Spirit Speaks

Heart Stone: I’ve led you to my heart because I want you to know I love you.

Matilija Poppy: Part of you remains closed; continue to open.

Pink Sea Jelly: Use your imagination to bring two worlds together.

Chandelier: You are a light that can enhance and reflect the light of others.

Clouds: Let your love fan out so far that it covers the sky.

Visor: Let your mind wander through the clouds once in a while.

Nasturtiums: Align yourself with truth.

Sea Cliff: Faith sees beyond vision.

Shadow: Embrace your shadow.

Yellow Sea Jelly: Celebrate life’s triumphs.

Pampas Grass: Resiliency may require bending.

Four-Square Chair: Choose the direction you face.

Photos © Sondra Sula.

Take a walk with me by reading my daily devotional book, Meditations on Mendocino by Sondra Sula. Available on Amazon in paperback or Kindle versions.

If you’d prefer a daily river walk, Reflections on the Fox River and Beyond by Sondra Sula, might just be the book for you.

A Better Place

You make the world a better place.

How do I know?

Because if you read this blog you care about

spirituality,

nature,

or both.

And just that simple caring

has consequences

for all of us.

So, thank you.

Thank you for making the world a better place.

Photos © Sondra Sula.

Take a walk with me by reading my daily devotional book, Meditations on Mendocino by Sondra Sula. Available on Amazon in paperback or Kindle versions.

If you’d prefer a daily river walk, Reflections on the Fox River and Beyond by Sondra Sula, might just be the book for you.

Roadmap to God

No wonder nature points to The Divine. Yes, even a fly perched on a velvety bloom is rife with outrageous color and intricate patterning.

A single dahlia can sport brilliant red on one side of its petal and a pale Creamsicle tint on the other.

Flower designs can curl this way and that

or create a perfect circle of honeycomb tubes.

There is so much variety in the natural world,

it can boggle the mind.

And the closer you look,

the more detail you see.

When I marvel at the glory of creation

I feel closer to God.

Photos © Sondra Sula.

Take a walk with me by reading my daily devotional book, Meditations on Mendocino by Sondra Sula. Available on Amazon in paperback or Kindle versions.

If you’d prefer a daily river walk, Reflections on the Fox River and Beyond by Sondra Sula, might just be the book for you.

Dangling by a Thread

Do you ever feel like you’re dangling by a thread?

I do.

And what if that thread breaks?

Do I go tumbling down into the abyss?

No.

Because I was designed to handle difficulty,

created to bear my own weight,

fashioned to blossom via that thin connection.

That’s my umbilical cord to God —

a living thread that never breaks.

Photos © Sondra Sula.

Take a walk with me by reading my daily devotional book, Meditations on Mendocino by Sondra Sula. Available on Amazon in paperback or Kindle versions.

If you’d prefer a daily river walk, Reflections on the Fox River and Beyond by Sondra Sula, might just be the book for you.

Trust Issues

There were three main things I needed to accomplish on my daily To Do list.

The other ten could be pushed around a bit.

I had so much anxiety about these tasks that I brought them to God during my devotional time.

I even began to cry.

The problem was, all three involved someone else’s help to complete.

Not only did I have to relinquish control,

I had to ask for help (so incredibly difficult for me),

and then depend on others.

God was literally telling me everything would work out —

I was writing down the conversation!

Afterwards, I went into a state of meditation,

but within twenty minutes I got so worked up I had to stop and reread what I had just written, to prove to myself God had actually said not to worry — this day had already been worked out.

As the day progressed, each task was fulfilled.

I was in a state of elated disbelief, which begged the question:

What will it take for me to truly trust?

Photos © Sondra Sula.

Take a walk with me by reading my daily devotional book, Meditations on Mendocino by Sondra Sula. Available on Amazon in paperback or Kindle versions.

If you’d prefer a daily river walk, Reflections on the Fox River and Beyond by Sondra Sula, might just be the book for you.

Sorrow and Joy

Sorrow and Joy can hold hands
and skip across a bridge
of troubled waters.
Joy can soothe Sorrow’s tears
by simply being present.
Joy doesn’t need to shout to be understood,
nor wave about in a frenzy,
although she could.
Joy is patient with Sorrow
and lets Sorrow have all the time she needs.

