This one focused on water, love the sparkles in the top left and the barely visible motion rings in the water.
Looking up at the tree above me.
The last three mornings the song, "Down in the River to Pray" played repeatedly in my mind as I woke. It would play mostly in the morning but would return throughout the day becoming stronger and stronger each morning. It felt like a message, I knew I needed to take a walk down to the river. While there I stood in the sunlight resting against a large textured tree with deep grooves in the bark, perfect for scratching the back of a bear. I let myself ground to the earth through this tree. As I stood there feeling the enormous power of the Earth in so many life forms around me, I focused on the sun dancing in the river around the shadows of the trees on the opposite bank. Looking up the tiny twigs sparkled as a squirrel ran across a tight rope of thin branches overhead. I stood there wondering what it was I was to pray for, what was I there to do besides enjoy Mother Nature at her finest? Not a person who has really ever prayed I was somewhat at a loss. So I stood in a meditative state just noticing.
It wasn't until this morning that I discovered that February 1st, yesterday, was the day that people were forming all over the world to pray for the Syrians. I was so disappointed to learn that instead of praying for the people on the planet that most needed it I was looking at my own life. Feeling regret that I missed it, I hoped that some of my quiet meditative moments by the river were happening at the same time as this huge event. After all, what is prayer if not a focused meditation?? I remembered seeing the "pray for the Syrians" on a facebook post, but it wasn't something I latched on to, in fact, I barely let it register and didn't even take the time to read it until the recollection came back to me today. I am working to live a more conscious life and then I let a busy day get in the way and let something like this slip by me, it is disappointing. But, holding on to something I recently read, "humans are the only creatures on the planet that beat themselves up for things that happened years ago" I will let this go; take it for what it is, a lesson to keep the focus on others, beyond self and my little world to the larger picture..... thus, the larger picture :)
