“Only from the heart can you touch the sky.”

– Rumi

Summer has reached its peak in Pennsylvania.  The days are beginning to grow shorter; and it’s probably a good thing, since the heat and humidity have us longing for the cool evening air.  The earth is in full bloom; and everywhere we go there are flowers and fruits and birds and critters commanding our attention and delighting us with the variety of life.  I love the smooth texture of a ripe squash, the way you can feel a ripe tomato by how much indentation it allows when you squeeze it, the delicate softness of a left-behind feather, the smooth texture of a stone and the cool trickle of the water that flows over it in the stream near our house.  There are so many things to see and hear and so many things to touch and hold that each day is an adventure that delights our senses.  See, hear, and touch — this is the way we explore our world; yet one of the most beautiful treats we enjoy is one we cannot touch — the sky.

From the moment that the sun begins to crest the horizon each day, I find my eyes drawn upward.  There is something primitive that lies embedded in my very cells that rejoices each morning at the return of the light.  Science tells me that the earth rotates as it revolves around the sun and that day and night are the result of its movement, but my heart still skips a beat when I see the sunrise.

No two sunrises are the same; and, in fact, they change from minute to minute.  I cannot run my fingers over the sunrise sky and feel it’s pink-orange warmth; but my heart takes in the pink and orange and reminds me to color my home with the sort of beauty that radiates love to family and friends who pass through my door.

I cannot touch it’s lavender sweetness; but when I see the silhouetted tree, bathed in the pale cool colors, my heart is reminded to carry peace wherever I go and to share its cooling touch with all who come my way.  I think of the sweet aroma of lavender, and my heart hums peacefully as I begin my day.

On mornings when the sky burns orange, my heart feels the passion of daily Creation.  It sets my own passion on fire and reminds me to carry the Light of creation into all I do.  What will I create today, I ask myself when there is fire in the sky?  Fire can energize and forge new creations, or fire can consume.  My heart touches the sky and reminds me always to build rather than destroy.

On gray mornings, when clouds obscure the color, I strain my eyes for glimpses of light; and my heart is reminded that beneath all that sometimes clouds our days, the Light still shines.  Look within and remember that, underneath it all, you carry the Light in your heart.  Cloudy days remind me to stop and recognize that it is the light inside of me that feels gratitude for all that is beautiful — all that is love.

Some of my favorite mornings are those when the sky glows with all the colors of a rainbow.  My heart reaches out on rainbow mornings and touches the promise and hope that lies in each new day.  My fingers long to feel the orange and pink and purple, but they lie beyond the reach of human touch and must be felt by the fingers that caress my heart with the colors of love.

As the day burns long, and the sky grows cool above the setting sun, my heart reaches out and lets the cool evening wipe the residue of a day well-lived from my forehead.  I take in the balm of the evening sky and let it bring rest to my tired body as night begins to fall; and my heart feels enclosed in the hush of evening, and reminds me to welcome the stillness of night.

With night taking over, the sky grows black.  Stars begin to show themselves and the moon holds her mirror high in the sky.  My heart reaches upward, and lets her cool light envelop and nurture my sleepy soul.  As her light wraps around me, my heart takes it in and tells me to remember the bliss of these moments of nighttime refreshment, and carry them into the dreams that will keep me until the sun rises again.

How amazing it is that something as vast and untouchable as the sky invites us every day to reach out with our hearts to something much greater than all of the gifts our earth can provide.  Reach out with your heart — touch the sky!

May you dance on a rainbow all day long.