We run three bird restaurants at our house. We placed them as close as possible to windows, so we always have a clear view of the endless stream of the many kinds of birds that come to dine. While I watch the birds through the window, I often carry on conversations with them, although probably [...]
To do great work a man must be very idle as well as very industrious. — Samuel Butler In front of me, the clouds swirled patterns of multiple shades of gray like a watercolor on canvas. Behind me, wisps of gray were taking over the white clouds in the blue sky. Around my feet the [...]
At our resent Shift Gathering Retreat, Del had the members of the group sit outside for about fifty minutes every day. Their task was to be still in nature, and to note what they saw, felt, smelled, and touched. In addition, they were to notice where they were sitting within the bigger landscape. Each person [...]
So sayeth the birds, animals, insects, and plants of nature. All nature not only knows this truth, but also lives it. We are different. We may know this truth, but we rarely live it. Instead, we pride ourselves on being able to do anything, and everything. When we are young, it’s good to know we [...]
They walked right through my screen door. I assured them I had done it myself, and I knew how to fix it. It’s a retractable screen door. This means that instead of stopping forward progress as a regular screen door would, it pops out of its tracks, and before you know it, you are on [...]
I love the idea of making the right thing easy, and the wrong thing hard. It’s simple, and at the same time has layers and layers of meanings. I first heard a horse trainer use it, but since we are always training our human minds, it is a perfect idea for us too. The obvious [...]
Have you ever stood in an empty football stadium? It is an awe-inspiring experience to stand in that huge open space. A space just waiting to be filled, a space with a complete understanding of its purpose, a space perfectly designed to fulfill that purpose. I had this experience during my high school reunion when [...]
One night I dreamed about a mouse. That’s all I remembered about the dream – a mouse telling me, “One thing at a time.” Del, with his years of nature and American Indian study, shared the meaning of mouse with me. It turns out that one thing at a time is exactly what a mouse [...]
I was walking a path in the woods. The trees came up to the edge of the path so I could only see a few yards in front of me as the path twisted and turned. As I walked, I noticed the strangest thing. If I thought of a chipmunk, it would run down the [...]
We know the story. A man named Jesus, while dying on a cross, said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”* It astonished those who heard him speak. They expected him to speak words of condemnation, and he did not. That is amazing, especially when we think how difficult it can sometimes [...]
BECA LEWIS coaches, teaches, writes blogs and books, plays with art, and is addicted to reading. She lives in Ohio with her husband and has kids and grandkids scattered across the country.
54 queries in 0.164731 seconds.