Mystical Mondays: entering the world of Hafiz

a striped rose that blesses my
unfolding years

How have you been encouraged?  

Can you imagine not being called to bloom with the roses?

Do you know I hope to see it?

How Did The Rose?

How

did the Rose

ever open its heart

and give to this world all of its beauty?

It felt the encouragement of light against its being,

otherwise we all remain too

frightened.

by Hafiz

from:

Translations by Daniel Ladinsky

Of quarks and atoms and morels

The other week Mosaic Woman and I heard a story on NPR about quark ... So she made it. Today as I stayed in the booth at the Lansdale farmers market, she walked home with ingredients to keep me out of restaurants and in the kitchen. Including the first time morels entered our house. So quark and morel... Simple and elegant.

Mosaic Woman found me this article on quark which claims those mysterious particles that come together to form protons and such, were named after the substance in my dinner. Now how cool is that.

Wordlessly adding a border to the squares

became...

Drawing Cards again and again

warm collection of cards
by
Wayne Stratz

My Lenten practice of drawing cards has led to new directions besides my surprise gifts at work.  Mosaic Woman has printed out the names and addresses of the 144 people, who not only gave us their e-mails but also provided things like their house number and zip code.  And there I go counting by 21's again and sending out surprise gifts  from the local post office.  Want to be on the list... sign up here (form is on the right above the floating testimonials).

At a recent craft show a friend showed up and wondered why I had shown up with none of my cards for sale.  So moving in that direction I decided to place something on etsy.  Do you know someone who could use one of my cards of hope or joy or love or peace?

... check out my listing and I will draw one especially with them in mind and spirit.

Wordlessly viewing the Water Gallery in Lansdale

Glass by John Hurd Jones.

Knight Fever by Ilene Pearlman.

Visionary Fusion Vessel by Aaron Wiener.

Thick as Thieves Jewelry

Ceramic by Young Kang

Pottery by Nicole Dubrow

Bette Conway Jewelry

Rainbow Starflower Mandala by Nutmeg Designs.

In Blooming Thunder by Carol Shearon.

Believe, a commission of celebration

Collaboration Mosaic
Margaret Almon and Wayne Stratz

Updates sounded better.

then Months

The opposite of hope is despair.  

Saturday evening as the band paused between songs, 

I leaned toward the young woman.

"How are you?"

Healing,

Fueled by positive medical reports,

Stronger.

We celebrated with her in-laws

 this piece.

Tears of joy.

Mystical Mondays ~ Darkness causes a deep ache

Translations by Daniel Ladinsky

Here is to the light of God...

Otherwise The Darkness

I 
have a cause.
We need those don't we?
Otherwise the darkness and the cold gets in
and everything starts to ache.


My Soul has a purpose
to love;


if I
do not fulfill
my heart's vocation
I suffer.

Meister Eckhart

Hanging with the Dianthus that is taking on the sidewalk

Man with Floppy Hat
photo by
Margaret Almon

Mystical Mondays ~ Breathe With Wisdom

Translations by Daniel Ladinsky

from Capax Universi

...

The Earth Inhales God, why

should we not do

the same

...

Meister Eckhart

Collaboration mosaic by
Margaret Almon and Wayne Stratz 

Meeting a tree

Longwood Gardens, where a Beech helped me to stretch.
photo by Margaret Almon

The woman ducks into the tree.  Yes, that is what happened.  I was in the land of silence for a day and as I emerged from the Jesuit Center I saw a woman gently move the weeping branches so that she could venture into the tree.

How many times have I not looked closely at this wonderful tree I ask myself?  As I walk by the tree, I see the woman has climbed it.   I note this as marvelous and keep walking.  As I return the woman is emerging from the tree and I am moved to not be silent.  I approach her, apologize for my lack of silence, and thank her for introducing me to the tree.  It is clear that she loves the tree.

I draw a card for the woman who ducks into trees.  I include our business car so that she can connect if she so desires.

The next morning I duck into the tree.  Weeks pass.

I got an e-mail from the woman who ducks into trees and it inspired me to put together a set of photos of some trees I have met along the way.  Some are at Wernersville (I did not have my camera to take a photo of the weeping tree, but I will be back), many are Dogwoods, but not the one that graced my front yard when I was a child and teen.  But Dogwoods surround me.  My neighbor's stretches out to me when I walk down my porch steps.  At work one is the centerpiece of the largest flower garden my students and I maintain, and at church one greets me whenever I walk down the block.

Feel free to introduce me to a tree.  It makes my day more splendid.

2012, the year of the pizza

This is not from tonight, but from the
land of pizza past

tonight the 16th and 17th friends came over for pizza

This is a celebration.