Speaking out…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All great questions must be raised by great voices,

and the greatest voice is the voice of the people –

speaking out –

in prose, or painting or poetry or music;

speaking out –

in homes and halls, streets and farms, courts and cafes –

let that voice speak

and the stillness you hear will be

the gratitude of mankind.

~ Robert F. Kennedy ~

the power that memory gives us…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am inclined to believe that God’s chief purpose in giving us memory is to enable us to go back in time so that if we didn’t play those roles right the first time around, we can still have another go at it now.  We cannot undo our old mistakes or their consequences any more than we can erase old wounds that we have both suffered and inflicted, but through the power that memory gives us of thinking, feeling, imagining our way back through time we can at long last finally finish with the past in the sense of removing its power to hurt us and other people and to stunt our growth as human beings.

The sad things that happened long ago will always remain part of who we are just as the glad and gracious things will too, but instead of being a burden of guilt, recrimination and regret that make us constantly stumble as we go, even the saddest things can become, once we have made peace with them, a source of wisdom and strength for the journey that still lies ahead.

~ Frederick Buechner ~

Just the right words, at just the right moment, can be the most incredible gift.

 

 

fear, playing big and getting quiet…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

~ Marianne Williamson ~

These are some of the wisest, truest and most meaningful words I know. I’ve already sent them to friends more than once today, so I figured it was time to highlight them here again.
I’ve been playing a whole lot bigger lately and have been pushing my limits further than ever. It feels good and it feels like time to put the brakes on, just a tiny bit. In an inspired moment of divine intervention, I signed up for a silent retreat this weekend, months ago. I’ll be with a couple of my favorite teachers and one who is new to me, along with, I am sure, a wonderful group of fellow meditators. As we will be silent there, I feel called to be silent for a few days here, too. Part of more changes at CIF- I’ll fill you in next week.
For now, I wonder how today’s quote will inspire you. I’d love to hear about all of it. I’ll see you back here on Monday.

may you know…

Today, may you know that you have all you need, right inside you, ready to share with the world. It’s right there. You just need to see it.

Really.

Some days…

When it is over, I want to say: all my life I was a bride married to amazement…

~ Mary Oliver ~

Some days, it doesn’t quite feel that way, though. Some days it feels like too much to do in too little time, like I am chasing my own tail, like one more thing would make it just too hard.

And then I see something – outside, or in a book, or in my collection of photographs, and I remember.

It is all amazing.