in the words of... horace

Even if that hand is shaky and uncertain...

photo and image by jag

gratefully yours,
jag

emerging from silence...

photo by jag

Emerging from silence is never easy for me.  I struggle with it. Every. Single. Time.  And this time is no different.  Although, I must admit, I did not reach a very deep level of internal silence during this retreat.  I'm in a creative phase right now... a fertile time of ideas with a mind that resists slowing down.  What I did manage, however, was to honour my need for a physical slowing down.  In other words...

I slept.
And slept.
And slept.

Then I had a nap.

I had moments of stillness of body where I would just... 

sit
and listen
and ponder.

photo by jag

I went to the woods and made direct contact with the trees and the mulch-y forest floor. 

I breathed in the spicy aroma.

I attended a concert featuring a solo performance by a young robin perched upon the top branch of the endlessly tall pine tree outside my room window.

And I prayed some goodbyes.


The recent death of my aunt brought me back in touch with other losses that had not been properly or fully acknowledged.  "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."

And I was.

It sounds much to simplistic to say "I am grateful" for my time at Stillpoint.  So I won't just speak my gratitude.

I will stand in it.
I will claim it and own it.
I will pray it.
I will express it by doing my best to fully accept and live the day I am given.

I will breathe it in.
I will breathe it out.

gratefully yours,
jag

celebrating lives greatly full :: gina smith

Photo by Derrick Smith

You just never know where and when you will make a soul connection.

I first connected with Gina Smith at a memorial service for a mutual friend in 2010.  It was our shared grief that lead us to each other... so seemingly different in our day-to-day lives, and yet, not so much really.

In addition to her deep spirituality, one of the things I admire most about Gina is her willingness and her daring. As lead singer of a hard hitting rock band, Neverfriend, Gina really puts herself out there!  The band's upcoming CD, Dangerously Addictive, has her singing of heart-felt topics like addiction, abuse, pain and survival.  Although I can admit that the alternative/punk rock influence of her band is not my preferred style, Gina most certainly is my style. In music and in life, Gina reminds me that Hope is never lost... Thanks for sharing your Hope here with us, Gina!  (You can also follow Neverfriend on Facebook.)


Grateful for the Journey

I didn’t think I’d ever be grateful for any journey.  Until a few years ago, I had always been focused on the outcome, the achievement, and the recognition.  I had been taught that the goal was to be an overachiever, perfectly organized, leading a flawless life.  Why would I ever be grateful for a journey that took me to the depths of darkness through years of chaos and emotional turmoil?  What good or benefit could ever be derived from that?

Yet today the life experience I’m most grateful for is my journey through acute pain and sadness that fueled an insatiable desire in me to find a better way, a greater meaning, a reason and purpose for my life.   Which I’ve found!
 
All those experiences, that journey, has made me strong, resilient, and courageous, and taught me how to have faith, hope, and acceptance.   I now know that I was born by divine order, not to suffer or be sad, but to love, to accept everyone for their uniqueness and to see the beauty of this magnificent world we have been given.

The journey has also shown me that I have a gift.  I’m the lead singer in a band and I write and sing about my life experiences.  The gift is not that I can sing and while I can hold a tune, it’s that I have been given a powerful vehicle through which I can tell my story, a story of hope.   My band with its punk/hard-rock influenced sound and its gut-wrenching lyrics may not be for everyone, but it may be for some “one” and that possibility is good enough for me.
  
I am following the path before me and the journey unfolds.  I don’t question where, or why or for how long anymore.   I just keep going down the path, reminding myself to be grateful for the experience and the opportunity to learn along the way.
   
My life today is blessed beyond measure.  Through it flows love, laughter, music, hope, joy, and awareness of the God-given beauty of the spirits that surround me.  I’m grateful for my family, my friends, and for you, and I thank you all for enriching my journey. 

meditating on gratitude...

“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.”

-Thornton Wilder

 

I invite you to join me in taking a moment to connect to your Spirit today.

Allow yourself to be guided in this short meditation by Deepak Chopra.

gratefully yours,
jag

be grateful... be quiet...

self-portrait by jag

The silence is there within us. What we have to do is to enter into it, to become silent, to become the silence. The purpose of meditation and the challenge of meditation is to allow ourselves to become silent enough to allow this interior silence to emerge. Silence is the language of the spirit.

