Opening reading (from a chant)

Sun, Moon, Earth, Infinity, I am that which I belong to and contain.  Aligning with energy (sun), receptivity (moon), grounding/rootedness (earth), and connecting upward and outward with universal healing (infinity).  Honoring the all-encompassing Thou.  A vibration of merger.  I honor the divine love and wisdom that is woven around me and contained within me.

— Opening meditation chosen and read by Amy W.

Meditating on the many shapes and colors in the children’s garden.  A wonderfully quiet  and peaceful reflection time. 

— Photo and reflection by Jill W.

As I walked the waterlogged spit of land along the river, the word holding came to me.  Marsh grass holds an untold number of species, singing, unseen. Sky holds space for birds flying solo and in formations.  A caladium leaf cradles dewdrops sparkling like diamonds and bearing rainbows!  Trees hold the possibility and finale of leaves.  The ground holds what grows from roots, and fallen mossy limbs, and bulbs holding life until a new stage is ready to emerge. Some of what holds also frees.

I walk toward the woods and spot black walnuts at my feet.  I am a child again, excited to pick alongside my family bushels of fallen nuts whose meats weeks later would be added to cookies and popcorn balls.  We believed the effort was worth it, year after year.  I bent down and picked up three, held them in my hand as I walked awhile.  Do I really want now to undertake the shelling, the stained hands, the careful extracting of bits of edible?  I laid the green hulls down; a nest of Spanish moss would hold them for hungry squirrels.  Holding and freeing.  Yes, even memories and choices, woven around and contained within me.

— Photos and reflection by Amy W.

When I Walk in Wonder I have my trusty phone to help me capture the beauty and wonder I encounter. I do love to take these photos! Today, I accidentally left my phone at home, so I was forced to reimagine my journey through the wonder-filled gardens. Throughout my walk I had an overwhelming sense of peace and tranquility… it was a serenity I had not felt in some time. Instead of my camera to document my walk, I found myself stopping occasionally for a minute or two to deeply observe and encounter those things around me… moss covered trees against the blue sky… reeds in the marsh… peace all around. I can still envision those places where I took the time to pause and look closely… very closely. I didn’t need the camera for these intimate encounters.

— Reflection by Nancy L.