Dear Reader,
Today is a busy day in the heavens! Not only is there a full moon today, it is a strawberry full moon. No, that doesn’t mean the moon will be red; apparently the Algonquin Indians gave this moon the name to signal the start of strawberry picking season.
And, not only is there a strawberry full moon today, but today is also the summer solstice, happening, as I write this post, in a few minutes. Today is the day containing the most light of the year here in the Northern Hemisphere.
I do love this day.
Right now, I am watching the early evening light spill into our little lake from the West. I love the fact that this day holds the most light of the year, and I enjoy the fullness the abundance of light brings to our little twenty-four hour slice of calendar. I also love the reminder that the planet is still spinning, and still circling the sun, which is also still whizzing through space. Nature is the greatest calendar of all.
Nature is also the easiest way to marvel at life. Feeling down, and need to shift your mood? Look out the window at the sky, and see what’s going on. Stop everything, and listen to the sound of rain on the roof. Take a moment, and feel the radiance of the summer heat on your skin.
Even though we don’t reach the halfway point of the calendar year until July First, today feels like the organic halfway point to me, when we turn the corner from light advancing to light dissipating.
It is natural for me on this day to look back at what unfolded so far this year and wonder at what lies ahead, for myself individually and for all of us as a society.
Today, I invite you to do the same.
For me, this year so far has been a wild ride, mostly in terms of health. I opened the year with a detached retina, followed soon after by a trip to the emergency room for stomach pain, and most recently in May, culminating with open heart surgery!
As far as I am concerned, it all has turned out well.
I got excellent care for my eye, and my sight is almost back to normal. The stomach pain turned out to be nothing. And the heart surgery (valve repair) was very successful, as is my recovery, now in its sixth week.
But I sure am still processing all of my experiences, and making meaning of everything that has happened so far in 2016 – even as I look forward and wonder about all the opportunity still ahead for this year.
Let us take no days for granted, dear reader, and let us marvel at the beauty in each and every day, no matter how ordinary it appears at first glimpse. We don’t need a day filled with light to experience simple joy, and we don’t need a challenging life event to be reminded that every day is precious.
All we need to do is pay attention.
I honor your loving heart,
John
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