Category: Reflections On Sunrise

“It is better to travel well than to arrive.”
~ Buddha

The first few photographs of dawn this morning were spectacular, with brilliant red and white clouds against a bright blue backdrop. I thought surely one of these would be the photo for today … Couldn’t get much prettier.  But as I sat, and contemplated, amazingly, the sky gave way to the echos of my thoughts.  The arch in the clouds, became the pearly gates to heaven …

Yesterday, I had guests arriving here at the villa, so per usual, I loaded up my iPod with a couple of podcasts to listen to while I cleaned. I was intrigued by the title of the selection at Audio Dharma, entitled “Meeting the Heavenly Messengers.” I was grateful to listen, to get the thoughts of the Tryvone Martin case out of my head. I’m appalled at the media circus. read more

“Normally we do not like to think about death. We would rather think about life. Why reflect on death? When you start preparing for death you soon realize that you must look into your life … now … and come to face the truth of your self. Death is like a mirror in which the true meaning of life is reflected.” ~ Sogyal Rinpoche

Gosh, what a beautiful morning! It’s been a while since I had a difficult time choosing my photo. And I owe this little slice of heaven to Spencer, as I had fallen back into a slumber, and he nudged me a few minutes before the sun broke atop the horizon. read more

“Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunrise sky.”
~ Rabindranath Tagore, Indian poet

My internet is giving me problems this AM, so I sat longer than I normally might have, to give it some time to clear up (which it hasn’t) …

The clouds, filled with little rain showers, were so much fun to watch. First the sky was a deep red underneath the darkness. Then the sky filled with streaming light behind the clouds, until finally the sun came bursting through. I wasn’t quite expecting it, and it felt so warm … It made me smile and feel very happy and content inside. read more

“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.”
~ Dale Carnegie

It’s a beautiful clear morning here today, and I was happy to see the sun rising over the mountains of Jost Van Dyke. It allowed me to confirm that the sun is headed back in the other direction now. It’s gone as far North as it will go …

And just as the sky has cleared, so has much of that angst I’ve been experiencing. Life is truly a river. It ebbs and flows, often without much of our own “doing”.

Yesterday, as I was looking for that quote by Rilke, I opened my personal guidebook from 2009, which is when I first came across it. Opening this guidebook is always a very powerful exercise for me. It allows me to see where I’ve been, and how far I’ve come along the path. Inside my guidebook are one page business plans, budgets, to do lists, and my daily schedules. In the front section, however, are pieces of inspiration from that year: Photos, quotes, articles. read more

“Man cannot remake himself without suffering, for he is both the marble and the sculptor.”
~ Alexis Carrel

Out marched Chantal, and in marches the Sahara dust that was part of her demise, and hopefully the next series of waves coming off of Africa. It is one hazy day! And I can tell already that it is going to be a hot one !!!

Over the past few days, I’ve been noticing a steady, low level angst within myself. I sat with it for some time yesterday afternoon. Tropical storm season often prompts this, but usually, through yoga, I can work that angst through my system. Gabby’s still not back to her normal self. She’s acting weird, trembling and weak. There is this intuition telling me that something is the matter. It has me troubled. But what else? read more

“To the wrongs that need resistance, To the right that needs assistance, To the future in the distance, Give yourselves.”
~ Carrie Chapman Catt

I began tracking tropical storms in 1995, the year of our devastating Hurricane Marilyn, which came on the footsteps of Hurricane Luis. 1995 saw 21 named storms, and this year 2013, has the same naming sequence (outside of those names that have been retired). ’95 had a Chantal as well, which formed on July 12.

My friend & weatherman Dave McDermott called this Chantal “defiant!!”   “And a warning shot across our bow this season.” She didn’t leave even a drop of rain as of yet here on St. Thomas, but she has our defenses up early. Which is a good thing. read more