rest

by

Energy

So many

have responded-

Energy

is striking

a  reflection

that

I share

in hopes

of re-energizing

and taking care

for each who read.

Sometimes

when I am

tired,

I realize

this weariness

is the result

of having given

my energy

to others,

usually

lovingly.

Then,

what

I need

is to give

myself

quiet to restore.

There are different

ways

to recover from

fatigue.

For me,

it isn’t always

a matter

of needing

more sleep,

but having

enough time

to read,

to think,

to meditate,

or just sit

in a comfortable chair.

Watching

the patterns of

leaves

blowing in the wind,

listening to

chattering birds,

feeling

a cool breeze

or the warmth

of the sun-

all have restorative

power.

For me,

physically,

emotionally,

overstimulated,

at a crossroads,

I have

learned to welcome

the

tiredness

as

a protective gift.

How do you

feel

in this moment,

today?

by

Healing

Trying to

restore

our emotional health

can be

exhausting,

particularly if we have

neglected it.

No wonder

people sometimes

choose

to numb their pain.

It takes courage and energy

to dig deep

to help

emotional wounds heal.

We can

heal

only if we

know

what the wounds are.

Our bodies hold

emotional hurts,

sometimes for years.

There are many ways

to help

the healing process-

prayer,

meditation,

yoga,

reiki,

 therapy,

asking for forgiveness

and forgiving-

that strengthen

the body

along

with

the mind

and the soul.

Are you ready

to begin,

slowly,

with awareness.?

Living Lines

by

Recovery

It is important

to take things

slowly

and allow

recovery to happen

at its own rate.

There are no

magic formulas

for healing

physical,

emotional,

and spiritual wounds.

Healing occurs

on

its own schedule.

Sometimes

recovery

can be traced

in measurable milestones,

and other times,

it occurs

quietly

in the dark.

by

More Manageable

When you feel

life is

too intense,

imagine it as a

TV soap opera.

Turn the

sound down

until

it seems manageable

or mute

the sound.

Sometimes

we can’t

eliminate

the drama

in our lives,

but

we can

turn

the volume

down.

Living Lines    livinglinesreflections.com

by

Spirit Storage

Spirit Storage is the name of

an acupuncture point

on the upper chest.

At a time

When I was challenged

on many fronts

to share my energy,

this acupuncture term

reminded me

to pay attention

to my reserves

of spirit.

My personal image of

Spirit Storage

took a new form

when a dear friend gave me

a gold, beaded journal.

This beautiful book

is a reminder

that my store of spirit energy

is a

precious resource.

The best way

of keeping track

of my

store of spiritual energy

is meditation.

In the quiet,

I ask myself

if I need to

replenish my spirit supply.

Sometimes,

I realize that

I have not been aware

that my

spirit energy

is low.

Living Lines           livinglinesreflections.com

by

A Grief Observed

C.S. Lewis

In grief

nothing ‘stays put.’

One

keeps

emerging

from a phase,

but

it always

recurs.

Round and round.

Everything repeats.

Am I

going in circles,

or

dare

I hope

I am

on a

spiral?

But

if a spiral,

am I

going

up

or

down it?

by

Life and. . .

Loss

of a loved one,

a family member,

is a stark

reality

of life.

There is

no way out.

Anticipating

a loved one’s death

offers no

preparation.

Expectation,

no matter

how long,

does not

offer

a roadmap.

Once the rituals

whatever they are

have ended,

each of us

are

on our own.

Friends may console,

prayers said,

but in each moment

reminders

present

the harshness

of raw

physical,

emotional,

spiritual

change.

When

tears wet

my eyes

or sobs

move my

body,

it is a relief.

Pent-up

emotions

erupt

on grief’s

own schedule.

There is no

measurement

of the tears, the sadness.

The shadows

linger.

“Are you over it yet?”

a friend was asked

six weeks after her husband died.

There should be

no expectation

or impatience

with someone’s

time of

mourning.

There may be

stages,

but each person

marks their own.

There may be

light

with the shadows.

Sometimes.

A smell,

a glimpse

of someone who

reminds of

the loved one.

The depth and length

of grief

may

reflect the

intensity

of love

between

the

one

who has died

and those

left to mourn.

Life

Death.

Kindness.

Please.

by

Age and Wisdom

I

should be

wiser

than I was.

Memory

composes a story

of shames and amazements.

The shames I closed

inside myself,

but the amazements,

at a sun streaked wall,

at the thrill

of an oriole,

a face,

an iris,

a volume of poems,

a person,

endure and return

in brightness.

Such moments lifted me

above my lameness.

-Czeselaw Milosz , Polish Nobel Laureate in Literature

 I don’t necessarily feel wiser as I age. However, I do remember coming upon similar challenges at earlier times and hoping that what I learned would help me.It is natural to assume that age will confer wisdom. It is really a hope that I will remember-and act on-what I’ve learned from life’s experiences.   Sometimes, I realize that asking “is this mine?”  is the question to ask myself. Often the quiet answer comes and it is “NO”.

by

Bouquet

Each

friend

represents

a world

in us,

a world

possibly

not born

until

he or she

arrives.

I have a bouquet

of friends,

each one

different.

I find

myself

revealing-

sometimes

discovering-

different

aspects

of myself

with each

of them.

livinglinesreflections.com

by

Filling Up With Moments In-Between

Artists know that

negative space

defines

a composition.

Musicians know that

the silence

between

the notes

is as much

a part of the

experience

of the music

as the notes.

Think of

space

and

silence

when you

breathe,

knowing

that

the pause

between

the

in-breath

and the

out-breath

fills you.

Paying attention

to one’s breath

is a

reminder of

how full of life

we are.

Imagine

soothing

oxygen,

filling

your body,

reaching

every cell.

It is a way

to stay

in the moment.

livinglinesreflections.com