Words for the Heart

January 8, 2010 · by Christine

They can be like a sun, words.
They can do for the heart
what light can
for a field.

-St. John of the Cross, Love Poems from God (translated by Daniel Ladinsky)*

On January 1st I posted this invitation to share your word for the year and over 130 of you responded!  Reading through your words was moving, inspiring, and hope-filled, and I absolutely loved the explanations connected to them.  I wanted to honor this communal offering in a creative way, so I entered the words you posted into Wordle to create a word cloud and here is the result (you can see a larger version by clicking here or on the image):

WORDLE - Give Me a Word

*ADDED NOTE: Feel free to share the Wordle on your blog with a link to the original post (it’s community art!).

And now the winners (with their words) of the random drawing for the four fabulous prizes:

GIVEAWAY #1: a one-month subscription to Flock (Maureen – REACH)

GIVEAWAY #2: a DVD of Mary Magdalene (Kel – SANCTUARY)

GIVEAWAY #3: a copy of Grace Unbound (Jemma – MOVEMENT)

GIVEAWAY #4: a copy of the French Republican Calendar (Jo-El – EXPAND)

*Thanks so much to everyone who participated!*

Feel free to still add your word to the beautiful pool of wisdom!

*thanks to Maureen for sharing this quote from one of my favorite books on another post

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* Come back on Monday for the next Poetry Party! *

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© Christine Valters Paintner at Abbey of the Arts:
Transformative Living through Contemplative & Expressive Arts

Lenten E-Course - Benedictine Spiritual Practices

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Posted in Fun | 9 Comments »

9 Responses to “Words for the Heart”

  1. Mary Beth Says:

    I copied this Wordle and posted it at my blog…with attribution and a link. I hope that is okay. I love this exercise and adventure. thank you!!!

  2. Bette Wappner Says:

    Love your wordle! It seems sacred because each word was given much thought and is so meaningful to each person.

  3. Christine Says:

    Absolutely Mary Beth.

    I wholeheartedly agree Bette, definitely a lot of sacred meaning here.

  4. Terri Says:

    What hope there is for the world when a community can come together as reflected in the wordle. Truly sacred.

  5. Kel Says:

    Christine, I’m excited to start the new year with a win :)
    I look forward to exploring the body as sanctuary

  6. Carolyn Says:

    …wholly holy, a breath kissing the atmosphere, blessing us.

  7. Jan Says:

    I saw your Wordle at Mary Beth’s and now want to copy it–with attribution to you, of course. It is wonderful!

  8. Monika Says:

    Word Clouds are wonderful. This entire exercise was graced with reflection, creativity, beauty and fun: a winning combination for ALL who participated!

  9. Christine Says:

    Thanks everyone, such a wonderful celebration of shared beauty!