seeing: viewing nature soothes our souls

/ Joy Lenton / 7 Comments 

Act of seeing 

Today I sat
communing with nature,
cup of tea in hand,
a book in my lap,
noticing the scenic backdrop 
like a beauty curator.

I caught sight
of a bright brimstone butterfly
that danced across my eyes 
with nimble precision,
as she filled my heart 
with unexpected delight. 

I was surprised 
by two small, black-dotted,
cabbage white butterflies 
which fluttered like tiny flags, 
swiftly following one another 
to the scented, brightly coloured plants. 

Today I watched,
entranced by the papillons,
while I failed to capture 
their flight with a camera’s
eye, but held them, instead,
with deep gratitude—in my sight. 
© joylenton


Here’s an interesting article about the potential spiritual symbolism of yellow butterflies: https://www.spiritualposts.com/yellow-butterfly-spiritual-meanings/

Want to enhance your sacred noticing opportunities? This book will help encourage you in that quest. Just click here or on the image below to find out more. 🌺🦋🌸💜🌼🦋

glimpse: hope rises when light infiltrates our lives

/ Joy Lenton / 8 Comments

“It’s always sunny above the clouds. Always. Every day on earth – every day I have ever had – was secretly sunny, after all.” — Caitlin Moran

Just a glimpse

Storms have moved on
at last, leaving behind 
a waft of wind
gently tickling the earth.

Rain dominates
in glass-splattered splashes,
bead-laden leaves,
saturated grass patches.

Striated clouds 
interleave with denser
drifts of shadowed
dark stratocumulus.

Yet there are gaps 
ever-widening skeins
of bright blueness 
where the thready strands part.

And I ponder
at the way my heart lifts
with just a glimpse 
of sunlight, of wonder.

It is enough
to help instigate hope,
relieve sadness,
and stimulate my soul.
© joylenton

“I’ve found that there is always some beauty left – in Nature, sunshine, freedom, in yourself; these can all help you.” — Anne Frank

offering: bringing all you are into the light

/ Joy Lenton / 8 Comments

“I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.” — Maya Angelou

Offering 

I bring my weeds and wheat,
my thorns and tares, 
every discordant, jarring 
part of me I share
and deposit at your feet.

I bring myself—
a soul unravelled,
not a neatly tied
up package of a person
brought fully under 
control, but an untidy 

messed-up self, with
threadbare, ribbon-like spools.
I bring my pain, my joys 
and sorrows, the tears I 
hide inside and those 

I can release and cry.
I bring my masks
and scars, my shadow 
side that’s in great need
of holy redeeming light. 

I bring an open heart 
that’s still wary
of opening up
but wants more than anything 
to be able to love

others better, and accept
the love you freely give
to me, the hope of seeing 
change, and the grace 
to live my life differently.
© joylenton


“You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.” — Kahlil Gibran

space: creating room for our souls to breathe

/ Joy Lenton / 6 Comments

Moving house 2 years ago meant a great deal of necessary sorting, sifting and discarding took place. We are slowly still going through our belongings, seeking to pare back to those things which fit where we are now and how we live. I’m attempting to adopt a “buy less/buy better” policy with my clothes as well.

Letting go and surrendering is tough. We get attached to stuff, and can struggle with the changes and upheaval required before we can reach a place of acceptance and calm.

Making space

Today they’ve mown down 
the cow parsley,
trampled the brown-crisped
remnants of Queen Anne’s Lace

to let the grass breathe,
to create a new space 
where blackbirds can 
stop and sit and congregate 

and hop in the shade
of the apple tree,
and sift the powdery 
dregs for edible seeds,

dip their beaks
into dried-out, sun-baked ground
with patient perseverance,
with hope and faith.

And as I watch them eat,
I think about the husks 
I bear inside, 
dried-out shells of places 

way past all watering 
because they’re wilted, limp,
dying, slain 
like shredded lace, no longer 

fit for purpose—
if I could only learn 
to relinquish, surrender 
them bit by bit

to the One who waits, and wants 
to create something new, 
something better 
in their desiccated place.
© joylenton


It’s also really hard to let go of old mindsets, habits and thoughts, isn’t it? Yet we’re encouraged to notice what doesn’t fit who we are as children of God, and to seek the Holy Spirit’s help in weeding them out to give our souls room to breathe and be at peace.

If there’s no clearing out, we’re in danger of getting stuck in the ruts of past behaviour and negative thinking. The key to overcoming the pang of loss is to fill the gap with positive ways to live, think, and behave that enrich our lives, rather than diminishing it.

Beauty and strength come from surrender. It might sound counterintuitive but it’s healthy for our souls. In the act of surrendering to God, we give Him carte blanche to help us become the very best version of ourselves.

lift: how life’s small mercies encourage our hearts

/ Joy Lenton / 3 Comments

It’s the smallest things of life that can make or break our days. **Mini mercies and moments of grace.** An unexpected visit, call, text, email or snail mail, perhaps. A bouquet of flowers. A delicious meal we eat. A friend to greet. A great book to read. A new place to see.

