Let Beauty Now Be What We Do

Here is a soulful song that also goes perfectly with my blog yesterday: 

Let Beauty Now Be






This song, by the Illumination Band, has deeply companioned me this month.  The sound is blues-y, folkish, bluegrass-y music that uses Rumi poetry in the lyrics.  What an awesome blend of heart, wisdom, poetry, and sound!













Let Beauty Now Be

Some mornings we wake up on empty,
to a day that's got nothing but need.
So we reach for a strong cup of coffee,
or maybe a good book to read.

The words of the gospels upholdin
but they come from so high and so far.
But, sometimes in trouble the best thing to do
is pick up the good old guitar.

Let the beauty we love come and fill us.
Let the beauty around get us through.
Let the beauty inside be our compass
Let beauty now be what we do.
                               
Cause all hearts still long for the beauty.
It's a secret that's here every where.
And the soft, sweet old tune
can remind us it shines
In the midst of the deepest despair.

There are hundreds of ways joy can find us.
Like the hundreds of ways children play.
And there's hundreds of ways
to kneel down on the ground,
hundreds of ways we can pray.

Let the beauty we love come and fill us.
Let the beauty around get us through.
Let the beauty inside be our compass
Let beauty now be what we do.



Find the song on mp3 downloads on Amazon and CD Baby.   ENJOY!!!  

Love the description CD Baby says this about the band:The Illumination Band creates a unique musical experience by drawing on the words of the great13th c. Sufi poet Rumi. With soaring vocal harmonies, lilting old-time melodies and hard-driving blues giving way to moments of mystical longing, the Illumination Band blurs the lines between musical genres as seamlessly as it crosses cultural boundaries. Grounded in American bluegrass, gospel and country, an Illumination Band concert covers a lot of emotional territory but always returns to the heart’s yearning for transcendence.

Illumination Band is now on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Illumination-Band/190803891021832

Joyfully,
Sharon

Look for Beauty

 

 

Beauty shows up in odd places.  

Like splashes of color on gray pavement, a stunning smile coaxed from the shy heart.  Beauty, though exploited by advertisers, is often found fresh and free - crescent moons etched on glass, musical laughter, photos of mountain and sunset on bookmarks, loving emails tucked in folds of computers, paint stroked on canvas, seeds showered on the ground.

 

When sorrow overwhelms, I look for beauty. 

 

With all that is broken in this world, with all the violence that is real and then sensationalized, pain is easy to find. Sorrow and violence fills the screens of our eyes and ears, even resides in the shadows
of our unconscious. 

Compassion and goodness exist there too. Beauty can be found within and without; what fills us depends on what we look for, what qualities grow in us depend on that which we seek, 
tend
             and feed.
   

Last weekend, as the nation mourned lives lost in Boston, I wandered down a tree-lined lane, looking for beauty, needing beauty.  My eyes were drawn to hundreds of tiny lacy bouquets of lime and yellow on the path ahead.  Casually scattered, gathered with a dot of red, vivid bundles of seed and flower lay in sharp contrast to their bleak backdrop of macadam. How simple; how exquisite!

 

 

 

               As I continued walking, I came upon a statue. One arm severed, bleeding. The other reaching out to comfort a child.  

                                          

People break and bleed. The earth breaks and bleeds.  Even most religions speak of a God who breaks and bleeds. When anguished, I find hope and courage knowing violence is not the end of the story. God reminds me visually: joy and beauty are present even in the midst of suffering.  Perhaps my meloncholy eyes are first caught by the bleeding, but the image that endures is the tender hand caressing the child. Wether you are one who looks at tragedy or one who must look away, in the end
it is love that unites us. 
Might does little, but Love heals and strengthens.   

 

 

 

 

The earth sings with beauty.....

 

                                                 always!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even as she bleeds, weeps.

 

 

 

If you and I cultivate the ability to see with the eyes of our souls, then we will become exactly what we want to the world to be.  We will be

                             the artist,

                                    the lover,

                                           the see-er,

                                                 the gentling,

                                this broken world craves. 

 

 

 

Seek truth and goodness. And when you find beauty on this 

                sweet earth ......                   

 

...share it, and add more!
 

 

 

Joyfully,

Sharon

restore

                                    

        ~  R    E    S   T    O    R    E  ~

                          
              
                              In January, I chose this word for 2013.

                                      
                                          I chose it for myself. 
                                   I hold it for others.
                                           I pray it for the world.



     I planned to write a blog post about remembering my promise to foster two more dogs in honor of the slain Newtown teacher and child who loved dogs: Rachel Davino and Catherine Hubbbard.  Hemi and Hoss are in their new homes; they were raised with love and sent forward with love, thus fullfilling my promise. I planned a happy post..... 

