Solitude

In solitude the mind gains strength and learns to lean upon itself.

Laurence Sterne

These are quiet days for me.  They're not quiet in the sense that not much is going on...there is plenty to do and even more to think about.  So much of my work, though, is accomplished at home, in solitude.

Sometimes my spirit rebels against the quiet...the stillness.  Sometimes I want to fill all the empty spaces with activity and excitement... maybe even a little retail therapy ;-)  But when I lean in and allow the solitude to do its work, parts of me that beg to be nurtured timidly speak up and the conversation begins.

A Great Gift

But let there be spaces in your togetherness and let the winds of the heavens dance between you.

Love one another but make not a bond of love: let it rather be a moving sea

between the shores of your souls. - Khalil Gibran 

   

This week I have been given a great gift...time alone by the sea.  I can only imagine what it must be like to live near the ocean where the horizon is so wide open and the land is a constantly changing canvas, washed clean and reshaped again and again by the pounding of the surf.  For a few days I will wander, rest, reflect and dream on my own.  In the evenings I will come together with the man I love and do more of the same.  I find that we are beginning to settle into this rhythm in our everyday lives as well, as our kids are growing up and away from us.  Like so many other transitions I have experienced, this time is bittersweet...a mixture of sadness and excitement, adventure and grief.

A Tribute to the Human Spirit

There are incalculable resources in the human spirit, once it has been set free.

Hubert H. Humphrey

I think my mother can do anything when she sets her mind to it. Staying mobile is an increasing challenge for her these days, but she didn't let that stop her when we got the chance to run down to the beach yesterday. In case you ever wondered, walkers work really well on wet sand. I had a hard time keeping up with her!

I think the best part of our pretty much all-round great day was the moment when the first wave hit our feet.  It was sheer joy to hear my mom giggle with excitement.  We watched my son splash in the water and the birds fly overhead.  We soaked in the sunshine and talked about how beautiful this world is.  It was very good.