BEAUTY 
is the harvest of presence, the evanescent moment of seeing or hearing on the outside what already lives far inside us; the eyes, the ears or the imagination suddenly become a bridge between the here and the there, between then and now, between the inside and the outside; beauty is the conversation between what we think is happening outside in the world and what is just about to occur far inside.
Beauty is an achieved state of both deep attention and self-forgetting; the self forgetting of seeing, hearing, smelling or touching that erases our separation, our distance, our fear of the other. Beauty invites us, through entrancement, to that fearful, frontier between what we think makes us; and what we think makes the world. Beauty is almost always found in symmetries and intriguing asymmetries: the symmetries and asymmetries seen out in creation, the wings of the moth, the airy sky and the solid earth, the restful, focused eyes of a loving face in which we see our own self reflected: the symmetry also, therefore, of bringing together inner and outer recognitions, the far horizon of otherness seen in that face joined to the deep inner horizon of our own being. Beauty is an inner and an outer complexion living in one face.
Beauty is the meeting of time with the timeless; the passing moment framed by what has happened and what is about to occur, the scattering of the first spring apple blossom, the turning, spiraling flight of a curled leaf in the falling light; the smoothing of white sun-filled sheets by careful hands setting them to air on a line, the broad expanse of cotton filled by the breeze only for a moment, the sheets sailing on into dryness, billowing toward a future that is always beckoning, always just beyond us. Beauty is the harvest of presence.

‘BEAUTY’ by David Whyte
From CONSOLATIONS:
The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words, Many Rivers Press

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One of the Wonders of Walking the beach at sunrise looking for turtle tracks is the added blessings God sends you like this beautiful rainbow! He also sends miraculous cloud formations of all colors and gentle breezes that keep the “no-see-ums” at bay and keeps you from melting in the early morning heat we’ve had this summer! Every time I walk, there is something WONDERFUL just waiting for me to find! And since Mike can’t walk on the soft sand any longer, I always try to find him a special seashell for a “prize” when I get home! I always end my walk with a prayer of Thanksgiving for the gift of the new day and the Wonders He’s shown me!

Photo and reflection by Kay P.

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The House of Belonging, David Whyte

“I awoke

this morning

in the gold light

turning this way

and that

thinking for

a moment

it was one

day

like any other.”

It was Friday August 12th, and friends joined at 4am at the South end of Pawleys to watch the Perseid meteor shower. We laid on our blankets on the sand, and tried to take in the whole of the sky, lighted only with constellations. It was breathtaking, humbling, awesome in the truest sense of the term. I couldn’t help but count—41 shooting stars before the first hint of light on the horizon shifted the view. I realized in over sixty years, I have never seen this first light on the beach, never awake to hear the first bird call of the morning, feel the earliest swarm of gnats. The clouds had moved in, drizzled as we drove home. Then a partial rainbow appeared over my house, and from my backyard, a sunrise to remember. Not a day like any other, for sure, and I was awake to notice!

Photo and reflection by Amy W.

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WONDER in Alaska!! We were told that 70% of the people who go to see Denali don’t get to see it because it’s so high- over 20,000 ft- it has its own weather system and is usually covered in clouds & mist. But on the morning of June 14th the sun was shining brightly on the majestic mountain – and not a cloud in the beautiful blue sky! We were truly blessed!
AND, if you do see it you get to be a member of The 30% Club!! So I got Mike a T-shirt that says”I saw the mountain and am a member of the 30% Club!!”
GOD IS GOOD!!!

Photo and reflection by Kay P.

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A summer trip to the Pacific Northwest included a visit to Victoria, British Columbia and the incredible Butchart Gardens… wonder and beauty everywhere! We arrived as the gardens opened, so we were fortunate to really be able to Walk in Wonder before the big crowds arrived. The natural beauty, combined with the carefully tended plantings provided magnificence and awe around every corner! I was particularly drawn to the “Sunken Garden” — reimagined in what had been an abandoned stone quarry. The colors, textures, shapes, contrasts, and smells were a wonder filled assault of the senses! The beauty was overwhelming! I was full of gratitude and pure joy for the gift of this phenomenal and magical place!

Photo and reflection by Nancy L.