8. Day 20: The Speed Of Darkness
The sun set at 4:07 pm today. Even at noon the sun is low in the sky. There is just not lots of light compared to what I am used to in California, we are much farther north than I realized. This lack of light and early darkness is bringing an unexpected benefit. It slows us down even further. My husband is Australian and we often joke, even in California, that if a cloud passes in front of the sun he wilts or falls asleep. So when 4:30 pm rolls around and the sun has disappeared we automatically start slowing down and looking for the train home. Darkness is like silence for the eyes....
Read More8. Day 19: Silence & Simplicity
I love that I keep getting plenty of opportunity to extend love to Not-Knowing…….by not knowing how our holidays (or the afternoon) will unfold. It seems both completely unreal and completely natural that we are here, in London, living in a little cottage near Notting Hill Gate station. We buy groceries at Tesco, go to Boots for a new flat iron (I decided when mine burnt the handkerchief I was holding it with because it was so hot, it was time to go native) and we walk everywhere. Yet there are many times we feel displaced and unsure what we are doing here exactly. It is a...
Read More8. Day 18: Wonder, Marvel & Curiousity
It is more obvious, when you are away from home that your inner life is your true center. I continue to check in within my heart because that is really all I can do. I can’t consult a friend, or watch TV or even have quiet time in familiar surroundings. But I can get quiet and be still and breathe mindfully anywhere, any time. Being in a large city is different in itself. It is a walking culture rather than a driving culture (even the prams, coats and bags reflect this). I have been continuously grateful for my preparation started in July with walking daily. I would’ve...
Read More8. Day 17: There’s No Place Like Home
I had a very unsettling experience yesterday. After a wonderful last lunch with our reunion friends at the Victory Services Club we headed out across Hyde Park for a brisk walk in the fresh air and drizzle. Though we were still a bit weary from our big evening the night before the walk felt good. We passed Speakers Corner where several “speakers” were gathered to discuss taxes, how objects can own us, and singing hymns to Jesus. We walked along the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Walk through stretched acres of green, damp grass, along the Serpentine and past the building...
Read More8. Day 16: The Queen’s Keys
I got a tiny glimpse of what heaven might be like yesterday. It is history, privilege, gratitude, wonder and reunion. It is art, silver, medals for valor and welcome. It is gathering, eating and drinking and applause. It is full and complete satisfaction,wholeness, full circle and return. And joy. Joy and “pinch me is this real?” delight. It is all these things and more. In 1983 my husband did a Long Armor Infantry Course in Bovington, England for the year. It was a year that changed the course of our lives, as overseas postings do. I discovered you live your life to the...
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