Photos and poem © Sondra Sula.

Take a walk with me by reading my daily devotional book, Meditations on Mendocino by Sondra Sula. Available on Amazon in paperback or Kindle versions.

If you’d prefer a daily river walk, Reflections on the Fox River and Beyond by Sondra Sula, might just be the book for you.

Joy Cometh in the Mourning

Mourning.

Mourning is universal, spanning cultures, even species.

Humans are not alone in their mourning of the dead.

But we also mourn other losses:

relationships,

physical health,

not reaching goals we expected of ourselves…the list goes on.

The good news is that mourning can coexist with joy,

beauty

and a sense of peace.

Photos © Sondra Sula.

Take a walk with me by reading my daily devotional book, Meditations on Mendocino by Sondra Sula. Available on Amazon in paperback or Kindle versions.

If you’d prefer a daily river walk, Reflections on the Fox River and Beyond by Sondra Sula, might just be the book for you.

Love Locks

Lock it in! 

But can you really ever lock in love? 

Love is shared. 

Even when you’re loving yourself, you are sharing one part of yourself with another part of yourself. 

God loves with abandon. 

God doesn’t keep track of wrongs the way we do. 

Everything is already known: 

past, 

present 

and future. 

Yet God still loves us like mad. 

Declaring to the world that your love is “locked in” is sweet. 

But what’s even sweeter is unlocking the love inside of each other. 

Why not try it? 

Photos © Sondra Sula. 

Take a walk with me by reading my daily devotional book, Meditations on Mendocino by Sondra Sula. Available on Amazon in paperback or Kindle versions. 

If you’d prefer a daily river walk, Reflections on the Fox River and Beyond by Sondra Sula, might just be the book for you. 

Heeding the Still, Small Voice

Do you ever put off something you want to do because of fear? I do. 

I’ve wanted to walk in the Gualala River during dry season for years, but have never done it for fear of sliding down the steep embankment and not being able to climb back up. 

I was recently walking down by that river and a little internal voice told me today was the day and prayed I wouldn’t get hurt. 

I found a walking stick which helped me navigate the precipitous slope; however, I did slide down the last ten feet, thankfully without injury. 

I felt so blessed to see the striking white stones, clear water and colorful floating leaves. I even saw eight baby common merganser ducklings behind their mother swim just a few feet from me. 

The only people on the river besides me were a young couple with an infant. I assumed they had found a better trail, but when asked, they told me they had slid down too, clutching their baby. 

On my return I prayed, “If there’s another easier way to get back up, please show me, Lord.” 

But I ended up at the same exact trail. I had a lot of trouble trying to climb back up until a little internal voice suggested I move to the left. There I found a connecting trail with a black rope that was difficult to see against the dark brown soil. It was connected to a tree higher up the bank which enabled me to easily climb back up without incident. 

What did I learn? 

The internal still, small voice is occasionally The Divine nudging us to overcome our fears and truly trust Spirit.

Photos © Sondra Sula. 

Take a walk with me by reading my daily devotional book, Meditations on Mendocino by Sondra Sula. Available on Amazon in paperback or Kindle versions. 

If you’d prefer a daily river walk, Reflections on the Fox River and Beyond by Sondra Sula, might just be the book for you. 

The Place Called Life

There is a big difference between who I am and who I want to be. 

I like to think of myself as serene and 

spiritually awakened and 

living in the moment. 

But the reality is that I’m often anxious. 

I forget to call on God for help in difficult situations. 

I can obsess about future events that may never happen. 

However, I never stop trying to be a better person 

because it is important to me 

to grow and evolve — 

even though God accepts me as I am right this minute. 

There is a strange and wonderful balance 

between accepting myself as I am 

and striving to improve that same “I am.” 

I suppose that place is called: Life. 

Photos © Sondra Sula. 

Take a walk with me by reading my daily devotional book, Meditations on Mendocino by Sondra Sula. Available on Amazon in paperback or Kindle versions. 

If you’d prefer a daily river walk, Reflections on the Fox River and Beyond by Sondra Sula, might just be the book for you.