Thursday, April 28, 2011
Mother's Day Service at NorthBridge Church
If you're looking for something special to do with your family this Mother's Day, perhaps you'd like to join me at Pastor Mark Albrecht's church, Northbridge, in Antioch, Illinois. Check out this link for more information: www.northbridgechurch.org.
Friday, January 21, 2011
New Spring Retreats for Women
Greetings, All! Happy New Year to you and yours!
Blessings on each of you as you minister. May your own Soul Seeds grow into God-likeness. May your roots reach deeper, your branches lengthening and strengthening toward the Light in a kind of human heliotropism as you grow into your True Self.
God has sowed his image . . .
He sows the seed of the divine nature . . .
The seed of God in us.
If the seed is a good, wise and industrious cultivator,
it would thrive and grow up into God.
-Meister Eckhart
LOVE
I am thrilled to list a bevy of new topics below. Because of the Soul Work I am doing in seminary, the offerings are on the deeper side. Their purpose is to help women reach their roots more deeply into the Living Water, to wait in Hope, and to rest in the Peace of God's presence. (I am aware that many seasoned sojourners in faith invite friends who are exploring Christianity for the first time to your gatherings, as well. For these women there will also be something to glean: an Opening, a Welcome, an Invitation to taste and see that the Lord is Good.)
If you are interested in receiving more information (i.e. details about the content and direction of each offering) you may contact me directly. Or, if you need books, brochures or other information please contact Julie MacManus, my Personal Relations Assistant. Contact information is below. Thanks for visiting Girl Talk . . . God Talk!
GIRL TALK . . . GOD TALK RETREATS & CONFERENCES for SPRING 2011
WE WILL REMEMBER: Exploring Early Memories to Reveal & Heal Hearts
In a three day intensive retreat offering, Sally works with women in recalling early childhood memories. In a creative, interactive, story-rich format, Sally will giude women in using these memories as vehicles to reveal deep truths about their souls and lives. In small groups women will share their stories, pray together, and apply truths Sally provides from scripture. These truths will offer healing, life-affirming blessings relating to our: True Names, The Ways We See Others, Place in this World, and Identity in Christ.
GOD'S PEOPLE STILL DREAM: Listening for Wisdom that Comes in the Dark
This two or three day retreat takes a fresh and illuminating look at the dreams of God's people found in the scriptures: Joseph's dreams, the dream leading the Wise Men to Christ, dream material from Genesis, Joseph's dreams, and others. Then, with biblically based tools for interpreting the dreams God is giving women in your group today, we will find wisdom and insight about our own lives and about God.
This fall I began the journey that is seminary in Hyde Park, Chicago. The course work, crazy commute and new connections with fellow seminarians has kept me away from the blogosphere. However, I am continuing to minister to women on weekend retreats and at other evening and morning gatherings. Several Directors of Women's Ministry have asked about my current and new offerings for this coming spring.
I am thrilled to list a bevy of new topics below. Because of the Soul Work I am doing in seminary, the offerings are on the deeper side. Their purpose is to help women reach their roots more deeply into the Living Water, to wait in Hope, and to rest in the Peace of God's presence. (I am aware that many seasoned sojourners in faith invite friends who are exploring Christianity for the first time to your gatherings, as well. For these women there will also be something to glean: an Opening, a Welcome, an Invitation to taste and see that the Lord is Good.)
If you are interested in receiving more information (i.e. details about the content and direction of each offering) you may contact me directly. Or, if you need books, brochures or other information please contact Julie MacManus, my Personal Relations Assistant. Contact information is below. Thanks for visiting Girl Talk . . . God Talk!
GIRL TALK . . . GOD TALK RETREATS & CONFERENCES for SPRING 2011
WE WILL REMEMBER: Exploring Early Memories to Reveal & Heal Hearts
In a three day intensive retreat offering, Sally works with women in recalling early childhood memories. In a creative, interactive, story-rich format, Sally will giude women in using these memories as vehicles to reveal deep truths about their souls and lives. In small groups women will share their stories, pray together, and apply truths Sally provides from scripture. These truths will offer healing, life-affirming blessings relating to our: True Names, The Ways We See Others, Place in this World, and Identity in Christ.
