Speaking of Spirit

When life gets too much for me to deal with, I often retreat to my garden. Within the confines of arborvitae, lupine, rose, daylily and all the other perennials growing there, I find peace and strength.  One of my favorite actresses, Audrey Hepburn said, " To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow. " I had never thought of it that way, until I found myself out weeding and pruning this year. Being in the garden, tending to the needs of my flowers and plants, weeding, pruning and planting seedlings was all an act of great faith. Why bother to plant if tomorrow wasn't possible?  I believe tomorrow is possible and that tomorrow can be better than today, which is one of the wonderful things about hope. When we have hope, we dream of possibilities.  As Emily Dickinson wrote,   I dwell in Possibility –  A fairer House than Prose –  More numerous of Windows –  Superior – for Doors –  Of Chambers as the Cedars –  Impregnable ...

Photo Credit (c) 2017 L. M. R. Neas Rachel Carson said, "One way to open your eyes to unnoticed beauty is to ask yourself, 'What if I had never seen this before? What if I knew I would never see it again?'"  I thought of this yesterday, as my cousins and I were wandering through my gardens, soaked in unexpected sunshine, surrounded in sweet, summer, bird song. Standing in the middle of the lush, verdant, herb and rose scented yard, I thought to myself, "How glorious! How completely delicious this is!" Later, as I sat scanning headlines, I realized just how endangered all this beauty is. The ozone layer keeps thinning. We keep polluting. The bees are dying. Entire species are disappearing. Those in power seem hellbent on destroying the fragile balance for greedy purposes.  Disgusted and heartbroken, I turned off the computer. Immediately, I did what I always do in these times of trouble...lifted my heart to the Divine, praying for some miracle to s...

Sometimes, it is difficult to write...too many things going on...no time to gather my thoughts...or I am simply too tired.  This can be a BIG problem if you are doing a weekly column, as I did back when my girls were young. How did I manage? Well, to be honest, I often prayed. Yes, that is right, I said, “prayed!” Know what? It worked.  Somehow, in the middle of the praying, something would happen, or someone would call, or I would pick up a book, paper or magazine and there would be my inspiration! Crazier still, those were often the times I would hear from readers who would tell me that what I had written was an answer to their prayers! Imagine!  However, prayer isn't the only way to find peace and solace when our souls are in turmoil and pain. The past few months have been difficult. In addition to the deaths of several loved ones, there are the anniversaries (birthdays and anniversaries of the deaths of my parents and brother ) which cause me to...