Water’s Ways

I’ll bet a lot of stories begin with: Down by the river…
There is a reason.
Rivers are full of intrigue,
life,
beauty
and the essence of God.
To sit by a river’s edge
is to enjoy what creation has to offer:
water music,
travelled leaves,
stones made smoother by the gentle sanding of their rough edges.
Creatures are always changing form in rivers — and so are we.
God works on us as we tarry there, in ways mysterious to us,
in ways that smooth our rough edges and make us easier to hold.

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.

Field & Forest Wisdom

Mystery Flower/Pod: You know so little about the world. But if you pay attention and observe, wonders await.
Meadow Flower: There are so many like me, yet you noticed me and appreciated my fading beauty.
Redwood: Stand tall no matter the circumstances.
Meadow with Grove: Picture this: peace.
Wood Bench: Going with the grain is akin to moving with the flow — there is no need to make life harder than it already is.
Mossy Branch: Rest awhile.
Dappled Forest: Both light and shadow are necessary in life.
Cut Grass Bundle: The end can also be a beginning.
Mini Grotto: Remembrance is a form of worship not fully understood, yet can be helpful to many.
Redwood Cavity: I withstood fire, lost my center, and yet I live.
Tree Root: Stones inexplicably travel to my sheltering hollows and find solace here.
Holly: I seem inhospitable because I protect my vulnerabilities.
Horizontal Branch: Come, sit above the ground and gain a new perspective.

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.

Eden Not Eden

I am not saying the Redwoods Abbey garden is Eden.
But I’m not NOT saying that, either.
Creatures cooperate — they pollinate.
There is a tree of knowledge. I find wisdom by simply observing it, though it does bear delicious, tempting fruit.
The garden feeds the small community that resides on the premises.
It brings joy to the eye and heart.
Possible Eden is not without its troubles.
But once I comprehend the grand design in each and every part of The Garden, I am happier for entering 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.

Maze of Solace

Due to reasons that will remain private, I found myself accompanying someone to Adventist Health St. Helena hospital as a support person and designated driver.
The campus is tucked into the side of a high hill in the Napa Valley which made for incredible vineyard views and steep — but interesting — walking.
When I decided to circle the perimeter of the building starting outside the basement cafeteria, I thought it would be easy.
But instead it was like stepping into an Escher maze where stairs led to outdoor hallways and more stairs until I found myself on the hospital’s helipad more than seven stories above where I started.
Passages were blocked off, ramps led nowhere and soon I was standing perplexed in a parking lot far from the entrance.
Am I lost?
Retracing my steps seemed out of the question so I aimed toward the largest building and searched for a door. Upon entering I was once again in the hospital, now on the fourth floor, in a different wing.
I found my way back to Admissions and recognized two other designated drivers who were also waiting. I joked about the maze-like campus being full of surprises.
When one of them asked if I had seen the waterfall and koi (I hadn’t), I found myself once again going through doorways, down staircases and traversing strange passageways, but this time with a leader.
Was he an angel
or just a man who had spent so much time visiting the cancer section that he knew every nook and cranny able to bring one solace?
I’m not sure, but I felt 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.

R & R & R

Rest, retreat and reflect.
Silent retreats feel necessary to my being.
I love to simply “be” without the guilt attached.
Very little is expected of me at Redwoods Monastery:
show up for meals, wash my own dishes
and tell a nun if I leave the premises.
Otherwise, my “job” is to connect with Spirit,
listen to God
(oh, how much easier it is to hear that small, still voice in the silence)
and practice ways of devotion that suit me —
prayer, sacred journaling, meditation, monastic services, spiritual reading, walking in nature.
I am then renewed, rejuvenated and radiant.

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.

