Taken at our local golf course on my way to work last week

Good morning, and sorry for the long silence!  My mother came to visit two weeks ago, and between juggling all the work demands of our hectic homecoming activities on campus and trying to spend the rest of my time visiting with her, I had to let my writing slide.  We drove Mother to Indiana late last week so that she could spend time with family there, and from Indiana Phil and I went on to Cincinnati to help celebrate my brother's promotion to airline captain.  It was wonderful spending time with my mother and dearly loved relatives.  I felt blessed all the way around!

Since I think I've made it pretty clear I'm a huge Mary Oliver devotee, you can imagine how excited I was when her new book, Felicity, was released last week.  This collection of poems, unlike many of her previous books that highlight the beauty and grace of the natural world, focuses instead on the inner landscape of the human heart.  I can't wait to share some of these beautiful poems, and decided to start with this one.  Is it okay to be both John Muir and Emily D?  I need trees AND a garden!  The photos below were captured early morning at my uncle's farm in Indiana. 

“Leaves and Blossoms Along the Way”

If you’re John Muir you want trees to
live among. If you’re Emily, a garden
will do.
Try to find the right place for yourself.
If you can’t find it, at least dream of it.

When one is alone and lonely, the body
gladly lingers in the wind or the rain,
or splashes into the cold river, or
pushes through the ice-crusted snow.

Anything that touches.

                      

God or the gods, are invisible, quite
understandable. But holiness is visible,
entirely.

                  

Some words will never leave God’s mouth,
no matter how hard you listen.  

                     

In all the works of Beethoven, you will
not find a single lie.

                       

All important ideas must include the trees,
the mountains, and the rivers.

                    

To understand many things you must reach out
of your own condition.

                       

For how many years did I wander slowly
through the forest. What wonder and
glory I would have missed had I ever been
in a hurry!

                       

Beauty can both shout and whisper, and still
it explains nothing.

                       

The point is, you’re you, and that’s for keeps.


My wish for today is that each of us can find the right place for ourselves.

Today is a good day for a good day...