Bearing One Another's Burdens : Affirmation

Showing posts with label Affirmation. Show all posts

Saturday, January 7, 2023

Some things to think about, some things to ponder, some things to do

Friend of Sea Wolf Books recommendation from Bob—

Thomas Bell's novel "Out of This Furnace" (1941) tells the story of several generations

of Slovak immigrants in Pennsylvania. It is not the common and idealized story of immigrants,

but the flesh-and-blood story of people who worked on the railroads and in the steel mills. A

reader can cry and laugh through the book and share the hopes of the steel workers and their

families in the closing chapters. My family were not Slovak immigrants, and they did not work

in the steel mills, but there is so much there from my grandparents' and parents' generations that

I could easily locate something of my family's story there. The book can be raw in sections, but

it is always honest. I reread passages from the book at certain times of the year every year as an act

of memory and of thanking and honoring those who have passed on. The book is one of the most popular published by University of Pittsburgh Press and is used in some college classes. Attempts

have been made to turn it into a film as well.

Available through Sea Wolf Books at: https://bookshop.org/a/87294/9780822952732

Friday, January 6, 2023

Some gentle and affirming checks-ins and reminders for the new year

We are only six days into the new year, but some folks who I know are already doing check-ins and reminders about how to get through what feel like increasingly difficult times. I think that many of these reminders and check-ins are positive. Here are three that I especially like.

Kristen Kennedy put this out:

Alan Felts put the following out:

Lord, give me strength in this year to come. Last year was a fantastic blessing because I finally began to learn how to let go and let God. With new roles and responsibilities, I plan on continuing that philosophy this year. If I'm being honest, the first few days of January made me feel like Elijah. I wanted to find a tree, take a nap, and let an angel bring me food. God disagreed because, as most know, we don't even have Uber Eats down here.

Matthew 17:20 has been one of my primary life verses for many years. In my imperfections, I have seen God turn ugly into beautiful many times. Most of those times were when I was down to that mustard seed faith and energy. Those days are fewer and farther between now, tho, thankfully. I have dear family, friends, and colleagues that surround me with goodness and concern. That has been the true blessing of 2022. Being home has been what I needed.

Thank you all for everything this past year. Especially thank you all for your positive comments and love for our work at the McDowell County Commission on Aging, Inc. I look forward to many more adventures and laughs in the coming months!

"He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”.
- Matthew 17:20 ESV

(I'm sorry that I could not reproduce Mr. Felts' Facebook post as he sent it around. If you visit his Facebook page you will some outstanding photography.)

Shirley Noe Swiesz, the woman who does the Journey of a Mountain Woman Facebook page, sent out the following. She is the author of several books and I greatly enjoy her posts. She tells us that her books "Coal Dust and Mountain Stranger are spicy but A Great Heart is not."

Good morning! Getting close to afternoon! I’m trying really hard to take each day, one at a time, and not try to do it a whole year at a time! And as the days go by I hope you are all in a safe space for that is what our home should be, a wonderful safe place, no matter how humble. I think we often get tied up in the idea that larger will make us happier but we carry happiness inside us in a tiny spot called our heart or soul. The world outside has far too much influence on that but we can keep trying. May God keep you safe in whatever storms the year may bring and I hope you dance a jig of happiness whenever you get a chance!

Wednesday, January 4, 2023

Some things to do, some things to smile on, some things to ponder

"The mountains are my bones, the rivers my veins. The forests are my thoughts

and the stars are my dreams. The ocean is my heart, its pounding is my pulse.

The songs of the earth write the music of my soul."

"I sing because I'm happy. I sing because I'm free, His eye is on the sparrow

and I know he watches me."

Monday, January 2, 2023

For the new year!

Sunday, January 1, 2023

From Midwives of the Soul

~ This year, dear friends, may we all lose weight!

The weight of expectations. The weight of self-criticism. The weight of disconnect that fills us with a deeper hunger. The weight of not always loving. The weight of a worn and weary world. Of not always accepting, seeing and inhabiting this precious and sacred body, that we're in.

~ This year, dear friends, may we all exercise!

...our holy will! Our sacred sense of purpose. Our vision and hard-earned wisdom. Our discernment and our shining hearts. In ways that enrich connections, with our bodies, our souls and those we love. And even to the world.

~ This year, ah yes... may we all start the work of quitting...

...that collective Kool-Aid. The negative self-talk. The small-a**ed living. That cacophony of cockatoo-voices that drown out our souls. And old habits: Those used to stop us hearing our pain, our disappointments, and all things much better loved, seen and accepted right down to the very bottom ~ and to find true freedom, through a connection with our deepest souls.

And...

~ This fine new year, (well, here's the best...) May we all be rich!

Yes, utterly and completely rich. Wildly and unapologetically. Rich in love. Life. Connection with one another and all that really matters. Filled to the brim and bubbling over; more again and spilling over that. Full of laughter, acceptance, joy, and less of worry. Less of sorrow ~ Rich in renewed experience, of a whole new year!

Happy 2023, dear friends!

~Rachel Alana (R.A Falconer)
Midwives of the Soul
art | John Collier

My wish for you for the new year

I think that a friend and mentor of mine put it quite well the other day when he had the following to say about the coming of the new year and a self-assessment he was doing. He wrote:

I've always thought of new years eve as the most important time of year. It's a time to reflect and also look ahead. For me it's not about staying up and celebrating or making unrealistic resolutions but about having hope and a direction as I move on in life. It's personal. I know what I want to strive for and I probably won't get there completely but I will gain ground. I haven't forgotten where my bones are buried and my demons and I are on a first name basis.

I have a ton of regrets but at the same time a lot to be proud of. And I know there are people in this world who love me and that is enough. So I will continue to gain ground.
Happy new year! And peace to all!

I'm moved by this for several reasons. This comes from someone who I think approaches life with the right attitude and who I think is in a good place. I don't agree with everything that he says on other topics, but he's the kind of person who can make me think twice about something. He has a blue-collar wisdom that I understand and that I wish that I had more of. There is also a real humanism and realism in these words, and there is something instructive in that. Some people will go all out with platitudes, some people will be brief and formal, some people do the sugar-coating around this time of year. But this is a real self-assessment with some vulnerability to it and not everyone is strong enough to think this through and put that out there. These are also healing words. Someone can read this and see themselves in these words and step back and think that they aren't alone and that their life and their struggles and their hopes and the way that they're trying to give order to their life has some meaning after all.

So many people who I know are struggling in one way or another to give their lives order and meaning, and so few people who I know who are trying to do this have the support needed to make a good job out of it. It's hard to do. The person who wrote this has a strong bonded relationship with a woman who shares his values. They have a couple of pets. They're the kind of people others listen to and respect, and no one goes away from them without feeling their strength. They worked hard to get there. And here's the hint from above to find order and meaning in your daily life: you can't do it entirely on your own. We aren't wired for solitary lives and for not having to be accountable to others. This isn't about a party that never ends. Like my friend and mentor says, "And I know there are people in this world who love me and that is enough. So I will continue to gain ground."

My wish for all of us is that in 2023 we draw in closer, build solidarity and community, find the real love that we're made for, and gain lots of ground.