When we are alone on a starlit night,

when by chance we see the migrating birds in autumn

descending on a grove of junipers to rest and eat;

when we see children in a moment when they are really children,

when we know love in our own hearts; or when, like the Japanese poet, Basho,

we hear an old frog land in a quiet pond with a solitary splash-

at such times the awakening, the turning inside out of all values, the “newness,”

the emptiness and the purity of vision that make themselves evident,

all these provide a glimpse of the cosmic dance.

~Thomas Merton

there is a way, there is a way, there is a way…

inquiry for today~ may your life reflect your ways….

from all sides of the dance…

Let yourself sleep,

For you cannot see the world clearly

Through tired eyes.

And when you rise,

The world will become immediately more beautiful

Before your very eyes,

As you will once again be able to see

The magic that appeared invisible before.

Remember that in winter,

The trees appear lifeless,

But they are not dead;

They are simply resting and recuperating

For the seasons to come.

And so if your life seems barren,

Let yourself rest,

Trusting that you will wake

With the strength and endurance

To navigate the next season of your life with grace.

~Tahlia Hunter