God Knows

Sometimes God makes me laugh out loud with the antics of creatures. In this case a squirrel poised on a fence wire intently watching something — something I couldn’t see. One false move and she would lose her balance. Hmm, sounds familiar.
Sometimes God makes me chuckle to myself: a pussy willow wearing a jaunty cap. I wonder if God ever thinks we look jaunty?
Sometimes God instills in me a sense of wonder for the most common things: a California poppy — glowing, radiating beauty from within. Can I do that?
Look at those gorgeous veins, I exclaim to a passerby, pointing to the wild radish petals. Do I see my own veins as lovely? God made those, too.
I am looking directly west. A craftsperson took great care to make the W of this compass star artistically pleasing. Do I always try to do my best?
The yellow ice plant leaves make a pattern within the green ones. Do I see the patterns in my own life? Patterns that perhaps need tending?
Spirit draws my attention to a fence post. It stands witness to the ever-changing Pacific, to the souls who pass by whether pensive, blissful or somewhere in between. To what do I stand witness?
Sometimes God shows me how something like ivy can be viewed as positive, negative or neutral. Do I give others the freedom to be viewed at all angles?
Sometimes the plants themselves seem to stop me in my tracks just to say: hi! A friendly smile and greeting can change the trajectory of someone’s day.
When I arrived back where I started my walk, God gave me another belly laugh. Now there were two squirrels balanced precariously, looking at who-knows-what. God knows. I guess that will have to be enough for 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.

Exploring the Loop

I’ve been walking the trails off Gravel Pit Road — series 400 logging roads in Jackson Demonstration State Forest — for about eight years.
Recently, via a local trails map, I discovered a path I had hiked many times made a loop.
I wasn’t sure how long it would take to walk the entire loop, so I set out to hike the west side for forty minutes one way.
When I reached that time limit, I saw an old wooden plank painted red and broken into pieces. I thought it made a good marker to alert me when I’d be coming from the other direction.
The next time I went on the trail, I began hiking from the east side of the loop.
I prayed not to step on any banana slugs because they were plentiful and in multiple sizes from tiny to large.
After forty minutes passed, I wondered: Should I keep going? Did I veer off on a side trail? Am I even close to the midpoint?
I began photographing landmarks I didn’t recognize and taking note of how many minutes I had been hiking.
After an hour I thought: Maybe I should turn back. I don’t recognize anything. Yet I feel like I’m close.
That’s when I saw some pieces of red wood. Not the exact pieces on the other half of the loop, but certainly from the same plank of wood. How far away could I be? Truth be told, I was very close.
In many areas of life I tend to believe I’m lost right before I’m “found.” But God always knows where I’m going, even if it is in a grand loop.

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.

S is for Snake

She greeted me as an S shape on the front walk. S is for snake, Sondra, serendipity.
I felt so happy to see her, as thin as a pencil, so delicate, so vulnerable. How does she accept my giant presence without fear?
But then she coiled. Is she protecting herself by potentially lashing out?
The snake then looked me in the eye. Was she evaluating the level of threat I posed?
She moved into an infinity pose. No beginning and no end — a way to perceive God, our souls…
Then she unfurled and created a lasso. You’ve captured my fancy, roped me into layering my thoughts over your world.
She stuck her tongue out at me. I chuckled. Leave it to me to philosophize about a snake.
When she turned belly up, I knew she was playing dead. Complete surrender. Her last strategy. I then left her alone but thought to myself: complete surrender isn’t such a bad strategy, is 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.

Entangled

Lately, my life seems all tangled up.
When I solve one problem, another pops up.
I feel like I’m stuck in a dark hole,
and my usual ways of extricating myself from this place aren’t working.
If I simply change my perception, will my outlook change?
I’d like to think I can do this: walk through darkness into The Light
and find myself in a place where my view might still be a bit askew,
but opens up enough for me to no longer feel trapped and helpless.

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.

We are Enough

Some bees are created to collect pollen.
Calla lilies not only give pollen, but pleasure to the passersby.
Pussy willows are harbingers of spring.
Paths are made for walking
and wings are for flying.
Everything has its purpose for existing and so do we.
We were created to be who we are,
here and now,
and that is enough in God’s eyes.

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.