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Posts tagged ‘growth’

Sep 7

The Changed, the Changing

“I hope I can be the autumn leaf, who looked at the sky and lived. And when it was time to leave, gracefully it knew life was a gift.”– Dodinsky

“Blessed are you dear one, when the world around you has changed. Everything is different now. Your body, your age, your relationships, your job, your faith. The things that once brought you joy. The way you existed in the world. The people you love and trust and rely on. Things have changed and it would be silly to imagine you haven’t changed with them. You are not who you once were. Bless that old self. They did such a good job with what they knew. They made you who you were. All the mistakes and heartbreak and naivety and courage and blessed are who you are now. You who aren’t pretending that things are the same and who continue to grow and stretch and show up to your life as it really is. Wholehearted, vulnerable, maybe a little afraid. So blessed are we the changed.” – Kate Bowler

Follow the seasons for cues and clues, directions.
Everchanging, wandering, transforming.
Dirt to bud to bloom, to dormancy, back to life again and again.
Cycles and circles.
Rarely linear.
Made new in the delays and detours.
Shaped and stretched in the struggle.
Resilient, soft and strong.
The work of transition, the fruit of transformation.
Blessed are we the changed, the changing.

“There is something so special in the early leaves drifting from the trees–as if we are all to be allowed a chance to peel, to refresh, to start again.”– Ruth Ahmed

Aug 19

Not Done Yet

“To have courage for whatever comes in life – everything lies in that.” – Saint Teresa of Avila

When others say it’s over and you still have more to do, to give
You are not done yet
When you begin to doubt yourself and think it may be true
You are not done yet
When you are bypassed, discarded, dismissed
You are not done yet
When the call gets softer and the noise gets louder
You are not done yet
When you are too old, too young, too this, too that
You are not done yet
Keep believing and doing the work to become who you were created to be
You are not done yet
Run your race, cross the finish line
You are not done yet

“Be who you were created to be, and you will set the world on fire.”― St. Catherine of Siena

Jun 8

Our Yearning

“As we enter the path of transformation, the most valuable thing we have working in our favor is our yearning.”― Cynthia Bourgeault

Follow the call, not the noise
The soft whisper that says there is something more, deeper, filled with meaning, home
Yearning, expansion, widening
Self, others, the world
The landscape is wide and beautiful
The path is often unclear, a mystery, it unfolds as we move into it
Settling dries up bones
Continue, climb, move, trip, get up, keep going
Listen, trust, be transformed
To live, to be lived.

“The highest and most beautiful things in life are not to be heard about, nor read about, nor seen but, if one will, are to be lived.” – Soren Kierkegaard

May 11

Daily Classroom

“Learning never exhausts the mind.” – Leonardo da Vinci

“There is no end to education. It is not that you read a book, pass an examination, and finish with education. The whole of life, from the moment you are born to the moment you die, is a process of learning.” – Jiddu Krishnamurti

The school year is coming quickly to a close.
Weeks until summer break.
Commencement speeches for graduation.
Advice, celebration, reflection, anticipation.
Prepping and planning meticulously for the future.

As we get older, we realize that class is in session our entire life.
The journey we thought was linear is circular, seasonal, spiraling.
A mystery requiring trust and faith, a sense of humor, a bucket of grace.
If we think we are done, we are done.
Done growing, learning, becoming.

There are still lessons to be learned, unlearned, applied, forgotten.
Choose a growth and beginner’s mindset.
Ready and willing to inquire, listen, change, grow.

What will you discover today?
How will you contribute?
What will you take?
Will you be present or race by another day?
Class is in session.

