Journal of Sacred Work

Days 239-243 - The Wings of Song

   Just birds can do it. They are the true acrobats of the air. The only entertainers that can both sing & fly. 

   When a loved one dies we seek their presence in birds. We imagine them in clouds. We seek them in our dreams.

   Ground & sea are sacred. But, angels & gods exist invisibly above us.  

   Thus it is birds that astound me. We cannot all sing on tune. Bird's can.

   None of us can fly. Birds sew the air with ease. I never tire of watching hawks cross-stitch patterns against the sky. 

   The humans that come close to soaring are circus acrobats. As circuses vanish where will they go?

   Consider caregivers. Each is an acrobat called upon to balance tasks with the greatest of ease & juggle better than any torch-tossing clown. 

   Birds communicate by singing. Amid the horrors of slavery, African Americans learned to do the same. Their tunes, appropriated by Stephen Foster & others, live in our lexicon.

   Slaves discovered what birds know & caregivers can learn. Singing is a form of flying. Amid suffering a song can lift us above the clouds & let us glide above trouble for awhile. 

-Erie Chapman

Photograph: "Soaring" by erie

Days 237-238 Your Smile

 

Recently, friends have gifted me with flowering plants on occasions such as birthdays, or from students who wish to express appreciation and co-workers who manifest love through kind gestures.

A year ago, my dear friend June gave me the tiniest Violet (perhaps an inch or so in height) and entrusted me with her care. I must confess I am not one who finds time to nurture plants. Yet, each morning upon awakening I greet Violet perched upon the windowsill and we’ve become friends. Sleepily as the coffee brews, I give Violet a little drink of cool water as we encourage  mutual hopefulness within the first light of day.

Eventually, as Violet thrived  her roots began crowding her to an intolerable level, so I moved her into a more spacious home. Now, she sits contentedly and breathes in all as it is.

While we live in very troubling times, we can cultivate compassion to blossom in ourselves and others in many ways. The following poem by the great spiritual guide, Thich Nhat Hanh offers this wisdom…

The only thing worthy of you is compassion –
invincible, limitless, unconditional.
Hatred will never let you face
the beast in man.

One day, when you face this beast alone,
with your courage intact, your eyes kind,
untroubled
(even as no one sees them),
out of your smile
will bloom a flower.
And those who love you
will behold you
across ten thousand worlds of birth and dying.

Alone again,
I will go on with bent head,
knowing that love has become eternal.
On the long, rough road,
the sun and the moon
will continue to shine.

~Thich Nhat Hanh - 1965

Reflection by Liz Sorensen Wessel
Watercolor/ Ink pen drawing by ~liz

Days 232-236 - Where Is Your Garden?

  Our gardens are not just homes for plants but any personal place of peace. Wherever you seek solace, that is your garden.

   Liz Wessel's weekend essay reminds us of the definition's breadth. Here is part of the Mary Oliver poem she quoted: 

If you’re John Muir you want trees to
live among. If you’re Emily, a garden
will do.

Try to find the right place for yourself.
If you can’t find it, at least dream of it.

   To "dream of it" is vital because we do not spend much time in actual gardens. Fortunately, dreaming can put you anywhere. 

   What brings you peace? My younger sister dreams of La Jolla. The views there are her garden.

   Since my life is dominated by making pictures, still & moving, & the music & poetry that accompany them, my daydreams are secret gardens of their own.

   The most beautiful traditional garden I know is friend Melinda Garwood's. I photographed this image of pink, red, green & pale blue there. 

   Dr. Garwood has spent her career as a skilled caregiver tending to the education, well-being & healing of countless people. Thus, her garden is as lovely as is she.

-Erie Chapman

Photograph: Lynnie's Garden by Erie 

Days 230-231 A Summer Garden

Leaves and Blossoms Along the Way: A Poem by Mary Oliver

If you’re John Muir you want trees to
live among. If you’re Emily, a garden
will do.

Try to find the right place for yourself.
If you can’t find it, at least dream of it.

When one is alone and lonely, the body
gladly lingers in the wind or the rain,
or splashes into the cold river, or
pushes through the ice-crusted snow.
Anything that touches.

God, or the gods, are invisible, quite
understandable. But holiness is visible,
entirely.

Some words will never leave God’s mouth,
no matter how hard you listen.

In all the works of Beethoven, you will
not find a single lie.

All-important ideas must include the trees,
the mountains, and the rivers.

To understand many things, you must reach out
of your own condition.

For how many years did I wander slowly
through the forest. What wonder and
glory I would have missed had I ever been
in a hurry!

Beauty can both shout and whisper, and still
it explains nothing.

The point is, you’re you, and that’s for keeps.

This poem is excerpted from Mary Oliver’s latest collection of poetry, Felicity, published by Penguin Press in October, 2015.

