Joy

This past Sunday our Quaker query was: Do I embrace Joy as a companion on my spiritual journey?
For me, the answer is yes.
Joy came one day like a sprite; a little ball of energy sent by God to help me chuckle — even laugh — amidst turmoil.
I feel this joy is permanent.
It can’t be shaken off by high winds or ominous depression.
Joy stays the course, following me around wherever I go and touching everything I do.
It doesn’t mean I’m happy all the time
or that I don’t grope around for God sometimes, feeling lost.
Joy reminds me of love in that way; the kind of love between two people who have known one another for decades, have gone through thick and thin, yet their love still abides, dwells within each one.
I’m glad joy came to me that day with a wink
to let me know it had always been present.

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.

Spring Close-Up

Spring lets us in on her secrets. They are the same the world over. Rebirth. Renewal. Hope. But what do the individual flowers say?

The waxy lanterns of the andromeda shrub remind me that my light shines from within. A white magnolia offers the same wisdom as it virtually glows against the darkness.

A rhododendron bloom blurts out joy like a noisemaker at a child’s birthday party. A wine-edged hellebore bows in reverence as it blooms. I can follow their lead and do both.

Twin euphorbia bracts reveal their artistry as I delve inside their protective outer layer. Showing my vulnerability doesn’t illicit disdain as I once imagined, but actually increases my preciousness in the eyes of others.

This purple flower appears to be inside-out. When I wear my heart on my sleeve, everyone can see my truth at a glance.

A forget-me-not ages without apology: purple, blue, then gray. When I was a child I thought and acted as a child; but is it time to put away childish things and accept who I now am?

Cheery yellow posies invite me to look on the sunny side of life.

When I want to truly commune with The Divine, I don’t just remain on the surface, but dig deeply into the center of mystery as these tantalizing blooms illustrate.

Symmetry is overrated. As you can see from this whiskered viola, the subtle imperfections create a wabi-sabi beauty. And the fissures in a developing pine cone may mar its perfection, but allow it to eventually break out of its gummy constraints and grow.

Finally, a sweet pea and fuchsia open themselves to the world without holding back. Will I dare do the same?

All photos © Sondra Sula.

My most recent daily devotional book, Meditations on Mendocino by Sondra Sula, is available on Amazon in paperback or Kindle versions. It is also sold at the Gallery Bookshop in Mendocino.

Embracing Transition

“Sudden Change” by Sondra Sula

There are moments in life when a realization dawns that it’s time to move on. Perhaps the move is sudden, in mid-stride, like a cicada breaking free from its wingless exoskeleton to explore a life of flying. Or it can be subtle, like an inkberry transitioning from bud to fruit along its stem, changing gradually.

“Considering Flight” by Sondra Sula

“Gradual Transition” by Sondra Sula

I fall into the sweet pea category. Everything is happening at once on the sweet pea vine: buds, blooms, beans. One part of me feels energetic and green, ready to take on the world with open-eyed wonder. Another part feels in full flower, that I am exactly who I was always meant to be. Simultaneously, I feel spent—my colors are fading, my suppleness withering.

And within this still point at which all time collides, I welcome the bean. The pod looks nothing like the flower and keeps growing beyond previous boundaries. The bean, like encapsulated wisdom, contains everything necessary to recreate itself. This fresh incarnation may mimic its predecessor, but is actually an entirely new plant.

However one chooses to move on, be it dramatically or imperceptibly, embracing the change is the surest way to fully enjoy the freedoms a new stage of growth provides.

“Welcoming the Bean” by Sondra Sula