Part Of

I get off balance quite easily,
and feel like I’m on a tenuous tightrope,
ready to be swept away by the next wave of anxiety.
Thoughts become distorted
and I forget about my Rock — God —
who oversees everything
with a watchful eye,
who centers me
and reminds me who I am:
part of everything;
part of The Creator, The Great I Am.

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.

Lost?

Do you ever feel lost?
When I was young
I imagined being very small:
blades of grass towered over me,
mushrooms served as trees
and roots were precarious bridges.
But I was always being watched over by the Creator of this tiny world
so when I lost my way,
I was always found.

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 Horizon

What’s on the horizon?
None of us really know.
Storms bring changes,
churning up the past —
perhaps even revealing the future.
God remains The Rock,
The Foundation,
a place to rest our hopes.

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 End?

I came across a rock at the beginning of my walk engraved with the words:
my life
your death
the narrow stream between us
flows away
The anniversary of my father’s death was just around the bend.
Complex feelings.
I thought of all those I’ve known who have passed before me
and have touched my life.
I walked down a series of steps
and eventually came to a bench.
I sat down and contemplated the rock’s poem.
I was at the end of the trail.
But was I, really?
I knew there had to be more.
I turned and found a different path with a different bench
and a different ending.
I wondered: was the stream flowing away or toward?
Perhaps it depended upon which bench I chose to sit.

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.

Tranquility Amidst Stress

Tranquility can be hard to come by when I’m stressed.
This week was a doozy.
Big storms.
No electricity for days, and then finally a text from the electric company saying it would be fixed by 6 p.m.
At 6:05 p.m. that estimate was changed to five days later at 10 p.m.!
Fortunately, they were able to fix it much sooner.
Large, medium and small trees fell in the yard, not to mention cracked limbs and smaller branches.
I prayed during the storm, asking angels to “direct” the inevitable downed trees away from structures, and every tree fell in a different direction — north, south, east and west — missing buildings and fences, some by an inch or two.
Even a small portion of our road collapsed.
Then last evening our dog, Remy, got skunked inside his enclosure, which required immediate attention, messy baths and now our entire house smells like a skunk.
Even so, the thoughts of angels watching, flowers blooming and plants growing still comfort me.

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.

Ever Forward

God continuously uses flawed people to go beyond their comfort zones to accomplish a particular purpose.
There are many characters in the Bible who overcame their fears to do what God asked of them.
Moses had a speech impediment and didn’t want to lead a mass of people through the desert.
Jonah was so obstinately resistant to God’s call it took being swallowed by a whale to change his mind.
Jeremiah absolutely did not want to be a prophet and ranted a bit to God about it, wishing he’d never been born.
But everyone eventually gave in and their surrender was an important part of God’s unfolding story.
I’m no Moses, Jonah or Jeremiah
but I overcome fears on a regular basis to follow where I believe God is leading me.
I imagine that anyone who looks to God for guidance
finds themselves in this same position,
over and over again.
Each of us is part of God’s amazing story
and we need only to play our unique part to keep the plot moving ever forward.

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.

Joy Cometh Daily

The Mendocino Coast has two basic seasons: wet and dry.
The wet season causes plants to grow —
akin to “April showers bring May flowers” in many four-season areas.
I’ll have been living in California for eight years come May.
I’m still delighted that February is spring
and flowers bloom year ‘round.
I still let out a little “Glory be!” when I see the amazing colors of plants,
the powerful waves of the Pacific
or a suddenly-there stream that was dry the previous day. Miracles all.
Even dew on grass can elicit a tiny gasp of pleasure followed by a “Thank You” to God.
Yet I can also become indifferent to things I see every day.
However, if I stop to lift my nose and smell the air
or look down at the ground and appreciate what resides there, I may add a wee bit of joy to my daily 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.

Plans

Do you ever make plans,
look forward to something —
perhaps a mini vacation or retreat or event —
but then something completely out of your control thwarts those plans?
I believe this happens to almost everyone.
The disappointment felt is a given.
However, the more I wallow
the more it feels unfair
and the downward spiral continues.
But if I give my sadness a limit
and accept reality with an “oh, well,”
I can move on to glean nuggets of insight from my current situation.
Perhaps I will learn something new that I wouldn’t have otherwise. Perhaps…

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.

Seeking Wisdom

Seeking wisdom from my surroundings has become second nature to me ever since a Lutheran pastor introduced me to the concept during a silent retreat over twenty years ago.
Metal Arbor: Look up — and you will see Me.
Bee: I work tirelessly. It is who I am. Do not pity me. I fly around freely and see things you could never imagine. I am happy to be who I was made to be.
Nasturtium Leaf: Every path eventually leads to The Center if you head in the right direction.
Tree Trunks: I recover from wounds and they become my eyes to see into others’ pain.
Fallen Leaves: Our lives are not over, as you may imagine. We simply become something else: soil to nourish our community.
Giant Rhubarb: I may look small and compact, but soon I will be a giant. Never underestimate the power of growth.
Yellow Flower: When I look toward The Light, I see more clearly.
Fava Bean Bloom: Growing close to each other ensures our lives are intertwined.
Bare Trees: Our posture of praise engenders gratitude.
Sign: I may be old and cracked, but I still bring joy to those who encounter me.
Bird of Paradise: Do you see my silhouette? How I look like a bird’s head with a long, graceful neck? Seek, and you will find.
Backlit Leaves: When I let The Light see within me and through me, I feel at peace — and also feel loved.

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.

Sowing and Reaping

I’ve been writing this blog weekly for nearly nine years.
Yet last week I simply forgot to write it.
On New Year’s Eve I was at Quaker meeting and the query was: If one reaps what they sow, am I planting the crop I want to harvest?
Of course, I wanted the answer to be: yes!
But as I searched my heart, I realized I’ve planted a formal garden and a haphazard garden.
The formal garden is this blog (it was that moment I realized Friday had passed, blogless), the books I write and my artwork.
The haphazard garden — the one that sprouts up from refuse I’ve tossed into the soil — is a bit truer to my everyday life.
As much as I’ve tried to rid myself of anger and fear,
I know I am occasionally sowing it.
And then comes the reaping.
I don’t want to contribute to the teetering of our falling world.
So I will continue to consciously sow creativity, love, joy, peace, truth-seeking and kindness, and hope the angry, fearful seeds — with enough Light — eventually transform into worthy plants.

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.