An Explosion of Color and Texture

Thought for the Day – September 25, 2022

For those who have taken a leap but have not yet landed, we pray…

There are many reasons to make a leap into the unknown. Perhaps it’s because there are no safe options remaining; perhaps it’s for the excitement or the possible rewards on the other side. Maybe it’s the result of a dare or a challenge, or pushing yourself to do something beyond your comfort level.

What has caused you to take a leap into the unknown? Could you see the spot where you wanted to land? Did you feel brave or fearful, or some mixture of both? In your plans for today how can you be aware of the situations where you might leap into the unknown?

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Barbara Bruneau is a retired Lutheran pastor, living in southeastern Minnesota. Her home is shared with two cats who occasionally make appearances in this blog. She is a knitter, a weaver, and a very occasional blogger at An Explosion of Texture and Color.

Thought for the Day – September 21, 2022

If you planted a garden a few months ago, you may now find yourself at the “What am I going to do with all this eggplant?” stage. Or maybe for you it’s tomatoes or zucchini that feel overwhelming. How creative can you get in the serving, canning, freezing, or sharing of your garden bounty?

In your plans for today, what threatens to overwhelm you? What can you share or keep for later, in order to manage the flow of things coming at you today?

Thought for the Day – September 13, 2022

Several of my friends, who have pollinator-friendly plants near their homes, have posted photos throughout this summer of their attempts to provide a hospitable setting for a butterfly caterpillar to attach and spin its chrysalis. Then after days or a few weeks of waiting, they may be rewarded by seeing the butterfly gradually emerge and spread its wings.

Their photos have prompted me to think about the painful yet necessary process of shedding skin that is no longer suitable, and the daunting task of emerging into a new reality with all its beauty and danger. I suspect that I wouldn’t be very good at the work that is required of a butterfly.

In your plans for today, can you anticipate times and places when you will need to shed something old in order to make room for a new thing to grow? Or might there be times when you need to intentionally go into retreat, to emerge a quite different person?

Thought for the Day – September 9, 2022

Succulents are plants that can survive in environments with very little water. They are able to take in water when it is present and store it to use during the dry times. What resources can you accumulate when they are available in order to draw on them in your own physical or spiritual dry times? How can you refresh and replenish your resources when they are getting low?

In your plans for today, will you be drawing on resources you have previously accumulated? Or will you be adding to your resources to have them for the future?

Thought for the Day – September 6, 2022

In the part of the world where I live, the seasons are spinning toward harvest. Fields of crops are changing color almost daily as farmers watch for just the right moment to capture the grain at its peak. In other places, with other crops, the seasons run earlier or later; and in the southern hemisphere they are almost completely reversed, as this is the time for planning and planting.

In your plans for today, what will you harvest that has been growing for weeks or months? What will you plant or tend in anticipation of a future harvest? Who will work with you in this labor of planting and tending and harvesting?

Thought for the Day – September 2, 2022

Photo credit: Susanne Jutzeler, Schweiz on Pixabay

A lighthouse, with no visible water. Is it an invitation, summoning you toward the ocean, inviting you to an adventure you cannot yet see? Or is it a warning, reminding you to stay in a place of safety, where the sun is warm and the grazing is good?

In your plans for today, how will you identify the invitations to adventure and danger? How will you recognize the markers of safety and caution? Which signs will you follow today?

Thought for the Day – August 30, 2022

I’m feeling melancholy today, thinking about parts of my life that have been abandoned to decay. So I’m wondering… do you have parts of your life that are gone with seemingly nothing to show for it? How do you honor the strength of what was, without getting trapped under it as it all falls down? Where are the lifelines that offer support? Where do you go from here?

in your plans for today, how can you be aware of things that must be let go? How can you appropriately honor them without getting stuck? How can you be intentional about moving on?

Thought for the Day – August 26, 2022

To our eyes, bees don’t appear to follow a predictable routine. They are constantly on the move, picking up pollen from one blossom and depositing it on another. Out of that activity, scores of beautiful flowers and fruit are created.

In your plans for today, how can you be a pollinator of ideas? How can you move through your day picking up inspiration in one place and sharing it in another? Just imagine all of the beauty and wonder that can be created as a result.

Thought for the Day – August 23, 2022

Does this photograph give you a feeling of solitude or of isolation? Does it take you to a place of peace and tranquility, a place for perspective and reflection? Or does it instead take you to a place of fear and loneliness, a place of worry and anxiety? Would it make a difference if the sky were a different color, perhaps at a different time of day?

In your plans for today, how can you be aware of the impact that your surroundings have on you? Will changing something about your location make a change in you this day?

Thought for the Day – August 19, 2022

At first glance, this looks like an Escher drawing… but it’s not. Each of these balconies is connected to an apartment and houses an individual, a couple, a family. Each person has a story with hopes and dreams and struggles, none of them visible from the outside.

In your plans for today, how can you be more aware of the layers of complexity behind the things you see?