Different things offer me solace and healing
when I am experiencing difficult times . . .
I think if you asked me
I might say one thing now
and then another thing
later . . .
they’d both be true.
They are both and all
attached and connected to Grace.
Music
has helped me so much,
and still does,
even on days that would be called ‘good’.
The right music for the right reason
touches and moves me
in ways that nothing else does.
It can make my face glow
with a look that might say I’ve seen the angels,
or it can also enfold me
and carry me through the river Styx
or the bowels of hell,
protected and safe.
Music
transcends most earthly things
and connects me with something deep and ancient within me.
As with all gifts,
music can be twisted to serve the purposes
of those who choose to harm,
but it hold neither attraction nor terror for me.
I know what I need when I need it,
and naturally lean into what if good for me,
just as I am repelled
by what is not.
After class,
I often had a coffee with my art teacher,
who believed that the arts
are meant to reflect zeitgeist . . .
the state of the times we are in,
while I felt they are meant to uplift . . .
and we would argue privately
with a certain amount of passion . . .
in retrospect,
I think,
that in a way,
we are both right.
I’m tired of fighting,
arguing . . .
perhaps it’s all in what we choose . . .
if I go to a gallery or museum,
I would rather see a painting of a life-filled meadow
than a portrait of a Madonna,
smeared in feces . . .
sign of the times
or not.
Music
works its way through my body and soul,
gets into every little crevice and cell,
changing me
as it performs its magic on and in me.
Music
can make me believe
that no matter what happens,
everything is going to be all right. ♥
Family (starting with my parents, my spouse, and now my children) have carried me through difficult times. It is wonderful to see how my adult kids have been ready to step up to help when I’ve needed them, especially when their step-dad has been hospitalized in recent years. They are very reassuring!
Dear friends and loved ones and teachers, as someone already mentioned, who were so kind to listen with an open heart, sometimes giving advice, but the important thing was that they had lent me their ear and to help sorting out what belongs to me and to encourage to face the situation with awareness and love whenever possible. It was helpful to always come back to the given moment, through observing breath, through asking for help when needed and to allow myself to be open and vulnerable more and more. So this is who and what, and in fact it was much more like also being in nature, being in contact with music, receiving a kind smile sometimes as a response to my offering a smile and a “good morning” to a stranger passing by, smelling the fresh air while opening the window in the morning as the day offers its first morning light, birdsong as well as something like simply being aware and grateful for the many gifts which are present in the same time. This does not take away the difficulty but allows for light and Love to shine on nevertheless.
Gotten me through difficult times? It is less any person and more the “Being,” the “I Am Who Am,” “ Ultimate Reality,” “Higher Power,” “God” or whatever name you call that amazing being/force/energy.
In-or-of Itself it has touched me personally so to carry me through the most difficult times – and then also I often see/feel that same essence of love through other people, as they reach out to assist.
Throughout the difficult time, I allowed myself to pause, observe what was going on, and finally the answers could be to take a break, play by ear, or make a decision.
I would like to say it was a specific someone or something that has carried me through the rough spots of my life.
But, being connected to people in general, has been the thing that seems to have gotten me through the hard stuff. People reaching out to me, or my reaching out to people. Most of the crises were either caused by or exasperated by the loss of connection. And some kind of connection has always been the thing that has brought me back.
If I’ve learned anything, it’s that I need to stay connected.
Yes Charlie, my hardest times are also the loss of connection or “bad” connections. I never thought of it that way but your words struck a deep chord. Thank you for sharing that thought.
I share a morning meditation from my 2022 journal. Today’s question remind me of the importance of relationship.
Morning Med Nov 1, 2022 Relationship
Several years ago I worked on a retreat team and our spiritual director use to say, “There is nothing more real than a relationship.” I found that saying troublesome. What did he mean? I have come to the conclusion that he was attempting to plant a seed of awareness in us. He wanted us to realize that we are in a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual relationship with our concept of a higher power, with our planet, with each other and with ourselves. In my life, sometimes these relationships have been healthy and sometimes they have not but the opportunity to learn and grow is always there.
Poet, playwright, and author James Baldwin said, “People can’t, unhappily, invent their mooring posts, their lovers and their friends, anymore than they can invent their parents. Life gives these and also takes them away and the great difficulty is to say Yes to life…You have to go the way your blood beats. If you don’t live the only life you have, you won’t live some other life, you won’t live any life at all.”
