Playing at Sunrise

When was the last time 

you allowed yourself the

freedom to play?  

To really let loose as a child does?

Was it today -- or some time ago?

How about renewing the play in your life.

It might be fun to think the renewal as 

Playing at Sunrise.

Leave a comment

and let me know how you played  

or renewed playfulness in your life

and what it was like.

One way I am is by posting again on my blog.

Thanks to all of you for asking about it 

and checking in with me!

En-Joy

                          En-joy:

                                  Enter 2010

                                         With joy

                           My hope

                                       My prayer

                                               For you, for me, for us.

Happiness

This beautiful stained glass symbol for Happiness

was made by my dear friend Elaine.

I love how she adds, "Aristotle stated that happiness

(also being well and doing well) is the only thing

that humans desire for its own sake,

unlike riches, honor, health, or even friendship."

What a beautiful wish for any loved one

during this Holy Season.

Together

Being Together.

One of the gifts of Thanksgiving.

Whether physically with loved ones

or there in spirit,

being together is such a gift!

New ER Under African Skies

My sister recently worked with a silent auction to help

raise funds for a new ER in the mountainous rural

Rukunriri district southwest of Uganda.

Last year local workers converted

two rooms and a closet into one open space.

Stretchers, oxygen equipment, splinting materials,

and storage closets were provided through the

fundraising efforts of two doctors.

On June 2, 2008, the first ER of this kind in Africa opened.

They served 500 people that first month.

I love thinking about this:

Since 8 out of 10 leading causes of death before then

had been because of trauma and severe diseases treatable

with quality emergency care, a significant number of lives

are now saved every day of every month!

This November 2009 silent auction raised $16,000!

But.  I don't believe this is enough.

We can do better.  We can raise more.

I'd love for you to help.

Maybe this could be a Christmas present for

someone you love instead of a traditional gift?

Click on the website below for the nonprofit agency

Global Emergency Care Collective

if you're willing to learn more and help.

Thanks!  I think this kind of present is what

Christmas is really all about.

www.globalemergencycare.org

Racing or Enjoying the Sights?

Which one are you today?

(No fair telling me which one I am!)

A friend sent me a prayer/poem

with these beautiful lines (Thanks Linda!):

     There is no substitute for the present moment.

              To enter it slow down

                     Until it envelops you.

     We are always choosing: either

              in fear, keep busy

                     or in wonder, attend.

     There is no way but slowing down

              to see and live truly,

                     to be here and not elsewhere.

I'm slowing moment by moment,

choosing moment by moment,

seeking to see and live truly.

It's not impossible for me this way.

Moment by moment.

How about you?

Beautiful Souls

We just returned from family vacation in California.

One of our grandaughters was in a

Silent Parade celebrating All Saints Day.

Here she is as St. Barbara.

And here she is as St. Barbara Pinkalicious.

She requested her favorite color,

pink of course, and a cross.

Well ... we had to have fun with pics of each sister.
So we took this one of joyful dancing,
added a magical starry background,
a luminous star on her cheek,
a rainbow of purplicious flowers and crown,
and our princess danced away with her cousin. 

Precious. Precious Souls.

How goes it with your soul today?

Blessed for sure.

Magical Night, Day of Remembering

Last night we walked around

the 16th Street Mall here in Denver

and enjoyed all the creative costumes.

There was also a wondrously fun

pillow-fight tradition at

Larimer Square during

each pedestrian crossing.

Today I'm enjoying All Saints Day

and thinking of dad.

Who are some of the saints you love?

Adventure!

... Creating and thinking of Amelia Earhart

as I prepare to begin a new journey.

I wonder what adventures lie around the corner.

How about you?

What adventures might be ahead for your soul?

Whimsical Palm Tree

Where does your imagination take you today?

If you'd like, come play beneath

my whimsical palm.

Then sit very still.
You might be able to feel

 the warmth of the ocean breeze!

Or ... where else would your soul like to play?

Playing With Color

Sometimes the simplicity of one color speaks to the soul.

What color is your soul today?

Autumn Impressions: What is a Soul Journal, Anyway?

 "Listen! the wind is rising,

and the air is wild with leaves.

We have had our summer evenings,

now for October eves!" ~Humbert Wolfe~

This great quote (thanks Jamie!) reminded me of
journal pages from a couple years ago.
Looking at the pages this morning I can see
echoes of my soul at the time.

I thought that describing the process of making those pages

might be a good way to give you a glimpse into a Soul Journal.

It started one afternoon while I was reading

a Smithsonian Magazine that my husband was finished with.

(Being last to read, I can play with the wonderful images!)

I remember noticing the dark colors in

Beautiful Rain, a painting by Renoir.

Carefully tearing out the picture I thought about

other paintings by Renoir with their bright colors,

children playing, and sunny gardens. Those were the

type of Impressionist paintings that usually appeal to me.

It really surprised me to be moved by these dark autumnal colors.

