...10.31.10...

every day.

you should be proud.

to be a parent.

then.

some days.

you are prouder than most.

sarah.

participated in locks of love this week.

she is a beautiful spirit.

a caring heart.

one who would not think twice about.

giving.

my eyes are brimmed with tears of pride.

my heart is swelling with love for this selfless act.

this week.

made me want to go out and

be in-the-moment.

i spoke of yesterday.

i stood under that tree.

i watched the leaves falling.

i chased my leaf.

it was laughing,

deep from the belly laughing.

chasing the leaves

as they twirled in the wind.

and went in the opposite direction.

from where you started.

it was a good release.

i caught my leaf.

i made my wish.

life IS good.

HE is great.

we are blessed.

welcome to coffee hour.

welcome to this Sunday morning.

just BE.

robin.

...live-in-the-moment...

it's said that each time

you catch a fall leaf

as it drops from a tree,

you win a wish for the coming year.

and there are few

more hilarious,

live-in-the-moment activities

than chasing leaves around

on a golden autumn afternoon.

catching them is harder

than you think,

but each time you succeed,

close your eyes,

and make your wish.

~1,001 ways to live in the moment

chase a leaf.

chase a shadow.

HEY HARRIET

we had gale force winds

here this week.

not many leaves left around.

but there are a few.

i will meet you under the tree.

just BE.

robin.

...10.24.10...

seek out

that particular mental attribute

which makes your feel

most deeply

and vitally alive,

along with which  comes

the inner voice which says,

"this is the real me,"

and when you have

found that attitude,

follow it.

~william james

"this is the real me"...

scary to say that at times.

worried about what others might think.

don't put yourself in a box.

because it's easier.

be you.

enjoy you.

breathe you.

live you.

the way it was intended to be.

welcome to coffee hour.

welcome to this Sunday morning.

just BE.

robin.

...what a blessing...

just BE.

robin.

...of the movement of water...

the underlying attraction

 of the movement of water and sand is biological.
if we look more deeply

we can see it

 as the basis of an abstract idea
linking ourselves

 with the limitless mechanics

of the universe.

-   Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe

my fountain is done flowing.

bit by bit.

the yard of summer.

sleeps.

good job summer.

your hand was well played.

speaking of playing...

let's join the shadow chasers.

HEY HARRIET

i will see you in the shadows.

just BE.

robin.

...nothing left to whisper...

"all still when summer is over
stand shocks in the field,
nothing left to whisper,
not even good-bye, to the wind.

after summer was over
we knew winter would come:
we knew silence would wait,
tall, patient calm." 
-   William Stafford



silence.

i.

hear.

you.

just BE.

robin.

...10.17.10

the habit of being--

the exultation in the present moment--

is an exquisite concept,

one that could enrich our lives

beyond measure.

we're all habitual creatures,

but usually we practice the

habits of doing:

getting up, making breakfast,

getting children off to school

and getting ourselves to work.

then there are our habits of brooding:

projecting into the future,

dwelling on the past,

nursing old wounds,

holding imaginary conversations,

indulging in comparisons,

conducting endless mental calculations about money,

gnawing on regrets,

second guessing inspiration,

ruminating on problems at work,

anticipating the worst.

the habits of brooding are rooted

in the past or the future,

and they can rob the present

moment of all

harmony, beauty, and joy.

what if you knew there was always going

to be simple pleasure to look forward to

every few hours?

what if you made sure there was?

how do you think you would greet the day?

~simple abundance: a book of comfort and joy

~sarah ban breathnach

welcome to coffee hour.

welcome to this Sunday morning.

just BE.

robin.

...accepting what is...

"when you do not accept what actually is,

where does that leave you?

you need then something else to take its place.

the faculty of producing something else

is what we call the mind.

and then a long chain starts--

a series of actions and reactions.,

being and not being,

good and evil, death and suffering.

all these come into being

as links of that chain.

how are they produced?

by denial.

by denying what is.

by negating it.

by creating something else in its place."

~swami prajnanpad, india

this heavy frost is

telling me...

winter is waiting

at the edge.

i will be creating a sunny, sandy beach

in my mind today.

for lots of sun which produces shadows...

HEY HARRIET

have an awesome weekend...

maybe catch you tomorrow for coffee.

just BE.

robin.

...robins...

can't even begin to tell you.

how absolutely happy and content

my heart is

right at this moment.

the robins

decided to visit our yard.

i long for them in the spring.

and am saddened when they leave

in august.

but this evening

they stopped by.

to make my heart smile.

thank you.

i needed this.

just BE.

robin.

...10.10.10...

"forgiveness is unlocking the door to set someone free and realizing you were the prisoner!"

-Max Lucado

*****

"pain has a way of clipping our wings and keeping us from being able to fly. and if left unresolved for very long, you can almost forget that you were ever created to fly in the first place."

-William P. Young, The Shack

*****

"love and happiness, like knowledge, cannot be taken away from you. they are yours to keep, you have all the power over them. guard them - they are your most precious possessions."

-Jade Hanso

*****

"i relax and cast aside all mental burdens,

allowing God to express through me His perfect love, peace, and wisdom."

--From Scientific Healing Affirmations by Paramahansa Yogananda

*****

"when you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete,

everybody will respect you."

-Lao Tzu

*****

"truth doesn't need to defend itself." -don Miguel Ruiz

*****

"but i was always coming here... God long ago drew a circle in the sand

exactly around the spot where i am standing right now.

i was never not coming here.

this was never not going to happen."

-Adapted from Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love. Originated from a Sufi Poem.

*****

i am...

as i have said.

where i am suppose to be.

welcome to coffee hour.

welcome to this Sunday morning.

just BE.

robin.