I think my biggest lesson has been to learn to trust and value my life. I’ve learned that if I can remain patient with life, it will show me a constructive way to proceed. Sometimes, the answer comes directly into my brain; sometimes it comes through another human being; sometimes it comes through the natural world (especially when I can remember that I to am part of the natural world); and many times it comes from the willingness to be a participant observer. I allow a piece of me to step back and watch. It helps me own my thoughts, feelings and actions. I’m very fond of the word, Lord. It’s my personification of this trust I have nurtured. When I traced the etymology of the word, “Lord,” I learned that the Lord was the bread giver, the one who offered sustenance to the people and so my prayers for wisdom often begin with the word, “Lord.” Also, in my experience, the saying: “When the student is ready, the teacher appears” comes to mind. Sometimes it is a fellow human, sometimes it is a book or a poem, sometimes it seems like an arid wasteland. Whatever I need to wake up a little more fully is given when I am willing to have eyes to see and ears to hear so that I may be healed. All of this said, I am very aware that I do not do anything alone.
My two lifelong best friends have suffered with me through grief, trials, bad decisions and more, as I have with them. And we know each other well enough to know when to lighten the load with humor, shift the dynamic with something inane, and even talk some light trash. We’ve done this for each other. And joy is the ample companion through it all. I can’t imagine life without them. They are a gift from God.
My ability to recognize that this too shall pass, as every difficult situation in my life has eventually passed. My knowledge that I have always been able to cope and move on. Sometimes I’m moving into a new and different reality that I hadn’t wanted, but the sun still rises every morning and I can keep going.
The universe has always been here- the origin has carried me always even when I didn’t know or believe.
Now the universe method helps support me by clearing and cleaning my human mind world- the method to let go of illusion is here . It’s the most joyful news in the word ! Thank you so much ! ☺️
My best friend. During ordeals, she has always been there to listen, to offer insights, and to help carry the emotional load. She has helped me get through some rough times, with love and support.
Family, friends, teachers. Being able to come back to the breath and find that peaceful center. Yoga classes. All of my practices.
And my faith in the process of life itself.
The quote of the day is amazing. I agree we grow from the love of caring for others. I’ve been cared for by my parents, my husband, my children, dear friends, spiritual teachers and community, coworkers, and the Guru—in my tradition we call this the teacher within.
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Different things offer me solace and healing
when I am experiencing difficult times . . .
I think if you asked me
I might say one thing now
and then another thing
later . . .
they’d both be true.
They are both and all
attached and connected to Grace.
Music
has helped me so much,
and still does,
even on days that would be called ‘good’.
The right music for the right reason
touches and moves me
in ways that nothing else does.
It can make my face glow
with a look that might say I’ve seen the angels,
or it can also enfold me
and carry me through the river Styx
or the bowels of hell,
protected and safe.
Music
transcends most earthly things
and connects me with something deep and ancient within me.
As with all gifts,
music can be twisted to serve the purposes
of those who choose to harm,
but it hold neither attraction nor terror for me.
I know what I need when I need it,
and naturally lean into what if good for me,
just as I am repelled
by what is not.
After class,
I often had a coffee with my art teacher,
who believed that the arts
are meant to reflect zeitgeist . . .
the state of the times we are in,
while I felt they are meant to uplift . . .
and we would argue privately
with a certain amount of passion . . .
in retrospect,
I think,
that in a way,
we are both right.
I’m tired of fighting,
arguing . . .
perhaps it’s all in what we choose . . .
if I go to a gallery or museum,
I would rather see a painting of a life-filled meadow
than a portrait of a Madonna,
smeared in feces . . .
sign of the times
or not.
Music
works its way through my body and soul,
gets into every little crevice and cell,
changing me
as it performs its magic on and in me.
Music
can make me believe
that no matter what happens,
everything is going to be all right. ♥
Family (starting with my parents, my spouse, and now my children) have carried me through difficult times. It is wonderful to see how my adult kids have been ready to step up to help when I’ve needed them, especially when their step-dad has been hospitalized in recent years. They are very reassuring!
Dear friends and loved ones and teachers, as someone already mentioned, who were so kind to listen with an open heart, sometimes giving advice, but the important thing was that they had lent me their ear and to help sorting out what belongs to me and to encourage to face the situation with awareness and love whenever possible. It was helpful to always come back to the given moment, through observing breath, through asking for help when needed and to allow myself to be open and vulnerable more and more. So this is who and what, and in fact it was much more like also being in nature, being in contact with music, receiving a kind smile sometimes as a response to my offering a smile and a “good morning” to a stranger passing by, smelling the fresh air while opening the window in the morning as the day offers its first morning light, birdsong as well as something like simply being aware and grateful for the many gifts which are present in the same time. This does not take away the difficulty but allows for light and Love to shine on nevertheless.
