My Home

OR

Being at home in my self

The home in which I live
Is simple and clean,
Most of the time, that is.
If you’re living at all,
You know what I mean:
There are always improvements,
Chores to be done;
Rearranging of furniture,
Fixing this thing and that one…
It seems something is always amiss!

I’ve learned to be at peace
In this home of mine.
Most of the time, that is.
If you’re being at all,
We are of one mind:
There is always new learning,
Wounds to be healed,
Discoveries of every nature,
Knowing how to love and feel;
Such is being at home like this.

The Power of Kindness

Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate.
Albert Schweitzer

THE SCENIC ROUTE

Mountain road in fall. In background larch trees and the snowy peaks of Mont Blanc – Courmayer, Val d’Aosta, Italy, Europe.

Highways might get you to your destination sooner, but you will get to see more scenery if you travel on a winding road.

Setbacks

How often, it seems, we take two steps forward and one step back.  There are even occasions when we seem to relapse altogether.

Don’t be discouraged when this happens, okay?

“Yeah,” you scoff, “you don’t know how serious this is or how hard it is to turn around.”

But I do.

Anybody who lives any length of time at all has had a few setbacks:  That slip into an old habit or addiction that really knocks you off your feet.

The secret:  Get up, dust yourself off and move forward again.

Dusting yourself off means to forgive, learn from your mistakes and the circumstances that contributed to your setback.

Move forward means take one step at a time back to wellness – toward sobriety or eating… You already know because you’ve done it before.

Next, take hope in this:  Every time you move forward from a setback, you are stronger:  That particular trap won’t get you again!

How Is Your Diet?

A friend of mine was sharing that he is on a negativity fast.  This entails checking himself every time he starts to think in a way that brings him down.

One secret to his fast is taking care to avoid news and conversations that feed his mind with sorrow, fear, anger, gossip or distress.

This raises a very important question for each of us:  What are you eating these days?  You could apply this to your physical diet, but I’m after your soulful one.  The music, stories, movies, news and conversations that we take in have a direct impact on how we think and feel.  All of this in turn affects our physical well being.

I do find that an occasional “fast” is very good for our souls.  That might mean skipping a rather dark movie or show, choosing some gentle music or avoiding newscasts for a couple of days.  It also means finding a quiet moment each day to pray or meditate.  It’s amazing how a little time to reflect and ponder wil detox us!

Then there are the positive things that build us up:  Time with a good friend who encourages us; conversations that spark new ideas; sermons, books and music that inspire.

One of my sisters finds that art refreshes her; another likes books.  I like playing and listening to music.  A neighbor and I both agree that our gardens are the best “prayer closets.”
What is your preference?
Walking
music
cooking
books
movies
sewing
scrapbooking
gardening
sports
writing
other?  (You get the idea, yeah?)

One thing I have learned:  Choosing your soulful diet takes as much determination and clarity as choosing your physical diet does.  It is at least as important:  Wellness is built from the inside out.

Bien provecho….bon appetit…enjoy!

Don’t Be Surprised

I started my journey of healing many years ago.

The first leg was a long, steep, difficult path that wound through rocks and thickets so dense, I couldn’t see beyond myself at all.  It’s unpredictability was mind boggling.  I would climb a little higher; then find myself in a hole with no apparent way out.  Some days, I was pleased with what felt like progress, only to fall into a helpless heap of despair the next.

Eventually, the path widened into a road – you know the kind:  Two tracks with plenty of ruts and potholes.  The going was a bit easier and I had more perspective.

I found some nice spots to rest along the way:  Just the right mix of sun and shade, running water near by and soft places for lounging and sleep.

I don’t know how it happened, but I came to another steep, difficult place; in fact, it was more painful and challenging than the first one.  This time, there was no path.  I had to whack my way through the underbrush.  I thought I’d never get through it all!  Perhaps the hardest part was that I blamed myself:  If only I had learned my lesson the first time!  What is wrong with me that I’m back here??

Eventually, I had the pleasure of travelling on wide, well paved roads.  They were straight and level; there were lots of companions.  Loneliness was not even a whisper of a thought.  The camaraderie was wonderful!

