To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work.

-Mary Oliver

Welcome to the Reflection for October!

In this season of fall, as the trees drop their leaves to the ground, I find myself thinking about the generous gifts of nature.  Everywhere I look, I see seeds dropping to the earth from every variety of tree; the maples, the oaks, the chestnuts.   These seeds make me think about the process of regeneration that is built into creation.

It is awe-inspiring to see these seeds and the potential they contain.  In this season of fall, as much of the natural world is drawing its energy back into its roots, preparations are also being made for new growth in the spring to come.

The cycles of the seasons have much to teach us.  All of creation has so much to teach us.

This month’s Spirit Garden Reflection invites us to enter into the ancient practice of paying attention and learning from the book of nature.

With regenerative blessing,
Kathy

A Song to Close your Reflection

You are invited to close your time of reflection by listening to this song, Powered by Nature by Secret Garden.  As you watch listen to the song and watch the video, may the lyrics and images nourish you.

Simple Beauty

It was one of those warm, early Autumn days and I decided to go for a walk around my neighbourhood.  A few blocks from home, I encountered a young family out for an afternoon walk together.  The mom was pushing a baby in a stroller.  A few feet behind her walked a young girl, holding her dad’s hand.  They were ambling along together, enjoying the afternoon when the young girl came to a sudden stop, dropped her dad’s hand and called out loudly in her three-year-old voice, ‘Mom!  Mom!  Come and look…a flower’! 

She had bent down by the side of the road and was looking at a wild purple aster that was growing between the pavement and the sidewalk.  Her nose was almost touching the flower as she was exclaiming over how pretty it was.  Soon, the whole family was gathered around this little plant, admiring its beauty.  The little girl decided she wanted to pick one of the blossoms to take to her Nana.

I couldn’t help but smile as I walked past this encounter.  How many parents, grandparents and teachers have been blessed with dandelion and wildflower bouquets over the years?  These bouquets are priceless because they are gathered and collected with such love.  They are often presented to the receiver from a place of sweet generosity.

That is the thing about encountering something beautiful, like a wildflower growing in an unexpected place, it helps us stop for a moment in admiration.  It helps us sink into our hearts and from this heart-space arises the desire to reach out and share with others.

Ever since that moment, I cannot take a walk around my neighbourhood without noticing and appreciating the wild asters growing along the side of the road.  It lifts my heart every time and I am grateful that this little girl taught me to see the beauty in them through her young eyes.  She has me pondering how I might more deeply appreciate the gifts so freely given to me each day and how I might pass those gifts on to others through my words and my actions.

As we approach our Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada, may you find yourself pausing to admire the beauty around you and may you find ways to share that beauty and appreciation with others.  In these small ways, may we continue to lift each other up as we live through this time of pandemic.

With beauty-filled blessings,
Kathy

In Closing

As we are embraced by the season of Autumn, may we take moments to pause in our day, to pay attention and respond to the invitations nature offers us to learn, to grow, to root down and rise up.  

Blessings,
Kathy

Connect & Share

Please share any comments about this Reflection in the comments below. Make sure to check out what others are posting and encourage each other!