Give Away.... Mary Sarton

" I would like to believe when I die that I have given myself away like a tree that sows seeds every spring and never counts the loss, because it is not loss, it is adding to future life. It's the tree's way of being . Strongly rooted perhaps, but spilling out it's treasure on the wind. "

~Mary Sarton

(Thanks, Deb)

Howard and Honey

“It came to me that every time I lose a dog they take a piece of my heart with
them. And every new dog who comes into my life, gifts me with a piece of their
heart. If I live long enough, all the components of my heart will be dog, and I
will become as generous and loving as they are.”

~Unknown

Praying.... Mary Oliver

Praying

It doesn’t have to be
the blue iris, it could be
weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
small stones; just
pay attention, then patch

a few words together and don’t try
to make them elaborate, this isn’t
a contest but the doorway

into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak.

~Mary Oliver

Love.... Anatole France

Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." - Anatole France


(This is my neighbor Pim and her dog Pepper who is old and likes being outside. He sits on his back porch often and I watch him watching the night from my bed. He obviously wanted to just lay down and enjoy the day, and she stood there for the longest time so that he could.

Growth.... Anais Nin

We do not grow absolutely, chronologically. We grow sometimes in one dimension, and not in another; unevenly. We grow partially. We are relative. We are mature in one realm, childish in another. The past, present and future mingle and pull us backward, forward, or fix us in the present. We are made up of layers, cells, constellations.
~Anais Nin

(Last night as I was trying to sleep, I looked out the window and sat straight up. Here along the lake we see stars more often than most people in Chicago, but... framed perfectly by the window and bright as diamonds was the Big Dipper. There are just some gifts that take center stage...)