When we truly serve, we bend —

Voluntarily — 

And gladly —

In the direction of need.

Whether simple request or desperate cry —

In the decision to respond, we shift our energy away from ourselves and —

Toward another.

We give —

A holy offering, on bended knee.

And yet.

I've found if I bend too far in one direction — if I lose my own heart center in the effort —

I collapse.

The full weight of my ego topples me, getting everyone in my path —

Dreadfully wet.  

The missing ingredient, my yoga practice informed me, is —

Balance. 

To keep my balance, I must bend and stretch —

At the same time.

In opposite directions.

I bend to meet a need here on earth — and simultaneously, I stretch —

Heavenward.

The deeper I bend, the higher I reach — contacting and drawing on the wisdom of —

The ultimate light.  

And all is well.

Can you recall a time when you extended yourself so far you fell over?  Is the fear of not being able to keep your balance standing between you and your heart's desires?  How might the practice of bending and stretching apply to your life today?

And be held.

These are among life's most holy acts, gifts —

Pleasures.

Heart to heart and tiny lips to tender bud, we are beheld with our first breath.  

And we behold —

Then grasp and gaze and coo and howl —

To be held —

Again.

And with each spring, we grow.

Each of us stronger, taller — becoming our own big blue horizons and towering pink torches of life.  Each of us changing — once the observer, now the climber.  Once the seeker, now the protector.

We allow ourselves and each other healthy distances and the room to grow.  

And still —

With all our hearts, we behold —

And are beheld.  

What and who do you behold today?  How are you allowing yourself and others to change and still be held?

Fresh-cut blooms — especially against a vast backdrop of bareness — are guaranteed to lift anyone's spirits.

Add to this —

Endless spreads of useful, imaginative, honest containers — shaped by inspired human hands and placed in the loving arms of the St. Croix River Valley on the first really-feels-like-spring day in Minnesota —

And —

Hearts soar.

With my feet planted firmly in the rich, moist, dark soil of my thoughts —

Mine went to the moon.

How is earthen-awareness working to restore and renew your life right now?  What do you notice about the way your relationship with nature guides your relationships with people?