MAGNOLIA LOVE

 International Woman’s Day Art Show 

OMAH Orillia Museum of Art History March 3- April 9th, 2011
30 Peter’s Street South Orillia  10 -4 each day.

Magic Calls to Me

Magic calls to me from canyons
Rivers
Valleys
Shore
Glimpses I catch in sunbeam
Moon shadow
Hollowed out log

Magic whispers
Taunts 
Follow me
Dance along
The edges of now

Magic laughs
Smiles from faces as yet unknown
From friends
Friends everywhere I turn
Magic smiles back

And when
When in
Quietude I still and observe

I then see ever truly
Magic graces my whole world.

While visiting the west coast last summer this  beautiful magnolia almost past it’s prime, compelled, drawing me closer and closer. Leaning farther over a high balcony, I almost toppled to the ground attempting to catch its radiant light!

Later looking at the photo, only then did I see the true gift offered me. Its perfect heart center, reflecting  nature’s magical love, took my breath away. 

Profound messages grace my world from everywhere, when I but choose to see with new eyes, listen and follow.

From what magical place might  love offer its gift to you today, stirring your heart into new and exciting awareness?

Will you be ready to listen, follow and open to receive love’s bounty?

May you be graced with anticipation and wonder this day~

In lovelight Linda

Our Greatest Gift

I’ve seen two impactful, empowering movies lately:’The Soloist’ and ‘My Name is Khan’. Their message is profound and played a part in the creation of the prose that follows.

LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE

Let your light shine
Lightly whispering of new vistas ahead
Like sun sparkling diamonds on water

Let your light shine
Lightly sun kissing snowflake in frosty air
Like gentle caress on baby’s cheek

Let your light shine
Lightly tip toeing each musical note
Like glinting smile in Irish eyes

Let your light shine
Into depth of darkest night
Beaming rays of promise toward pathways of joy

Let your light shine
Lightly upon all lost and in hiding
Those curled inward hugging bone chilling cold

Let you light shine
Lightly on the long forgotten
Those perhaps masked as neighbour family, friend or foe

Let your light shine
Lightly on those only awaiting
Softened edges of anyone’s smile

Let your light shine
Lightly dancing on the edges of time
As together we create world be coming

New world shining
Light filled
Lightly~

Let your light shine~~

Now is the time, this moment is the place, we are the ones who may freely offer our greatest gift.  Our loving light~

Warmest loving wishes

Linda

As a Guidance Counsellor who loved being with the students not so much the administrative tasks, as you may deduce from the sign above I posted on my office door, my awesome team mate ‘supervisor’ Jean, smiled at me trustingly and obligingly said: ‘Great, you work with the students and develop the Grade 9 program for the school.’

That left me speechless since both she and I knew I was great at process work in the moment; not great at writing down the ‘how’ of anything I did. Jean however was and is a very loving and wise woman: she asked another counsellor, my friend to sit at the back of the room and write down what she observed as I interacted with the students. Then together as a staff we co-created a wonderful program for the grade 9’s in that school.

This particular day, we were discussing self esteem, ‘full steam ahead’ ability. 

Listening to my intuition, I said to the class: “Let’s try something new.  I need 3 volunteers and I am going to say something positive, negative or neutral to you. The only thing is that you will not know which one it will be. I need you to respond to me in role play.”

A young girl put up her hand. In a loud condescending tone I scolded: “You haven’t cleaned up your room or done your home work! No you are not going out!”Immediately the student began to berate me, call me names and fall predictably into the angry teenager role.   I then stopped, thanked her and asked the class if they had ever seen this happen. All heads nodded in unison.

I asked for the next volunteer.  Another young girl put up her hand and I spoke: “Its great weather we have today.”  She agreed.

As I asked for the third volunteer, of course the whole class already knew what scenario was left.  A young boy bravely stood up.  I looked at him and in a warm caring voice said, “Do you ever have a nice smile”. 

Silence.  Profound nothingness. You could have heard a pin drop. Thirty two students ~ not a sound.

I looked around the room and said to the class, “What’s happening?”

After what seemed like a long time, someone said: “He doesn’t know what to say.  We don’t hear nice things like that.”

Three more times, 3 more classes, grade 9 through grade eleven; same results consistently. It was then, with a lump in my throat, that my soul knew the depth of this teaching and the dire need to offer this tool to others. I am saddened once again, just remembering the heart felt depth of this moment and the deep trust those students had in me to be able to ‘stay with me in this process….

From my journalling I wrote back then:
this is the work of my soul and I know it so is so simple but so vital to wellness…help me god to bring this to the world in your way…show me, guide me…..thank you for bringing into my life the support for me in this work, my dear friends, my soul friend co-workers and family members who support me in this manner……

As always, I am hearing Truth is so simple. Linda, go back to the simple.

In that moment I saw laid bare, the pain of the unacknowledged soul.  The tender hearts of our pain filled children: the same pain that had drowned my soul as a very young child and most likely the souls of my own children at times, before I became aware.  It is one of those moments when the precious gift of being a ‘teacher’ touched me to the core.

On the surface, how simple a compliment seems. Just an ordinary phrase.  No big deal.

