WE BEGIN today’s note with a blessing from the always-soulFULL John O’Donohue, followed by an invitation to hear from two young and AWEsome friends of mine. May these blessings encourage you, speak to your heart, and invite you to be bold, be brave, and be you … no matter how healthy or sick, strong or weak, rested or exhausted, overwhelmed or at peace you find yourself this day.
At times this month, I’ve been feeling nearly all of these things … truth be told, the “hard stuff” more than the others. No doubt, that’s why a treasured friend shared this blessing with me, reminding me to never give up and never go it alone. I share it with you with the same intention. May it buoy your being from deep within and offer solace where you most need it.
For One Who Is Exhausted, a Blessing
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 take 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.
from, To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings by John O’Donohue
Seeds Storyteller Series
IN THIS REPLAY OF AN EPISODE of the Seeds Storyteller Series, I talk with two amazing and wise young friends of mine, Priya and Meneka Hecox, about culture, compassion, and inspired action.
WHAT you can look forward to in this conversation:
… Last year, on April 21, 2019, three churches and three hotels were targeted in a series of bombings in Sri Lanka. Nearly 300 people died, and lives were devastated by the destruction and trauma that followed. Hear how these sisters’ lives have been intimately impacted.
… Priya and Meneka are difference-makers. Priya is a sophomore in high school; Meneka is in seventh grade. We’ll talk about what has compelled them to share their story with us, their great passion for the people and country of Sri Lanka, and ever-so-wise nuggets about living as an interconnected global human family.
… Learn from and be inspired by how they each cultivate Places of Pops (PoPs) in their daily lives.
More amazing stories, quotable words of wisdom, connection links with our storytellers, and nudges for inspired ACTion here.
I’d love to hear what resonates or nudges your spirit in some meaningful way in this note. Do share!
I hope that you are ohh, so well, my friend.
My heart, thoughts, and prayers are with you.
You are loved.
You belong.
We belong to each other.
Let’s standTALL together and light up the world!
xo, -Sarah DT ❤️
