Article Title: Astonishing.... Author Name: Julie Jordan Scott Contact Email Address: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Word Count: 413 Category: Spirituality, Love, Nature Copyright Date: 2007 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Publishing Guidelines: Thank you for publishing this article in its entirety including the resource box. When possible, please notify me of publication by sending either a website link or a copy of your ezine upon publication via email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] THANKS! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Astonishing.... © 2007 Julie Jordan Scott http://www.5passions.com My eyes scanned the sky for nothing and everything and in the space of an inhale I saw it - a different looking pinecone. Pinecones are an object of current fascination for me. The pinecone, to me a sentient example of life-possibilities-made-form. "I don't have one of those!" came my thought as my hand responded and reached up to pluck the sacred pinecone from the tree. "NO" was shouted gently from the ethers. "It isn't time yet," noted the Divine, peace-imbued in the observation. My hand stopped in midair. "It isn't time", I repeated. My eyes took in more of the tree and saw similar pinecones. "So wondrous," I witnessed. I took in more of the tree and saw familiar pinecones, with my first thought being, "How odd that this tree makes two different varieties of pinecones." Pause. "Strange." Pause. "Cool." Pause. Hank wagged his fluffy, black and white pom-pom like tail, contentedly sniffing the ground as I listened. I heard the words of Mary Oliver, "Let me Keep my mind on what matters, Which is my work, Which is mostly standing still and learning to be Astonished." These pinecones were astonishing. The "A-ha" arrived like the Divine gently shouting "No". My "A-ha: it was a strong grace-filled arm encircling my waist and an accompanying kind voice whispering in my ear. "The pinecones are the same pinecones you know, they are just not fully formed yet." I raised my face to the tree once more, smile spreading as I leaned into the presence encircling me. "Ahhhhh," I saw. I allowed the astonishment to hold me. I allowed the astonishment to be the heat which enkindled the continuation of awareness. It reminded me awareness isn't always like a thunderclap. Sometimes awareness is like the slow, rolling boil of water as it readies to become my peppermint tea. Sometimes it is like the leaves budding and blooming and changing slowly to amber or yellow or burnished brown and finally returning to the soil only to leave even more bounty as it nourishes the grass and gives back even until it is "nothingness". Sometimes it is like juice, sealed for years in big oak containers in carefully regulated cellars, slowly becoming wine. I looked up the street, towards the bluffs, up into the grey, murky winter-in-Bakersfield horizon and was filled with gratitude that I was exactly where I was, exactly in this moment, with exactly this frame of mind. "A-ha." = + = + = + = Julie Jordan Scott is a Writer, Life Coach, Poet, Speaker, Actor, Director and Mom Extraordinaire whose deepest passion is helping people - like you - discover and live with passion. Call 661.444.2735 to book your complimentary coaching session or visit http://www.5passions.com for plentiful resources to live a passion-rich life. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND WHILE USING ARTICLES POSTED ON THE GROUP: 1. Print the article in its entirety. Don't make any changes in the article . 2. Print the resource box with all articles in their entirety. 3. Send the Author a copy of the reprinted article or the URL where the articles was posted. Anything short of following these three rules is a violation of the Authors Copyright. Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ReprintArticles-Paradise/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ReprintArticles-Paradise/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
