Encourage Courage
Comfort Serenity
Feel Grace
Dream Being
Remember Truth
Taste Love
Soothe Light
Brave Change
Forgive Expectation
Transform Eternity
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
a recipe of logic and intution
music is that moment
when science laughs
intuition grounds itself
in the logic of rhythm and vibrations
while the composer sculpts
wisdom from random frequencies
the strong wild truth of
deep emotion within
transforms the data
with profound fiery beauty
into a song
when science laughs
intuition grounds itself
in the logic of rhythm and vibrations
while the composer sculpts
wisdom from random frequencies
the strong wild truth of
deep emotion within
transforms the data
with profound fiery beauty
into a song
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
TREE THOUGHTS ON TRANSFORMATION
I have been learning about transformation from the ancient teacher, mother earth. In this time of re-modeling my life as the house empties, as I am looking for meaningful and sustainable occupation, I find nature to be full of wisdom.
Upon on close inspection I discover that not all the leaves on the trees change at once. Sometimes only one section of the tree has turned red; the rest is still green. Sometimes half the tree has changed and it is evenly distributed throughout the bush. A few flowers open early in spring and a few find the late autumn a better time for blooming. Nature knows about the fickleness of change; how it can't happen all at once. Mother Earth knows that as we keep turning and changing our perspective, things are bound to change within our hearts as well.
The trees remind me to not be discouraged if the maple next to me has already turned orange and I am still green. My time too will come. Likely I will burn brightest and display my deepest hues right before it all falls away.
Monday, October 10, 2011
MAKING IT REAL
October 10, 2011(I am a day late but I'm going for it anyway)
Over the weekend, my second son, Karl, stepped up to his 25th birthday and to his life by participating in Occupy MN, a movement to protest against Wall Street and the corruption of our culture from the buying and selling of money. I can't even pretend to address all the complexities of the issues facing our youngest adults these days. Karl, his brothers and their friends are coming of age in a time when the present and future of the national and world economy is dismal. The USA has been at war as long as my son can remember. Unemployment is rampant. This is a time when almost everyone is dissatisfied with the status quo. It can be disheartening and depressing. With increasing frequency, we hear each other say, "if only I had more time and money..." Yet I find hope.
Twenty-five years ago yesterday, Karl was born at sunrise. By the time we got him home from the hospital Karl was already fairly determined to orchestrate things so the family would stay together. He was born with a huge heart and a sensitive soul. From day one, he would not take naps unless he could be in the room where everyone else was. He just wanted the family to be together and seemed to keep finding ways to get us there.
From day one it was pretty clear that Karl had a deep love for people; especially young vulnerable ones. It wasn't long before we realized Karl had a gift for taking care of children. He was two years and nine months when his brother Hans was born and right away he had knack for knowing how to settle him down when he was fussy and how to play with him without hurting him. As he grew, wherever he went, toddlers would find their way into his arms and his gentle attention. It is not surprising to me that he is now a nanny for two families. Any child would be lucky to have him for caregiver and a friend.
From day one it was also clear that Karl loved the earth, especially animals. Over the years, he seemed to attract all kinds of animal books and when he figured out to use a camera, he took to taking pictures of critters wherever he could find them. Through his eyes, i have a whole new appreciation for the presence of squirrels in my yard. amazing creatures! Beautiful.
Karl's love for the earth, the animals and the world has only grown and now I see a young adult poised, ready and already jumping in with two feet to live a life that expresses his love. When Karl and his bride Erica got married this summer, they invited their beloved creatures and earth as well as family to stand witness to their vows as they stood with their bare feet on sand only inches from the water in Devil's Lake, WI. In keeping with their theme, they spent their honeymoon meeting monkeys and macaws in the rainforest of Costa Rica. Over the years, Karl's amazing photos of creatures have grown into the thousands.
By this far in to my ramble, you're either sighing with a big "awwww" or you're disgusted with all the sentimentality and are ready to give up. I hope not. This does not end with passion and sentimentality. I bring all that up just to show where it begins.
And Karl is not unique. Karl, ERica, Karl's brothers and friends and others like them are already making it real. To care for the environment and live as healthy as possible they have taken up vegan diet. They buy local foods as much as possible. They ride bike to work, to play and to the store. They have a car but drive it only when absolutely needed. AFter only a couple months of marriage they have already made several trips to the thrift store to keep their possessions to a minimum and share their wealth. They try to conserve water by flushing their toilet with bath water left in the tub. They each have two or three part-time jobs and still don't get a full 40-hr week. And they are happy. This gives them time to just be. They are ready to live with less to show that life can be better than spending it in service to the next paycheck. They are ready to make choices that create loving, supportive community that provides for everyone's needs and not just a few.