Not so~ A compliment is an open hearted act of kindness. Seemingly small, a compliment has the love force of touching another and reverberating to the essence of who we are. Validating, healing, energizing…
 
So what was my lesson, the nugget of gold from this profound awareness?   I began to see clearly how easily many are conditioned to respond quickly in defensive anger, negativity, meanness and also how many are unable to receive the positive or the ‘good’. 

 
How long will we choose to resist the simple truth of caring and kindness?

 How can we begin to change this together?

 What simple compliment, act of kindness may you offer or accept today, toward becoming the change in this world we all share?

Precious Gifts From Our Children

Long ago and just the other day it seems, I was blessed to give birth to my beautiful daughter Holli, a gem who gratefully chose me as her mom.  From this wee being wisdom flowed freely.  Holli would give voice to things others would never notice, or at least never dare to express.     I loved and still love her ‘eyes wide open’ perspective on life.

When the children were young, I would take them all to our historical  village church and we would settle into the hard, old wooden pews. Holli, as a baby would be snuggled facing me, with her next older sister sitting facing forward, back to back with her.  On each side of us sat her oldest sister and her brother. As church service would pass, the children would play with my rings, hand and foot games or draw on paper produced from my purse. 

This particular Sunday Holli, who was four years old, wore her best dress with white leotards and black patent shoes. Over top, she wore her silver faux fur coat buttoned up the front.  Enhancing her attire was her radiant smile, huge blue, see into your soul eyes and her mass of curly blonde hair pulled up into a knot on top of her head. A charmer she was, absolutely.

We were pleased to see Reverend Sam Obal from Kenya was at our parish that day, assisting Reverend Tonks with communion.

Open hearted, the light of God shone from Sam’s face.

Holli seemed a bit restless during the service and was quietly walking the 3 feet of empty pew space beside us, all the while intently watching both Sam and Basil in their long white vestments. Finally she settled into the high backed corner of the pew, standing with her elbow resting on the aisle edge, where she had a splendid view of the proceedings.

It would be important for the reader to know that this particular church was still attended by the direct ancestors of the original  settlers, who had built the architecturally beautiful structure in the early 1800’s. Newcomers would soon learn to be certain that they sat in any place other than the particular pews invisibly labelled: ‘for direct descendants only’.

And then it happened.  Holli clearly and loudly interjected her question.
“Mom, are there two Gods in Church today?”

“Holli”, I whispered, I’ll tell you later.”  Snickers. You could feel the distracted rustling finally ebbing, as the church settled once more. Long pause. More observation.  More consternation.  I could sense her still pondering since Holli and I had always been so closely connected, even before her birth.

 “Please dear God, help her wait this one out”, I silently prayed.

“Well”, she finally proclaimed loudly to all: “If they aren’t two Gods, are they two ANGELS?”  That did it. The whole congregation bubbled with rolling laughter.

And yet the story is not complete.  When it came time for communion, Rev. Sam reached down and picked up Holli. The contrasting image of this 7 foot tall black man holding tiny blonde Holli in his hands, so that they were smiling face to face, is one I treasure, always.As it is written, like Mary in times of old, these things I keep deep in my heart.

May we be thankful for the clear seeing, free flowing thoughts and queries of children. For the insight, candidness and laughter they bring to our days.

May we remember the innocence of the child in us who longs to be free to ponder, to voice aloud unedited the deep wonderings of our heart. 

What might you try today in spontaneity  just  because  you have always wanted to? I invite you to take a risk. Trust in yourself.

Go For It Now~~~~

 

Believing in the wisdom of YOU ….blessings Linda

 I remember at a very young age pursing my mouth shut, hiding my heart.

I also remember 14 years ago, receiving an inspiring book from Holli, ILLUMINATA, by Marianne Williamson. I see myself high-lighting as if it was yesterday: ‘The history of the world is the history of control ~ by institutions, individuals and ideas…..seizing someone’s soul is the ultimate form of control because without our soul we are without love.’

At the everyday level control is the insidiously lethal process of slow death of the spirit…totally legal ~ Hidden rules blaringly written in invisible ink in many houses, businesses, churches, governments throughout the world. Secrecies, veiled threats: Children should be seen and not heard. Boys don’t cry. If you want your diploma, job, position, this is how it will be. THEY are our enemy. WHO do you think you are!   Shackling of the spirit, hanging the head, hunkering inward, squelching the voice, hide, hide hide ~

Like the invisible man in the movie Chicago singing: “I’m just invisible me.”
Riveted my attention searing deeper to levels of ‘my own hiding’ still silently lurking within me. And I remember the people who ‘saw’ me, even in my hiding and who gently and surely loved me, as I loved myself back to who I am today.

For Love Is Always The Key. 

Now is the time to look to our inner wisdom, to love and to be loved back to our authentic selves. Now is the time to heave off our hiding cloaks, return to the truth of who we are divinely created to be. 

Our worst 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 frightens us most.
We ask ourselves: ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and famous?’
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 people won’t feel insecure around you.
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 all of us.
When we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

 RETURN TO LOVE: Marianne Williamson, 1992.  

THANK YOU MARIANNE~

Today, I see even more clearly the imprinting of others courage to speak up  steadily guiding my soul, encouraging me to come out of hiding; to take the leap in sharing my writing, photography, art and to begin inviting others to offer their Soul Prints of change, also.

Come join me in envisioning our new reality~ a wellspring of loving light and creativity, flowing out into our world ~