life stories: seeking the creative balance ((revisited))

oh, life is good.  so much of the time life is good, even when it's not.  there's an inherent goodness to the pursuits of living well, loving well, and being well.  as i begin each day, i begin with the intention of creating my day.  each step, each piece is spent living well when i am centered on my sacred center. when i am living from within my SELF, i am living whole.  sometimes i find myself leaning off center.  the practice of centering requires that i can stand true in the midst of suffering, in the midst of negativity.  i am reminded it's good to be a little off center in order to know how to return to center.  

i've come to believe that to achieve balance, you must begin with your body. both what you do with your body and what you put into your body.

indeed, finding your center involves a daily practice of caring for your body.  eating well, living well, loving well, and being well.  each affects the other.  eating whole foods, drinking water, creating daily steps and routines of exercise. so much comes into play.

using concentric circle imagery, these attitudes toward balance are stacked on another, flowing together in the pursuit of wholeness and peace:  

be-ing.  BE. to be in my own skin. to be still and aware. breathing deeply brings so much awareness to my moments. the present moment is here and i am aware.  naming is a part of this process, but not labeling.  naming what i am thankful for, who i am called to minister to, what i most need in the present moment.  naming before the Divine what is good and what is heavy on my heart.  seeking the sacred in the every day. sweeping. creating. living. loving. 

breath work + exercise. daily yoga, pilates and/or walking.  each day i am stronger than i was the day before.  yoga poses continue to strengthen me.  i use the weight of my own body to build that strength and it's a connective process.  breath + strength + body.  with space, time, and focus i am able to learn the potential of my body and spirit.  i am able to recognize that balance is a daily task.  each day has its own rhythm and focus.  it unfolds and it is created all at once.  i am present the day, to the moment, and to myself.  i listen to my body and it's needs.  breathing deeply. breathing into my belly. breathing into my muscles. breathing in and out love and peace and gratitude.  breathing calm.  breathing tears. breathing joy.  breathing as i am. 

listening to my inner wisdom. wisdom speaks.  i find myself aware more of my inner wisdom.  i listen to the voices of the wise women that i have ministered to and with and remember their encouragement. i remember the way they named what they saw in me, what they could see as their glance pierced me right to my soul.  these wise ones have lived 80, 90, 100 years.  their words hold meaning and truth.  i am listening, ladies.  

attending to my 'gut instincts'.  there are a few things i'm not completely certain about these days.  there's a not-quite-right space in my life that i'm uncertain how to address it.  naming it is something. listening to wisdom is another.  creating space to think, reflect, and really listen to my gut instincts holds meaning. breathing well, listening well, and focusing my attention on the present gives space for this type of reflection.  sometimes this inner stirring has to do with hormones.  sometimes it's about my past.  other times it's about the present and the truth that something isn't right.  time and reflection will tell.  

being present to others.  sitting in the sacred company of others is another way i achieve wholeness.  being present to my family, my loves, my kindred spirits, those that i am called.  listening to sacred stories of loss, love, and life.  listening. learning. breathing in the breath of life.  being present in the darkness and the light.  

life stories: the grace of naming

there are days when i can articulate clearly my hopes and my longings. there are days when i can shove off the complaints surrounding me. there are days when the space i occupy is all my own, regardless of what surrounds me.

there are also days where i can get pulled into the whirlpool of other's negativity. where my own complaints become louder in my mind than they should, when i am engaged in self-doubt and stuck in the muck of it all. as a person lives with anxious tendencies, i know that i can suck up all the anxiety that surrounds me in the world and let it reside within me. i know that i will get sick if i do that too much. so, i've attuned myself to be light that surrounds the anxiety, but does not drink it in. i allow myself the space between. i don't avoid the darkness or the dark spaces of thought. i will not be consumed by that darkness.

