EMOTIONAL DEPTHS

"Never let your emotions rule, but always let them testify."

~ Robert Brault ~

Wells of feeling reside within us, and whether they spring up from our thoughts, our cells, the seat of our hearts, or the depths of our spirit, that they exist as a kind of energy field that encompasses us and demands its due cannot be argued.
     All that's required is that we feel whatever we feel at any given moment; that we nod our acknowledgement to what has risen up, and that we understand that understanding is not the ultimate goal.

I feel what I feel.

   

SLAYING DRAGONS

"Perhaps all the dragons of our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us once beautiful and brave."

~ Rainer Maria Rilke ~

After an ample portion of demons to overcome and some pretty fierce dragons to slay, my son, Nick, is graduating from the University of Virginia- against all odds really, and by the Grace of God.
     It is a profound moment in the life of a parent to see the courage in our children, and the result of their passion when they impeccably follow their truth.

I acknowledge major milestones in the lives of the people I love. 

THE PATIENCE OF SADNESS

"Sadness flies on the wings of the morning and out of the heart of darkness comes the light."

~ Jean Giraudoux ~

Sadness can be a lurking kind of presence in our lives, sitting quietly and so still that we can't see it. And yet, it watches us, and waits, and waits. Nothing is patient like sadness.
     And when it stands up, when it faces us and opens its arms, there is nothing to do but accept its embrace and surrender to the pouring tears.

I honor the sadness in myself and others.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RIP

"Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."

~ The Lord's Prayer ~

This May 16th, my father would have been 80, and instead of a Birthday party, we are having a Memorial Service to honor his death. It's not at all what I expected or could have possibly foreseen, and yet, here we are.
     I'm grateful to my father for teaching me how to forgive the seemingly unforgivable, and for being a powerful example of a life that does not apologize for itself.

I forgive all. 

GETTING TOGEHTER

"The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together."

~ Erma Bombeck ~

Family gatherings trigger old emotions. Freedom is in feeling what is there to be felt without attachment to it, being present in the moment, and committing to compassion, authenticity, open communication, and love.

I value family connectedness in the now over hurt feelings from way back when.

THE CREATIVE URGE

"When I have a terrible need of- shall I say the word- religion. Then I go out and paint the stars."

~ Vincent Van Gogh ~

Sometimes creative juices don't flow. Maybe because we are too caught up egoistically in the meaning or the hoped-for impact of our creativity. Or maybe because we're closed for business emotionally and don't realize it.
     Creativity is grace. It's something we receive more than do, and something we must surrender to rather than manufacture.

I allow creative energy to move through me. 

SNAKE ENCOUNTER

"Sometimes Mother Nature has the answers when you do not even know the questions."

~ Keith Wynn ~

Working in the garden I encountered a snake, and I'm not a fan of snakes. When I saw the black body curling slowly toward me, I stepped back and watched with respect. It moved randomly, meandering-like, and yet with a kind of steady intensity, pushing through the garden, and seemed as if it would just be on it its way, but then it circled back and proceeded to climb the tree in the middle of the area where I was working. It went up the trunk, out on a branch, switched to another branch, took a brief nap, and then turned back, down and around the trunk, and stopped there for a bit.
     Eventually, it moved on, and I felt grateful to have watched it, and in watching it learn anew the merit of letting be what is, having respect, and being patient while challenges run their course.

Nature teaches me, and I learn.