Gotten me through difficult times? It is less any person and more the “Being,” the “I Am Who Am,” “ Ultimate Reality,” “Higher Power,” “God” or whatever name you call that amazing being/force/energy.
In-or-of Itself it has touched me personally so to carry me through the most difficult times – and then also I often see/feel that same essence of love through other people, as they reach out to assist.
Throughout the difficult time, I allowed myself to pause, observe what was going on, and finally the answers could be to take a break, play by ear, or make a decision.
My Ngoc, a little break makes a huge difference.
I would like to say it was a specific someone or something that has carried me through the rough spots of my life.
But, being connected to people in general, has been the thing that seems to have gotten me through the hard stuff. People reaching out to me, or my reaching out to people. Most of the crises were either caused by or exasperated by the loss of connection. And some kind of connection has always been the thing that has brought me back.
If I’ve learned anything, it’s that I need to stay connected.
Yes Charlie, my hardest times are also the loss of connection or “bad” connections. I never thought of it that way but your words struck a deep chord. Thank you for sharing that thought.
I share a morning meditation from my 2022 journal. Today’s question remind me of the importance of relationship.
Morning Med Nov 1, 2022 Relationship
Several years ago I worked on a retreat team and our spiritual director use to say, “There is nothing more real than a relationship.” I found that saying troublesome. What did he mean? I have come to the conclusion that he was attempting to plant a seed of awareness in us. He wanted us to realize that we are in a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual relationship with our concept of a higher power, with our planet, with each other and with ourselves. In my life, sometimes these relationships have been healthy and sometimes they have not but the opportunity to learn and grow is always there.
Poet, playwright, and author James Baldwin said, “People can’t, unhappily, invent their mooring posts, their lovers and their friends, anymore than they can invent their parents. Life gives these and also takes them away and the great difficulty is to say Yes to life…You have to go the way your blood beats. If you don’t live the only life you have, you won’t live some other life, you won’t live any life at all.”
I think my biggest lesson has been to learn to trust and value my life. I’ve learned that if I can remain patient with life, it will show me a constructive way to proceed. Sometimes, the answer comes directly into my brain; sometimes it comes through another human being; sometimes it comes through the natural world (especially when I can remember that I to am part of the natural world); and many times it comes from the willingness to be a participant observer. I allow a piece of me to step back and watch. It helps me own my thoughts, feelings and actions. I’m very fond of the word, Lord. It’s my personification of this trust I have nurtured. When I traced the etymology of the word, “Lord,” I learned that the Lord was the bread giver, the one who offered sustenance to the people and so my prayers for wisdom often begin with the word, “Lord.” Also, in my experience, the saying: “When the student is ready, the teacher appears” comes to mind. Sometimes it is a fellow human, sometimes it is a book or a poem, sometimes it seems like an arid wasteland. Whatever I need to wake up a little more fully is given when I am willing to have eyes to see and ears to hear so that I may be healed. All of this said, I am very aware that I do not do anything alone.
Amen, Carol Ann. 🙏
My two lifelong best friends have suffered with me through grief, trials, bad decisions and more, as I have with them. And we know each other well enough to know when to lighten the load with humor, shift the dynamic with something inane, and even talk some light trash. We’ve done this for each other. And joy is the ample companion through it all. I can’t imagine life without them. They are a gift from God.
Good friends are indeed a gift, Katrina.
My ability to recognize that this too shall pass, as every difficult situation in my life has eventually passed. My knowledge that I have always been able to cope and move on. Sometimes I’m moving into a new and different reality that I hadn’t wanted, but the sun still rises every morning and I can keep going.
The universe has always been here- the origin has carried me always even when I didn’t know or believe.
Now the universe method helps support me by clearing and cleaning my human mind world- the method to let go of illusion is here . It’s the most joyful news in the word ! Thank you so much ! ☺️
My best friend. During ordeals, she has always been there to listen, to offer insights, and to help carry the emotional load. She has helped me get through some rough times, with love and support.
My ability to adapt to my circumstances while standing firm on my convictions has carried me through difficult times.
Family, friends, teachers. Being able to come back to the breath and find that peaceful center. Yoga classes. All of my practices.
And my faith in the process of life itself.
God’s unflinching fideilty to me, most clearly recognized when I center, breathe & pray! Joyful day, all!
Thank you Josie.
The quote of the day is amazing. I agree we grow from the love of caring for others. I’ve been cared for by my parents, my husband, my children, dear friends, spiritual teachers and community, coworkers, and the Guru—in my tradition we call this the teacher within.