02.17.2025. Bow or Break?
Hello dear Friends,
“We have two options only: bow or break.”
— Maria Popova
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There are times in life we are brought to a holy stop. Times where we feel wholly lost. The bifurcation moments that strip us bare, where we no longer know up from down; an ancient oak tree uprooted, caught in the relentless fury of life’s dark nights and wild-winds, left gnarled splayed on the ground.
The unexpected shatterings none of us will escape –the news of cancer returned, the heartache of love betrayed, the loss of loved ones, the death of friendships, the body and mind breaking down with illness and age, the suffering and sorrow that comes with change–this is when it is best to sit down. ‘Do nothing’ as my meditation teacher would say.
With fierce kindness she would instruct next, “Get on your knees. Bow your head. Hands to heart. Let your forehead touch the ground. Speak out loud. Thank God that you are alive–that you have breath, a breathing body, a quaking heart and mind. Then sit back upon your heels and feel the arms of the Beloved around you, protecting and holding you dear and then, weep. Weep out your salty tears and broken prayers.”
Then she said to me, “When the waters have settled, stand up, bow and know you are Moses standing on, surrendered in, holy ground.”
May this be an offering for your heart
if you find yourself feeling tossed, broken or at a loss.
🌿
Today is Metta (loving-kindness) & Calm-Abiding Meditation Practice
All Welcome. No meditation experience required.
Come as you are, open heart and all.
2 - 3pm: Drop-in Meditation Practice
3 - 4pm: Back to Basics: Foundational Teachings on Mindful Awareness Meditation
Where: 1765 Glenview Road, Glenview in the Patio Shops
Cost: No Fee. Donations and poems appreciated.
So grateful we are here together.
Love,
Wini
🌸 Below are offerings of warmth and dollops of kindness for your heart….and links to meander in… ♥️
🌸 Two Poems to Share
It Is Possible | Joyce Rupp
it is possible
to become so one
with Earth
that every flower
perfumes the soul,
every snowflake
sends icy softness
dancing through veins,
every drop of rain
trickles down vessels
of the heart,
every cloud in the sky
sails along
songlines of the spirit,
every earthquake
rumbles in the gut,
every tide of the sea
moves in and out of self,
it is possible
to become one
with Earth
just as it is possible
to become one
with all people,
their pain, my pain,
their joy, my joy,
their struggle and delight
an echo of my own.
it is possible to become one.
it is possible.
Excerpt from Appalachian Elegy: Poetry & Place | Bell Hooks
hear them cry
the long dead
the long gone
speak to us
from beyond the grave
guide us
that we may learn
all the ways
to hold tender this land
hard clay direct
rock upon rock
charred earth
in time
strong green growth
will rise here
trees back to life
native flowers
pushing the fragrance of hope
the promise of resurrection
🌸 Three Quotes | Jalaluddin Muhammad Rumi. Valerie Kaur. Etty Hillesum.
“If you are irritated by every rub, how will your mirror be polished?” — Rumi
“We must be brave with our love — braver than ever before… How did our bravest ancestors survive apocalyptic times? They found that bright sovereign space inside of them, and from here, they marched and fought and sang and insisted on a vision of a world of belonging. Let us gather together whenever we can — around music and food and stories — to nourish and fortify each other. Let joy be our lifeblood.” — Valerie Kaur
“Sometimes, the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths, or the turning inwards in prayer for five short minutes.” — Etty Hillesum
🌿 “The Rest Between Two Deep Breaths.” That alone could be the title of a poem. That alone holds volumes of tenderness and awareness, the profound offering of ‘turning inwards for five short minutes’.
Yet why does a few short minutes of rapture feel like a daunting ask?
Maybe it is due to the climate of our time where our modern minds and lives are being wired by short bursts of connection and information fracturing our minds and our relational world even further.
I have heard it said, the way back to whole– the mind, heart, body as vast as the cosmic ocean– is through the temple of breath. Through choosing just one minute to connect, to take three deep breaths (one min a day seems doable). Letting awareness ride on feeling the in and out of air, the wind of God, the breath.
PS. Mindfulness of Breath the medicine needed for spaciousness, anchoring us in the ocean of peace.)
🌸 Something to Inspire | Women Holding Things
A dear friend sent this my way. Sharing on. A beautiful video from Nessy Messy and these inspiring words from Maira Kalman, give a Watch here
You will find yourself in this short video, in this tender book, all the big and little things that women hold–-the small tender broken tea cup to the large unbearable hot air balloon size sorrows.
“a love song to women
and at times everyone
(as exhausted as we all are
from holding everything)”
– Maira Kalman
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🌸 A Beautiful Offering | Nature Companionship: Relationships, Reciprocity, and Justice in the Outdoors. Apr 12, 2025 - Apr 17, 2025
“Knowing that you love the earth changes you, activates you to defend and protect and celebrate. But when you feel that the earth loves you in return, that feeling transforms the relationship from a one-way street into a sacred bond.”
— Robin Wall Kimmerer
My Spiritual Director Rev. Simon de Voil along with Dr. Jeanette Banashak is offering a beautiful retreat nearby at GilChrist Retreat Center in southwest Michigan.
If you feel called to nature as teacher or needing time to sit in the quietude of listening to tend to your heart and want to deepen your connection and ecological identity this is a gorgeous opportunity –through shinrin yoku (forest bathing), community building with each other and the more-than-human world, and spiritual practices of the outdoors, and nature-inspire creativity.
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“To attend to the tree, to reflect on it, is to gain a sense for the unity of the world that is, so to speak, condensed in the tree.”
— Dieter Kotte, Qing Li, Won Sop Shin
🌸 Closing Song | Arms of Love by Alexa Sunshine Rose
A glorious new song by Alexa Sunshine Rose. She is an artist that has dedicated herself and her life's work to being a clear channel for peace on earth.
Alexa plays in the tuning frequency of A=432 Hz to promote inner peace and deep sound absorption. Here, Alexa shares about the Arms of Love:
“This is a song for the parts of us that need to surrender and be held. It's a song for healing, for singing to our loved ones, for meditation and traveling inward to be with and hold those parts in ourselves. It is a prayer that everyone can feel safe and held in the arms of Love, especially the ones who need it the most. May this song reach them and bless them. <3” Alexa’s website
Lyrics:
Come now child, lay it down
Just breathe
Just be
Come be cradled in the arms of love
Just breathe, just be.
Listen on YouTube here (5:00 min)
Listen on Spotify here (5:00 min)
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May you remember: Wherever you are, the Beloved is.
We all live in the Beloved's heart. The sadhana of love.
Have a blessed-gorgeous day,
Love,
Wini
🌸 I’m grateful you’re a part of this community.
Please share on, to a friend who might need tender dollops of kindness and love. Click here to subscribe
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🌎 may we stitch more heart-tenderness into the fabric of our planet.
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….Until next week. 💖 ✨