so i surround myself with beautiful people that care for me. their beauty comes from their ability to see me, to tell truth, to share of themselves. i also care for myself by making art. i create in the midst of grief & loss. i create in spaces of unknowing and anger. i create to relieve anxiety. i breathe in the present and allow what is before me to surround me. i engage my senses and allow myself the space to grieve, to allow sadness to overcome me. i cry when i need to. i love often. and i believe that there is darkness and light. i believe that the darkness isn't always a negative or downtrodden space. it's a space for growth, life, and abundance.

the seed rests in the dark.

so i name what is before me. i celebrate life and what is. i mourn. i grieve. i honor. i name. it's that truth telling that i live in. it's the muck. it's the dirt. it's dusty and lovely and real.

last summer a dear soul told me that my FB statuses are the benedictions for her day. who, me? and others among that conversation echoed her statement. i am honored, but also a bit embarrassed. my shyness turned on and i have held my tongue at times. why? i'm not sure, but i have a sneaking suspicion that the doubt and inner critic took over. i've slowly allowed myself back into saying what i want to say. naming what's before me and what's attune with my spirit. i believe in naming all the way to my toes.

we ground ourselves in naming what's before us. we establish our roots deep as we say to ourselves and the universe: hey, it's me. i'm here. i'm taking root and i'll be writing this year. there will be a lot of words. i'll doubt some, but i'll trust more. i'll write my heart and soul into a new creation and it will be good. i'll be enough. i won't worry about the voice inside that says, "who are you to say such things?" or "what will so-and-so think." instead, i'll say to myself, "hear my words. this is my gift through the steps i've taken until now." and i'll trust my voice. i'll live from the center of my being which is the greatest truth i know. i'll rest well and delight. i'll live well.

there's grace in naming what is true in this moment. there's a space of love and belonging when you hear yourself say out loud what brings delight. there are spaces of truth for each of us. i plan to live well within my own space of truth and life. i plan to listen well as i sit with those who grieve, for i'm called to be a witness. i plan to carve well as i make new prints, for i'm called to create. i plan to love well, for i am called to motherhood. i plan to be. to just be me. in all spaces and every day. just be.

may the spaces that surround you allow you the grace to grow well, to name well, and to live well.

called to create: sacred spaces in the every day

during 2011, i will spend a year naming the sacred moments experienced in the art of daily living. one moment named & visually recorded per day. throughout 2010, the practice of naming a creative act in each day was documented through my blog, called to create.

from sweeping as a spiritual act to peace work in sewing to the spaces of soul food and kindred spirits, the 2011 journey will be documented in the space of called to create as i am creating space for naming the sacred in the dirt, in the dust, in the lived-in spaces of our lives.

follow the journey. make space in your own day to discover, to name, and to create the sacred spaces of daily living.

reverberations: appreciate: day 14

December 14 – Appreciate What’s the one thing you have come to appreciate most in the past year? How do you express gratitude for it? (Author: Victoria Klein)

appreciate |əˈprē sh ēˌāt|verb [ trans. ]1 recognize the full worth of • be grateful for (something) 2 understand (a situation) fully; recognize the full implications of

3 [ intrans. ] rise in value or price

i appreciate the stories that are shared in spaces where i can listen. from my son's creative tales to my love's laughter-enriched-stories to the shared stories around the tables i am present, i find these to be sacred stories told in sacred spaces. each of the stories shared impacts me and the way i live. i feel honored to be present to the laughter, the tears, the joy, the muck, the ordinary. stories hold life. stories carry promise. stories are our past, present, and future all rolled into one.

delight, gratitude, humility, awe, rest, light, and life pour through stories. i am appreciative of the stories shared that i carry within.

sacred spaces: making mandalas in symbol and word

as we create, we heal. i was given the gift of leading workshops at the 20th annual good grief conference at VCU Medical Center. what a gift. as an act of self care, i led these in creative expression. some of the images connect with early symbols and images of cave drawings as i look upon them. love it!

what do you see?

where do you connect?

trees are sacred.

oh the work of our hands...

a story gift...

where will you add color today?