I Will Keep Broken Things —by Alice Walker I will keep Broken Things: The big clay Pot With raised Iguanas Chasing Their Tails; Two Of their Wise Heads Sheared Off; I will keep Broken things: The old Slave Market Basket Brought To my Door By Mississippi A jagged Hole Gouged In its sturdy Dark Oak …Read More
Category: Spirit
Sonnets to Hurricane Irma
In the aftermath of hurricane Irma, this poem by Rainer Maria Rilke somehow seems fitting as we turn to the task of rebuilding. Prayers to all those that have been touched by her path. May the wings of hope hold us up and move us forward with courage, community, and conviction. Sonnets to Orpheus, Part …Read More
The Velveteen Rabbit on Being Real
What does it mean to be Real? to be seen? to belong? to connect? to be loved? to be Wholehearted? Here’s an inspiring passage from The Velveteen Rabbit, the 1992 children’s classic by Margery Williams. I recently came across the quote in Brene Brown’s book, Daring Greatly. The Skin Horse tells the Velveteen Rabbit what …Read More
The four universal healing salves
In many shamanic societies, if you came to a shaman or medicine person complaining of being disheartened, dispirited, or depressed, they would ask one of four questions. When did you stop dancing? When did you stop singing? When did you stop being enchanted by stories? When did you stop finding comfort in the sweet territory of silence? Where we …Read More
David Whyte: The TrueLove
The poet and philosopher, David Whyte, captures the unseen territory in our lives with the inspiring landscapes of his words. “There is a faith in loving fiercely…” The above words open David Whyte’s poem, TRUELOVE. and immediately captivate me because of my own poem, Loving Fiercely. I can’t remember if I had read his poem before …Read More
C. S. Lewis: The Four Loves
“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up …Read More
Kevin Kling: Lost and Found
“Now when you’re born into loss, you grow from it. But when you experience loss later in life, you grow toward it.” Kevin Kling is a well-known, infectiously funny, and deeply touching storyteller, poet, and playwright. He has the distinction of having being born with a disability and also acquiring one later in life. He …Read More
Watch the Unfolding
“I love to watch the unfolding … but I want to know where it is going.” —recent excerpt from my Journal This is the paradox of my life, perhaps a better word is dilemma. I love the surprise of the unfolding as I imagine myself floating down the river on a raft in some uncharted land …Read More
The Power of Song – “This Little Light of Mine”
“Sound is a way to extend the territory you can affect, so people can walk into you way before they can get close to your body. And certainly the communal singing that people do together is a way of announcing that we’re here, that this is real. And so anybody who comes into that space, …Read More
Poetry 180: God Says Yes to Me
God Says Yes to Me —by Kaylin Haught I asked God if it was okay to be melodramatic and she said yes I asked her if it was okay to be short and she said it sure is I asked her if I could wear nail polish or not wear nail polish and she said …Read More