Total Solar Eclipse 2017--by the shadow of the moon

By the shadow of the moon, we contemplate the sun....

It was amazing, spectacular, miraculous and worth every mile of driving to get there. Pete, our son, Luke, and I drove to Grand Island, Nebraska to view the Total Solar Eclipse on August 21st. I was able to take many pictures with my little camera and here are the results.

The experience was magical at times. As the moon reached the halfway mark, we began to notice that we didn't feel the full heat of the sun anymore. It was weird to be in the sun but not hot. Later, as the darkness gradually came, our eyes felt like they were fooling us. It was day light but yet not bright and no storm in sight.

We had the perfect weather, mostly sunny with wispy angel clouds floating by. This provided the perfect stage for a rainbow circle around the sun (aka Sun Dog), which lasted for about twenty minutes. When the eclipse was about 75%, a flock of about twenty white pelicans flew over the park where we watched, heralding the coming darkness. And right as the moment of Total Eclipse arrived, three dragonflies appeared over our heads and sat in the tree above us.

The darkness was like right after sunset, with the feeling that God was playing with the dimmer switch. overall, it was a peaceful and gorgeous spectacle. I am so grateful to have been able to go and see it. Here is a little movie of the progression. [note: there is NO SOUND in this video]

May you find the light in your darkness!

just jules

A NEW YEAR'S INVITATION

(photo: dawn on my street on winter solstice)

A NEW YEAR'S INVITATION

A new year has come

and your are invited to the feast of

another 365 days of living

a buffet of flavors and seasons

Love, humor, color, and more

Come taste the life offered to you

Open your ears to the music

your eyes to the beauty

your heart to the possibilities

A new year has come and you are invited

to live life to its fullest

to be who you are

may 2017 be your best year yet!

~Jules

One Week

Sunday

peaceful sun dancing through the leaves
providing a laser show on my wall
early paddles splashing across the lake
wisdom and song and hearts shared
through the ritual of spiritual community
family time, home time, 
a campfire song fest for the 21st century
friend time, community time
Sunday (9/7/14)

Monday
cold gray gloomy day
the alarm of tasks unfinished wakes me
somber stillness outside
hyper vigilant multitasking dragonflies
flitting about my brain inside
focus and produce is the goal
yesterday's hours with a friend were too short
today's hours of work seem too long
Monday (9/8/14)

Tuesday
an obscure day of the week
not the beginning nor the hump, 
nor the celebrated end
just an in between place
where all is not lost and all is not found
where time seems to stall 
the clouds and rain seem to know 
so I'll tempt the chiropractor to fix the kinks
lunch on the sunshine of friendship
then jump back into the fray and take my chances
the gray continues with a threat of blessing
Tuesday  (9/9/14)

Wednesday 
hump implies that we climbed up 
and now we are going to slide down, easily
although i am doubting the "easy"
but perhaps it is a camel's hump or a Brahman cow
perhaps hump means this is where the reserves are
maybe today holds the extra something
that we need to get through the rest of the week
I'm going to look under ever seat cushion
and up in every tree
I bet I'll find that extra something somewhere
Wednesday (9/10/14)

Thursday 
almost there
excited spirits lifted
like the pink at sunrise
amid the breaking clouds
there is something so wonderful
about almost reaching the end
hope rises for a moment over coffee
or early happy hours at the local tavern
plans are being made for the fun ahead
is my attention span so small for the week?
the phone rings, the timer beeps
there is still work to be done
so I'm diving back in
resolving
sigh
Thursday (9/11/14)

  

Friday
Finally! Right?
the day God gets the most kudos for
because we say our work week ends here
but now that it's here am I satisfied?
I feel a slight shift in pressure
from getting work done 
to being able to have a good time
often forgetting to plan for my fun
and within that failure
is the gift of a quiet evening
with my beloved
by the fire
Friday (9/12/14)

Saturday 
sleep in? not me
wake up early
for a long day of rest
or gettin' chores done
or going to events
it's the day many get to be
for better or worse
their own boss
like it or not
you can't do it all
on this one day
so hope this time around
it was fun
Saturday 9/13/14

Epilogue
Every day is another 24 hours

to notice, to ponder, to wander

to give and take

to love and forgive

to connect and cherish each other

to celebrate the life you have

to dream of delight and flowers

sing another song, dance another jig

Every day is hello and goodbye

YES and Oops! and oh Well!

and THANK YOU!

Everyday--Gratitude

~take care, Jules

THIS NEW DAY

Monday, October 14, 2013

I LOVE mornings! This is something that I inherited from my parents. I know this because the few times I've had reunions with my siblings, all of us have been awake and drinking tea by 7:30 am. and this is in spite of the fact that they are much older than me so we weren't growing up in the same decade. Of course, with mom and dad it was coffee but the same idea. My dad would often start his day with reading his Bible. Little did I know then, that he too had a contemplative nature. He was a pastor and often preached about the dailiness of the spiritual life. He would say that each day we were born anew to begin again with a fresh and clean slate. So no matter what had passed the day before, it was forgiven and gone. And I felt that. Generally speaking, Mom and Dad did not hold grudges. They held worries but not grudges. We were forgiven and life moved on. I think that's part of why I love mornings so much. Each day is a new beginning. 

Certainly, this does not make me lovable to all those who crawled out of bed grudgingly this morning. I know that some of you have so much pain in your body, the idea of moving in the morning is a daunting thing. I know that some of you will start this day starving for sleep that you were unable to embrace for any number of reasons. I know that some of you are carrying such grief or trauma, another day of carrying on also seems more of a challenge than any move can muster. Even I have sore, plantarfaciitus/arthritic feet that scream when I first step on them in the morning. I too have concerns and a to-do list that are bigger than this day. Each person carries a load with them. Life can be hard and another day of it can seem impossible.

Still, I invite you to consider that this new day has new possibilities. I invite you to consider that yesterday's mistakes and guffaws really are forgiven, that no grudge is being held against you. You are free to begin again in whatever small or large way you can. And you are loved and adored even if today all you do is just sit and listen to music or watch the leaves fall. 

I invite you to consider that this day is your precious gift and you are one of this day's precious gifts. Not only are you enough for this day, you are also a gift to this day. For sure you are one of the gifts of my day.

so just breathe. 

I am grateful you are here. Thank you.

And, thanks for reading.

love, jules