04.13.2026. Mud and Bulb Season
Hello dear Friends,
“Sit with it and let that ‘extraordinary’ wash over you.”
— Michelle Shiota
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This week offered sparks of extraordinary, of gorgeous goodness. Spring's unstoppable, verdant green arrived like love letters sent by a secret admirer—the floral planet animating herself, depositing emeralds of beauty into our tattered world, right outside our front doors.
Then, this week too, we have the moon! We received the miraculous from the heavens, the looking-back view of our world some 252,760 miles away from us, sent by a spaceship circling the moon. How incredible is this, how could we not weep, each message sent to us by the Artemis II astronaut, a holy amen!!
I went down a space rabbit hole and started reading everything I could about the astronauts' experience of that zoomed-out view; no matter the era, they all spoke of the same awe-struck feeling, a plea of amazement about the beauty of this blue-green floating ball we inhabit called planet Earth.
The message is consistent today as it was then on April 12, 1961, when Yuri Gagarin said, "I see Earth! It is so beautiful!" We are just a tiny speck—fragile and so small relative to the vast darkness of space, and our responsibility as humans is to cherish and take care of this Earth and each other: "We live on a fragile planet in the vacuum—in the void—of space," said Artemis II astronaut Jeremy Hansen. "Our purpose on the planet as humans is to find... the joy in lifting each other up by creating solutions together instead of destroying."
"The thing that changed for me, looking back at Earth, was how alike we are."
— Christina Koch, Astronaut Artemis II
Perhaps all that is here this week—arriving in the mud-and-bulb season of spring, in the resurrecting season of hope, and in the words of the Artemis II astronauts—is not so different from what the mystical teachings of love tell us, or what the Easter season asks of us: to hold a zoomed-out view: To see our shared humanity; to "stay awake" and "remain and pray" (Jesus’ last plea in the Garden of Gethsemane) to see, awaken to the truth of who we are—interdependent, interconnected, a holy pulse on this blue marble. To roll back the stone over the tomb, and over our hearts, as the first gesture of the open heart opening. To encounter the sacred in the unrecognizable—much like Mary Magdalene mistaking the risen Christ for the gardener, the one who labors, digs, and smells of dirt and sweat.
Of course, this first encounter with the risen Extraordinary was in the ordinary everydayness of life, and all while the trees bud green.
Perhaps this is the task of spring at hand: to stand, hand on heart, and look behind your left shoulder (the feminine energy current, the receiver), and then rotate to look behind your right shoulder (the masculine energy current, the doer). Honor and bless them both—all that is behind you, all that you have come through, all the wintering dark, the hot holy messes, the gains and losses, the rejections, and the joy.
This tender truth that everything is part of the whole: part gorgeous, part disaster, part heartbreakingly beautiful, and part heartbreakingly despairing. This is the stark truth of the holy gorgeousness of being human on this blue dot—alive each morning with part first-light birdsong and part mind-noise, road rage, rushing, and readying for work.
Then turn forward, fully standing with all of who you are, loving this world as it is—burning with joy, burning with sorrow, resurrection blooming out of gray ash—and walk. Walk, and walk forward into your life. (This practice came from my meditation teacher, Dona.)
"As we get close to the nearest point to the moon and farthest point from Earth, as we continue to unlock the mysteries of the cosmos, I would like to remind you of one of the most important mysteries there on Earth, and that's love."
— Victor Glover, Astronaut Artemis II
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ps. more loveliness about the moon, Jane Goodall’s words here
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-minute Guided 7 Pt Posture Practice & Silence and 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 sparks of goodness below—two poems, three quotes, and things in between to inspire the heart. And, one closing song for your heart. 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. “Poetry, the most ancient form of prayer, is a necessary medicine for our times: a companion through difficulty; a guide when we are lost; a salve when we are wounded; and a summons to live what is most important right now..” — Kim Rosen
Easter Morning in Wales | David Whyte
A garden inside me, unknown, secret,
neglected for years,
the layers of its soil deep and thick.
Trees in the corners with branching arms
and the tangled briars like broken nets.
Sunrise through the misted orchard,
morning sun turns silver on the pointed twigs.
I have woken from the sleep of ages and I am not sure
if I am really seeing, or dreaming,
or simply astonished
walking towards sunrise
to have stumbled into the garden
where the stone was rolled from the tomb of longing.
“Mail within two weeks after the death of deceased.”
—Emily Post’s Etiquette: The Blue Book of Social Usage | Winifred Nimrod
Who came up with this rule?
Not someone who just left
their mother’s body four feet
deep in the dark, hard ground
of winter. (But that’s what she
would want, of course.
She was proper old school.)
I’ll handwrite them myself,
Like she taught.