And then Boston exploded. I find myself at a loss for words.  

                               So, I simply offer my one word:   RESTORE  


Spirit of God, of all that is Love,
Restore us....

Sharon
                         
             
                                   

Push Me Pull You

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few weeks ago I gave each of the puppies their first bone.  What took

place next fascinated me:

 

   Instantly smitten with a mixture of excitement and unsettledness, Hoss wants to chew his right next to Hemi, but Hemi is torn between hiding hers from Hoss and wanting to chew it near him.  She pushes the bone as far back in her mouth as she can until only the very tip is sticking out. I wonder if she is hiding it while deciding what to do!  She scrambles from room to room, from chair to chair, from one corner to the another, looking for a safe place, crying, whimpering.  The sound is pitiful. I want to rescue her, but curiosity keeps me waiting to see how this will play out. 

 

Hoss also wants the company of his sister.  He keeps getting up to follow her around.  Upon reaching her, he plops down to chew only to have her abandon him again.  He gives up and goes to the dog bed to chew in peace.  Hemi, not finding a safe place to chew and still be close to Hoss, sits sadly in the middle of the room and with bone stuffed in her mouth, lifts her head up and wails a long, muted, most pitiful howl.  She melts my heart; I have to rescue her.  I put her in the puppy play pen, plan to move Hoss and dog bed where she can see him.  As I slide brother, bone and bed toward Hemi, Hoss looks up at me completely baffled while Hemi, safe, yet close, immediately settles and chews.   I just have to laugh when Hoss gives me a 'whatever' shake of his puppy head and settles back into chewing.

 

   Isn't this so much like our own human conundrum with intimacy?  We want to be close, but not too close.  We want to share, but not always.  We want others to be vulnerable so it is safe for us to be vulnerable. We want someone to show us the way, someone to show they are trustworthy first. Instead of developing our own sense of inner trust, we look to the other to be the bridge builder.  When we feel small, we want someone bigger and more powerful to do our work for us.  We want to trust, but sometimes we can't.  And sometimes, we are simply clueless about what's going on. Don't we all long for a place to be safe?  Where we can be truly intimate emotionally-spiritually-physically? 

 

     After Hemi had more experiences of bones, and once I give her a chance to gnaw her bone alone and protected at first,  she is then able to chew right beside Hoss, even trade bones.  Isn't this also   like us?  We sometimes ask our children to share their toys before they have a chance to own them. They can't give and share what they don't own.  And, I know many women, myself included , who are tempted to give too much of themselves away before they have developed and/or continually nurture a strong sense of self. 

 

All of our experiences are okay.  We can be gentle with our own processes while discovering

that safety, sharing, and intimacy begin with 'me'.  Through prayer and meditation, through body awareness and intuition, through communion with nature and beauty and community, we find our center and find deepest trust.  I want to give from interior freedom, from a centering in my faith, from a well-developed and well-nurtured sense of self.  And have people around me who can hold me accountable, who can gently call my bluffs.

 

      With God's help, I want to keep doing my interior work,  dialogue with others who are willing to do theirs.  Together we can create real places of safety in this often troubling world. 

 

Joyfully,

Sharon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loving My Life





I am in love with life.  My life.  It's lovely coming home to this.  I used to waste a lot of time comparing my life to others. And mine always seemed to come up short.  Comparisons are so draining!  My ego becomes more subtle about the comparisons so I need to stay awake. 

It can be humorous though, noticing my internal dialogue as I scan Facebook and other social media. She got another car??  They are on vacation again?  I will never get to the Canadian Rockies!    If I can be gentle with myself, it's easier to let go of the idea that my life isn't enough.  I want to embrace my life as it is, rather than be grouchy over what it isn't.  

Today, I'm starting a three day detox juice fast. I hope to detox my whole being, not just my body. Energize my soul.  Smell some roses. Paint something. Meditate longer. Celebrate my friends and family. Eliminate more wasteful thinking, some laziness, the comparisons that sneak in.  Stop myself from agreeing to do something while my body is saying:  com'on, say no. Doing that would not be fun or sustaining. 

Joyfully,
Sharon

                         "I am enough. I know enough. I do enough.  All fast enough."  Brenda Wade

                        Color my Soul


Creator God, Sofia, Gaia, Mother,
color my soul in rich hues!
Paint me with contentment in earthy brown,
splash me with invigorating orange,
shower me in blue and green wonder like sea and sky,
flood me in precious chartreuse moments, and
bold pink laughter.

I am vibrant, alive with song!
Heart of my heart, help me reach
for intimacy with life itself,
celebrate my depths, embrace reality
with flung out arms, open hands.   