GOD'S PEOPLE STILL DREAM: Listening for Wisdom that Comes in the Dark
This two or three day retreat takes a fresh and illuminating look at the dreams of God's people found in the scriptures: Joseph's dreams, the dream leading the Wise Men to Christ, dream material from Genesis, Joseph's dreams, and others. Then, with biblically based tools for interpreting the dreams God is giving women in your group today, we will find wisdom and insight about our own lives and about God.
Other offerings for spring include, but are not limited to:
- SOUL SISTERS: The Art of Making Spiritual Friends
- FORGIVENESS: A Journey of Letting Go
- SOUL STRETCHES: 10 Creative Ways to Live in the Moment
- PRAYING YOUR DAY: A Contemporary Look at The Divine Hours
- QUIET SOUL: The Beauty Found in Waiting
Blessings on each of you as you minister. May your own Soul Seeds grow into God-likeness. May your roots reach deeper, your branches lengthening and strengthening toward the Light in a kind of human heliotropism as you grow into your True Self.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Wanna Be in the Next Miller & Mueller Book?
LOVE
Girlfriends! It looks like there is a good chance that Cheri Mueller and I will be writing another book about friendship together. The working title is The Five Women You Can't Live Without. It's based on our Friendship Quiz and the material from our retreats, seminars, and conferences. We're currently writing sample chapters for our agent and a couple select publishers.
We'd love it if you'd pray for God's wisdom and guidance and blessing on this project. Also, we'd be honored if some of you would like to contribute to the book. How can you contribute?
Please take the attached Friendship Quiz, then complete the following:
I could not live with out my ____________ (fill in the blank with one of the following: Social Butterfly, Therapist, Giver, Soul Sister or Playmate) friend. And here's why . . .
If you decide to join us in this writing adventure please e-mail your contribution, pasted in the body of an e-mail, to sallymiller@ameritech.net. Or, feel free to post your entry here. Please include your full name (if you want us to use it, or let us know that you'd like to remain anonymous and we'll make up a name for you), your mailing address and, just for fun, let us know what your Friendship Style is, based on our quiz.
We can't promise you royalties (Lord knows we rarely get these ourselves). But, if the book gets picked up and we use your entry in the final draft, we'll send you a complimentary copy.
Thanks again for your prayers and support. We'll keep you posted; and we can't wait to hear from you!
Waiting on Word,
The Word Girls (Sally Miller & Cheri Mueller)
The Five Friends Quiz
Circle one answer for each question (or two, if you can’t make up your mind). Go with your gut (or imagine what your friends might answer for you)! Don’t over-think. You’ll find instructions for compiling your results at the end of the quiz.
1) Do you tend to be more:
a) spiritual and organic
b) hilarious and thrill seeking
c) loyal and open-hearted
d) inviting and commemorative
e) wise and perceptive
2) A television show you’d most likely watch:
a) Saving Grace
b) The Comedy Channel
c) A Hallmark made-for-TV movie
d) Giada at Home (on the Food Network)
e) Dr. Drew’s Celebrity Rehab
3) At a party, do you....
a) remind the hostess to ‘just breathe’
b) show up in costume
c) help remove a red wine stain from a friend’s white blouce
d) critique the wine/food pairing
e) secretly diagnose everyone’s issues (including your own)
4) Which famous person is most like you?
a) Maya Angelou
b) Ellen
c) Jennifer Aniston
d) Martha Stewart
e) Oprah
5) What might you be overheard saying?
a) “Everything happens for a reason.”
b) “Why did the chicken cross the road?”
c) “You go, Girl!”
d) “Can I borrow your bundt pan?”
e) “Now, the tornado in your dream means . . .”
