Connections: Exploring Our Connections with Nature and Life.

By Judith Clister

Connections is a continuation of Judiths first book LESSONS IN LITTLE THINGS. It contains similar short reflections and poetry. The writings explore Judiths thoughts on what nature has to teach and what life experiences, both joyful and sad, have taught. Her hope is that these writings will lead the reader to a deeper connection with their own strength, their inner light and their Higher Power.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jun 13, 2014
• ISBN: 9781499034158

Judith Clister

Judith Clister is the owner of Anam Cara Place, a residence set aside for spiritual retreat and direction. She works from there as a spiritual director. Her background is in elementary education, special education, environmental education and school counseling. She has also worked as a retirement home chaplain and pastor. She is most at home in nature. The plants and animals have given her numerous insights into her spiritual walk.

Book preview

Copyright © 2014 by Judith Clister.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014910458

ISBN: Hardcover 978-1-4931-7481-2

Softcover 978-1-4990-3417-2

eBook 978-1-4990-3415-8

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 06/06/2014

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris LLC

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

542889

Contents

Welcome to Connections

Snow Crystals

The Flicker

Puff Balls

Raking Leaves

The Harvest of Change

Selected Hearing

The flame

Nose to the Ground

Iced In

Bruised

Messiness

Sands of time

The Chase

Grasses

Big flake little snow

Miracles

In Times of Change

The Trail

New Creations

Solid Rock

A Familiar Face

Balanced

Seed

Thistle Feed

Lucky Knows

Winter Solstice

The Monk

Fall Webworms

Symbols

The Feeder

Riding the Thermals

Creeping light of dawn

Dawn Connections

Spirit Connections

Connecting to Life

Benediction

These writings are dedicated to my sisters. Those who are a part of my immediate family and those who, through friendship and life, have become sisters. Thank you for your support and love.

The cover picture of dawn was taken by and dedicated to the memory of my sister, Carole Clister Umbel.

Welcome to Connections

Writing my first book, LESSONS IN LITTLE THINGS, taught me about connections, the way we are connected to everything around us. We are connected to trees, birds, insects, grasses, animals. As the cover photos show, the bees are connected to the flowers. The dawn is connected to the day and night. The spider connects its web and reveals that all life is connected. The connections continue with the things we see and do on a daily basis. They continue yet again in the people and life events which surround and envelope us. Everything we see and do connects us to each other and to the divine. As you read the prose and poetry may you find yourself connected in new ways to new things, new opportunities and new life.

Snow Crystals

It was the first bit of sunshine after days and days of snow. The snow was glittering like freshly exposed mica. It was as dazzling to the eyes as the sun shine was to the spirit. The wind was blowing the new snow around changing the patterns of the glitter much as the clouds scurry across the heavens seemingly changing the patterns of the stars.

With the exposure to sun, sunglasses were needed. The glasses however just added another dimension to the beauty. Now all those little mica like pieces of snow were tiny prisms. There were millions of small rainbows scattered over the snow.

Sometimes the things and people we see and the events in our lives have a beauty about them that only show when exposed to the light.