile of books, a candle or two or three, a crackling fire and a cold winter day.  That's exactly how I am spending my first day of the New Year.  Books and Solitude.  And a  blessing from one of my most favorite authors.  Happy New Year!

 

 

 

A Blessing of Solitude

May you recognize in your life the presence, power

and light of your soul.

May you realize that you are never alone,

that your soul in its brightness and belonging connects you

intimately with the rhythm of the universe.

May you have respect for your own individuality and difference.

May you realize that the shape of your soul is unique,

that you have a special destiny here,

that behind the facade of your life there is something

beautiful, good and eternal happening.

May you learn to see yourself with the same delight, pride,

and expectation which with God sees you in every moment.

John O'Donohue

Anam Cara