6) What vacation would you most enjoy?
a) taking respite at a mind/body/spirit spa
b) joining the circus for ten days
c) going to Africa and volunteering at an AIDS clinic
d) inviting your friends to join you for a weekend at a cozy B & B
e) attending a Dream Workshop
7) What your friends might say about you:
a) “Even when everybody is freaking out; she always seems so centered.”
b) “She makes me laugh so hard I pee my pants.”
c) “When I’m bummed out, she brings Ben & Jerry’s and Kleenex (for both
of us).”
d) “She feels like family.”
e) “She knows me better than I know myself.”
8) If you were a best seller, what would your title be?
a) Keeping Faith by Jodi Piccoult
b) Belly Laughs by Jenny McCarthy
c) Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
d) Real Life Entertaining: Easy Recipes and Unconventional Wisdom by
Jennifer Rubell
e) Woman Power: Transform You Man, Your Marriage, Your Life by
Dr. Laura Schlessinger
9) How you might spend a Saturday afternoon:
a) meditating, doing yoga, or hugging a tree
b) taking a belly dancing class just for kicks
c) volunteering at a homeless shelter
d) reorganizing the living room in perfect Feng Shui
e) writing in your gratitude journal
10) The song title that describes your best quality:
a) Soul by Seal
b) Carnival Ride by Carrie Underwood
c) Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis
d) Home by Daughtry
e) Intuition by Jamie Fox
Finding Friendship Style:
Tally your number of a, b, c, d and e answers in the spaces provided here. Your Friendship Style is based on your two highest scores. Read both descriptions on the Rap Sheet below; you're a combo of the two different types.
a______ b______ c______ d_______ e_______
Five Friendship Styles
A Rap Sheet
(a) The Soul Sister: the one who sees magic in every day life.
You’re spiritually sensitive and in tune with the numinous. Because you live a deeply centered life - rooted in a divine dimension - you encourage your friends to be enlarged on their own faith journeys. You’re always honest and transparent about your life; so women come to you for guidance and words that buoy or shed a lasting perspective on temporary issues. At times you may get sick-and-tired of always being the anchor in your circle of friends. It’s worth it, though, 'cause they don’t know what they’d do without your spirit of strength.
(b) The Playmate: the friend whose entrance makes you feel like the party has just begun.
You have a knack for finding humor in the ordinary. Friends call you when they need a good laugh. You spark up any gathering with your witty comments and prankster personality. Because you can be tender at heart, it may be hard for you to trust others with your deepest feelings. Your sense of adventure inspires people to do things they might not otherwise do. The way you help others play is invaluable. You get it – on a soulful level – that laughter is the best medicine.
(c) The Giver: a woman who wears her heart on her sleeve even though it’s the size of Texas.
You’re a compassionate and generous friend. Others feel comfortable coming to you when they need a helping hand or a shoulder to cry on. Patience and understanding come easily to you. Friends might accuse you of being overly sentimental (even sappy). If you don’t take care of yourself, you might often become depleted from giving so freely of your time and resources. You have an uncanny knack for figuring out hit-the-spot ways to nurture those in need.
(d) The Social Butterfly: the one who finds any excuse to pop a cork (whether it’s a job promotion or Revlon’s release of a new lipstick).
You are creative, fun, and often the planner of parties. You always keep tabs on the goings on in the lives of women closest to you. Everybody feels at home when they’re around you. You know how to celebrate your friends, and enjoy marking meaningful moments like births, deaths, new love interests, job promotions, etc. It can be easy for you to get stuck in high gear, though, unable to find solitude for yourself. Friends appreciate your creativity, and often look to you to coordinate the next meaningful get-together, group vacation or party.
(e) The Therapist: the girlfriend who saves you thousand of dollars in therapy bills.
You’re a wise and perceptive friend, obsessed with finding meaning in life. You have valuable insights that others might miss on their own. People crave your perspective on life and love, and often come to you for advice. Friends may need to remind you of your tendency to over-analyze. Journaling, reading and reflecting help strengthen your abilities of insight and perception. Your friends benefit because you often know them better than they know themselves.
