Take a Hike Ike

Today I am grateful, ever so grateful, that I no longer live in
Clear Lake (Houston), Texas.
Tonight they are in the path of Hurricane Ike, and I am here, in Gastonia, North Carolina, listening to a pleasant, and much needed, gentle rain, and looking forward to a morning run tomorrow where the HIGH is suppose to be 75 degrees.

14 years of hurricanes was enough for me.

For all my friends back in H-town:
may your evac be swift,
and even more swiftly followed by
a wet ale, and a wee dram,
under a warm roof.

Bless.

Walking in the Woods

Image by ~jjjohn~ via Flickr This morning, as I was walking through the woods, I was filled with such gratitude for Mother Nature and all her offerings. The air was cool and a breeze stirred my skin as it shuffled the leaves above. I stopped on the iron bridge that lies about half-way along my regular walking path. There was the most amazing convergence of sound: the running of water over smooth stones, birds, some sort of cricket-like chirping, the occasional tussle of a couple of squirrels up above me. The morning light was sparkling like amber jewels in the water. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I stood there in awe and gratitude for the day and this beautiful world, and the sacred life of each small thing.