Dear Family

I was going to try and focus on one member but 

this photo reflects so beautifully the blessing 

of you all, together as one.

Thank you for your peace and calm.

Your beauty

in

your artistry

 of color, shape and shadow.

Help us in the human family

to appreciate the gifts you give daily.

Dear Golden Sun

What a beautiful gift you bring each morning!!

Thank you for your light,

 which turns our day into JOY.

Thank you for peace and calm,

for silence and rest..

 for beauty and awe...

    for newness and hope.

You are ancient, yet, ever new.

Thank you for 

the gift of YOU.

You are bold and strong

you are steady and sure

you are faithful and dependable.

Thank you for the gift of YOU.

Thank you for the steadfastness of your presence,

as you turn darkness into light and newness,

giving us all a renewed sense of  living 

fully awake and fully alive.

Thank you for the Gift of YOU.

Dear Family,

I am in awe of your many shades, patterns and textures.

Seeing you brings me a sense of calm and peace, Thank you. 

Without each and every one of you there would not be 

this fullness and depth.  

Your diversity is a richness that we humans have not 

yet fully appreciated,  nor have we embraced the richness of diversity 

within our own human family. 

Thank you for reminding us that when we welcome and respect 

the uniqueness of each other, we are so much more

than we could ever imagine.

Dear Beautiful and Playful Dolphin

I needed to be reminded of your playfulness today. You amaze me
with your graceful and high, jumps!!
I am restless and I don't know what I want or need right now.
Your gentle grace gives me peace and joy.

Playfulness is something our culture runs from.
We haven't got time, we're adults, get serious, grow up!!
And yet, what have we lost when we do not take time to play?
Healing, refreshment, renewal, joy, time with loved ones and time with ourselves.
Are these not valuable gifts?
Allowing ourselves to enjoy these gifts empowers us to move forward
in a more creative and vibrant manner.
Is that not a value worth our time?

What more would you like us to know dear Dolphin, your wisdom is truly needed and desired.

BE GENTLE WITH YOURSELVES! You keep demanding perfection of yourselves and
that is far from necessary!
When you are enjoying what you are doing on a regular basis
you will see and feel a big difference within you.

How can you enjoy your hectic daily schedules and your long work hours?
Start making things easier for yourselves.  Do what you need to do, not what you think
you have to do.  Be attentive and focused so that each task can be completed without
several tries due to multi-tasking.
Take things in small steps rather than trying to complete the whole package at one time.
Take time out for quiet and fun
when you feel overwhelmed.
Don't be afraid to ask for help, laugh!
BE GENTLE WITH YOURSELVES

Again, do what you need and want to do, not what you think you should do.
You are not responsible for everything and everyone!
Find ways to make things simpler and even fun.!
It is not a one size fits all, find YOUR way and watch
your energy rise and your tasks completed in a timely, creative and well done manor.

Enjoy a deeper and richer connection with family and friends.
It doesn't have to be a big event or large amount of time.
Take time out to be in nature, make ice cream sundaes as a family.
Do what you enjoy, together.
You may say this is all impossible and that is your CHOICE.
Be willing to give it a try and find out for yourself!!

Dear Dolphin, thank you..this makes so much sense,
give me the willingness and wisdom to make
the choices and changes I need.

Dear Orange Blossom,

I love your round fullness, brilliant color and numerous wavy petals.

You look like you are standing alone

 yet the background of leaves and branches, 

reminds me that you are strongly supported.

Going it alone is a big deal in our culture,

and often times we may feel alone;

 yet if we are willing to open our eyes to see

we will recognize the gift of the many who  

journey with us, empowering us to become

the fullness of who we are.

Thank you to sun and wind, water, and soil in all your many forms,

and all those who work to nourish Mother Earth in healthy

and sustainable ways.

Thank you to farmers, and growers whose hard daily work can so easily go unnoticed.

 Thank you to all who pick the vegetables, fruits and flowers that feed us and nourish us.

Thank you to all who prepare the foods and transport them across the land 

and across the waters.

Take some time today, to remember as well, those in your particular 

life journey, visible and invisible

who strongly support you. 

Dear Beautiful Bud,

Photo: Judith Kapp

You seem gently embraced as you move through your journey to full blossom.

You remind me, that I too am wrapped in love in each moment of my own 

journey.

Your full bud reminds me of all the unknowns that you hold

 and your patience as those unknowns become known.

So often I want to think I know exactly what is supposed to happen and yet that is not

what always comes forth.

Help me to become more comfortable with the unknowns in my own life, 

and more trusting.

Believing that whatever does come forth, will bring a most benevolent outcome for my life.

Thank you dear bud..your message is just what I needed to hear today.

I am most grateful. 

Dear Flowers,

I love your incredible fullness and uniqueness, 

as you carry a world within you

and each and everyone matters.

I love your sister's patient waiting to burst forth into the beauty of who she is.

Your diversity in color and texture is rich and deep.

I love the silent strength of each stem that holds you tall and strong.

You show us, in a beautiful way that in order for you 

to BE in your FULLNESS 

 many family members are needed, some easily seen, some not.

Help us in the human family to recognize our own interdependence

and to honor and give thanks for all those  visible, silent and unseen

that hold us up tall and strong in our daily lives.

Dear Flower Family,

I love the intricate patterning in each of your blossoms.

I can't even try to count the number of petals that form each whole.

Without each and every one you would not be complete.

I love your diversity and your sameness.

So much like our human family. 

May we appreciate each ones sameness and uniqueness.

Knowing without each one...we as a human family 

are not complete.