We hope you had a blast taking the quiz; and that you shared it with a friend or two. Thanks again! We'll look forward to hearing from you.
Girlfriends! It looks like there is a good chance that Cheri Mueller and I will be writing another book about friendship together. The working title is The Five Women You Can't Live Without. It's based on our Friendship Quiz and the material from our retreats, seminars, and conferences. We're currently writing sample chapters for our agent and a couple select publishers.
We'd love it if you'd pray for God's wisdom and guidance and blessing on this project. Also, we'd be honored if some of you would like to contribute to the book. How can you contribute?
Please take the attached Friendship Quiz, then complete the following:
I could not live with out my ____________ (fill in the blank with one of the following: Social Butterfly, Therapist, Giver, Soul Sister or Playmate) friend. And here's why . . .
If you decide to join us in this writing adventure please e-mail your contribution, pasted in the body of an e-mail, to sallymiller@ameritech.net. Or, feel free to post your entry here. Please include your full name (if you want us to use it, or let us know that you'd like to remain anonymous and we'll make up a name for you), your mailing address and, just for fun, let us know what your Friendship Style is, based on our quiz.
We can't promise you royalties (Lord knows we rarely get these ourselves). But, if the book gets picked up and we use your entry in the final draft, we'll send you a complimentary copy.
Thanks again for your prayers and support. We'll keep you posted; and we can't wait to hear from you!
Waiting on Word,
The Word Girls (Sally Miller & Cheri Mueller)
The Five Friends Quiz
Circle one answer for each question (or two, if you can’t make up your mind). Go with your gut (or imagine what your friends might answer for you)! Don’t over-think. You’ll find instructions for compiling your results at the end of the quiz.
1) Do you tend to be more:
a) spiritual and organic
b) hilarious and thrill seeking
c) loyal and open-hearted
d) inviting and commemorative
e) wise and perceptive
2) A television show you’d most likely watch:
a) Saving Grace
b) The Comedy Channel
c) A Hallmark made-for-TV movie
d) Giada at Home (on the Food Network)
e) Dr. Drew’s Celebrity Rehab
3) At a party, do you....
a) remind the hostess to ‘just breathe’
b) show up in costume
c) help remove a red wine stain from a friend’s white blouce
d) critique the wine/food pairing
e) secretly diagnose everyone’s issues (including your own)
4) Which famous person is most like you?
a) Maya Angelou
b) Ellen
c) Jennifer Aniston
d) Martha Stewart
e) Oprah
5) What might you be overheard saying?
a) “Everything happens for a reason.”
b) “Why did the chicken cross the road?”
c) “You go, Girl!”
d) “Can I borrow your bundt pan?”
e) “Now, the tornado in your dream means . . .”
6) What vacation would you most enjoy?
a) taking respite at a mind/body/spirit spa
b) joining the circus for ten days
c) going to Africa and volunteering at an AIDS clinic
d) inviting your friends to join you for a weekend at a cozy B & B
e) attending a Dream Workshop
7) What your friends might say about you:
a) “Even when everybody is freaking out; she always seems so centered.”
b) “She makes me laugh so hard I pee my pants.”
c) “When I’m bummed out, she brings Ben & Jerry’s and Kleenex (for both
of us).”
d) “She feels like family.”
e) “She knows me better than I know myself.”
8) If you were a best seller, what would your title be?
a) Keeping Faith by Jodi Piccoult
b) Belly Laughs by Jenny McCarthy
c) Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
d) Real Life Entertaining: Easy Recipes and Unconventional Wisdom by
Jennifer Rubell
e) Woman Power: Transform You Man, Your Marriage, Your Life by
Dr. Laura Schlessinger
9) How you might spend a Saturday afternoon:
a) meditating, doing yoga, or hugging a tree
b) taking a belly dancing class just for kicks
c) volunteering at a homeless shelter
d) reorganizing the living room in perfect Feng Shui
e) writing in your gratitude journal
10) The song title that describes your best quality:
a) Soul by Seal
b) Carnival Ride by Carrie Underwood
c) Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis
d) Home by Daughtry
e) Intuition by Jamie Fox
Finding Friendship Style:
Tally your number of a, b, c, d and e answers in the spaces provided here. Your Friendship Style is based on your two highest scores. Read both descriptions on the Rap Sheet below; you're a combo of the two different types.
a______ b______ c______ d_______ e_______
Five Friendship Styles
A Rap Sheet
(a) The Soul Sister: the one who sees magic in every day life.