Shared by Liz Sorensen Wessel
Watercolor by ~liz

Days 225-229 - The Art of Appreciation

   The art starts in your heart not your head. Appreciation begins with what your heart tells you about yourself. 

   Behold the chain of affirmation in the stained glass - from the star to Joseph to Mary to baby Jesus who, in turn, affirms & appreciates each of us. 

   We wish we were strong enough to be our best self whether people affirm us or not. Yet, even the most confident of us are influenced by criticism. Thus, appreciation matters.

   If you grew up with parents that encouraged you then the journey toward self love & its natural expression, love of others, will be natural. If your family qualified every line of praise with that deflating word "but" then your journey to expressing appreciation may take more work.

   That voyage is worth your persistence. Your most powerful positive tool is not blame but praise; not indifference but appreciation; not constant complaining but sincere affirmation.

    No piano teacher awakens the best by cracking her student's knuckles with a ruler. No coach builds a great team by constantly pointing out mistakes.  No leader plants a successful culture by repeatedly telling employees, "You're screwing up."

    Once your heart is awakened to its own good & the good in others, its love can retrain your mind. Remember that meaningful compliments have two characteristics: sincerity & specificity.

   Practice the art today. Find something specific you honestly believe about a staff member. It can be something as simple as Judy's smile. Tell Judy, "Your smile must brighten the days of so many. You've already brightened mine."

   Watch how the paint brush of your appreciation colors Judy's face, how it gladdens her energy. Continue practicing this art in genuine ways & behold the masterpieces you create. 

-Erie Chapman 

Days 223-224 Acceptance

Note: Special thanks to Terry Chapman for offering this meaningful reflection

BIRD SPIRITUALITY!

Artist James Marsh

What can we learn from our winged friends? First, we can learn how to soar above everyday concerns and boredom by honoring our daily round.  Next, we can respect our bodies by fully exercising them in play and work.  But most of all, at the end of each day, when all has been said and done, we can let it be and go peacefully to sleep, knowing that tomorrow will be another new day, to greet with love, hope, and gratitude for all we have received.

This poem by Robert Frost calls forth a gentle spirituality and trust demonstrated by one single bird in Nature.  May we all accept each day’s end with thankfulness and a sense of wholeness. 

“When the spent sun throws up its rays on cloud
And goes down burning into the gulf below,
No voice in nature is heard to cry aloud
At what has happened. Birds, at least must know
It is the change to darkness in the sky.
Murmuring something quiet in her breast,
One bird begins to close a faded eye;
Or overtaken too far from his nest,
Hurrying low above the grove, some waif
Swoops just in time to his remembered tree.
At most he thinks or twitters softly, 'Safe!
Now let the night be dark for all of me.
Let the night be too dark for me to see
Into the future. Let what will be, be.”

Reflection offered by Terry Chapman

Days 220-224 - Openings in the Clouds

     A red light stopped me on a bridge over I-65 & delayed my entry into the usual maelstrom of rush hour. I craned to look at the cars cramming the highway below. As I leaned back a startling sight unfolded. 

   We have all seen the sun break through clouds. I had never quite seen clouds shape a spotlight as dramatic as the one shown here. 

   After shooting this picture I glanced at the other cars. No one else was looking up. Was what seemed a miracle mundane to others? 

   Some call epiphanies "Miracles in Motion" - the idea that Love's greatest gifts are there right now, hidden behind the clouds (or in them) ready to break through & bless us if we are persistent, prayerful & present. 

   Every act of Radical Loving Care releases God's energy.

   Can a miracle be one if we do not notice it?   Is a miracle unfolding before you right now waiting for you to part your clouds of doubt so that it may illuminate your life?

-Erie Chapman

Photograph: "Love's Light" by erie

Days 218-219 Blessing; Are You

May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand. -Irish Blessing

 

This blessing was inscribed on a ceramic wall plaque in my childhood home. Those words caused my heart to smile and connected me to a heritage that I knew of only through my mom’s retelling of my grandmother’s stories. Remembrances of grandma's growing up years and her adventurous spirit; courageously leaving home alone at age 17 for a foreign land and sadly, one that she was never able to return home to visit loved ones.

A dream came true; one that my grandmother Kate never realized, nor my mom. As family emissary, I carried their love with me as I met our relatives in County Kilkenny in 2011. Beautiful to recall is how our cousins brought their love from Ireland to my mom (late in life) and very soon my sister, Pat and family will visit their homestead. 

While in Kilkenny I experienced our relatives most generous, kind and exceedingly warm hospitality as a blessing that will always be with me. I in turn, extend this blessing to you…

May God be with you and bless you;
May you see your children's children.
May you be poor in misfortune,
Rich in blessings,
May you know nothing but happiness
From this day forward.

May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the warm rays of sun fall upon your home
And may the hand of a friend always be near. -Irish Blessing

 

Reflection & watercolor by Liz Sorensen Wessel