A Mystical Moment

Last Sunday afternoon I sat out on our small front porch engrossed in the book, “The Mystic Heart” by Wayne Teasdale. The humidity which has been brutal over these last weeks has taken a rest. The cloudless sky was my companion. I watched a dried, pale yellow leaf chatter across the pavement. I retrieved it for my altar as the first sign of fall. 

A Cherry Blossom tree we named Chloe shaded my perch. As I read my attention was drawn away as I noticed 5 – 6 Carolina Wrens flitting from branch to branch eating the aphids off the bark. They traversed the tree with ease and every now and then one would blurt a tweet. I was memorized watching these tiny noble creatures bend the branches with their landings as I could hear the flutter of their wings. While neighbors walked by with their thirsty dogs and the Amazon Prime truck chauffeured peoples’ packages, a whole hidden world was revealed. It is during these quiet hours of noticing nature when the doors of my monastery swing open. 

Mindful Tip:

Sit in a comfortable place outside in the shade.  Take a few deep breaths and feel your body settle.  Allow the mind which is so labored with endless thoughts to calm.  Then watch and listen as nature sings a prayer.