You’re spiritually sensitive and in tune with the numinous. Because you live a deeply centered life - rooted in a divine dimension - you encourage your friends to be enlarged on their own faith journeys. You’re always honest and transparent about your life; so women come to you for guidance and words that buoy or shed a lasting perspective on temporary issues. At times you may get sick-and-tired of always being the anchor in your circle of friends. It’s worth it, though, 'cause they don’t know what they’d do without your spirit of strength.
(b) The Playmate: the friend whose entrance makes you feel like the party has just begun.
You have a knack for finding humor in the ordinary. Friends call you when they need a good laugh. You spark up any gathering with your witty comments and prankster personality. Because you can be tender at heart, it may be hard for you to trust others with your deepest feelings. Your sense of adventure inspires people to do things they might not otherwise do. The way you help others play is invaluable. You get it – on a soulful level – that laughter is the best medicine.
(c) The Giver: a woman who wears her heart on her sleeve even though it’s the size of Texas.
You’re a compassionate and generous friend. Others feel comfortable coming to you when they need a helping hand or a shoulder to cry on. Patience and understanding come easily to you. Friends might accuse you of being overly sentimental (even sappy). If you don’t take care of yourself, you might often become depleted from giving so freely of your time and resources. You have an uncanny knack for figuring out hit-the-spot ways to nurture those in need.
(d) The Social Butterfly: the one who finds any excuse to pop a cork (whether it’s a job promotion or Revlon’s release of a new lipstick).
You are creative, fun, and often the planner of parties. You always keep tabs on the goings on in the lives of women closest to you. Everybody feels at home when they’re around you. You know how to celebrate your friends, and enjoy marking meaningful moments like births, deaths, new love interests, job promotions, etc. It can be easy for you to get stuck in high gear, though, unable to find solitude for yourself. Friends appreciate your creativity, and often look to you to coordinate the next meaningful get-together, group vacation or party.
(e) The Therapist: the girlfriend who saves you thousand of dollars in therapy bills.
You’re a wise and perceptive friend, obsessed with finding meaning in life. You have valuable insights that others might miss on their own. People crave your perspective on life and love, and often come to you for advice. Friends may need to remind you of your tendency to over-analyze. Journaling, reading and reflecting help strengthen your abilities of insight and perception. Your friends benefit because you often know them better than they know themselves.
We hope you had a blast taking the quiz; and that you shared it with a friend or two. Thanks again! We'll look forward to hearing from you.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
ANNA! Our New CCI Puppy!
This is Anna, our adorable docile Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) Lump of Love. We're raising this pup for the next year in the hope that she'll qualify to be a working dog for someone with a disability.
Canine Companions for Independence® provides highly-trained assistance dogs for children and adults with disabilities, free of charge. They - and I - believe that the most advanced technology capable of transforming the lives of people with disabilities has a cold nose and a warm heart!
Already, Anna has enriched our lives, challenged us, grown our spirits and home. I'll be journaling our shared journey with her at http://www.raisinglove.blogspot.com/. and I'd love it if you visit us there for frequent updates on Anna's progress and impact on our lives. For now, if you'd like to learn more about CCI, feel free to leave a question for me here or to check out their website at http://www.cci.org/.
And, if you're in the area and in the need of a puppy kiss . . . come on over!
