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.

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.

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.

Giving Thanks All Year ‘Round

In the United States, we have this very specific time to give thanks.
Thanksgiving, of course, with its bounty and harvest themes.
But what about the rest of the year?
Should I simply walk underneath dogwood fruit without a breath of thanks?
When I see a cascading waterfall of grass, would it be silly to stop and thank its Creator?
Every shadow on a leaf,
every curl of a flower,
every color permeating through a bush is worthy of thanksgiving. Shapes that delight and tickle my fancy — snakes and
round, hard candies and
angel wings and
ruffled petticoats all deserve my gratefulness.
Every day.
Any time of year.

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 Path We All Must Walk

Pelican Bluffs is a recent acquisition of Mendocino Land Trust (an organization that purchases land for preservation and public use). The shoals there look a bit like a waterlogged cemetery.
A nearby park bench read: For all at last returns to the sea. The ever flowing stream of time, the beginning and the end.
This cycle we call life is filled with unknowing.
What is around the next bend?
Will it be something beautiful?
Amusing?
Dramatic?
A reminder that we all must expire?
The very place I stood will eventually crumble into the sea.
But until then I believe I am gently prodded by God to notice new growth.
To notice what others are working hard to save for us.
To walk the path all pilgrims must take: The Path of 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.

Feeling Overwhelmed

Feeling overwhelmed is almost a natural state for me.
I cried at the grocery store today. Well, technically in the parking lot. I was able to stave off tears until my cart was outside the snapping robot doors.
One minute I’m like the bee, gathering my daily nectar —
and the next minute I’m flat-out sad.
I’ve worked very hard to exorcise my various demons,
yet they return like the tides.
Whenever I feel alone, which is utterly different than luscious solitude,
I try to remember there are many others like me having similar feelings — and coping with them.

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.

Accepting Autumn

I went to Redwoods Monastery in Whitethorn, California at the brink of autumn instead of spring as I had done last year.
The drive up Route 1 from Fort Bragg to Leggett was the same: glorious.
I was again greeted with fresh flowers in my room.
But the fields were no longer bursting with wildflowers.
They were mown and dry, yet beautiful in their own right.
Skeletons of last year’s leaves were exposed.
Shed wild turkey feathers presented themselves at every turn.
Leaves were changing; trees were dropping fruit.
Because the ground was dry, I could venture into places I hadn’t been before.
Yet some things were the same:
the structures themselves.
We are all changing, all growing older, all finding new parts of us exposed we thought were hidden. Old wounds. Flaws. Our deepest selves.
Spring is beautiful — yes — but perhaps we are ready for fall.

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.

On Edge

I’m on edge — which is why tranquil views like this help restore my soul.
However, I am standing on a precipice to obtain this view.
Is the tension — the battle — between fear and beauty worth it?
I contemplate.
There is an easier path.
It’s beautiful too;
stunning, in fact.
Perhaps I need wind through a path that leads me back and forth from the edge,
so I may observe the inner fear,
mull it over carefully, dissect and unearth its hold on me
and then venture back to the precipice to explore what it holds 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.