I pulled out a stash of paints, ink-pads and stamps,

and "stuff" torn from envelopes, magazines,
restaurant napkins, and the like.

(Some of my favorite things to use in my Soul Journal 

pages are bits and pieces of life around me.)

Randomly opening the book I was altering, I took

colored ink-pads and watercolors and began to rub, paint, and
daub on colors that reminded me of fall sunsets.

To create a casual messy softness I rip around images and

then rub a combination of neutral inks over the white edges.

I also crumpled up the red flowers

and brushed sepia over the wrinkles to add depth and interest.

I continued to play around, adding a dried stalk from

my sister's garden and postage stamps that brightened the pages.

Pausing to take a look, they all seemed to want a cozy interior space.

so, looking out the window at the fall leaves in olive green,

dark ochre yellow, and sepia brown, I smudged and layered

those colors until they created warm and safe edges.

(Can you hear echoes of my soul at that time?)

Dark purple and brown inks were used to stamp the

randomly selected clocks, fern, and butterflies

on top of the autumn-sunset colors.

(Again, can you see intuitive symbolism in the selected images?)

Looking back, the way those dark beautiful colors

in the magazine spoke to me now makes some sense.

Recovering from cancer treatments

and working through accompanying depression

it had become increasingly difficult to talk about my feelings.

I had searched around me and scrounged through the

cancer magazines scattered in oncology waiting rooms

but could find no evidence of others struggling with

such depression after treatments.

Everywhere I looked other cancer survivors were

full of sunshine, optimism, and hope.

They were ready to jump back into life,

eager to re-embrace every single day.

And so I had grown deeply ashamed of my depression

and tried to hide it even more than usual.

(I know, while many commented on how good I was doing,

I didn't hide much of anything from those of you

familiar with depression.)

As I flipped through the magazine that day

something about those dark colors resonated with my soul.

And while I noticed how powerful they were to me, I

didn't really try to understand. Instead, I simply

allowed them to be a springboard for

creative play and nonverbal expression.

Soul Journals can be helpful

when words are inadequate, unavailable.

And ... isn't it delightfully ironic how often we

return to words to explain those nonverbal expressions?

Click below or email me and let me know how you Soul-Journal or

how you'd like to begin.  Remember, I'm always glad to

answer questions if you're unsure how to begin.
I love all your comments and emails for those who prefer!

I'd Love to ... But ...

Learning to slow down is a life-long journey for me.

It's not so much learning how ...

if I've forgotten every tip I've ever learned

all I have to do is search the internet and there is

more info than I've ever wanted ...

and I still haven't even begun to slow down.

Usually it's a matter of

following one of my favorite ad slogans:

Just Do It.

Sit still.  Stand still.

Breathe.

Notice.  Breathe.

There.  Do you feel it?

For just a moment we slowed down.

Isn't it a bit different?

Enjoy .. then move on.

What is a Mandala? Can it help me deal with stress?

Does your mind sometimes run like a hamster racing around a wheel?

Harried desperate and frenzied ... moving in circles?

Since mandalas relate to both sides of the brain

they are a helpful way to deal with the stress and anxiety of life.

With the left brain we can use reason and logic
to acknowledge the frenzy associated with stress
and consider possible forms of healing.

These ancient geometric images of interlocking shapes

are found all around the world.
Their balanced and repetitive patterns
appeal to the left side of the brain. 

Carl Jung encouraged creative and relaxing use of mandalas 

to help the subconscious open up to healing.

Journal flower-doodling

  

Mandalas also appeal to the right side of our brain as we

contemplate them and slowly settle into inner silence.

We find the concentric symmetry of a mandala all around us.

Consider a daffodil, ferris wheel, compass,

or stained glass window.

Rose Window in St. Chapelle, Paris

At this point you might be thinking about
how a mandala can help you deal with your daily stress.

Here are three spiritual practices you might try with mandalas.

* Print and color a mandala with three or four crayons, markers, or colored pencils. You can use one of the ancient sacred geometry mandalas above or the creative mandala below that Catherine Whipple created.

Mandala Swirl 6 by Catherine Whipple

Her website www.self-help-healing-arts-journal.com has 

many more mandalas for you to enjoy.

After you print your mandala select colors to use. You may either intentionally choose or randomly select the colors. Slowly color or lightly sketch different sections. The process of repeating or alternating colors around the shape will both derive from and lead you into the subconscious or your deeper self.

** Draw your own mandala.  Any concentric symmetrical shape can serve as a model.  Some people experiment with shapes on a computer; some draw flowers or the spokes of a windmill; others simply doodle with circles, triangles, and other shapes.

*** Reflect on a mandala shape that appeals to you, perhaps something you've noticed around you. As you observe the image you select, soften your eyes and relax your focus; simply rest with the colors and shapes to move into mystery beyond words and thoughts.

Our daughter often finds mandala-like shapes!

Each of these practices is an invitation
into sacred time and holy space.

There is no correct or incorrect technique, 
no proper or improper procedure.

