Strong back, open heart. The external world has chaos. Resilience is in the marrow.

The season seems to carry both joy and old worn-out unconscious patterns. Please keep in mind that you are a gift. This blessing is offered with love (You will need to enlarge).

Shinrinyoku (森林浴) – literally forest-bath (Japanese) – is far less about washing or cleansing, and more about permeation, an act of relational attunement. This is inter-be with Nature, an immersive verb disguised as a noun, an invitation to the Divine, which is everywhere.

Another grandmother maple not too far from here.

Fall is both season and symbol. I am in the fall of my life. There is also a daily rhythm, perhaps pause before rest, noticing impressions of the day, letting thoughts settle into quiet resonance. Poem and image by me.

Decisions can be difficult in good times, and these are not good times. Inside a blessing is vibrant hope for best outcome and grace with uncertainty. My hope is to kindle words that speak to both challenge and depth. Poem by me, image by Naomisan.

Another 250 year old sugar maple, I feel blessed with grandmother trees. Photo by me.

Fall in Minnesota. This maple is over 250 years old.

John O'Donahue renewed blessings for everyone. The invitation is for shared warmth. When we attend to the space between us, something shimmers. Poem by me, image by Public Domain.

It seems to me that the traditional Franciscan animal blessing is one-way, God to animal. St. Francis was reciprocal, alive with interbeing. This blessing is a shared invocation of kinship. We will interact differently when we know that alive diversity is everywhere. Art public domain