Natural Wisdom

Bee: When you rest, magic happens.
Clouds: I am but water in another form.
Horizon: What lies over the horizon? Be ready for anything.
Mini Pond: Here today, gone tomorrow — so live each day to the fullest.
Calla Lily: Stand up for yourself!
Bench in Field: Stop. Look. Listen. Life is all around you.
Lichen: Grow wherever there is opportunity, even in the most unlikely places.
Daffodils: Brighten someone’s day!
Sea Cave: Find the Light and swim towards it as if your life depended on it.
Blackberry Thorns: Protect yourself, but freely give your fruit.
Flocked Seagulls (far right on sand): Joined together, the world doesn’t seem too large.
Stranded Logs: No need to struggle; let the waves take you where you need to go.
Wood Grain: See the patterns.
Whale Bench: When troubles loom whale-large, sit awhile and things will fall into 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.

Grounding Yourself During the Holidays

Sometimes we lose our heads during the holidays.
We twist ourselves in knots trying to make everything perfect.
I was walking in the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens turning over in my mind all that was amiss for Christmas when I came upon Wisdom Owl.
Isn’t Christmas about Jesus, the Living Water, coming to quench the thirst of our souls?
How can we survive without water?
How can we grow?
When we let peace wash over us
we ready ourselves to live in harmony
with our neighbors, whether across the street or across the oceans.
The Prince of Peace has come
to bring new life,
to nourish us
and to let us know that love never dies.

Photos © Sondra Sula. Frog sculpture “Prince Charming” © Eileen Fitz-Faulkner; ceramic sculpture “Headless Harmony” © Shannon Healy; ceramic sculpture “Wisdom Owl” © Clayton Thiel.

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.

Living Room

Living room. Hmm…
A room that’s for living?
A room that’s alive?
Our living room is both:
a place we hang out together,
a place where objects are alive with memories of their own lives.
The God in which I believe is also known as “The Living God,”
even though unseen,
even though, by many, unfelt.
God’s existence is often put to question, and although I understand why, this has not been part of my spiritual journey.
For me, God is like my living room:
a place where I want to spend time,
a place where I am more alive,
a place that can always embrace one more…

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.

Listening for Divine Wisdom

What do a sink, a buoy and a caterpillar have in common? Good question. Perhaps we’ll discover more as we listen.

Bathroom sink: I provide water with the touch of a handle. The Water of Life is just as easy to access, simply turn your attention to The Divine.
Buoy with napping seals: Come to me and I will give you rest if you feel worn out by swimming in choppy seas.
Tiger moth caterpillar: I move steadily until I find my next source of food, for I am determined to transform.
Wood grain eye: The eye of God sees all and loves all.
Lemons: Isn’t it obvious? Make the most of what you’re given.
Squid whisk and Starfish tile: Don’t be afraid to feel out of place; you have a divine purpose.
Carved fish: When you feel stuck in one place, move the mountains around you.
Conifer buds: Shed the skin of who you were to become the person you now are.
Remy the dog: When you’re frantic — try to relax — things will more easily shift into place.
Wood grain eel: Live long and travel, but always return to The Source.
Clouds and Ocean: We work together in an endless cycle, for we are truly one.

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.

Tree Insights

This wood has seen many years and weathered many storms. Its bark has worn away to reveal complex grains and textures.
Each fallen tree tells a story.
Was it severed in its prime?
Felled by disease?
Wounded to its core? This tree showed resilience by mending itself.
For some life went smoothly.
A few bends in the road, but that is to be expected.
A scar can be a triumph.
Adversity can build character.
And circuitous routes do eventually lead somewhere.
When things get rough, it’s helpful to know these times will pass, and life will level out again.
Age reinterprets beauty and celebrates imperfection.
Photos © Sondra Sula.

Take a walk with me by reading my most recent 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.

Steadfast Love

My husband, Rob, and I recently visited Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks for our wedding anniversary. How does one condense such a diverse experience into a single blog? I guess it’s a lot like trying to fit twenty-three years’ worth of marriage sentiments into a single card.

Or trying to live inside a single log.

Marriage is an eye-opening experience.

It requires two sets of very different eyes.

And seeds of love:

One plucked from each heart.

The seeds grow,

mature

and make more seeds

so that even if an interloper tries to steal the seeds—

tries to consume the love—it doesn’t work.

Because love hangs on.

Love knows how to go through dry periods.

How to cling to its foundation through all sorts of weather.

Until it is full and lush again

undeterred by any scars. That’s just the way steadfast love is.

Photos © Sondra Sula.

If you like these blogs, you’ll most likely enjoy my daily devotional book, Meditations on Mendocino by Sondra Sula. Available on Amazon in paperback or Kindle versions.