Blessing the New Year!

Happy New Year! Yes, I took last Sunday off. This time of year is one of great introspection for me, becoming more and more like the she-bear, hunkering down for a slow and quiet winter, loving being insulated by the snow and watching the wild birds feed. It is a magical time of year. Resolutions are not something I make anymore, but taking stock of the past year, looking at what worked and what didn’t, what I want to call into my life more, and what I want to let go of, happens - a lot.

I must mention here that a truly powerful book found me and probably contributed a lot to my not showing up last week! The Hold Wild a heathen bible for the untamed woman, by Danielle Dulsky. Absolutely mind-blowing and so very validating. I am rereading it but have also enjoyed listening to her read the work immensely! Available on Audible. Highly recommend it if it calls to you. I don’t think you will regret it.

This year two beautiful pieces came to my awareness and I want to share them today. Not original, but they definitely resonate.

Also, a quick update on both books… They Persisted, and They Roared. Both are being hung up by some technical issues with the publishing platform I am using. We are working hard on fixing that and the lesson for me is patience. The serenity prayer sure comes in handy!

Now, wishing each one of you, dear readers, a very joyful, healthy, and peaceful New Year. May you find what you need to grow, may the path you are on nurture you, and may you give and receive love and kindness. Thanks for checking in.

BECOMING AN ELDER

Leaving behind my journey of struggling and racing through

the white water of many rivers, I become the river,

creating my own unique way.

Leaving behind my self-imposed role as a tree upon

which others have leaned, I now become the wind,

with the freedom to blow whenever and wherever I choose.

Leaving behind the boxes I’ve created in my life, crammed with

roles, responsibilities, rules and fears,

I become the wild and unpredictable space

within which flowers sprout and grow.

Leaving behind the years of yearning for others

to see me as somebody,

I soften into becoming my future,

with permission from SELF to

continually unfold as I choose, without concern

for how others may see me.

Leaving behind years of telling and teaching,

I become instead a mirror

into which others can peer and

view reflections of themselves to consider.

Leaving behind the urge to provide answers for others,

I become – in the silence of this forest retreat

– the question.

Leaving behind the rigor of my intellect,

I become a single candle in the

darkness, offering myself as a beacon for others

to create their own path.

I become an elder.

~Cathy Carmody~

Cathy Carmody passed in 2017, but before she passed, she allowed her poem to be shared as long as she is credited as the author. What a treasure~~~

From: Archaeology for the Woman's Soul which I also highly recommend checking out.

Unfortunately I do not know whom to credit for the picture, but it was too good not to share.

This also, for pondering:

Why do we start a new year, with promises to improve?

Who began this tradition of never-ending pressure?

I say, the end of a year, should be filled with congratulation, for all we survived.

And I say a new year should start with promises to be kinder to ourselves, to understand better just how much we bear, as humans on this exhausting treadmill of life.

And if we are to promise more, let’s pledge to rest, before our bodies force us.

Let’s pledge to stop, and drink in life as it happens.

Let’s pledge to strip away a layer of perfection to reveal the flawed and wondrous humanity we truly are inside.

Why start another year, gifted to us on this earth, with demands on our already over-strained humanity.

When we could be learning to accept, that we were always supposed to be imperfect.

And that is where the beauty lives, actually.

And if we can only find that beauty, we would also find peace.

I wish you peace in 2023.

Everything else is all just a part of it.

Let it be so.

By the one and only Donna Ashworth

ART BY Demelsa Haughton Illustration

Blessings to all, and may 2003, bring new insights and peace to your heart and soul.

"In this universe we are given two gifts: the ability to love, and the ability to ask questions. Which are, at the same time, the fires that warm us and the fires that scorch us."--Mary Oliver