Recently, I went for a walk--wandering around the neighborhood--and when I came back, I took a look around the house and was struck by a few particular moments of the extraordinary, waiting to be discovered in the ordinary. Every year around this time, all of nature usually comes alive simultaneously, and it is always a … Continue reading The Extraordinary in the Ordinary
Paulo Coelho's quote brings us to contemplate the very essence of what it means to be alive and what significance our lives may hold in the big picture. We cannot simply move through life oblivious to the deeper meaning that surely must exist at the foundation of our existence in the physical universe. The importance … Continue reading A Little Parenthesis In Eternity
View from Blue Ridge Parkway in southwestern Virginia There are few experiences for frequent highway travelers that can compare with the exceptional countryside road views available along the highways within the Blue Ridge Mountain range, which stretches from northern Georgia all the way up to Pennsylvania. Recent camping trips have resulted in several wonderful opportunities … Continue reading Countryside Contemplation
Yearning for the renewal of all life at the onset of Spring, especially after enduring the bitter cold nights and frigid daytime temperatures of Winter, is a common theme this time of year and my own yearnings in this regard are fairly predictable as the Earth begins its return to an orientation, which grants the … Continue reading Surest Signs of Spring
This entire month I have recorded my thoughts but have not had the opportunity to edit them and make them coherent enough to post here. There are lots of thoughts tumbling around inside me and I will work harder this coming month to get them on to the page here. This morning, though, while recovering … Continue reading February Made Me Shiver…
One of the numerous highlights of 2017 for me, which also included several monumental family gatherings, was a long-awaited visit to Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson outside of Charlottesville, Virginia. After a whirlwind weekend of activity surrounding the wedding ceremony of my youngest daughter, the opportunity to see this historic home, which I had … Continue reading The Spirit of Jefferson’s Monticello
As 2017 winds down and 2018 approaches, I would like to extend my personal, heartfelt "Season's Greetings" to all of my readers and visitors here at John's Consciousness, and to express my gratitude for the many thoughtful comments and communications from visitors all across the globe. It has been a turbulent and challenging year for … Continue reading Tidings of Comfort and Joy
November has flown by with a swiftness of a fleeting blink of an eye. The autumn this year was reluctant to begin, with summer-like temperatures holding fairly steady well into October in the Northeast corridor, and the delay in arriving at more seasonal weather seemed to mute the changing colors when they finally began to … Continue reading Auguries of Autumn
As many of my regular readers may recall, back in 2012, my family and I suffered the personal loss of our dear brother, Michael, and at that time, our personal experiences surrounding that loss, and having to endure the profound sadness that accompanied those events, presented us with an unprecedented challenge of finding a path … Continue reading The Perspective of Time and Love
I found myself traveling today along the rural back roads near my home, on my way back from visiting with my children, and I had the rare opportunity to enjoy a pleasant drive through brilliant sunshine and vibrant blue skies, surrounded by farmland and the exquisite greens of a late summer afternoon. My heart has … Continue reading Why God Sent Us Mozart
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