Lesley's citizenship ceremony
The Immigrant
Home and distant home
Night dreams deep longing for both
Love holds opposites
Saturday, January 25, 2014
The Haiku and the Heron
Lesley's haiku of picture.
Recently, in the magazine "Shambala Sun", I read an article by Mary Rose O'Reilly. Several years ago I had come across her books and poetry and especially enjoyed reading the book "The Love of Impermanent Things." This current article was about writing a haiku, a seventeen syllable Japanese poetry form that I knew about but had sort of forgotton about.
Also recently I had been looking at old photograph albums and taking long, meandering walks down memory lane. It was delicious (just like all those Christmas goodies that have flooded our house with calories) and non fattening. Reconnecting with the simplicity and focus of the haiku form I decided to put poetry to pictures. So throughout the year I plan to scatter my efforts into cyberspace, along with the regular blogs. I am not a poetry writer really but I can, as Mary Rose O'Reilly suggests, lower my perfectionistic standards and enjoy the process.
Here is the first haiku of picture.
Recently, in the magazine "Shambala Sun", I read an article by Mary Rose O'Reilly. Several years ago I had come across her books and poetry and especially enjoyed reading the book "The Love of Impermanent Things." This current article was about writing a haiku, a seventeen syllable Japanese poetry form that I knew about but had sort of forgotton about.
Also recently I had been looking at old photograph albums and taking long, meandering walks down memory lane. It was delicious (just like all those Christmas goodies that have flooded our house with calories) and non fattening. Reconnecting with the simplicity and focus of the haiku form I decided to put poetry to pictures. So throughout the year I plan to scatter my efforts into cyberspace, along with the regular blogs. I am not a poetry writer really but I can, as Mary Rose O'Reilly suggests, lower my perfectionistic standards and enjoy the process.
Here is the first haiku of picture.
Lone winter heron
Patiently fishing the lake
Stillness reaps reward
Sunday, January 19, 2014
BROTHERS
Eric's Blog
Brothers
Brothers
We have much in common
Like fishing, football, scrabble and more
We have Ph.D's in psychology
We have adopted children
We live a thousand miles away
And are seventeen years apart
Yet remain close
Maybe it is in the genes
It is a true blessing of my life that I enjoy my brother's company. With the distance in years and miles that separate us, odds are not good that this would be true. But it is and we are like best friends as well as brothers.
Part of the closeness may be related to genetic factors and similarities in parenting, in where we grew up and general environment. Yet that can only be a part of it because each of us knows brothers and sisters who are distant from each other and simply don't like each other.
Perhaps some of it is due to similar interests, but I believe a larger part is due to acceptance of ourselves and each other, the way we are.
Recently my brother and I entered a football pool with 46 participants and we came in first and second. Something about brothers being in sinc?
Brothers and sisters send love and acceptance.
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Thresholds
Lesley's Post
For Christmas we were in Sulphur, Oklahoma. We'd had an ice storm in Oklahoma City but luckily the roads were clear for our journey south when we left Christmas Eve day. The trees were covered with ice, glistening in the sun and we were amazed at the beauty of it all. And yet we reflected about how something that is so beautiful can also be so destructive, just like so much of life. There are those times of terrible suffering, freezing our lives, that can be slowly warmed by love, comfort and eventually, maybe, way in the future by the beauty of a tentative sense of meaning. Inside of us there are places where beauty and danger jostle for expression and where places of ice can be warmed, if we allow it, by opening our hearts and letting the sun in.
Halfway to our destination the ice disappeared, as if someone had drawn a line in the sand, or in this case the red earth. It was a threshold moment. This time of year is a threshold time. The New Birth at Christmas is followed by the New Year and we have to decide if we are going to stand in the doorway, in the liminal space, or pass through into the newness. Sometimes the liminal space is a necessary time of incubation, pregnancy or hibernation when internal processes are working in unknown ways. But eventually, unless we are going to stay asleep for the rest of our lives or remain horribly uncomfortable with our unbirthed newness then we have to make a decision to walk through the door. And maybe this year we can make the newness more than losing weight or earning more money (not that those things necessarily are negative). So what would the more be for you? It doesn't have to be big or special from a worldly perspective, just maybe something important for your soul.
While we were in Sulphur we visited the Chickasaw Cultural Center, a beautifully developed, interesting, artistic and educational experience . At the beginning of our visit, prior to a demonstration of the traditional Stomp Dance, the Native American presenter spoke of how their gatherings are begun by "Opening the Door". As I understood it, this was a communal invitation and dance to offer a heartfelt welcome to family and friends and to leave our busyness and past mistakes and problems behind so that there is a new beginning.
Maybe we can learn from that beautiful Chickasaw tradition and open the door. Can we make a daily promise to greet ourselves, family and friends with loving kindness and an open heart, to have moments when we release our busyness, to forgive our past mistakes and to face our challenges with courage when the time is right? Now that would be a New Year's Resolution!!
For Christmas we were in Sulphur, Oklahoma. We'd had an ice storm in Oklahoma City but luckily the roads were clear for our journey south when we left Christmas Eve day. The trees were covered with ice, glistening in the sun and we were amazed at the beauty of it all. And yet we reflected about how something that is so beautiful can also be so destructive, just like so much of life. There are those times of terrible suffering, freezing our lives, that can be slowly warmed by love, comfort and eventually, maybe, way in the future by the beauty of a tentative sense of meaning. Inside of us there are places where beauty and danger jostle for expression and where places of ice can be warmed, if we allow it, by opening our hearts and letting the sun in.
Halfway to our destination the ice disappeared, as if someone had drawn a line in the sand, or in this case the red earth. It was a threshold moment. This time of year is a threshold time. The New Birth at Christmas is followed by the New Year and we have to decide if we are going to stand in the doorway, in the liminal space, or pass through into the newness. Sometimes the liminal space is a necessary time of incubation, pregnancy or hibernation when internal processes are working in unknown ways. But eventually, unless we are going to stay asleep for the rest of our lives or remain horribly uncomfortable with our unbirthed newness then we have to make a decision to walk through the door. And maybe this year we can make the newness more than losing weight or earning more money (not that those things necessarily are negative). So what would the more be for you? It doesn't have to be big or special from a worldly perspective, just maybe something important for your soul.
While we were in Sulphur we visited the Chickasaw Cultural Center, a beautifully developed, interesting, artistic and educational experience . At the beginning of our visit, prior to a demonstration of the traditional Stomp Dance, the Native American presenter spoke of how their gatherings are begun by "Opening the Door". As I understood it, this was a communal invitation and dance to offer a heartfelt welcome to family and friends and to leave our busyness and past mistakes and problems behind so that there is a new beginning.
Maybe we can learn from that beautiful Chickasaw tradition and open the door. Can we make a daily promise to greet ourselves, family and friends with loving kindness and an open heart, to have moments when we release our busyness, to forgive our past mistakes and to face our challenges with courage when the time is right? Now that would be a New Year's Resolution!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)