Canine Companions for Independence® provides highly-trained assistance dogs for children and adults with disabilities, free of charge. They - and I - believe that the most advanced technology capable of transforming the lives of people with disabilities has a cold nose and a warm heart!
Already, Anna has enriched our lives, challenged us, grown our spirits and home. I'll be journaling our shared journey with her at http://www.raisinglove.blogspot.com/. and I'd love it if you visit us there for frequent updates on Anna's progress and impact on our lives. For now, if you'd like to learn more about CCI, feel free to leave a question for me here or to check out their website at http://www.cci.org/.
And, if you're in the area and in the need of a puppy kiss . . . come on over!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Happy New Year
LOVE
I'm normally not a big fan of chain e-mails. However, this morning, in my yoga class the instructor read the following mass e-mail titled 2010 Handbook. So much of it resonated with me that I decided to share (part of) it here. Let me know if you like it. Happy New Year!
2010 Handbook
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
4. Make time to pray.
5. Play more games.
6. Read more books than you did in 2009 .
7. Sleep for 7 hours.
8. Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
9. Try to make at least three people laugh each day.
10. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
I'm normally not a big fan of chain e-mails. However, this morning, in my yoga class the instructor read the following mass e-mail titled 2010 Handbook. So much of it resonated with me that I decided to share (part of) it here. Let me know if you like it. Happy New Year!
2010 Handbook
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
4. Make time to pray.
5. Play more games.
6. Read more books than you did in 2009 .
7. Sleep for 7 hours.
8. Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
9. Try to make at least three people laugh each day.
10. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
Monday, December 07, 2009
A Link for Come and See & Another Advent Poem
Advent Greetings!
Thanks to to the women of Blanchard Road Alliance Church in Wheaton, IL for a lovely luncheon. For those of you who couldn't make it, and want to listen to the talk; here's a link for you:
http://www.blanchardalliance.org/uploads/01%2009_1205_SallyMiller.mp3
The talk is also available on FaceBook:
"http://www.facebook.com/l/ed226;www.blanchardalliance.org/uploads/01%2009_1205_SallyMiller.mp3"
Without the glorious music by Rochelle Streeter and team, the delicious food, and the inspiring setting (including a Power Point by Joyce Kerns featuring images of baby Jesus), the magic and celebration of the morning is missing. Still, perhaps (if you have a few minutes to listen), you'll receive word of hope and healing and beauty out of pain during this season of waiting.
While I'm here, I'll offer another advent poem. This one's by my favorite poet, Luci Shaw.
The Overshadow
" . . . the power of the Most High will overshadow you . . . " -Gospel of Luke
When we think of God, and
angels and the Angel,
we suppose ineffable light.
So there is surprise in the air
when we see him bring to Mary,
in her lit room, a gift of darkness.
What is happening under that
huge wing of shade? In that mystery
what in-breaking wildness fills her?
She is astonished and afraid; even in
that secret twilight she bends her head,
hiding her face behind the curtain
Of her hair; she knows that
the rest of her life will mirror
this blaze, this sudden midnight.
Thanks to to the women of Blanchard Road Alliance Church in Wheaton, IL for a lovely luncheon. For those of you who couldn't make it, and want to listen to the talk; here's a link for you:
http://www.blanchardalliance.org/uploads/01%2009_1205_SallyMiller.mp3
The talk is also available on FaceBook:
"http://www.facebook.com/l/ed226;www.blanchardalliance.org/uploads/01%2009_1205_SallyMiller.mp3"
Without the glorious music by Rochelle Streeter and team, the delicious food, and the inspiring setting (including a Power Point by Joyce Kerns featuring images of baby Jesus), the magic and celebration of the morning is missing. Still, perhaps (if you have a few minutes to listen), you'll receive word of hope and healing and beauty out of pain during this season of waiting.
While I'm here, I'll offer another advent poem. This one's by my favorite poet, Luci Shaw.
The Overshadow
" . . . the power of the Most High will overshadow you . . . " -Gospel of Luke
When we think of God, and
angels and the Angel,
we suppose ineffable light.