Dear (fill in first name),
I am blank, frozen in writing motion.
Thank you for taking the time to attend my
mother’s funeral.
I am ripped out of time.
Our family was so thankful for (list: food/flowers/donation)
I am numb and cannot eat. My spine will not let go, it shakes
all day and night long. Do you know how long loss lasts?
Best, Ann’s daughter
I am never going to be called a daughter again.
🍃 As a poet, I lean towards quiet.
It is not so easy to stand naked in just our bare bright light.
This poem here I wrote after my mother's death in 2022; it is the middle poem in a trilogy, The Post Office Series. I am so honored it is featured in Inscape Journal's latest issue, Winter Issue, 2026. (A tender amen. Grief, holy and trembling, threaded as one.)
🌸 Three Quotes | Venerable Gotami. Frederick Buechner. Suzanne Giesemann.
“Live truthfully. Follow your own path rather than your parents’ fears or society’s expectations. A wholesome life grounded in ethics, courage, and openness is possible.”
— Venerable Gotami, “Why I Became a Nun at 23”, featured in the film “On the Road” four women on their monastic journeys.
“Humanity is like an enormous spider web, so that if you touch it anywhere, you set the whole thing trembling...As we move around this world and as we act with kindness, perhaps, or with indifference, or with hostility, toward the people we meet, we too are setting the great spider web a-tremble.The life that I touch for good or ill will touch another life, and that in turn another, until who knows where the trembling stops or in what far place and time my touch will be felt. Our lives are linked together. No one is an island.”
― Frederick Buechner, The Hungering Dark
“Behold! There is much beauty in your world. Yes, and there is much that is not in alignment with beauty as well. This is the way of it in a world of duality. Would you like to experience more beauty? Look for it, dear one. Do not wait for it to come to you. You experience what you focus upon and from there it grows. If you allow so-called forces of darkness to hold your attention, your world may seem quite dark. Bring in the beauty with intention by finding what is already harmonious and building upon this. You are so very loved.”
— Suzanne Giesemann, Remembering who we are(52:53 min)
🍃 Learn more about Suzanne’s work as an author, speaker, metaphysical teacher and spiritual medium, here on her website
🌸 Three Sparks of Inspiration | Keep Our Hearts Saying Yes, Yes, Yes!
✨If You Need Some Pure Goodness? Watch this.
Harry Baker Spoken Word Poet, Click Here, magic for the heart.
✨ This is What Poets Say? New York Times Books and Ada Limón
On a recent episode of the New York Times Book Review podcast, the former poet laureate Ada Limón made the case for why poetry matters and read two poems, including this one “Instructions on Not Giving Up.”
✨Those that are able to attend Metta Monday meditation know I am so "jazzed" by the book Born to Flourish: How to Thrive in a Challenging World.
Here is FAN's (Family Action Network) interview with Richie Davidson and Cortland Dahl. It is worth the one-hour listen; it gives the latest neuroscience and research, a simple framework, and the skills to flourish.
“Flourishing is contagious.” — Richie Davidson
🌸 Sign Up! | The First Healing Vessel in New Space, Wednesday, May 6
A quiet, inward time of listening into silence, to receive and be nourished by the Sacred.
“Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.”
— Arundhati Roy
Come join us for an evening of deep beauty—a night of resting in the sacred, the healing energy of awareness, and the holy medicine of touch, sound, and community. 🕊️✨
Together, we will create a "vessel" of safety and stillness, allowing you to soften, breathe, and rest into the velvet-smooth whispers of your own heart.
Healing Vessel is held by:
Margaret Pasquesi: Vocalist, Harpist, and Music-Thanatologist.
Julie Fedeli: Barbara Brennan Healer, long time Meditator (Path of Siddha Yoga).
Wini Nimrod: Barbara Brennan Healer, Meditation Teacher, and Spiritual Director.
Event Details
🗓️ When: Wednesday, May 6, 2026
🕕 Time: 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM
📍 Where: 778 W. Frontage Road, Suite 111, Northfield, IL
Registration:Sign Up & Learn More Here
Please Note: To maintain the intimacy of our practice, this gathering is limited to 10 participants in our new office space. We recommend registering early to reserve your seat in the circle. 🤍
🌸 Closing Song | A Song For Your Heart
🎧 Girl by Shylay Ray Sunshine (2:54 min)
“Life is all about lovin who you are, lovin where you are.”
Listen on Spotify, or on YouTube here
🌸🙏Dedicate Merit | In all Mystical traditions, there is a closing prayer – prayers of blessing, gratitude and protection.
May your heart be opened, soften by spring rain.
May you see the sacred standing in plain sight, in the ordinary
May you hold both, bless and cherish, the mess and the broken.
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 sparks of tender-goodness please consider offering your 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/
