Have you ever felt deep in your soul the feeling of being in a special place?  A satisfaction that made you feel safe?  A feeling of a presence watching over you and taking care of you?  A feeling that where you are and how you feel is in the presence of something much more than you?  As my sports guys call it, “the sweet spot”.  We all find a place where all of this is true.  We just don’t recognize that place often enough.

When I was a little girl I only knew of a holy sanctuary or church as this spot.  When we are young our world seems small and condensed so we can physically understand.  As our soul gains depth and breadth, this holy sanctuary becomes many spots.  However, a stained glass window and cross still seems to always do it for me!  You might find that moment on a bench near a lake or in a city near the trees.  I believe one of the most profound places for me was with my daughter at the 9/11 Memorial.  That is truly a sacred spot.  How the souls of thousands in this place have risen like the phoenix to demonstrate God’s great love.  How they gave all  and how God has used them to spread love.  It is truly a place where the reverence of life is honored.

Although to us these moments seem far and few between, they hold so much that we can cherish them for a life time.  And they are actually not that far apart.  We just don’t slow down to recognize them or hear them.  We have to slow long enough to hear our soul.  Be observant.  Recognize.  Let the air of your “sweet spot” fill your soul’s breath with renewal!

Holy Ground

Every time my foot sets down

My feet feel the padded carpet.

The wind wants my attention,

But my soul is drawn to the light.

I know I am on Holy ground!

My shoes crunch the leaves and twigs

As I look up to the sky.

My toes feel the green pad as I gaze on the dark night with fireflies.

Magic dances in my eyes.

I certainly know I am on Holy ground!

My body causes the floor to squeak,

But I look forward and see the eternal flame.

Although the walls surround me,

It is the base that makes me safe.

I know I am on Holy ground!

Every movement,

Every touch,

Every sound,

Every smell,

And every vision lets me know

I am on Holy ground!

Lori Rennae Hickman Chapman

Thank you for allowing me to be one of your “sweet spots” this week.  May your soul take with you today a renewed spirit of love and peace.

Love,

Rennae

Blessings

Don’t you love all the garden choices this time of year!  At the garden centers we are given this unending variety of colors, tastes, smells, and textures.  I just love it!  All of these let us experience the Earth and God’s gifts in such an amazing way.  You know our choices are the very same way when it comes to souls we meet and interact with on a daily basis.  We have people that put smiles on our faces immediately.  We have some people that just compliment us whether they are very different from us or whether they are very much like us.  Then we also have some people that rub us the wrong way.  Their texture is itchy and scratchy!  No matter, the variety is what makes this life so interesting and fun.  We can love them all for the gifts that they give to others.  So enjoy those beautiful blooms you chose this time of year, whether it be plants or people!

Plant Palette

Your enticing colors draw me to touch you.

Then the touch of your velvet purple lets me smell the aromatic results of the touch.

Your yellows, oranges, blues, and pinks excite me!

Row after row!

Tray after tray!

I get to run my hands through all of you.

Touching, feeling, and smelling.

The gardenias take me to a tropical paradise.

The coreopsis lead me through the yellow summer fields.

With the lavender I am in France feeling the sun upon my face

And seeing the purple flow across the fields.

The basil and tomato plants spin me into the summer picnic where burgers are grilling.

And then what do I see popping up above all the rest?

Balloon flowers just like the ones Mount Vernon, George Washington’s home.

The cool summer evenings return when I smell the deep scented angel trumpets.

And I think about the large moths flying into the white, funnel blooms.

The rosemarys say touch us and pinch us to let the aroma out!

The coleus, dusty miller, and scented geraniums provide me with textures to love.

I rub their leaves between my fingers and inhale their pure essence.

The marigolds and the sedums demonstrate the deep rust and gold colors that will lead us from summer into fall.

The picture palette continues with every color in the rainbow!

The choices of how your garden picture will be composed is very difficult.

Because as a gardener you know you want them all!

The hope is if you don’t get them all this year,

The plant palette will be there again for your picking!

Lori Rennae Hickman Chapman

 Thank you so much for being with me this week.  I know the choices you make are so important, and I thank you for choosing to be with me!  The photo I used this week is The Flower Fields in Carlsbad, California.  I was blessed several years ago to visit these fields.  They are even more amazing to see in person as they are in the picture.  They produce most of the poinsettias that we enjoy at the holiday times.  I was there during the ranunculus season just like in the photo.  If you ever have the opportunity, you must visit.  Carlsbad is north of San Diego.  May this year and next bring you a great palette of souls to choose from within your life.  Just like the flower fields do!

Love,

Rennae

Blessings