This makes me think... about the gift of one's nature...

Fish cannot drown in the water,
Birds cannot sink in the air,
Gold cannot perish
In the refiner's fire.


This has God given to all creatures
To foster and see their own nature,
How then can I withstand mine?


I must to God--
My father through nature,
my brother through humanity,
My bridegroom through love,
His am I forever!


Think ye that fire must utterly slay my soul?
NAY! Love can both fiercely scorch
And tenderly love and console.

--Mechthild of Magdeberg
(1210-1297)

Among Women #86- Spirituality and Creativity

Among Women 86 celebrates the gift of creativity and its integration within the spiritual life.  Come join me for a very engaging discussion with author Vinita Hampton Wright as we tackle the subjects of being intentionally creative in life, and discover the beauty of the imagination and its place in our life with God. Together we unpack some of the themes found in Vinita's books The Soul Tells a Story, Engaging Creativity with Spirituality in the Writing Life and Days of Deepening Friendship: For the Woman who Wants an Authentic Life with God.

Also in this episode, a reading from St Therese of Lisieux.

Would you like to have your voice be heard on Among Women?  Pat is planning the next AW Special Edition on the Bible.  Write or call Pat with your favorite bible verses and a brief description as to why it is meaningful for you.  Email Pat at amongwomenpodcast@me.com or send your voice feedback to 206-203-2024. (Please note this new number for 2011.)

This makes me think... "this autumn day...."

God's World

by Edna St. Vincent Millay

(1892-1950)

O world, I cannot hold thee close enough! 

   Thy winds, thy wide grey skies!

Thy mists, that roll and rise!

Thy woods, this autumn day, that ache and sag

And all by cry with color! That gaunt crag

To crush! To lift the lean of that black bluff!

 

World, World, I cannot get thee close enough!

Long have I known a glory in it all,

   But never knew I this:

   

 Here is such a passion is

As stretcheth me apart, -- Lord, I do fear

Thou'st made the world too beautiful this year;

My soul is all but out of me,-- let fall

No burning leaf; prithee, let no bird call.

~~~~~~~~~~~

To those of you who listen to the Among Women Podcast, I thought I'd treat you to some of the last autumn images that we have around these parts before all the leaves fall.

The photos above and below were taken by my handy little iPhone camera during one of my many walks down our country lane... over to the horse farms and back.

And yes, I really do live down a country lane in New England.

yes, that's the sky's reflection in a little pond...

Granite stone walls are a fixture everywhere here.

Have a beautiful day, wherever YOU are in God's world!

I'm at Faith & Family today, talking about creation...

and how creation is God's first step toward us in an on-going relationship. Like the first movement in a cosmic symphony, creation establishes God's love song in our hearts.... Read more here.