So there is surprise in the air
when we see him bring to Mary,
in her lit room, a gift of darkness.
What is happening under that
huge wing of shade? In that mystery
what in-breaking wildness fills her?
She is astonished and afraid; even in
that secret twilight she bends her head,
hiding her face behind the curtain
Of her hair; she knows that
the rest of her life will mirror
this blaze, this sudden midnight.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Come and See: A Fresh Look into the Manger
This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.
Luke 2:12
If you're going to be in the Wheaton, IL area this coming Saturday you may want to stop by Blanchard Road Alliance Church. I'll be speaking there at a Women's Christmas Lunch.
Some information follows:
Women's Christmas Lunch
Saturday, December 5, 2009
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
Blanchard Alliance Church
1766 S. Blanchard, Wheaton
For more information, check out the event at the Blanchard Road website: http://www.blanchardalliance.org/pages/page.asp?page_id=15446
Come join me for a relaxed morning of friendship, music of the season and a heart-warming, eye-opening message as we take a Fresh Look into the Manger.
Advent Poems
LOVE
Advent is one of my favorite times of year. The days get shorter, colder, covered in a secretive darkness and some days, in snow. We learn to live with the Mystery of the moment and the Darkness of the day, hoping and expecting more Mystery and longing for Light to come (knowing that Light will come, has come).
This year, as we wait and hope for Christmas, I'll be posting some of my favorite poems of the season here. Hopefully the words will companion and help you as you wait.
Today's offering is by Judith Bingham. Advent blessings to you and yours! Enjoy!
Epiphany
Deep midwinter, the dark centre of the year,
Wake, O earth, awake
Out on the hills a star appears,
Here lies the way for pilgrim kings,
Three magi on an ancient path,
Black hours begin their journeyings.
Their star has risen in our hearts,
Empty thrones, abandoned fears,
Out on the hills their journey starts,
In dazzling darkness God appears.
Advent is one of my favorite times of year. The days get shorter, colder, covered in a secretive darkness and some days, in snow. We learn to live with the Mystery of the moment and the Darkness of the day, hoping and expecting more Mystery and longing for Light to come (knowing that Light will come, has come).
This year, as we wait and hope for Christmas, I'll be posting some of my favorite poems of the season here. Hopefully the words will companion and help you as you wait.
Today's offering is by Judith Bingham. Advent blessings to you and yours! Enjoy!
Epiphany
Deep midwinter, the dark centre of the year,
Wake, O earth, awake
Out on the hills a star appears,
Here lies the way for pilgrim kings,
Three magi on an ancient path,
Black hours begin their journeyings.
Their star has risen in our hearts,
Empty thrones, abandoned fears,
Out on the hills their journey starts,
In dazzling darkness God appears.
Friday, July 31, 2009
The Word Girls Website
The Word Girls website is up and running! Please come visit us at: http://www.thewordgirls.com/. Thanks!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Introducing The Word Girls Writing Studio
This summer, my dear friend Cheri Mueller (who happens to be a great writer & editor) and I are launching The Word Girls Writing Studio. Our online Writing Studio is a place where writers at any step on their writing journey - from idea to publication - can come for help, encouragement, advice, mentoring and editing services. In creative, inspired, helpful and professional ways, we invite writers to take a seat on our cyber red couch and get the help and mentoring they need to have success with their writing.Currently, our Word Girls Blog, http://thewordgirls.blogspot.com/, featuring writing tips, quotes and other writing helps is available. It's our complimentary service for burgeoning writers. Other services that entail brief or lengthy visits to our big red couch include: chapter by chapter editing, help writing queries or book proposals, and mentoring that encourages writers to hone their craft. These offerings can be accessed at our Word Girls Writing Studio website. This site is nearing the end of construction. As soon as it is available, I'll post the address here.
In the meantime, visit the red couch that's our blog. Leave us a comment. Tell us what you're looking for if you're a writer; and pass word of our services on to any aspiring writers you know. Thanks!