Years later, my journey took a turn, and once again, I found myself in a quagmire.  I was dismayed!  This time, I had enough experience and maturity to recognize that this is part of a life-long pilgrimage.  It was still difficult and in some ways, the most painful of all.  I knew what to do:  Keep moving forward, step by step, clearing by clearing.

The moral of my tale?  When you find yourself in a difficult patch, know that you are making progress.  These detours are necessary for continued growth and wellness.  Greet them with dignity; don’t be surprised when they happen.

Deeper Knowing

I have heard a quote more than once:
“Be a river, not a reservoir.”

Truthfully, I think we are rivers, whether we acknowledge it or not.  We are ever growing and changing; things that fit before don’t now; we are always searching.

I am in one of those times of evaluation and revision.  One major reason for this is, circumstances are changing:  There are matters of privacy and involvement to consider that were not all that important before.

Another reason:  I am discovering new aspects of myself that need exploration and development.  I have questions to ask, ideas to ponder and whole areas of quandary on which to shed light, such as wants and dreams I can feel, but can’t articulate; like being hungry for something and not knowing what it is.

Thinking of life and ourselves as rivers is encouraging to me:  By nature, streams flow through different landscapes, eddy and swirl, run shallow, then deeper.  They are fluid; they start as small trickles that become larger.  Some develop into mighty rivers that carry ships and barges; others meander through forests and meadows.  Each one is just as valid and important.

It is also a given that a river is never fully known, no matter how many times someone visits it.  We’re that way; it’s okay because that is how we are meant to be.

Flow, river of my life;
As you travel through each circumstance,
growing and morphing into your next self,
May I delight in discovery and deeper knowing.

What Could This Treasure Be?

I briefly held a treasure;
It’s one I rarely see;
With many facets bright and clear
What could this treasure be?

 

Its beauty brought me pleasure
That caused my heart to sing;
Delighted as I drew it near,
What did this treasure bring?

 

A moment of clairty;
A glimpse of something more;
A word of truth within my soul;

Secrets I’m looking for.

 

Such a nebulous treasure;
One that must be set free,
For I am made to grow and change;
This treasure that is me.

Who Am I Anyway?

Often soft,
Filled with thoughts of play;
Other times firm;
Who am I anyway?

 

Sometimes clear,
I’ve plenty to say;
Then I’m confused;
Who am I anyway?

 

So fluid;
Changing day by day;
Still questioning,
Who am I anyway?

 

So it is
That I have to say,
Ever searching,
Who am I anyway?

Christmas Card 2016

May the greatest gift you give or receive this year be the peace and joy you find in your own heart.

Christmas

Unless we make Christmas an occasion to share our blessings, all the snow in Alaska won’t make it ‘white’.
Bing Crosby

He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree.
Roy L. Smith

“Maybe Christmas,” the Grinch thought, “doesn’t come from a store.”

Dr. Seuss

The two most joyous times of the year are Christmas morning and the end of school.
Alice Cooper

One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don’t clean it up too quickly.
Andy Rooney

Expectancy is the atmosphere for miracles.
Edwin Louis Cole
Christmas is the day that holds all time together.
Alexander Smith

God never gives someone a gift they are not capable of receiving. If he gives us the gift of Christmas, it is because we all have the ability to understand and receive it.
Pope Francis

I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.
Charles Dickens

Don’t let the past steal your present. This is the message of Christmas: We are never alone.
Taylor Caldwell

May you have the grace, strength and imagination to make this the best Christmas you ever had.

Me

Custom Designed

My life is custom designed,
Not cut from a general blueprint;
Nor colored with neutrality;
Instead, it shines with patterns
That are uniquely mine.

 

There might bne some common themes,
Shared by the rest of humankind;
Questions and answers that elude;
Varied shades of unknowing;
Fears, hopes, feelings and dreams.

 

How this all fits together
Is an unsolved mystery to me;
With unexpected twists and turns;
Answers that lead to questions;
Gray is somehow better.

 

I learn as long as I breathe;
The value in who I become;
What seemed like junk is a treasure;
Ever newly discovered;
Unique one that is me.