Tag: #friendship

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The Way It Is — William Stafford

I find myself thinking of this poem, The Way It Is, this morning, below, by William Stafford. He, was raised in the midwest of the United States in the 1900s.

I find myself thinking of it in sense-making, as I learn of a friends loss. And the family she is connected to. And the friends that are family. Whose job it is, sometimes, to just hold each other, in our varied experience.

The Way It Is

There’s a thread you follow.
It goes among things that change.
But it doesn’t change.

People wonder about what you are pursuing.
You have to explain about the thread.
But it is hard for others to see.

While you hold it you can’t get lost.
Tragedies happen; people get hurt or die;
and you suffer and get old.
Nothing you do can stop time’s unfolding.

You don’t ever let go of the thread.

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Gone Grillin’

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This was a delightful meal, Saturday evening, with a visiting friend at my home in Lindon, Utah. Sliced, small, golden potatoes and onions in the foil, salted, peppered, and lightly buttered. Pork chops seasoned with Montreal Steak Spice and BBQ sauce. Sliced peppers and zucchini (from my garden, picked the same day) marinated and brushed with Italian dressing. I love grilling vegetables like this. I love the freshness with the charred edges. I love the bounty in the meal and in the friendship

Though I’m not grilling each day this week, I’m taking a week off of blogging as I turn my attention to The Circle Way Practicum on Whidbey Island, Washington. I’ll be co-teaching with Amanda Fenton and convening with a really fantastic group of 24 people  in a location that is as delicious and fulfilling as the grilled meal above. I love the teachings in The Circle Way, that help us reclaim a deliberate container to be wise and thoughtful together. I love the community that forms as we dare to encounter and witness each other in story, imagination, and lended courage to go further with our respective bodies of work and interest.

Here’s to all of us in thoughtful learning and journey and friendship.

 

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A Grateful Day

The above video, five minutes in length, is exquisite. In message. In pace. In cinematography. In invitation.

Thanks Jeremy Nash for sharing.

Gratefulness is a practice isn’t it. It’s an energy too. To even momentarily be in the spirit of grateful, and in the deliberate practice of perhaps even just naming, is to shift energy.

This morning, Wednesday, as I sit at my kitchen counter, giving myself permission to name just ten things, I’m grateful for:

  • the morning conversation that I just had with overnight visiting friends, Chris and Amy, who now leave for further visit to Utah
  • the vibrancy of the yellow daisies in a vase on my nearby table, that have lasted three weeks
  • the orange that I ate for breakfast, and how easy it was to peel
  • the computer on which I am typing, on my lap no less
  • the home that I have to return to from my travels, with artifacts, memories, and a place to lay my head
  • the family I come from that taught me so much about home, and welcoming friends
  • the surprise clarity that can so often arise from confusion, even if just for a moment
  • health (yes, of course, there are big categories), that underlays so much
  • the brightly colored salt and pepper shakers I got from New Mexico (yes, of course, even small things have a story), that just make me smile
  • that video above from Br. David, that softened my heart

 

 

 

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Choice, Friendship, and Welcome

Today, a friend that watches out for me sent me this.

“Love is the ability and willingness
to allow those that you care for
to be what they choose for themselves
without any insistence that they satisfy you.”

It is from Wayne Dyer, the American philosopher and self-help author, who died in 2015.

Yesterday, I was being interviewed about relational dynamics in leadership, by a PhD candidate working on his dissertation. I remembered this, from one of my closest pals, Chris Corrigan.

“Friendship is our business model.”

I’ve modified Dyer’s statement.

“Friendship [Love] is the ability and willingness
to welcome [allow] those that you care for
to be what they choose for themselves
without any insistence that thy satisfy you.”

Choice, and friendship, and welcome — they make all of the difference.

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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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