Spiritual

The Four Immutable Laws of the Spirit

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These, courtesy of American author, Anne Lamott.

Anne Lamott is perhaps most known for her book on writing, “Bird by Bird.” This quote is from her book, “Some Assembly Required: A Journal of My Son’s First Son.”

“I was reminded of
the Four Immutable
Laws of the Spirit:

Whoever is present
are the right people.

Whenever it begins
is the right time.

Whatever happens
is the only thing
that could have happened.

And when it’s over, it’s over.”

Another quote from this book that I liked: “grace is a small white butterfly, and life is a semi-trailer careening up 101.”

All of Ms. Lamott’s books can be found here on goodreads.

It’s Gonna Be Okay

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There’s a whole lot of comfort in those words when they’re sung by Dolly Parton. Especially when she’s surrounded by some of the most impressive voices in the music industry.

Dolly lit up the world with her humanity, generosity, her Imagination Library, and, of course, her endless contributions to music.

It is this song of hers, where she’s joined by Lainey Wilson, Miley Cyrus, Queen Latifah, and Reba that just moved me so much. If that’s not enough, throw in a small gospel choir.

There is something so pure and touching and powerful about women’s voices together. We don’t hear them coming together nearly often enough, especially from different musical genres. I’ll admit, I had tears rolling down my face as I listened to this – the first time, and the next few times after.

There’s so much going on these days – in the world, in our own lives – that a few words of comfort, a reminder that things are gonna be okay, seem pretty welcome. Thanks, Dolly, for all the grace and goodness you brought the world.

Thanks to my friend Barb over InBarbsWorld for sharing this. It was just another sign that everything’s gonna be okay.

Dolly photo courtesy of Wikipedia (Common Domain)

Reminded of Gratitude

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It’s still early this morning, and I sit in my favorite journaling spot by the front windows as I always do.

I’m not feeling 100% – just one of those mornings one needs to take a little extra time to breathe, and let the day unfold gently.

The sun is rising slowly, brightly illuminating the left side of the porch posts outside; birds are singing their celebration of a new day, and I am listening to this music, so calming with the water running in the background –

Despite the fact that I am feeling pretty far from where I’d like to be at this precise moment, and am not even sure where exactly that is, I also realize that there are thousands, maybe millions, of people who would give anything to be sitting where I am right now …

… to be able to sit calmly and safely; and have the ability to push the day back just a bit before actually starting it; to sit with a cup of coffee and watch the sun slowly lighten the sky. We can forget how much better off we are in our own little lives than so many people in the world. Especially now.

I humbly and gratefully accept all the good I have right now, and trust that my life is unfolding exactly as it should be, no matter how that may feel at any given moment. Even a gentle morning is a gift, and a reminder of abundance. And so it is.

The Artist Date

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It’s the weekend. I have chores to do and a few other things to catch up on, but what about tomorrow?

Maybe I’ll take myself on an Artist Date, I thought.

What is an Artist Date? It’s one of two basic artists’ practices proposed by Julia Cameron to inspire creativity. The other is The Morning Pages. She introduced these in her 2002 book, The Artist’s Way. (She also has many, many more ways to get your inspiration moving.)

The Morning Pages is a daily writing exercise, three pages of stream of consciousness writing done in the morning to kick off your day with inspiration.

But the Artist Date – that asks a little more of us. Ms. Cameron asks that we take ourselves somewhere each week – by ourselves – for a block of time to “nurture our inner artist.” The cool thing about the Artist Date is that it can be anywhere – take a few photos by the river; people-watch in town; go to a museum, gallery, library, some special shop; take pictures, sketch, read, or just watch. But go by yourself.

As we are creatures who seem to be always facing schedules and tasks, taking that time for ourselves, and BEING by ourselves, may be a bigger ask for some than you think. Or maybe not. You just may love it.

Pictured above was an Artist Date I took in Clinton some time ago. I realized that I have a perfect opportunity to take myself on a date this coming Tuesday, and so I shall. Stay tuned.

Learn more about Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way and get ready to be inspired!

We Are the Light in the World

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In a world where too many leaders could truly care less if we live or die,

In a world where there is far too much suffering and unnecessary death,

In a world where there is too much darkness,

We need to remember – we are the light.

We are the ones who can help heal this broken world, through our love and compassion for all life.

The ways are endless – hold open the door for someone; check on a neighbor; provide food for the hungry; volunteer; make a donation to an organization that helps humans, animals, the planet. Calm yourself, feel the love inside you, and send it out to the world. Just be kind.

Our light is needed. Please keep shining.

Photos: Thank you to: Gantas/Pexels (top Photo) and Jeremy Bishop/unsplash