03.23.2026. Spring Inching
Hello dear Friends,
“The world will always be beautiful to those who look for beauty”
– Margaret Renkl
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Praise for this spring inching into our bones; for this scent of warming ground; for winter dying off, coalescing into green—into wet and dank and sweet and mossy. Praise for the daffodil “noses” rising up through brown leaf litter, and for the robin, so loud, perched on a bare tree limb outside my back door.
Quietly, I stood breathing in this high-pitched, melodic, warble-solo spring aria. Quietly, I stood with ears—weeping and laughing—holding both grief and the glorious. Grief, for in this moment, time swelled into timelessness; into mourning for the passing of seasons and life, and into loss for this winter. No matter how bleak its chill or how long its dark shadow-days of cold, I’m so happy I got to experience its inward call again. Yes, this sounds cliché, yet true: time is limited. Perhaps this is why we clap at sunsets, marveling at pinks melting into orange, dark reds and purples bleeding into a star-peppered night; we know this beauty of fade is us, too.
As my meditation teacher, Dona, would say, “There are no guarantees.” In this sacred, troubled world, in this body, in these uncertain times of climate change, of raging and warring, of polycrisis and threat—it all, the beauty dark and light, seems more crucial, meaningful, and sweet.
Then, there is this gloriousness here, too. The unfolding seasons—spring emerging from winter—and in a blink, the air will be scented with crisp, with the smell of sun and the sound of green tugging at our hearts, inviting us to ‘remember’ what the mystic Hildegard of Bingen called viriditas, or “greening power.” It is the divine life-force, the vitality, the sap of freshness, of hope—budding in our hearts, bursting forth with the “living power of light,” the inflow of the Divine Feminine energy pulsing in, through, and out of all of creation, always. The trees tipping into spring’s green cannot be stopped. This is us, too.
One of the Buddha’s last instructions, before lying down on his right side and resting his head on his right hand, was: “Rest in impermanence; there you will find wisdom.”
The last words spoken by the poet Andrea Gibson before they died were, "I [bleeping] loved my life."
Robert Redford’s final words: “Be brave. Stay kind. Make art.” His daughter, Shauna, shared that he left this recorded message for his great-grandchildren: “This world can overwhelm. But if you slow down and sit under a tree long enough, it’ll tell you everything. And if you forget who you are, draw something. Or go walk alone. Nature remembers you.”
My father’s final words the day he died: “I know my life was a blessing.”
This is us, too. This life: a beauty, a blessing, a viriditas.
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Come Practice & Be In Community
Drop-in Meditation Today. All are welcome; no prior experience is needed—just an open tender heart.
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM: 20 min Guided Meditation: 7 PT Posture 10-minute Silence & 20-minute Metta Meditation Practice
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM: Conversations and Nourishment for the heart, for your practice of Meditation.
Dāna: Pay What You Can. (suggested donation $10-$40 )
Location: 778 West Frontage Road, Suite 111, Northfield, IL.
Gratitude, always.
Love, Wini
PS: More goodness below—two poems, three quotes, and things in between to inspire the heart. And, two closing songs!!! Always made with ♥️.
☕ Please consider supporting The Metta Letters by making a donation at Buy Me A Coffee here to support The Metta Letters on a monthly basis 💌
🌸 Two Poems. “Breathe-in experience, breathe-out poetry” — Muriel Rukeyser
How Do I Listen | Hafiz
How
Do I
Listen to others?
As if everyone were my Master
Speaking to me
His
Cherished
Last
Words.
Why I Wake Early | Mary Oliver
Hello, sun in my face.
Hello, you who make the morning
and spread it over the fields
and into the faces of the tulips
and the nodding morning glories,
and into the windows of, even, the
miserable and crotchety–
best preacher that ever was,
dear star, that just happens
to be where you are in the universe
to keep us from ever-darkness,
to ease us with warm touching,
to hold us in the great hands of light–
good morning, good morning, good morning.
Watch, now, how I start the day
in happiness, in kindness.
🍃 With all that is happening in the world, a good dose of Mary Oliver helps keep our spark of inspiration aflame. Helps us stay with the "next true thing" in our hearts—without shame, judgment, or blame. Helps us hold both the storms and the beauty of this world, reminding us that we are not alone.
Did you hear there is a documentary about American poet Mary Oliver coming out? Just released, it is currently touring film festivals and is expected to broadcast on PBS American Masters later this summer!
You can watch the trailer here: Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World
“I got saved by poetry and I got saved by the beauty of the world.”
— Mary Oliver
🌸 Three Quotes | Parker J. Palmer. Nadia Bolz-Weber. Marianne Williamson.
