Dear Courageous,
A basket of poetry and word gifts for you today 💝because poems connect us to our humanity.
This week I read some beautiful writing and poems that resonated deeply with how I am feeling. As we are all trying to make sense of our world and how to live in these perilous and amazing times. When both grief and joys can be present , along with gratitude that we can sleep safely, with the sadness that others can’t. Any joys may make us feel guilty , when so many are suffering.
The poems and writing , that I share with you today are written by
I give thanks to the
who brought them to my inbox, via her inspiring newsletter.Lisa writes..
“To find the gifts, even amongst grief. To stay tethered to the grief, even amongst the gifts. To be a steady witness to both, not as a method of bypassing but as a method of staying close to the heart, to the spirit of presence, to the ever-present impermanence of everything, to others, to myself”.
That is why I would like to share this poem with you today along with the intentions that Lisa wrote . I am sure like me you will want to subscribe and receive more of Lisa’s insights and magical word conjuring .
All were inspired by the eternal wisdom Mary Oliver captured in these words…
We shake with joy, we shake with grief.
What a time they have, these two
housed as they are in the same body.
Now for Lisa’s Poem
The grief of bearing witness to multiple intersecting corners of devastation.
The gift of witnessing the best of humanity at the very same time.
The grief of wondering what kind of world our children will be living in.
The gift of shaping that world in my own small ways.
The grief of who I miss.
The gift of who is still here.
The grief of greed.
The gift of generosity.
The grief of being misunderstood.
The gift of knowing yourself.
The grief of separation, othering, dehumanization.
The gift of remembering interconnectedness.
The grief of impossible violence.
The gift of all the wide-open hearts.
The grief of systems of oppression.
The gift of all who are working to build something better, something more true.
The grief of knowing it could all be so much more beautiful.
The gift of remembering it can become so much more beautiful.
The grief. The gift. Can I stay with both?
Then
asksCan I allow them to infuse my heart with a reminder of
who and how I want to be ?
That is the question being asked of us now , who shall I become as the troubles and challenges intensify ?
Whilst you ponder this beautiful question . I will share these intentions again written by Lisa, for you to hold , digest and let resonate through your body and soul.
May you let yourself be broken and rebuilt by grief and love.
May you allow what hurts to be absorbed so you can also absorb joy.
May the light find its way into otherwise dark corners of your heart.
May you witness the care that exists right alongside the despair.
May your heart soften around the contradictions you carry.
May you find your aliveness in feeling all of it.
May you be surprised and moved by deep generosity.
May beauty infuse the most devastated parts of you.
May you hold what is yours to hold; no more, no less.
May the pain be buoyed by some unimaginable kindness.
May awe and wonder never fade, never be buried.
May your capacity to be with it all ever-widen, ever-expand.
May you hold yourself and others gently all the while.
You are Courageous
That’s a lot and maybe too much , so go slowly through this tender time. As Lisa says we are all being broken open and that can be tough and scary .
Yet, you are more courageous than you can ever comprehend . You have a good heart and you are making a difference to the energises that are healing and changing our world. These changes may not be seen in our life times, but they will help those yet to come.
Thank you for being here,
Love ,
Susan x
p.s You can find the whole wonderful article here.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Lisa’s is a spectacular piece of writing. Xo
Good stuff.
Buckle up, and just in case things go sideways VERY soon, here's a hug.
xo xo