Here's one of my little green friends that smiled at me this morning. Can't you almost HEAR the unfurling growth? the persistence?
I think the leaf above looks like a little tornado, ready to unleash itself . . . and down below, I see a dancer, full of grace . . .
So, why has it taken me until the 11th to greet the New Year? The gentle truth is that [long pause here while I sit in front of the keyboard and wonder how to say it] . . . the GENTLE truth is that I've been aching, from the inside out, this past week or two. It's not been the same depression from the past, which has felt like an unrelenting sadness. Honestly, it has puzzled me, because I have known, with great certainty, that God has been working in me since November, doing something at a very deep level. I wonder if I'm currently mourning stuff that I am being divinely urged to let go of.
My Big Plan for 2010 was to blog nearly every day, updating on the plan of action God has led me to, which I've called The Reveal. This involves clearing away all that does not "belong" in my house or my body. I planned to, methodically, move through my house and purge all the Stuff, to the bone. I also planned to start again to walk and go to Curves, and hopefully thus "reveal" more of the real me in my body.
Well, in my life, Big Plans often sort of go the way of Good Intentions, i.e. they pave the road to youknowwhere. But my dear daughter has been encouraging me to take baby steps. [If you want guaranteed uplift, visit her blog at http://persistentgreen.blogspot.com/].
Last night was one of my lowest times, extremely raw and heart-painful. But something in me, the seed of the real me, kept turning to God, from darkness to His light. At one point, Amanda urged me to paint. She wasn't being at all dismissive of the despair she heard in me. Rather, she was reminding me that especially when feelings seem too deep for words, I can allow myself to put color on paper, with no particular purpose, just letting the wordless in me find expression.
Well, here's what I did.
And again, at Amanda's suggestion (doesn't she have wonder-full ideas?), this morning I added words. They are from a poem I wrote during the November Poem-a-Day challenge, entitled "Radiant."
To love is to live. /I insist on my right /to love without restraint. /No mortal act possesses power /to dispossess me of my birthright. /Outward, from the very heart of me, /love flows.
As far as my Big Plan for this year: no, I have not, at all, made daily progress, except to commit to being very gentle with myself. I HAVE made it to the Recreation Center 4 times, to walk for 30 minutes. And here are Before and After pictures of two areas in my house:
How are all of you doing? Do you want to share any ways you are experiencing growth? or finding more joy? Do you want to share anything you are struggling with?
That's all for now, folks. Thanks for listening. And for loving.
52 comments:
Woohooooo! Look at all that concrete, tangible progress! Doesn't it feel GOOD? Yes, we can still have times of sadness when our outward surroundings are peaceful--but I wonder if they aren't much easier to handle when we look around and see a reflection of calm, rather than chaos. I'm definitely working on this too.
So, so proud of you and this fantastic work. Can't wait to see your painting up close again! I love the direction you took. Believe it or not, I've also been playing with the idea of incorporating some of my new poems into my artwork.
Can't wait to see what happens next. :)
Thank you, Amanda, for your support and your inspiration and your cheering.
I think my jaw dropped to my knees when viewing the immense difference in the before and after pictures, Maureen. Good work!!! Those are major improvements! And congrats on walking 4 times...every walk benefits you--not just if you do it every day. Your Love Flows is good. Simple yet declares a powerful truth.
I love you, sweet sis. Keep on choosing corners of rooms to declutter--as you look at the calm after the clutter, it will inspire you to keep going.
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