A cup of aromatic coffee or a pot of tea to savour. Photos of our family to take and share. A loved one to hug and hold. Music and sounds which delight or give us pause for thought. And the pleasure of enjoying nature’s abundance outdoors.


Having M.E and chronic illness has taught me not to despise the tiny, mundane things of life. When I yield to my body’s need to rest and pause, I often get a soul lift when I slow down.

God’s presence seems closer. Prayer arises spontaneously. Creative ideas begin to emerge. Life’s small mercies bless me enormously.

Birdsong reaches to the depths of my soul because each throaty call is a reminder to stay in joy, to live this life by keeping the flame of hope alive.

It doesn’t take much to sense a heavenly touch. Life’s little things become magnified as we pay greater attention to them. 

Lifted

I attempt to dust my bedroom,
just the easier parts I can 
reach, of course, but it leaves 
me exhausted, so I acquiesce,
rest on the bed. And I hear—
a susurration of traffic 

sounds, a background hum
interrupted by an intermittent 
trill of bright birdsong—
sharp, sweet, soft, solo, duet,
each one knowing their place 
in the divine orchestra.

It’s a river rolling through
my head, leaping like salmon
into my thoughts. I am stirred,
calmed, inspired, touched
to the core by the beauty
of it all. Such a simple

activity that rarely ceases
during summer or spring,
but it has the power
to lift our lives higher,
to add meaning to everything.
© joylenton

“A birdsong can even, for a moment, make the whole world into a sky within us, because we feel that the bird does not distinguish between its heart and the world’s.” — Rainer Maria Rilke

If you’d like to hear what some common British birds sound like when they’re singing, this little video will give you a clue. I learnt a few things from it, too!

Are you in a season of needing to slow? Seeking to recover a measure of strength, energy and health after a setback, perhaps? I would love to hear what helps lift and encourage your soul. Feel free to share below. Unsure what M.E is or how it affects people? This article will help. 😉❤️💜 Xx

dawn: the emergence of light gives us hope

/ Joy Lenton / 4 Comments 

Splash of glory

Sunlight laps at the edges
of fading night,
lifts its concealing cloak

by slow increments 
as dawn begins to break
and a sleepy world awakes.

Petals unfurl themselves 
to welcome sun,
spread wide their fragrant arms

like a benediction 
quivering in the breeze
as they bless who they please.

Birds announce their presence—
morning chorus 
resounds into skeined sky

as orchestrated 
hymns of grateful praise
rise, fill the airways.

It’s new every morning,
old as the hills,
this bright splash of glory

freely fills and spills,
lifts our hearts heavenward
in reverence and awe.
© joylenton

Dawn blessing

Bless the dawn—
the dawn of creation,
the dawn of sentience,
the dawn of creatures
great and small,
the dawn of gardens and plants,
of flowers and waterfalls.

Bless the dawn—
the dawn of mankind,
the dawn of hope
to encourage our hearts,
the dawn of new life,
the dawn of embracing it
with joy, wonder, and love.

Bless the dawn—
the dawn of invention,
the dawn of innovation
through the centuries,
the dawn of creativity,
the dawn of great ideas,
of light igniting for you and me.

— joylenton

garden: a place where God meets with us

/ Joy Lenton / 10 Comments

“I think that if ever a mortal heard the voice of God it would be in a garden at the cool of the day.” — Frank Frankfort Moore

In the garden

Christ walks in the garden,
yes, this spring-fresh orchard 
where gaudy peacocks strut,

where incipient apples grow
and the trees speak
to me of bearing his weight,

while bluebells shoot
their vivid heads skyward
to match the now droopy tulips,
and green plants emerge

blinking into the sun
like newly startled birds
before the heavy,
drenching rainstorm comes.

Christ walks in the garden
of my soul — he comes 
barefoot and vulnerable,

with a steady tread
firm and purposeful,
as he hopes I will notice

his presence, fragrant 
as the morning dew
I prepare to dip my toes

into, and rise refreshed
as if I’ve experienced 
peerless peace and rest.
© joylenton

“I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in.” — George Washington Carver

Cascades: observe all the blossoming

/ Joy Lenton / 6 Comments

“Attention is the beginning of devotion.” — Mary Oliver

Experiences flow through our lives, our days, resembling a gushing waterfall that cascades. They arrive as moments of quiet reflectiveness, an exuberant drowning in sound sometimes, or a sudden stir of the heart that takes our breath away.

We experience a snapshot of seconds, a microcosm of inhabited moments, and a movie reel of minutes that pass all too fleetingly.

We all have occasions when we long to turn back time. Wouldn’t it be great to freeze-frame the highlights and press pause on the best moments of our lives?

Perhaps we could try to pay greater attention to it all, especially the golden glimpses that warm our souls.


Observing our lives is a lot like prayer. It’s gratitude in motion. A sacred act of appreciation and devotion.

We see more when we look with deliberate intent, seek to record with our eyes, and store away in our minds.

I’ve attempted to do that here as I view a pear tree releasing its blossom, listen to birdsong in the trees and the midday hymn singing.

