Learning to be astonished.

Why do I not stand in daily astonishment with the world? It's truly a gift. 

Reflecting today on my gifts: friendships, family, my children, and God. Their love sustains me. To feel that nourishment and know that even when we leave this world, our soul never truly never dies is the acceptance of that love. 

We are reborn every time someone breathes our name. It is in the thoughts of others that our soul, our memory is kept alive. 

In loving memory of Little Mimi: You taught me what it truly means to live a life of grace. You received it and gave it freely. I felt fully accepted and cherished by you the moment I knew you. You embodied love. 

Messenger

My work is loving the world.
Here the sunflowers, there the hummingbird —
equal seekers of sweetness.
Here the quickening yeast; there the blue plums.
Here the clam deep in the speckled sand.

Are my boots old? Is my coat torn?
Am I no longer young, and still not half-perfect? Let me
keep my mind on what matters,
which is my work,

which is mostly standing still and learning to be
astonished. 

The phoebe, the delphinium.
The sheep in the pasture, and the pasture.
Which is mostly rejoicing, since all ingredients are here,

which is gratitude, to be given a mind and a heart
and these body-clothes,
a mouth with which to give shouts of joy
to the moth and the wren, to the sleepy dug-up clam,
telling them all, over and over, how it is
that we live forever.

~ Mary Oliver 

I wrote this in mid-December, just after little Mimi passed and realized as I sat down to write this morning, I never published it. And, moments before I opened my computer, I looked out at this bright sunny Malaysian day and thought, my god, today, no matter how I am feeling: happy, sad, lonely, excited...today, is a gift. So, it's is the perfect day to share this tribute to a women who lived and breathed the love of God and truly exemplified what it meant to be joyful in all circumstances.

Every moment matters. Every thing counts for something. What we say, what we think, how we spend our minutes, our very own art of living defines us. I return to gratitude and grace, over and over again knowing that my soul will soar beyond my days on earth.