Happy Wednesday TSJ Peeps!
Welcome to a brief time out for reflection. And welcome to new subscribers! WW (Wednesday Wisdom) is designed to briefly refocus our attention in ways that help us live our ordinary day in a slightly different way by sharing stories and new perspectives on the same old challenges humans have faced forever!
Here at TSJ headquarters, I am in my office and the “kids” (SJ and Lovey) aka “Miss Innocence and Mr. Wonder” are watching the driveway for me as people are coming shortly for a meeting. On the other hand, Solomon, “Mr. Wisdom,” is hoping I settle down long enough to write a WW for our peeps. He is teaching me a lot about the importance of allowing the Shepherd to lead the way and heal our minds as we navigate our many, and often messy transitions in life.
Here are some recent lessons Solomon wants me to tell you he is working with me on … daily. So I think I will just summarize them for you. I will gradually share them more deeply with you in future writings.
Learn to hold on and let go at the same time. Yipes!
Remember that song about knowing “When to hold them and when to fold them?” Well, I am not a a gambler (at least in that way) so I know little to nothing about it and that is the only line I remember, but it seems to say a bunch about how to journey through grief, loss, heart break and heart aches. Learning that one can indeed hold onto memories, life lessons, and hope while letting go of clinging to our yesterdays and shrinking away from our tomorrows is a process of surrender. Sometimes it is difficult to know when, what, or how to let go and what to welcome in its place. That comes by listening to wizened voices and most of all by finding time for contemplation and meditation and gentle introspection.
Learn how to move from fears and tears to release and peace.
When I wrote about surrender and release in a previous blog I had no idea how much work I have to do on this topic. It looks like it may be a deep well. It not only applies to this journey through grief of losing the physical, strong and gentle presence of Tom here at TSJ, but applies to most any internal battle that blinds us to possibility and binds us to habituated patterns of thinking and behaving.
The more split your mind the less peace you’ll find.
When we keep our mind focused on whatever is loving, positive, and kind without being distracted by fears of lack, inadequacy, unworthiness, etc. we can stay in alignment with very Nature of God. And what is that? Well, for starters . . . it is the way of Love, Peace, Creativity, and Joy. When we experience them we become an extension of God’s very Nature out into the world around us.
There is joy hidden in plain sight when we discern God’s Presence in the ordinariness of every day things.
Whew! I hope this gives you a hint of the struggles and the victories repeated many times a day that our shared journey offers each of us in our own corner our life’s pastures as peeps who are blessed with life.
How about you? What are you learning? I bet many of these same things. We each learn differently and express our learning differently. But we all long for freedom from negativity and fear and for our world to be more peaceful.
I feel overwhelmed by the needs of the world. So, I am starting with my own little spot here at TSJ. I believe we all carry a light within us that needs to be constantly shared with others to kindle fires of compassion and kindness.
Finally, I must admit this week I have been discerning God spirit speaking to me in nature. It is as simple as a fat and happy robin hopping around me calmly as I work in the yard. The Spirit of life and creation and hope has touched my heart this week. Solomon says to hold onto that and let go of what I cannot change. Hmm. I think he means that is for you too!
Happy shepherding!
Margie and Solomon