It is the process itself working within us: a means of grace.

I'd love to hear about the process of working with your mandala

or see a picture of it; you can send it to me by email.

Enjoy the journey!

Beautiful Yearning

Last night I ran across

this poignant vintage image;

I spent a thoughtful morning with her

today -- while also learning

how to add the transparent image

and beautiful score of music.

It seems as if every fiber of this woman's

heart, soul, mind, and strength

stretches up in hopeful yearning.

Can you see the lift of every muscle

in her neck, every rib in her torso,

every breath that she takes?

Can you see the hope in her upturned

face, in the soft corner of her eye,

in her gently closed lips?

Hope radiates from her soul,

sings from her heart,

lifts her entire being.

She reminds me of Bernini's exquisite

carving St. Theresa of Avila in

Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome.

I'll share that with you one day soon.

But for today, what is it that you yearn for?

What would make your heart sing?

Go ahead and reach for it.

Reach for it like she does, with every fiber of

your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

What Helped?

People often ask me,

What helped you get well?

For the breast cancer it was radiation.

But they usually know that.

It's the depression most people ask about.

It's not an easy question to answer.

I worked so hard to get well -- but it took more than two years.

There were the usuals:

A good counselor, meds, vitamins, healthy food,

plenty of sleep, yoga, meditation, spiritual reflection,

caring family, humor, good books, chic-flicks ...

And time. Lots of time. Much more time than I wanted it to take.

But I'm convinced that the most important thing

for my healing has been friends.

For years my focus had been on our family and the people

in congregations I served as a United Methodist pastor.

I loved everything that I was doing, even thrived on it.

But there was little time left for personal friendships.

And over time this took its toll.

But when I went on medical leave all I had was time.

Time and more time. Time to rest, time to sleep,

time to practice yoga, time to walk, time to bike,

time to meditate, time to journal, time to play the piano,

time to read, time to watch movies, time to do crosswords,

time to visit family ... and time to seek new friendships.

I'm convinced that it's the friendships that turned things around.

Centuries ago Dorotheus of Gaza taught that

our spiritual lives are much like the spokes of a wheel.

The closer we move toward the holy, the center of our being,

the closer we move to one another.

Likewise, the closer we move toward one another,

the closer we move to the holy.

Then there's the corollary.

When we intentionally move away from one another,

and also When we fail to move closer to one another,

we find ourselves moving away from the center, the holy.

Without taking time for myself and deep personal friendships

it was like I was skipping around and around the spokes.

Eventually I found myself spiritually drying up

in a very different way from the natural ebb and flow

of desert times and bountiful times.

It's truly not enough to focus just on our spiritual lives.

The pairing with meaningful relationships provides a rhythm,

a continuity, a balance to our journeys.

Thanks everyone.

You're parading through my mind as I write.

Wow! It's true, I just realized!

Enough friends, enough meaningful friendships,

for an entire parade!

Singing the Blues with Buddy Guy

We planned our day in Chicago:

an afternoon wandering through the Art Institute

and then an evening listening to the blues

at Buddy Guy’s Legends.

What is it about the blues that I love so much?

I think the movie Adventures in Babysitting got it right.

The children and their sitter find themselves

racing through Chicago on a Friday night rescue mission;

they escape one predicament just to find themselves in another.

But things change when they find themselves in a blues club.

They can’t leave until they sing the blues:

Nobody leaves this place without singing the blues.

They’re slowed down because you can’t escape or run away;

you can only go through what life puts before you.

So Elisabeth Shue (the babysitter) takes the microphone

and tells their woeful story.

It’s amazing what happens when we tell our story.

Things aren’t quite as bad as we thought.

Oh, they may be bad alright,

but naming them takes away ruthless their power.

A little perspective helps too.

This is what I love: when you sing the blues you go through them.

And it’s really the only way.

Oh, I’ve tried other ways. Haven’t you?

The old Spiritual explains it though:

You can’t go around them ‘cause they’re too wide;

you can’t go over them ‘cause they’re too high;

and you can’t go under them ‘cause they’re too low.

So there we were in Chicago

celebrating the blues -- on Buddy Guy’s 73rd birthday.

We showed up early for front row seats,

played pool, and shared our table with new friends.

We sang and listened, laughed and talked.

We shared stories of cancer, unemployment, and new jobs.

We worked our way through the blues

and came out on the other side.

Even news of a positive breast cancer biopsy

could be experienced in a different light.

Our new friend hugged me good-bye

and added through tears, It’s going to be alright.

I pulled back, looked into her eyes,

and saw the strength reflected there.

Yes, I agreed.

It would somehow be alright for them.

For mother and daughter would go through it together.

That’s what the blues brings. Hope.

Eighty-Five and Proud of it!

At age 84 Mom took up water coloring.

"Rose in Vase" is her favorite

(so far she reminds me).

What an inspiring way 

to show us how to live, love, and enjoy life.

Happy Birthday Mom!