Category: Reflections

Reflections: Nothing In Life Is Ever Permanent

March 1, 2012

It’s a grey day here on the river today, with snow falling for the past 24 hours now. I have been reflecting today on losing something you think you found but really didn’t. In the blink of an eye, the sun shone through the clouds and lifted my heart up into the heavens, and I basked it’s warm and comfortable embrace…

And then it slipped away, back through the clouds and left me bereft of understanding as to where it went. But, alas, I do know that nothing in life is ever permanent. We struggle with loss and grief, and naturally we should. We learn from loss and grief, and naturally we should. And then, we move on.

Life is the grand hall of learning. It shapes who we are, and leaves us all with indelible impressions, called memories, that give us pause to reflect. We can reflect on the sadness, but we must always remember the joy.

(Photo: Parker River National Wildlife Refuge Afternoon ~ c. Pamela J. Leavey 2011)

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Reflections: Seeing Rainbows

February 29, 2012

When I look to the skies, I often see very magical formations in clouds like the one below that looks a bit like a rainbow colored lightening bolt seen through the the bare trees:

When I see rainbows, my heart lifts up to the heavens in a sort of communion with the universe that fills me with joy.

It’s so important to find joy in the little things in life, as I have noted here in my Daily Affirmation today, and my Food For Thought post yesterday.

We go through life sometimes in a very numb state of mind, in that we forgot to look to the skies for rainbows or stop and smell the flowers.

I learned a long time ago that in being in the moment, you place your heart and soul in alignment with the opportunity to experience and feel joy. To be in the moment takes constant work and practice on living with an open mind and an open heart.

Awakening to joy, seeing rainbows is a great balm to the soul when we learn to look to even the littlest things to fill our hearts and minds with love and gratitude.

(Photo: Rainbow Bolt Through the Trees ~ c. Pamela J. Leavey 2012)

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Reflections: Live With Sorrow

February 28, 2012

I’ve reflected here, sometimes on a very personal level, in recent weeks some of what I have been going through in my life. There’s been a a lot of change, an injury that has kept me mostly house-bound for over 7 weeks and when I lump all the stuff that has happened together, I find my self at times slipping into sorrow.

The quote below from the great spiritual master J. Krishnamurti eloquently expresses how to… Live with sorrow:

We all have sorrow. Don’t you have sorrow in one form or another? And do you want to know about it? If you do, you can analyze it and explain why you suffer. You can read books on the subject, or go to the church, and you will soon know something about sorrow. But I am not talking about that; I am talking about the ending of sorrow. Knowledge does not end sorrow. The ending of sorrow begins with the facing of psychological facts within oneself and being totally aware of all the implications of those facts from moment to moment. This means never escaping from the fact that one is in sorrow, never rationalizing it, never offering an opinion about it, but living with that fact completely.

You know, to live with the beauty of those mountains and not get accustomed to it is very difficult. You have beheld those mountains, heard the stream, and seen the shadows creep across the valley, day after day; and have you not noticed how easily you get used to it all? You say, ‘Yes, it is quite beautiful,’ and you pass by. To live with beauty, or to live with an ugly thing, and not become habituated to it requires enormous energy,an awareness that does not allow your mind to grow dull. In the same way, sorrow dulls the mind if you merely get used to it,and most of us do get used to it. But you need not get used to sorrow. You can live with sorrow, understand it, go into it -but not in order to know about it. You know that sorrow is there; it is a fact, and there is nothing more to know. You have to live. ~~ J. Krishnamurti, The Book of Life

The great lesson in living with sorrow, is that yes, “you have to live.” You must carry on… And learn to live your life through the suffering and sorrow…

(Photo: Two Swans at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge ~ c. Pamela J. Leavey)

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Reflections: Uncertainty

February 25, 2012

As I sit here with so much uncertainty in my life, it’s hard to see clearly what the next chapter of my Mid-Life Adventure entails.

Talk about being stuck in a rut… when you end up with a sudden, accidental injury that leaves you disabled for a time, it is a life changing experience in itself. Couple that with empty nest syndrome and being out of work and it’s easy to feel some days, no matter how positive you try to stay, as though the whole world is crashing in around you.

There are days when it is just plain hard to focus. Either there is energy bursting to get out in some creative or physical form, or the mind just goes blank as you seek the light hiding behind the clouds.

Sometimes life just seems so unfair, although you look around and see that so many people struggles are worst than your own. Yet, you stay stuck in that woe is me syndrome… sadness can strike even the strongest of heart and mind.

Drifting, drifting, drifting… the dark nights of the soul, when faith is tested in so many ways, are long and seemingly endless.

There are those who would say to you… Snap out if it. But you can’t. There are those who would tell you… This too shall pass. And you do know deep down inside that it will.

So, you ride the tide of uncertainly, as it wanes and crests and blows through you like the wickedest of winds. And, when the question arises, what is next in this Mid-Life Adventure for me… Truth be told, I have no answers today. I’m busy pondering the great uncertainties on my doorstep and hoping the winds won’t blow me further off course.

(Photo: Afternoon Sky at Parker River National Wildlife Refuge ~~ c. Pamela J. Leavey 2012)

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Reflections: Moving, Changing

February 18, 2012

When I look at bare trees, I see ever moving, ever changing limbs of life that are preparing to bloom again. For, they have their seasons just as we do. Our lives are indeed ever moving, ever changing and in that movement and growth we grow as a tree grows.

Sometimes we feel as though our lives are caught in some strange vortex, in which we liquify, as the bare limbs in the photo above have been.

We feel our selves spinning around, flowing in every which way, unable to grasp a bare branch and hold on. It takes our breath away. It confuses our senses. It is ego, fear manifest. Be it brief or lingering, we simply want the whirling to stop.

Give in to the vortex, take the ride… Understand that all things in life happen for a reason, and there are lessons to be learned.

I always know, deep down in my heart and soul, that if I am lost, I will be found. And I will be stronger for the wild ride in the vortex of life…

Namaste… Pamela

(Photo: Hawk Silhouette in Vortex Tree ~~ c. Pamela J. Leavey 2012)

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Reflections — David Whyte: Taking the Courageous Step

February 17, 2012

I just finished listening to this wonderful audio of David Whyte, from Sounds True:

David Whyte explores the “courageous step” that is often so difficult for us to make on our own journey, and gently reveals the way we unknowingly sabotage ourselves instead of turning towards life’s challenges.

It’s an absolute must listen if your going through change on your journey through life ~~ Listen here.

Pamela Leavey

Reflections: Nothing In Life Is Ever Permanent

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Reflections: Seeing Rainbows

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Reflections: Live With Sorrow

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Reflections: Uncertainty

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Reflections: Moving, Changing

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Reflections — David Whyte: Taking the Courageous Step

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