“Change is inevitable. Growth is optional” – John Maxwell

Apr 2

In Between Time

“Light precedes every transition. Whether at the end of a tunnel, through a crack in the door or the flash of an idea, it is always there, heralding a new beginning.” – Theresa Tsalaky

A Blessing for the In-Between

“Blessed are we, somewhere unnameable, fully present to our reality. Tracking it, with all its subtle gradations and colors and contrasts, the sweetness and the struggle, the stuck and not-quite-fitting. Authentic to it, mapping the full strangeness of the new emergent landscape. Blessed are we, dear ones, not calling it too soon. Not settling for the neat and buttoned-up, the too-tied-up, the not-quite-true. Bless all of it, the way we might widen our gaze to encompass it and embrace it. And bless you, moving into the unknown, waiting, daring to hope.”— Good Enough: 40ish Devotionals for a Life of Imperfection by Kate Bowler, Jessica Richie

Lent is in between time.
Two plus years of a pandemic is in between time.
I just quit a job I’ve had for 17 years and will be starting a new job on April 20 – in between again.
The threshold. One foot behind and one on the other side.

We spend a lot of our life in between, hurdling, crossing. Getting stuck in the past one day and stuck in the future in another. Usually missing this day. It’s beauty and blessings. What was or to come than what is.

Change is often thrust upon us, not of our choice or making. We react, resist, hold tight to what is to not make waves. Change beckons us to move out of our comfort, familiarity, certainty, even if false. When we get to choose change, when we dare to move into the unfamiliar, unstuck, new territory, we move into our power.

May you feel blessed in the in between times, the endings and new beginnings. Hopeful, steady and renewed in the dance of transition. Winter to spring back to winter and then finally spring. Move into the growth, the present, the possibilities.

“It is when we are in transition that we are most completely alive.” – William Bridges

Nov 17

Enlighten

“A single sunbeam is enough to drive away many shadows.” – Francis of Assisi

“One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings. The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child.” – Carl Jung

Keep learning, unlearning, relearning.
Inquire, dig, connect.
Uncover, discover, explore.
The world expands when we realize we don’t know everything.
Sow. Nurture. Harvest.
Seek light. Be enlightened. Be light.
Mind and soul work.

“To teach is to learn twice.” – Joseph Joubert

Oct 14

Cast Seeds, Cast Light

“We know we cannot plant seeds with closed fists. To sow, we must open our hands.” – Adolfo Perez Esquivel

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

On the path of activities, conversations, in thoughts, what seeds will you plant today?
What will you leave behind?
Kind words, gratitude, joy, laughter, an embrace, listening, asking, smiling, singing, tears, letting go, holding on, poetry, nature, play, quiet reflection.
Seeds.

Our thoughts, words and actions plant seeds today for harvest in our tomorrows.
Plant, nurture and harvest.
Some seeds will land on fertile soil and some on rock.
Keep sowing.
Cast seeds, cast light.

“What we plant in the soil of contemplation, we shall reap in the harvest of action.” – Meister Eckhart

Jan 13

1 Comment

Finish the Sentence.

“There is no end to education. It is not that you read a book, pass an examination, and finish with education. The whole of life, from the moment you are born to the moment you die, is a process of learning.” – Jiddu Krishnamurti

Life is circular and cyclical and we live it linearly. When we think we’re done, beyond and past something, it pops up again to remind us to “finish the sentence.” We need to cross the “t” and dot the “i” before we can complete the sentences with a period rather than a comma.

Emotions, triggers, attachments that weigh us down and keep us circling back to learn the lesson, to see ourselves differently and act accordingly. Until we resolve and integrate our experiences, disappointments, incomplete narratives, we will keep going back to finally learn the lessons so we can move on. It requires us to keep rising up, never giving up. When we get caught in the net of the same and progress seems distant, the question to ask is not why or when but “what is the lesson I need to learn?”

Some lessons are harder, deeper and more complex. Keep at it and unravel the mystery. Class is always in session, learning is optional. When we don’t learn the lessons, we remain in the same “grade” until we do. Disparate pieces come together to complete the picture when we step back and find the missing pieces and fill the hole. The full story always comes looking back so keep working your way through the middle to the finish line. And when you arrive, celebrate and know that you are prepared for the next start line.

“‎Though nobody can go back and make a new beginning… Anyone can start over and make a new ending.” ― Chico Xavier

And in the learning, always be open to hope, joy and light. It is a journey, enjoy it.

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