Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. ~Anne Lamott There is a certain little world that exists in Merlin’s Garden. It seems untouched by the world in which it lives. There is the unrest in Iraq. … [Read more...]

If we look closely along the journey of our lives, we might identify moments of divine intervention. Interpretations can cross all faiths. How or why these moments come about, I do not fully understand. I just know they can be answers to or reminders of powerful pleas or … [Read more...]

Today I went on a series of journeys to respond to my growing love of painting. Between art supplies and plants I have a challenge with stuff (however illuminating that stuff is!) just like my husband has with cars and clocks. I was impatient to get home and begin exploring my … [Read more...]

Aeoniums are monocarpic, meaning they have “one body”. They grow, make flowers, produce seeds, and die. It’s a beautiful method of flowering.  It is also a manner of describing life. I love the Aeonium.  They are Merlin’s plants and they dot the landscape of our southwest … [Read more...]

    Life is amazing.  Live it to the fullest.  Stay as long as you can.  Valerie Harper                  Today I transformed an old pie safe with paint and images of those that bless my life daily -- hummingbirds and flowers.  If I played it safe, I would never have … [Read more...]

Cover the canvas at the first go, then work at it until you see nothing more to add.  Camille Pissarro  There is a certain terror that can arise when faced with a blank slate.  It could be your life plan before you, or lack thereof, or a small, but very real work challenge.  … [Read more...]

“The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof.” ― Richard Bach, Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah I sat across the table from my beautiful … [Read more...]

Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a  help.  Gardening is an instrument of grace.  May Sarton I had the gift today of spending time in the garden.  Hours actually, pulling weeds, pruning shrubs and … [Read more...]

                This past summer, I drove along the roads of Whidbey Island in the Northwest and spotted a sign for a private lane that said Pray Lane.  I circled back and took a picture, certain, at some point, I would consider this fork in the road, however accidental, if you … [Read more...]

“With age, gone are the forevers of youth. Gone is the willingness to procrastinate, delay, to play the waiting game. Now each day is a treasure beyond compare . . . because there are so few such diadems left.” ― Joe L. Wheeler I have a friend who is a truly beautiful woman.  … [Read more...]