Offerings

I’ve been unsettled by a recent Nancy Drew discovery. Over Tuesday lunch, my writing buddies offered compassion and sage advice, which brightened my mood considerably. I wrote all afternoon, buoyed by their support and inspired by their wisdom. 

But when night fell, the darkness decended again. 

I gathered up my art supplies, in hopes that creative journaling would help calm my inner chaos. Pens, gesso, watercolors…I scattered them on the table. I flipped through an old issue of L.A. Yoga Journal, searching for soothing words and images. In doing so, I discovered a poem I’d previously overlooked.

You are stunned, powerless.
You thought you knew
What was going on.
Now you realize
You don’t have a clue.
You are stopped in your tracks.
Everything within your skin is shaking.

Enter this shaking.
Right here, in the midst of commotion –
Get curious, look around inside with wonder.
Unmind your mind.
All the walls have fallen down.
Go ahead and dissolve.

The One Who Has Always Been,
Who has seen much worse than this,
Is still here.
             ~Sutra 89 of The Radiance Sutras

The poem cradled my spirit, helped ease me into a peaceful sleep.

Fresh coffee in hand, I greeted the new day in my garden. Fog swirled around the rosebushes, swaddling the citrus trees like a gauzy blanket. "Soften your gaze," it seemed to say, "find your peace within." 

As the sun kissed the morning, my backyard was filled with the fresh scent of citrus blossoms.

And when the fog cleared, a tiny rose blossom appeared. The first of the season–the harbinger of many–she lifted her sweet Angel Face to the endless blue sky.

As promised, Joy cometh in the morning.

  3. I cannot believe how fitting that poem is to your circumstances. Wow, wow, and wow again. You are wide open and receptive, and always catching those signs.

    Have a beautiful day, Melodye.

  4. I cannot believe how fitting that poem is to your circumstances. Wow, wow, and wow again. You are wide open and receptive, and always catching those signs.

    Have a beautiful day, Melodye.

    • I love their color, too

      The Angel Face roses are the first to blossom–for the second year in a row! How miraculous, that it chose this very day to open.

    • Thank you for the gift of your supportive words yesterday–and for teaching me to express myself through creative journaling. Yes, the universe is speaking, and I’m awestruck by her messages. But I also appreciate that you helped me give her a new voice. *hugs you back*

    • Thank you for the gift of your supportive words yesterday–and for teaching me to express myself through creative journaling. Yes, the universe is speaking, and I’m awestruck by her messages. But I also appreciate that you helped me give her a new voice. *hugs you back*

    • Isn’t it gorgeous? The magic goes deeper than that one Sutra, though. I’d never heard of Sutras before. (Well, other than the Kama Sutra, of course. I lived through the 70s, after all.) But now I’m inspired to read more!

      I hope you had fun in Spain (pictures, please), but I’m very happy to welcome you back.

      • Thanks, Melodye, it’s good to be back. And I did post a family photo on my FB page. I’ll post something here at LJ too, I’m sure. 🙂

        And I have read some other Sutras, but it was a long time ago. Now you’ve made me very curious to go back and delve deeper into them. Let me know what you find!

        • They are dense reading, which is one reason I didn’t find them all that appealing before now. Check out the link underneath that poem–The Radiant Sutras are a very accessible translation (at least for me).

      • Thanks, Melodye, it’s good to be back. And I did post a family photo on my FB page. I’ll post something here at LJ too, I’m sure. 🙂

        And I have read some other Sutras, but it was a long time ago. Now you’ve made me very curious to go back and delve deeper into them. Let me know what you find!

    • Isn’t it gorgeous? The magic goes deeper than that one Sutra, though. I’d never heard of Sutras before. (Well, other than the Kama Sutra, of course. I lived through the 70s, after all.) But now I’m inspired to read more!

      I hope you had fun in Spain (pictures, please), but I’m very happy to welcome you back.

  10. Re: The One Who Has Always Been, Who has seen much worse than this, Is still here.

    George uses some very dark imagery in this passage, but his basic message seems very similar. Thanks for sharing it with us here!

    And thanks also for your kind words. They are healing, in and of themselves.

    • Joy

      is my word o’ the year, too. Yet another thing we have in common. 🙂

      Thank you for the wonderful wishes. I’m sending similar thoughts to you!

    • Joy

      is my word o’ the year, too. Yet another thing we have in common. 🙂

      Thank you for the wonderful wishes. I’m sending similar thoughts to you!

  13. Thank you for sharing that poem (and your lovely pictures!). I think everyone can benefit from its wisdom. I hope your day has been joyous so far!

    • So glad you liked that poem! It really speaks to me. What’s that saying: When the student is ready, the teacher will appear? It’s proved itself true in my life, over and over again.

      I’m wishing you a joy-filled day, as well!! xo

    • Thank you, Jeannine. Isn’t it amazing, the beautiful gifts we’re given when we open our hearts and senses?

      *wishing you bright skies and joy-filled days* xo

  15. You just forgot for a moment. . . .

    You forgot that you have the Peace that passes all understanding =)

    And when you remember, doesn’t it feel AMAZING!

    Thanks for sharing.

  16. You just forgot for a moment. . . .

    You forgot that you have the Peace that passes all understanding =)

    And when you remember, doesn’t it feel AMAZING!

    Thanks for sharing.

  17. That poem is so fitting! It’s amazing what finds you when you open yourself up to the universe.

    I love Angel Face roses and miss not having them around my deck like I had in South Reading. I’m seriously thinking of transplanting all my daylilies down to my cat burial garden and sending an order to Jackson & Perkins for Angel Face, Moondance, Our Lady of Guadalupe, and Sundance.

    • It’s astonishing, really. I hope I never lose my sense of wonder — or my openness to receiving all the universe has to offer.

      Angel Face roses are so very fragrant. And for three years now, they’ve been the first to bloom in our garden. I’m not familiar with the others you mention. Are they equally fragrant?

      • I like the Floribunda roses more than Hybrid Tea roses, as they are more disease resistant

        Moondance is a creamy white rose with a sweet raspberry scent

        Our Lady of Guadalupe is a silvery pink rose with ruffled blooms

        Sun Flare is a lemon-yellow rose with a mild licorice scent

        Then there is Enchanted Evening which is a lavender rose with a silvery reverse that has a powerful citrus smell.

        Cinnamon Twist is a not orange, and not quite coral colored but rather light and dark variations with a spicy scent

        Hot Cocoais a rose with a chocolately orange to dark red with a deep rusty orange reverse

        Sexy Rexy, has fully double, salmon-pink blossoms with a fruity aroma.

        And if you like roses that change color during the season, French Lace has ivory to light apricot buds that open to classic white blooms becoming a soft coffee-tinted apricot color, and it has a light fragrance.

    • It’s astonishing, really. I hope I never lose my sense of wonder — or my openness to receiving all the universe has to offer.

      Angel Face roses are so very fragrant. And for three years now, they’ve been the first to bloom in our garden. I’m not familiar with the others you mention. Are they equally fragrant?

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