WholeHearted Spiritual Journey

It's a warm, breezy September day and at this moment, I am enjoying the quiet. I feel nature's slowdown pause, a signal to breathe in and out. My thoughts are inspired by a single word, wholehearted, which is this month's Spiritual Journey topic. Ruth Ayres, writer, author, and researcher is our host and offers various questions for us to ponder before writing. Since I am recuperating from the medical trauma of surgeries and infections, I want to learn more about wholehearted living. 

Ruth asked, What does it mean to live wholeheartedly?  Since I didn't understand what that entails, I did research. Noted author, researcher, and professor, Brene Brown, speaks on the issue of Wholehearted Living and offers 10 signposts. "Wholehearted Living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the Courage, Compassion, and Connection to wake up in the morning and think, no matter what gets done and home is left undone, I am enough." I admit I have oodles of paperwork stacked in my office so I often feel I cannot finish what I set out to do each day. This bothers me and leads to frustration and anxiety.  

One of Brene Brown's signposts attracted me. "Cultivating calm and stillness and letting go of anxiety as a lifestyle". When I calmly stay in the moment of stillness, I feel refreshed but during the next part of the day, other feelings may interrupt and lead to anxiety. Therefore, I need to cultivate calm, pause, and stay in a moment. 

My garden is a restful place but during the summer the season offered heat waves and turbulent rainstorms. I did not spend much time in this tranquil place. I patiently waited months to see my ornamental grass sporting beautiful wheat and purple hues alongside butterfly bushes and two specimen magnolia trees. When the end of August and early September brought different temperatures and soft breezes, I spent more time admiring the outside patio. The sight of my gardens and a song, Wholehearted, energized me to write a Golden Shovel poem. The line from the song that I used is "I need grace. You give it wholehearted."  Grace would help me see life in a better framework.  

"Whatever you do, do it wholeheartedly ..." - Colossians 3:23-24

My goal for September is to be enthusiastic and mindful, to open my heart to positivity, and not let worry overwhelm me. I will start now because I just returned from the doctor's office. Instead of telling me I have an allergy or upper respiratory issue like my husband, I heard the word COVID. I was surprised with the outcome but knew I had to wholeheartedly accept the new detour on my spiritual journey. I am thankful that it appears to be a mild form of the new COVID virus. Maybe, now, I will have more quiet time to understand the cycle of life and wholehearted living with my one word, pause. 

My Commitment: 

I choose to fully engage in life during the next season and walk the spiritual pathway with faith knowing that my heart must be open and giving.

"Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."  Corinthians 9: 6-8

Thank you, Ruth Ayres, for bringing your one word, wholehearted, to our attention. I look forward to reading what other members of the Spiritual Journey community write from their cheerful hearts. You can link in to read other posts here.

I Bind Unto Myself SJT-NPM2022

Each month, I join the Spiritual Journey Thursday community of writers to ponder a theme that deepens my journey. Karen Eastlund, host this month proposed an interesting topic, "consider what we bind ourselves to in our spiritual journeys". I pondered what it means to bind unto myself. Perhaps, the real question for me is  "What must I do to unbind myself?  

I know that it is essential to let go of stressors. Although I am trying to do so, this is a critical stumbling block. So what do I bind myself to in the pursuit of well-being? The following quote by author Nikki Rowe holds some truth for me. "Solitude is where I place my chaos to rest and awaken my inner peace." This and stannzas 3 & 4 of the Celtic Daily Prayer, Aidan's Readings Karen Eastlund sent influenced my following poem.

I bind unto myself today

the magnificent beauty of nature,

the quiet solitude of eveningtide,

the sweet call of morning birds,

the allurement of earth's seasons.

These and more are songs of life

written on my heart.

I bind unto myself today

the guiding hand of the Lord

leading me to a place of quiet,

His listening ear and support time,

the wisdom of Proverbs 3:5-6:

trust in the Lord, 

not on my understanding.

I bind unto myself today

a pathway to peace with

a destined state of calmness, ataraxia,

the cleansing waters of rain

washing away any negativity, and

the continuance of faith and

perseverance to live life to its fullest.

©CV, 2022

Morning By Morning by Pat Barrett

Thank you Karen Eastlund for hosting here today.

I look forward to reading the community's blog posts.

March Musings 8: Be Bold For Change

Today is a day to officially celebrate women around the world for it is International Women's Day 2017. I honor the campaign theme, #BeBoldForChange. It is a strong call for action.

Backstory:
I come from a family of strong women who gave up much to raise their families with pride. My grandmother came to America, with her infant daughter (my mother), from Italy during the 1920 immigration wave. She took a bold step to leave her home to journey to a new land where her husband was waiting for her. Never learning to read and write in English, she provided her family with a strong sense of identity, love of learning, and an ethical lifestyle. My mother continued the tradition, passing on her love of life and learning to my children, whom she helped raise. During her high school years, my daughter was accepted into the Girls' Leadership Program at the Eleanor Roosevelt Center at Val-Kill, NY and has continued her leadership journey in the business world. Women in my family have had and continue to have commitment, perseverance, and pride.

#BeBoldForChange Commitment:
At the International Women's Day site, there are commitment slogans to choose. My choice: 

I'll celebrate women's achievement 

and champion women's education. 

Poetic Thought:
The following is the first stanza of a poem I wrote for a challenge created by Donna Smith. You can read more about this here. 

Created with Canva

How will you #BeBoldForChange? 

This post is the 8th in the series titled March Musings for the March Slice of Life Story Challenge created by Two Writing Teachers.