— John Main, OSB in Word into Silence


In the fall of 2000, my life was in free-fall crisis.  I reached out to a friend and asked her if she knew of a place I could go and "hide" for a while.  I clearly remember saying: I need to step away from the world - even for just a few days.  She knew of a place... a silent house.  A place called Stillpoint House of Prayer.  It was small and welcoming.  Unstructured and affordable.  Easily accessible.  And when I called on that October day - at the height of fall colours season - they had a room available.  In hindsight, I believe that my Healing Place had been awaiting my arrival.

During that first visit - my first experience of unstructured silent retreat - I experienced unconditional love and acceptance.  I felt deeply that, no matter what would happen in the days ahead, I would be OK.  It was the beginning of an ongoing relationship with, and befriending of, Silence.  And that is a gift for which I am ever grateful.

This week, I will be returning to Stillpoint for a 5-day retreat into silent solitude.  I try to go twice a year, spring and fall, for a "spiritual tune-up".  No TV. No computer, iPad or iPhone. No radio.  Just me... Being. Attempting to become the Silence, to converse in the language of the Spirit.

Because I had both "gratitude" and "silence" in mind as I sat down to write this, I googled the two words together and, after a click here and a click there, I was lead to this video of Timber Hawkeye at TEDxHonolulu (2012).  In it, he states that the two concepts that will change the world are:

1. Be GRATEFUL
2. Be QUIET

I can attest that these two practices have changed MY world - I have no reason to doubt it could change yours too. 



gratefully yours,
jag

p.s.  Be sure to stop by the blog while I'm away - I've arranged to have some goodies delivered in my absence... :-)

celebrating lives greatly full... lisa larochelle

Photo by Eric Castro

I met Lisa LaRochelle through my sister.  I'll never forget the first question she ever asked me: "So, what do YOU do for fun?!"  I was so taken aback; no one had ever asked me that as a get-to-know-you question!  I must admit, it was at a time in my life when I had trouble finding an answer and, if I were to meet Lisa for the first time today, I would be ready.  :-)

Lisa inspires me through her love of friends & family and her sense of adventure. Her wanderlust has allowed her to experience the world first hand and - to borrow shamelessly from George Bernard Shaw - to grab hold of that splendid torch of life and to make it burn as brightly as possible. So glad to have you share your gratitude with us here, Lisa!


I have lived an incredibly fortunate life.

I often feel very guilty about why I was given such a life and other people have lived with so much pain and difficulty.

This incongruence means that I am highly attuned to the gifts that I am given.
I strive to nurture and cultivate a spirit of immense gratitude in my daily living.

One of the things that I am grateful for, which is a constant source of energy and joy in my life, is my physical being. I cherish

• my ability to laugh
• using my eyes to observe beauty in all that I encounter
• the way my legs carry me where I need to go
• how I can hold the ones I love
• my sense of touch
• this physical vessel that enables me to explore the world

My favorite thing to do is walk the streets of a city at night - when sound is muffled, familiar shapes look different in the shadows and the world sleeps.

I love that I am a tactile person.
To be connected physically to people and animals who are important in my life – to touch, hug, bridge that physical gap.

I love to give massages.
When I have the opportunity to practice massage, I can often feel palpable relief and release as people respond to the healing power of touch.

My favorite gift to myself is travel.

I seek out new opportunities to grow as a result of the connections that I make when I change my perspective and observe the world as it so beautifully is.

I know my body will not last forever, especially in the way that I know it now, but I feel gratitude for the gifts I’ve been given so far.

I fully intend to celebrate the gifts that hopefully will come my way tomorrow. 

 

the only appropriate response...

The first time I saw this video, I experienced both chills and tears. As I settle back into "normal" life, following a week of high emotion and drama (a state that continues in Boston and in so many parts of the world), it reminds me that today... this one day... can be an extraordinary gift in its ordinariness. 

Pull away from the heartbreak. Treat yourself to 10 minutes of visual beauty and wisdom... thanks to the brilliance of filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg.

"(Today) is the only gift that is given to you right now

and the only appropriate response

is gratefulness."

gratefully yours,
jag