“Wholeness does not mean perfection: it means embracing brokenness as an integral part of life. Knowing this gives me hope that human wholeness-mine, yours, ours-need not be a utopian dream, if we can use devastation as a seedbed for new life.”
― Parker J. Palmer, A Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward an Undivided Life
📚Recommendation: A book to add to your nightstand stack.
“Maybe that is what salvation feels like sometimes. Just hearing your name spoken in love.”
“Blast a room with love before you get there. Go into a space with an attitude of blessing on everyone and everything. Try to encounter everyone with a Namaste consciousness. You’ll find everything you need will fall into place by divine intelligence. A world of beauty and peace opens up to us when we learn to bless instead of blame.”
🌸 Offerings | AI, Clouds, A Nun Who Makes Cheese & A Sweet Show to Watch
✨ Hallelujah Anyway by Anne Lamott.
A substack to read. This one speaks to our Inner Critic Will AI Run Your Interior Life Too?
"We are the only species that can be 'saved by beauty.' An AI can recognize a sunset, but it can’t feel the catch in its throat when the light hits the clouds just right."
✨ Mother Noella, the "Cheese Nun".
The Sacred Art of Cheesemaking at the Abbey of Regina Laudis in Bethlehem, CT, a great watch to meet Mother Noella—Known as the "Cheese Nun," she blends microbiology with a life of deep prayer, turning the simple act of dairy farming into a sacred ritual of patience and presence, work and prayer. Watch Part 1 (4:32) | Watch Part 2 (3:44)
✨ The show Trying is a hidden gem!
Oh my, if you loved the warmth of Ted Lasso, give this sweet show a try. It’s a story about the messy, wobbly, and deeply human journey of ‘trying’ to build a family. It is funny, tender, and kind. Sometimes a sweet show is the perfect medicine for our hearts. Watch Trailer Here
🌸 Just a Few Spots Left! | One-Day Spring Retreat & Julie Walker Event
Space is almost full for both!
Click the links below to join us before we’re at capacity!
🌿 April 20: Spring Retreat at Elawa Farms(Only 4 spots left for a day of deep rest).
If the world has been feeling heavy lately, here is an invitation to exhale, nourish your nervous system, and spark your heart.
Join Courtney Megan and Wini for a day of deep nourishment. If you need a moment to breathe and reset, this retreat is your sanctuary.Learn More & Sign Up Here
🌿 April 25: Julie Burns Walker Book Talk (Only 7 seats left for this intimate Q&A)
An intimate book talk and Q&A session on "The Unfoldment of Purpose in Uncertain Times." Julie, a world-renowned medical intuitive with almost 35 years of experience, offers a grounded yet transformative perspective on healing and human potential. Secure Your Seat Here
🌸 Two Closing Songs |“Home” & "If I Could Talk to a Younger Me"
🎧 Song: Singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles wrote a song called “Home” after listening to Anderson Cooper’s conversation with Stephen Colbert on “All There Is.”
She shared her unreleased song with Anderson, "Life's Holiest Lesson." Watch the full episode
11:25 min Anderson and Sara listen to 'Home'
“Grief is a subterranean river that runs under all of our lives. We spend so much energy trying not to fall in, but there is a profound relief when you finally let yourself go into the water and realize you can swim.” — Sara Bareilles
🎧 Song: Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn. This husband-and-wife banjo duo write original tunes steeped in the roots of folk music. My son sent this song my way. If I Could Talk To A Younger Me (Official Audio)(3:22 min)
“Their playing is sweetly paced with melodies interweaving through their intricate, percussive picking all while Abigail soars above it all with her discerning, yearning voice.” –NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert
“If I could talk to a younger me/I'd tell me to go slow/This time on Earth it moves so fast/ And when it's gone, it's gone.”
– Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn
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🌸🙏Dedicate Merit | In all Mystical traditions, there is a closing prayer – prayers of blessing, gratitude and protection.
May you find beauty in the everyday.
May you hold both the grief and the glorious.
May you know your life is a great blessing.
May all beings be safe and protected; this I wish for everyone.
May we awaken fully to help all beings.
– love, Wini
Have a blessed day 💖
🌸 PS. You can find all the newsletters archived on my website.
These newsletters will always be free—and if you appreciate receiving these weekly offerings grounded in tender-goodness please consider offering support through Buy Me a Coffee, 🌸 venmo (Winifred-Nimrod) 🌸 or zelle (wininim@gmail.com) 🌸
Thank you, I am a one-woman, two-finger typing, unfolding her thousand-petal bloom.
✨ May we bloom more Light.
💞 May we grow more Goodness for the healing of all.
🌎 May each of us thread our heart-tenderness, our Beauty, into the fabric of our planet.
….Until next week. 💖 ✨
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Instructions for living a life:
Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.
- Mary Oliver
Website:https://www.wininimrod.com/