Yesterday, Pete and I spent the afternoon with Karl and Erica. The converstation revolved around these topics. It is hard brain work and hard soul work to move past the conversation to actually changing the world toward healing. THe morning after I find myself thinking that Occupy Mn, Occupy Wallstreet may not be just another protest for a new generation. It might be more of movement to living in hope instead of complaining. I don't know all the issues or all the nuances of them. I encourage you to listen, to read, to talk with your friends and neighbors and ask these questions. CAn we live with less? Could we move to a community consciousness where we meet the basic needs of everyone so that more time can be spend in gratitude and joy and less in whining and despair? Could we use dirty laundry water to flush a toitlet? Could the current unemployment rate be a chance to move to a 4-day work week? Could we become more self-sustaining in our living? more conscious in our choices?
Are we ready to make our passions real?
(PS. Happy Birthday Karl! and thanks!)
Over the weekend, my second son, Karl, stepped up to his 25th birthday and to his life by participating in Occupy MN, a movement to protest against Wall Street and the corruption of our culture from the buying and selling of money. I can't even pretend to address all the complexities of the issues facing our youngest adults these days. Karl, his brothers and their friends are coming of age in a time when the present and future of the national and world economy is dismal. The USA has been at war as long as my son can remember. Unemployment is rampant. This is a time when almost everyone is dissatisfied with the status quo. It can be disheartening and depressing. With increasing frequency, we hear each other say, "if only I had more time and money..." Yet I find hope.
Twenty-five years ago yesterday, Karl was born at sunrise. By the time we got him home from the hospital Karl was already fairly determined to orchestrate things so the family would stay together. He was born with a huge heart and a sensitive soul. From day one, he would not take naps unless he could be in the room where everyone else was. He just wanted the family to be together and seemed to keep finding ways to get us there.
From day one it was pretty clear that Karl had a deep love for people; especially young vulnerable ones. It wasn't long before we realized Karl had a gift for taking care of children. He was two years and nine months when his brother Hans was born and right away he had knack for knowing how to settle him down when he was fussy and how to play with him without hurting him. As he grew, wherever he went, toddlers would find their way into his arms and his gentle attention. It is not surprising to me that he is now a nanny for two families. Any child would be lucky to have him for caregiver and a friend.
From day one it was also clear that Karl loved the earth, especially animals. Over the years, he seemed to attract all kinds of animal books and when he figured out to use a camera, he took to taking pictures of critters wherever he could find them. Through his eyes, i have a whole new appreciation for the presence of squirrels in my yard. amazing creatures! Beautiful.
Karl's love for the earth, the animals and the world has only grown and now I see a young adult poised, ready and already jumping in with two feet to live a life that expresses his love. When Karl and his bride Erica got married this summer, they invited their beloved creatures and earth as well as family to stand witness to their vows as they stood with their bare feet on sand only inches from the water in Devil's Lake, WI. In keeping with their theme, they spent their honeymoon meeting monkeys and macaws in the rainforest of Costa Rica. Over the years, Karl's amazing photos of creatures have grown into the thousands.
By this far in to my ramble, you're either sighing with a big "awwww" or you're disgusted with all the sentimentality and are ready to give up. I hope not. This does not end with passion and sentimentality. I bring all that up just to show where it begins.
And Karl is not unique. Karl, ERica, Karl's brothers and friends and others like them are already making it real. To care for the environment and live as healthy as possible they have taken up vegan diet. They buy local foods as much as possible. They ride bike to work, to play and to the store. They have a car but drive it only when absolutely needed. AFter only a couple months of marriage they have already made several trips to the thrift store to keep their possessions to a minimum and share their wealth. They try to conserve water by flushing their toilet with bath water left in the tub. They each have two or three part-time jobs and still don't get a full 40-hr week. And they are happy. This gives them time to just be. They are ready to live with less to show that life can be better than spending it in service to the next paycheck. They are ready to make choices that create loving, supportive community that provides for everyone's needs and not just a few.
Yesterday, Pete and I spent the afternoon with Karl and Erica. The converstation revolved around these topics. It is hard brain work and hard soul work to move past the conversation to actually changing the world toward healing. THe morning after I find myself thinking that Occupy Mn, Occupy Wallstreet may not be just another protest for a new generation. It might be more of movement to living in hope instead of complaining. I don't know all the issues or all the nuances of them. I encourage you to listen, to read, to talk with your friends and neighbors and ask these questions. CAn we live with less? Could we move to a community consciousness where we meet the basic needs of everyone so that more time can be spend in gratitude and joy and less in whining and despair? Could we use dirty laundry water to flush a toitlet? Could the current unemployment rate be a chance to move to a 4-day work week? Could we become more self-sustaining in our living? more conscious in our choices?
Are we ready to make our passions real?
(PS. Happy Birthday Karl! and thanks!)
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