As we come to the end of our nature theme, I’m thinking so much of all of you. I’m so curious who you are and what’s been happening in your hearts as you’ve been reading here this month.
I had no idea going in that an earthquake and tsunami would so shake our world. No idea how grateful and tender I’d feel toward everyone seeking hope and trust in their wake.
I’ve been pushed to listen more deeply than I usually do to the lessons of nature around me – not only the ones taught by its peaceful states, but by those in its tumult: its disasters, both human-initiated and not.
I keep thinking about Christine’s words about winter calling us deeper into unknowing, about Carol’s call to slow down (slow down, slow down…), about my own heart’s call to step further into the wilds of my life and to honor each season I find there without constant comparisons with others’. Your comments in response to that seasons post have sent my thoughts in so many helpful directions!
It’s been a month of much growth for me and I’m so grateful for this space and for your presence with me in it!
But what about you? What’s happened in your relationship with nature this month? What pulse do you have on the growth of your trust?
Comments are wide open for anything you’d like to share.
Everything Belongs
Seasons are universal. Treat yours uniquely.
Dear sister Kristin,
As the weather moves to Iowa Spring, I am grateful. Thanks for your sketches and thoughts that have been so enriching, Kristin.
Most often, I take in your work, sit back and have a tiniest moment of sigh before moving into my the daily round.
Whereas in some seasons I choose to be in the thick of study with tons of words, the past few weeks have been a wonderfully word-sparse time with your material.
Thank you!
Comment by richard — March 30, 2011 @ 8:22 amRichard, thank you. I love the image of that moment of sigh. I’m so glad to know you’re here.
Comment by Kristin Noelle — March 30, 2011 @ 8:30 amHi Kristin,
My name is Kay and I am a writer and editor living in Seattle, WA. I’m contemplative by nature and am always looking for kindred spirits on the information superhighway. I’m in the midst of starting my own online writing adventure and look to yours for courage and inspiration.
I enjoy how you cover the darkness and the light, always taking care to be tender in the process. And your illustrations are gorgeous.
Thanks for what you do.
Comment by Kay — March 30, 2011 @ 11:53 amKay, I’m delighted to meet you! I hope I get to visit your writing someday, too. Thank you for your introductions and your kindness.
Comment by Kristin — March 30, 2011 @ 11:56 amKristin,
Years ago I stumbled across, read (and loved) your blog. By chance (or fate) I found you again, and I am so thankful. Welcome back.
I have been sitting on the word bloom since your seasons post. I even had to look it up in the dictionary to make sure I knew what bloom meant. I didn’t. I thought it was a place, somewhere you arrived. But it’s not, it’s a state, a time of being. And then I realized I have been in bloom many times in my life. That gives me hope that I can be in bloom many more times in my life.
Thank you very much
Comment by Renee — March 30, 2011 @ 2:27 pmRenee – Wow! How fun to have someone know the other chapter of my blog!
And why is the very definition of blooming striking me so strongly in your words? The cycle of it, the regular return of it, seems so hopeful in this moment. Thank you!
Comment by Kristin — March 30, 2011 @ 2:45 pmI’m an Abbey of the Arts follower and found your site via your interview with Christine which she mentioned on her website. I love your open, caring communication and the depth with which you have and are continuing to examine your feelings. You have shared some big truths this month on Nature!
I find that the cycling of seasons metaphor is important in my daily life. I need all 4 seasons every day to feel most balanced: time to be quiet and reflect, time to plant seeds of ideas, time to go full tilt with projects, and time to gather in abundance. Writing it down is so much easier than living it, tho!
Thanks for your writing and your insights.
Comment by Evelyn — March 30, 2011 @ 10:46 pmEvelyn
Evelyn, so glad to meet you! What a wonderful idea: each DAY needs all four seasons. That reminds me of the breathing exercise that Christine described in her interview, where each breath can be seen as completing that fourfold cycle. So love the idea of pulling back just this much further to see it in a day.
And yes, goodness. Far easier writing about it than living it! My fall truly needs to turn to winter right now and my self get into bed. :)
Thanks so much for being here.
Comment by Kristin — March 30, 2011 @ 11:10 pm