Cascades

Cascades of confetti 
carpet the grass, veil the trees,
drape the garden 
plants, line the pathways,
as soft white blossom
drifts silently, 
detaches itself 
from its original home
on the pyrus communis
where it belongs.

Cascades of birdsong 
trill through the trees,
be they walnut, pear,
apple or oak
or magnificent magnolia,
as it lilts through the leaves,
threads its way
between the boughs, and arches
across the divide
where bony branches stretch.

Cascades of voices
sing out their praise,
whether wobbly and weak
or with vigour and strength
as the notes 
signal a hymn, unknown 
or familiar, 
for each one stems from
a grateful heart 
tuned into hope and love.
© joylenton

“Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul.” — Henry Ward Beecher

wintering: hibernation for body and soul maintenance

/ Joy Lenton / 13 Comments 
Wintering 

I am wintering 
soul-deep, as I face 
my shadow self

who is seen best
in cold relief,
and coax her out 
of her hiding place

as I bring her
now into the light
of mercy and grace. 

I am wintering 
with hibernation 
my companion and friend
because there is

no spring to celebrate 
yet until I have rested 
myself and yielded to hope’s

whispers, to silence and stillness,
like a stunted amaryllis. 

I am wintering 
with a sigh of familiarity 
for this is my seasonal 

need, which is essential 
for body and soul
survival, recuperation, 

pausing and thinking space, 
for continued maintenance.
© joylenton


Friend, you are forgiven for thinking I’d vanished from this little home on the internet. Because you’d be correct, even though it wasn’t planned.

Worsening health, increased pain, a family bereavement and deep-bone weariness threw me into a prolonged season of hibernation and rest. One I didn’t ask for or expect.

And I’m still there. Not quite ready to bounce back into blogging or be consistently present yet. I need healing. I need grace. I need recovery more than I need to write.

But every now and then God grants me a slither of strength, a slight lessening of stiffness and pain, a smidgen of inspiration to write something.

That’s when I might pop up to share a poem with you here. But while I’m absent? Well then, I keep you in my heart, my thoughts, and prayers.

Much love until we meet here again…. Xx 💜😉❤️

poured out: when you feel permanently exhausted due to having ME

/ Joy Lenton / 12 Comments

Dear Reader/Friend, as you might have noticed, I’m not as active here as I used to be, partly due to my husband’s own health decline and recent surgery which required me to try to step up and attempt to plug the gap while he’s been incapacitated for a period.

But the biggest factor is a slump in my own health, with a worsening of the M.E symptoms especially. It’s been accompanied by increasing flare ups of the arthritis, fibromyalgia and Ehlers Danlos syndrome symptoms I also struggle with.

ME feels like having a permanent kind of flu virus. A body and mind going on strike because they’re swiftly overwhelmed and exhausted by life. When your legs feel as if they’re trying to walk on sand and your head’s full of cotton wool as well.

This hasn’t been written to try to elicit your sympathy but to help raise awareness of ME. Because so many people are either dismissive of it or are suffering in silence that I can’t help but try to convey a smidgen of what it’s like to live with it.

I hope the poem below (previously shared on the Chronic Joy Ministry blog) provides an insight. And that the details I share about the DecodeME study I’m involved with might stir your interest or prompt a prayer, perhaps.

Poured out

I am spoonless
any energy I've had
it's all used up
poured out drop by precious drop
on life's simple, basic tasks

so I must rest
retreat to a darkened room
crawl into bed
and let my body relax
hope my mind switches off

too much white noise
issuing from my thoughts
like buzzing bees
unable to be at peace
blinded to their destiny

my heart aches
with this inactivity
I feel frustrated
because it's enforced on me
because time just slips away

pain infiltrates
as spasms seize my joints
acting like needles
piercing with intensity 
I want it to go away

life swims past
it’s lost in a brain-fogged blur 
a cinema reel
screening inactivity
in a life lived with M.E 

I feel worthless
but God draws near, whispers
hope to my heart 
we’re not judged on our worth
it’s decided at the Cross

what matters most
is how we live and we love
how we yield to God
surrendering our hearts 
and giving help to others

for you and me
our soul's productivity
will be evident
measured by increments
and how our life is spent
© joylenton


DecodeME study info

If you’re 16 years old and over and reside in the UK, you are invited to take part in DecodeME, the world’s biggest ME/CFS study.

It will collect information from tens of thousands of people with ME/CFS and analyse DNA to see whether the disease is partly genetic and if so, help pinpoint what causes it – which is the path to finding treatments.

The first step is to take the DecodeME questionnaire and then you may also be asked to provide a saliva sample. They can be done from the comfort of your home. I’ve submitted both myself.

Your experience matters. Future treatment and research are reliant on it. Please help if you can or pass the link below on to someone you know who has ME and fits the criteria above. You can take part at www.decodeme.org.uk

Let’s get serious about getting to the bare bones of what causes ME, a seriously damaging autoimmune disorder of the neuroendocrine system, because it plagues lives, steals livelihoods and has been greatly misunderstood. Thank you! 😉💜