Shirley Riga
Apr 13, 20202 min
Broken open to unclaimed thoughts demanding my attention. I am spent in my tears and awake to the darkness in the dawn. Yet I am loved, sheltered, fed, warm, clean and surrounded by the presence of my soul. Holidays hold painful memories of what I miss. I find hope in baring my pain and finding relief in words of understanding. We witness our pain, loss, renewal and love. We witness our recognition of faith in spring, delight in Easter bunnies, and trust in our collective learning. I am glad to be on this journey with you.
For One Who Is Exhausted, a Blessing
John O’Donohue
Published December 22, 2017
When the rhythm of the heart becomes hectic,
Time takes on the strain until it breaks;
Then all the unattended stress falls in
On the mind like an endless, increasing weight.
The light in the mind becomes dim.
Things you could take in your stride before
Now become laborsome events of will.
Weariness invades your spirit.
Gravity begins falling inside you,
Dragging down every bone.
The tide you never valued has gone out.
And you are marooned on unsure ground.
Something within you has closed down;
And you cannot push yourself back to life.
You have been forced to enter empty time.
The desire that drove you has relinquished.
There is nothing else to do now but rest
And patiently learn to receive the self
You have forsaken in the race of days.
At first your thinking will darken
And sadness takes over like listless weather.
The flow of unwept tears will frighten you.
You have traveled too fast over false ground;
Now your soul has come to take you back.
Take refuge in your senses, open up
To all the small miracles you rushed through.
Become inclined to watch the way of rain
When it falls slow and free.
Imitate the habit of twilight,
Taking time to open the well of color
That fostered the brightness of day.
Draw alongside the silence of stone
Until its calmness can claim you.
Be excessively gentle with yourself.
Stay clear of those vexed in spirit.
Learn to linger around someone of ease
Who feels they have all the time in the world.
Gradually, you will return to yourself,
Having learned a new respect for your heart
And the joy that dwells far within slow time.
Participants’ Reflections:
Difficult to center today. Gave in to thoughts. Reminded self I can take 5-minute breaks to center during day
Strength in broken places is foundation for growth
Tasting and seeing what is in present
Looking for the good
Being in the now
Genuineness is not always pretty, but there's strength in it when we stand on it
Hard to meditate today
Sitting in my yert listening to the rain
Breathing is good
When I go through a dark night of the soul, I wake up with a resolve. Not the way I want to do things, but it helps me grow
Things i depended on are not there. I have to fix things myself and fix myself
Couldn't meditate because i want to be on a journey that I've put to the side too much. Am determined to work on it, and I do get insights from meditating