hope your week of reflection was perfect in every way xoxooxoxoxo

Where am I journeying in these long summer days?

The winter trees wept
a river of blood
when we were torn
from the land.

1836. Into the winter, away from my home and land of my ancestors when the Muscogee were 'removed' to Indian Territory. A long, difficult journey marked by loss, grief and despair. A journey which has been passed down through the generations to me. A burden far too big for any one person to carry. I can only hold it and try to heal it, not pass it on yet again.

Not much joy here, but an essential 'going through' on this journey.

Though moments of joy when I see the swallows flying through the summer skies, the fields lush with grass and flowers and the water striders skating across the river surface.

My map is where my art work takes me, more of a promise really. That each piece of art work in my riverjourney series will take me where I need to go, to be. That the making of each piece will heal what needs to be healed. And that I will come through this to the other side.

Blessed be.

PS I just love the pilgrimage poem

laure, you offer so many beautiful images in your comment — "my own growing and becoming along side creation’s growing and becoming", savoring, poetry as compass all resonated with me deeply. thank you.

Suz, I am so sorry to hear of your struggles these days. My mother used a wheelchair for the last few years of her life and I really understand how people interact or ignore. Many healing blessings to you.

kigen, I love the image of Jesus' wander-lust — I would agree but I never heard it put quite that way before. I also love the image of Martha as alter-ego and recognition of his own self.

Thank you for all of your spiritual insights. I celebrate YOU. Happy Birthday!

Love and Hugs

"I felt in need of a great pilgrimage
so I sat still for three
days

and God came
to me."

-Kabir

I have a theory that Jesus speaks from his own experience in many of his parables, and most revealingly, in the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). There is a wander-lust clearly evident throughout his ministry, always, always he seems wanting to be back out on the road. Nevertheless, one of the most profound of the stations of his journey finds him inside the house of Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42), with the ultimate parable drawn there from real life, and where he says that Martha is "busy with many things," but Mary, in her contemplation and quietude, has chosen "the better part." And he says that, really knowing I think, that Martha is more his alter-ego.

But again, regarding the "better part," that means it's only part: in other words outward activity (or travel, even on foot) and quietude within require each other to give the benefit of, or to make each one more what it truly is.

Well, you move me so much today, you make me cry!

My journey is filled with living in a broken body. I am so filled with pain that I cannot enjoy the joys of summer. I am struggling and trying to find the little ways in which I can take joy. We spent the weekend in Chicago. Jud speaks a lot and I go along. This time was mostly hotel bound but with the use of modern medicine, I got out to visit the Institute of Art and to see Millenium Park. Not as full as I hoped for but bits of treats. I am back in the darn wheelchair and living that odd existence where some people treat you in a rude manner and some in a manner better than you deserve! I am trying to focus on the second.

Thanks again for your blog. It gives me a lot of joy and pleasure, beautiful woman!

In answer to your questions . . .

* my own growing and becoming along side creation's growing and becoming … how do i do it similarly? differenly? how organic is my growing and becoming? where do i insinuate myself into process that would profit by my keeping my mitts off!
* finding what i didn't lose … innocence
* living inside the tension of being and observing my being
* what does it mean to savour something? to let presence linger without doing anything with that presence? to taste something (literally and figuratively) more fully before swallowing it?
* inviting endings to speak to me while living inside beginnings … thinking about relationships
* language as map. the compass that poetry is.

blessings as you retreat . . . as you go back in order to go forward!