In Ten Days

In ten days, my daughter is getting married. To a fine young man from a family that I’m enjoying getting to know. My heart is turned completely to them in support. To destress the stressful parts. To remember the purpose of this ceremony and ritual. To help with car rides.

This is new territory for all of us, as it should be. Included in that is the still stunning awareness that I am Father of the Bride! It’s an exciting time. It’s a tender time.

There is all the “event” stuff. Dresses, bouquets, food for guests. Who stands where, who sits with whom. Toasts to be made. Speeches to be offered. Funny stories to be recalled.

Then there is the “life passage” stuff. Oh yah, that. Moving into another stage of adult life. Marriage. A partner. Finances. A place to live and be responsible for. Learning to lean further in to a partner. To form union. To be a union in progress that transcends the event and takes different shapes in the varied phases of life.

I’ve searched for the right words to share. You know, Dad stuff. They come reasonably naturally. Perhaps in part because I’ve wanted to live life with my daughter, not as an event and party (though these are fun), but rather as a journey of learning.

It’s the life passage that I find myself drawn to. Not just the day, but the next six weeks or six months of growing into this new reality. For her. For them. For me with them. For all of us with them.

I can feel the importance of all of us witnessing this union, that we are holding them for a moment in this transition. Ah, that hits the spot. Naming the transition and the need to be held in that, not just in the event.

I could make some parallel to my work — holding people in transition. Marking it with ceremony. It’s all stuff that I do and that is really important.

However, for today, my thoughts are mostly as a Dad loving his daughter. They are about being present to the layers and the nuance of passages with someone I love.

Enough said.

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Gifts of Circle - Question Cardsasd
Gifts of Circle is 30 short essays divided into 4 sections: 1) Circle's Bigger Purpose, 2) Circle's Practice, 3) Circle's First Requirements, and 4) Circle's Possibility for Men. From the Introduction: "Circle is what I turn to in the most comprehensive stories I know -- the stories of human beings trying to be kind and aware together, trying to make a difference in varied causes for which we need to go well together. Circle is also what I turn to in the most immediate needs that live right in front of me and in front of most of us -- sharing dreams and difficulties, exploring conflicts and coherences. Circle is what I turn to. Circle is what turns us to each other."

Question Cards is an accompanying tool to Gifts of Circle. Each card (34) offers a quote from the corresponding chapter in the book, followed by sample questions to grow your Circle hosting skills and to create connection, courage, and compassionate action among groups you host in Circle.

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In My Nature
is a collection of 10 poems. From A Note of Beginning: "This collection of poems arises from the many conversations I've been having about nature. Nature as guide. Nature as wild. Nature as organized. I remain a human being that so appreciates a curious nature in people. That so appreciates questions that pick fruit from inner being, that gather insights and intuitions to a basket, and then brings the to table to be enjoyed and shared over the next week."

This set of Note Cards (8 cards + envelopes)  quotes a few favorite passages from poems in In My Nature. I offer them as inspiration. And leave room for you to write personal notes.

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Most Mornings is a collection of 37 poems. I loved writing them. From the introduction: "This collection of poems comes from some of my sense-making that so often happens in the morning, nurtured by overnight sleep. The poems sample practices. They sample learnings. They sample insights and discoveries. They sample dilemmas and concerns."

This set of Note Cards (8 cards + envelopes)  quotes a few favorite passages from poems in Most Mornings. I offer them as inspiration. And leave room for you to write personal notes.

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