Greetings Friends,
Spring is just a month away and I'm almost certain there are tiny little buds on my hydrangea bushes. They are as confused as I am I suppose, with this New England weather. But New England is beautiful no matter what the weather.
For my Christian friends, yesterday was Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the Lenten season. A time for reflection, that commemorates the 40 days that Jesus fasted in the desert. I sought out some practice that might bring me closer to God during this time of reflection. I decided to create a book of mini-mandalas with accompanying haiku (a mini poem). Each day of lent I will create one of each, as a reflection on the past year and its desert places, as well as the joy and challenges of new life as I watch it unfold.
I am excited to share that my Spiritual Direction practice is alive and well offered from my home office and on Zoom. It is the perfect experience for journeying through this Lenten season and beyond. Spiritual Direction (we'll call it SD for short), has been around since the 3rd century and has been practiced across many different faith traditions. It is an honor to sit with people in that place of sacred listening and explore their journeys.
I'm also thrilled to say that I am an affiliate of Hillary Oat Healing now. She has a masterful gift for energy work. Hillary practices Reiki and offers Reiki training programs, and has been doing this special healing work for 30 years. Thirty years! That amazes me. Explore her website to learn more about her energy work. Hillary is a beautiful spirit and a talented wellness practitioner. And isn't wellness what we all strive for these days?
I am enjoying a book by Nanea Hoffman called, The Anxiety Blob Comfort & Encouragement Journal. In it, she reminds us of ways to tend to our mental health.
"Get enough rest
Feed Yourself
Take your meds if you need to
Allow space for your emotions
Text a friend
See a professional if necessary
Be creative; find ways to express yourself
Make sure your boundaries are strong
Check-in with yourself frequently
Suspend Judgement of yourself
Acknowledge the truth of your experience"
These aren't revolutionary but I appreciated the refresh and the invitation. You might enjoy her interactive journal too.
Lastly, having just wrapped up a 6-week program for writers, I find myself aching to do more of my own writing. So I've been crafting some poetry (in addition to my Lenten Haiku), and my first submission was accepted by the Cape Cod Times. As you might remember Cape Cod is my second home and to have my poem published there was quite special for me. It's called Salty Solitude. Although I've published loads of articles, as a reporter and freelance writer, I haven't published anything that wasn't pr related in years. It felt so good to get some momentum flowing again in my creative writing life. And next week, I'll be joining a couple of friends as we gather to support each other to complete our novels. Ahhh, the life of a writer. Life is good ... And until next time, abundant blessings and peace on your journey,
Patty
