Miraculous Mornings

I had the most interesting talk with a friend the other night.  We each take a daily walk.  She said that she begins the walk with a statement such as "God amaze me today."  I was speechless because I do the same thing with varied words..."Creator/God/Spirit show me something beautiful today." We are both blown away by the things that we see every time that we walk.  I will have others pass me on the path, and I will ask them breathlessly, "Did you see the eagle?"  They will just say no, shrug, and keep on going.  What I think is happening is that by speaking or thinking about our intention to be fully present in nature, we notice things that others miss.  We are passing the same things.  This week, I count myself truly blessed to have seen and heard some of the most beautiful things!  Yesterday, I saw the brilliant bright orange ball of the sun slowly rise over the barren tree tops and fill the sky with its glow.  I saw a huge doe on the path looking right at me.  I saw literally 100s of geese in the one open space on the ice-covered lake.  They were suddenly very noisy.  The first wave of them took flight and then others followed until there was one goose left swimming on the water.  I saw my eagle in flight across the ice.  She landed in a tree, ate something that she had caught, ignored the circling and cawing of the crows, and took off again across the lake.  I found her in her regular tree about 1/3 of the way down, and upon my arrival, she took off again.  To watch her gracefully fly across the lake was a wonder.

Tomorrow, set your intention to be amazed, to be a positive part of everyone's day, and to spread Joy!  You'll be fascinated with how wonderful your day is!

Beautiful Birds

Oh but it was a chilly  morning.  We had ice on the ponds and ice along the shoreline on the lake.  I could feel exactly where the gap between my sock and my pant leg was as the biting wind did its best to chill me.  
Every morning when I walk, I look in the eagle tree for "my" eagle.  I haven't seen her in weeks, but I'm an optimist, so I keep looking.  I rounded the corner today and she was there!  Why is it that I'm always surprised when she literally takes my breath away?  I say she because it is one of the biggest eagles that I have ever gotten close to, including those at the National Eagle Center.  The female eagles are larger than the males, and because they are at the top of the food chain, they don't need the camouflage of drab coloring like many smaller birds.  She was so regal atop her perch.  I wondered if the ice brought her back to the lake.  At the eagle center they talked about the ice causing fish kill.  When the fish die and float to the top, it's a free lunch for the eagles.  There was a small muskrat on top of the ice, but the eagle seemed uninterested. The sun was out and was reflecting off of the lake, and I was surrounded by a stunning display of nature.  My day started magically, and I made sure to say thank you over and over for witnessing such beauty.  I am blessed.
Bless yourself now, or when you have 1-2 quiet minutes.  Treat yourself to this beautiful video that a friend sent me of starlings Starlings in flight .  It starts out a bit roughly but stick with it.  It is worth it.  It gives me chills of total amazement every time that I watch it!
Enjoy!

Ever since my computer gasped its final breath, I have been taking my daily walk as if I would write a post about it when I got home.  I have found that I pay attention to things that may have just passed me right by in a different frame of mind.  In October, I listened as the grass changed from its gentle green swishing to the scraping of the brown ends as they crossed in the breezes.  The leaves on the dirt path were soft underfoot even though they were brightly colored yellow and red.  
The most wonderful thing happened to me last Friday.  As I was on my return loop of my walk, I flushed a huge dark bird.  I couldn't see what it was but I kept my eyes on the general area where it landed.  I thought that it was probably a crow, but something told me to pay attention and keep my eyes peeled.  As I neared the area where I thought it may have landed, I flushed it again, and it flew toward me before heading out over the lake.  "It" was a stunning great gray owl!  I have never seen an owl and it got close enough for me to see the rings around its face.  I was absolutely breathless, and rooted in one spot as I watched it fly away.  I had to ask myself if I had really just seen such a beautiful creature.  My cup was running over with gratitude for the magic of the day!

Shoulds vs. Get Tos

I tend to be a person who has a lot of shoulds in her life.  I have begun to adopt more get tos in my life.  About a month ago I left all of the cleaning, yard work and other busy things and drove to Interstate Park in Wisconsin.  I spent the afternoon with my extended family who happened to be camping there.  I was rewarded with a fantastic day, breath-taking scenery, and great memories.  Sometimes, I am truly amazed at all of the fantastic parks, trails, and scenery that are so close.  This was a day that I felt so very fortunate to have left all of my shoulds behind.  I won't remember that the house wasn't dusted, but this and other pictures will be with me for years to come!  Get out and enjoy what surrounds you.  Breathe in the wonder and beauty of nature!  You'll be so glad that you did.

A Dear Friend Gone but not Forgotten

There are rare times in hospice when I get to spend many months with a patient.  There are also times when I really connect with a patient.  "Marge" was just such a patient.  I met her for the first time on her birthday.  I should have known then, that this was going to be a special relationship.  I saw Marge every week from February until late October.  She had a health scare early in the summer and I sneaked in some extra visits with her.  I would just sit and hold her hand with my eyes closed.  She said that it felt comforting just to know that she wasn't alone.  On good days we would talk about her late husband, their travels, the war (WWII), her boys, my boys, and flowers.  She loved all of those things so much, and we laughed and cried countless times.  She was a special lady, who always had a smile and a wink for me upon arrival and departure.  Sadly she passed away at the end of October.  I already miss  her, and mourn the loss of such a dear friend in my life.  I feel so blessed to get to work in hospice and feel doubly blessed that hospice brought me this wonderful friend Marge. 

National Eagle Center Wabasha MN

Well, my laptop died and with it all of my log ins and information.  I haven't posted in ages.  It was paralyzing but I prevailed!

Last weekend I took a drive South on beautiful highway 61 to Wabasha MN.  I visited the National Eagle Center there and spent several hours trying to take in as much information as possible about this stunning creature! I asked a stranger to take my photo with a live eagle.  This is Harriet.  She was injured when she was leaving the nest, and she cannot fly.  She weighs about 20 lbs and is very friendly since she has spent most of her life at the Center.  It was a magical day for me to bond with a bird that has always seemed so rare and powerful to me.  I found it worth every bit of the 2.5 hour drive, and I plan to go back this winter to see the population swell outside where the Mississippi stays open all winter.  The eagles ride the ice floes and feed off of dead fish that rise with the currents.  What a great day!