When I forget, hunched over and dull, sing
hope to me.  Fill my chest
with songs of lament, of joy, of
perseverance. And, I shall respond by
loving the ordinary. 

All the wondrous ordinary! Flashes of red, expanse
of sky, Mozart Symphony No 41,
fingernails!  Coffee, giggles, sunrise, clattering
chickens of Suk Shuglie. I shall notice and
honor each pump of wing, each small stirring of soul
and soft mammal.  I shall soften, rejoice. 

Like every other thing alive in spring, my juices are stirring.  Things are happening!  I am writing a book with my brother, Don.  A lovely book weaving theological reflections with stories about developing a mellower stance to life.  I can't wait to share it with all of you!  In the process of writing, I continue to mellow myself.  

 

I had an epiphany yesterday. I've been hiding my poetic nature, my artistic bent and I'm no longer going to do so. This is probably no surprise to any of you, and it isn't really to me either, but I I'm going to more fully embrace that part of me, bring it all home, hug-nourish-integrate it so it can pip, fledge, and take flight! 

 

 

 

 

  I am an artist who paints with words.

 

 

There, I said it aloud.

 

 

Breathe.     Open.      Dream.      Smile.   

 

Repeatedly I need to tell myself:  breathe deeply and smile all the way down to your liver.  Welcome home all parts of yourself.  Mellow, awaken, enliven!

 

 

I feel the need for a fresh start, so watch for a new blog. My spirit still sings, but in my desire to bring home my truest self, I need an infusion of color!  

 

 

Along with the Mellow Heart book I'm co-authoring with my brother Don, I'm helping collect meditations from staff and students at Kairos School of Spiritual Formation for a contemplative book.  In the dream phase yet:  a photo/poetry book with my daughter (yes, Stephanie?), a children's book about my dog Hutch ....AND a contemplative book of my very own  -

a Color My Soul sort of book.

 

So many dreams and projects!  Gulp. 

 

 

 Breathe deeply. 

 

 

  Smile,

                 

                       ....all

 

                                        the

 

                                                  way

 

                                                                        down...

 

 

 

Joyfully,

Sharon

 

 

Burren and Massey, my two favorite soft mammals.....

And one more red wing photo...

                

                   I Lost the Sun, but Found Other Shinings! 



 

The sun is lost. 

As I write, gray cloud and mist suppress even the smallest ray of warmth and brightness. 

I could be very sad.    

            I’m not!


Instead of seeing only an onslaught of drear and bemoaning the loss of brightness, I’m paying attention to something else- the pitter patter of happy puppy feet.

After some tooth-and-tumble wild celebrating of a solid night of sleep, two balls of fluff and puff are racing through our house.  My ears are smiling, deeply attuned to their playful sounds while listening intuitively for other sounds that need attention- mischief making sounds.

The puppies’ uninhibited joy is my sun today. 

 Their fuzzy little bodies are my warmth. 

 I’m savoring every precious moment with them as they won’t be with me long. I’m fostering them until they find adopters and their forever home.  

Nothing energizes me quite like house training puppies and teaching doggy manners to adorable hooligans. Babies are the perfect antidote to taking oneself too seriously.  Babies are full of wonder:  how marvelous to experience the sensation of crawling or running on grass, tasting grass, grabbing a rock, banging pots and pans (human baby not puppy!).  

Both puppy and baby human are thrilled hiding under a table, finding a toy or biscuit hidden under a blankie. 

 

When I’m stuck, overwhelmed or uptight or scared, I tend to hunker down, put my nose to the grindstone, and attempt to make myself be productive. What I really need is to lighten up a spell.  Become childlike and see things new; maybe even play! 

 

 

Or at least remember to schedule some stretches, breaks or buy flowers for my desk while working.  When I'm busy, sometimes I need to set reminders to stop, breathe deeply, take a break. For awhile puppies, not timer beeps, will be my 'whoohooo, time to take a play break!' reminder.  This puppy is attentively waiting for the magic moment of playtime.

 

Today, while the


             pups


are running around


                in


the yard....





I promise to run around too!    And look for 'Blueys' hiding in the late winter grass.  

Corn Speedwell

When I find them, I will marvel anew at their tiny petals and fill my soul with the wonder of blue beauty amid mud and brown grasses. These little blue flowers are harbingers of spring, a weed, yes, but aren’t they wonderful?  

 

 I discovered another surprise beauty on my window sill - a Gerber Daisy!  A plant I saved from last summer threw out a peachy surprise to greet me this morning. 

May you also find something beautiful and playful today, and be filled with wonder!  

Joyfully,

 

Sharon