May Morning Haiku

After a long winter, each bit of spring brings gratitude. Does mindfulness open us to be more grateful? What do you think? 

May Morning

Window sash lifted

rain's syncopated rhythm

lilac-scented breeze

Find a Bit of Beauty...Happy Spring

Even if the ground is still snow covered here in New England, there is hope and renewal in the air. Find a bit of beauty today and share it. Happy Spring to all.

Find a Bit of Beauty...Countdown to Spring #1

Moving toward spring....bird songs and sunshine despite bring 28 degrees 

Find a Bit of Beauty...Countdown to Spring #2

Springtime in Paris (exactly five years ago), I can almost smell the flowers. Lesson learned -- flowers are a necessity not a luxury.

Find a Bit of Beauty...Countdown to Spring #3

Wishing on 4 leaf clover today....lucky?

Find a Bit of Beauty...Countdown to Spring #4

A stained glass butterfly...a harbinger of warmer weather and sunshine? 

Find a Bit of Beauty...Countdown to Spring #5

Kaleidoscope of carrots...jewel-like tones make me smile as I wait for spring

 

Find a Bit of Beauty...Countdown to Spring #6

Rainy days are made for rediscovering and examining closely some old treasures like this antique belt buckle...my bit of beauty today

Find a bit of Beauty...Countdown to Spring #7

The appearance of bricks and moss, long covered under snow, was beautiful to me today.  This soft green moss had been biding its time beneath the blanket of snow, still green and growing despite being invisible to those of us seeing only white. Looking forward to finding other awakenings as winter recedes.

Find a Bit of Beauty...Countdown to Spring #9

Continuing the countdown to spring with an image of the petals of a white hyacinth on my kitchen counter. Teasing me with its fragrance as snow covers the ground.

#9 Hyacinth Closeup 

Renewal

"Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe filled with slush"~ Doug Larson

For those of us in the Northeast (and other areas of the country too, I hear) it has seemed like a never-ending winter...days of bitter cold and snow followed by more bitter cold and snow. But now the hint that spring may be on its way...a few blades of grass have become visible under the graying snowbanks. Somehow the turning of the calendar to March leads us to shift ourselves to the possibility of renewal.  The promise of spring, with later sunsets, birds songs in the morning, crocuses bravely waking up from their winter slumber to meet the sun, are all reminders of the impermanence of nature and even with a shoe full of slush there is reason to take a breath and be grateful for renewals.

Musings on Life, Death and Springtime

This is the season when the ground swells with new life, trees burst forth with magnificent blossoms and the earth seems to come alive once more.  I am struck by this dichotomy more acutely than usual this year: As I breathe in the sweet fragrances of April, I am also preparing for a journey to Arizona to help my mother prepare for the burial of my stepfather.  The yin and yang of life -- birth and death, always teetering in some sort of cosmic balance.  

I often wonder; would the spring be less exciting and glorious if we never had winter?  Do we somehow need the reminder of life's fragility and impermanence to treasure the innate beauty of the present moment?  

And so, as the musing continues, I am filled with gratitude for the wake-up call I receive each spring when I am renewed with awe and wonder.

Spring Haiku

How can we not be mindful during spring????  A haiku quickly formed in my mind as I noticed the exquisite display of blossoms this week...

Spring Haiku


Clear pink plum blossoms
Outside my office window
Awakening spring

What is your seasonal haiku?  Please share a haiku with me on my blog (a haiku is a seventeen syllable poem of three lines, first line 5 syllables, second line 7 syllables, third line 5 syllables)