In the meantime, visit the red couch that's our blog. Leave us a comment. Tell us what you're looking for if you're a writer; and pass word of our services on to any aspiring writers you know. Thanks!
Monday, July 20, 2009
Sea Glass . . . See Glass, a poem
See Glass
It begins with
a broken
cast off
Piece of Jagged
love
Broken and Lost
love
Alone in cold tumult
tossed and polished
brandished by weather and time
and crash of wave
love
Sanded with sand
Returning home to
shore like a triumphant,
sopping wet heroine
at journey's end
resting amongst
rocks and gull feathers
fish bones, dried, hollowed
light as air and holey
love
The Little Boy
(like an editor
scouring slush piles
for the next bestseller
or just something good)
tender footed
on precarious rocks, sand,
tangles of seaweed
sees a dulled sparkle of glass
knowing it by patina
love
greedily he collects the smoothed
shard in warm cupped palm:
a treasure
born of loss
and much tumbling
Monday, June 22, 2009
Nest Watcher
Nest Watcher
I.
Blackbird struts into my yard:
cocky, arrogant, a delinquent breaking curfew,
breaking law, ready to break an egg or mother’s heart
yellow eyes full with nefarious intent
glow against iridescent head feathers
Father robin positions himself
between Blackbird and Mother robin
who sits on throne of daily turned, warm, ready eggs
I (who have watched the nest building,
the laborious laying of four indescribably blue eggs,
the patient vigilant incubation)
am sickened when a gang of hungry
invincible blackbirds joins the first
Running into the yard I clap and shout
and scare off the predators
they take flight, fleeing the scene
in clumsy reverse of choreographed confetti
Inside I worry that I’ll not have the fortitude,
or time, freedom, omnipresence or unthwartable maternal love
to keep vigil over this nest
I worry that the robins cannot go it alone
A cliché in cross stitch, hanging beside my front door
temporarily comforts: God watches over every nest.
II.
Later that week the hatchlings are born
pink fresh like a spring peony,
as delicate and vulnerable
I’m elated, a viable successful midwife to birds
Mother and Father robin appear
anthropomorphically and really proud
The Blackbird returns
Alerted by Mother and Father robins’ squawks,
I catch Blackbird looming large on nest edge
hunched to dine and dash
air breaks with the swoop of black wings
and the nest is full of emptiness
Where are you Nest Watcher?
my soul screams already maddened, jaded, cynical from
middle aged, never-hatched, personal disappointments
and losses illuminated by the sight of soft
grass and hair with not an egg to tuft
III.
It is quiet and feather free at my front door
the robin parents are gone
From the Alberta pine I remove the abandoned nest
which is well made, a piece of natural art in my hands
I set the nest on my fireplace mantle
and remember the robins, Blackbird
For a second I want to shake a fist
at the Nest Watcher, but
my infuriation at the watcher’s impotence has mellowed,
crashed into the acquiescence of acceptance
I pour a cup of coffee
and sit in my favorite chair to consider the intricacies of
nest watching (and the food chain)
A familiar grackle pierces my ponderings
I look out the window
There is Blackbird
bending over nest with squirmy meal hanging out of beak
For the first time I wonder who it is who watches
Blackbird’s Nest
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
A Father's Love
Father's Day is this Sunday.
This holiday is joyful for some; and can be difficult for others. On this day we mourn the fathers we have lost to death. We mourn the fathers some of us never had because of their physical absence or their absence due to alcoholism or workaholism. We celebrate the ways we were loved by dads who played catch with us, read us bedtime stories, wrestled with us on the carpet in our family rooms.
Whether you're celebrating or mourning this Sunday, receive the following letter as a gift of grace and truth:
Dearest One,
You are fearfully and wonderfully made. You are mine. I call you by my name. I love you with an everlasting love.
I see you. I know you; and I care about even the tiniest details of your life. When times are tough, know that I know. Know that I am collecting your tears in a bottle.
When times are good, I rejoice and celebrate your successes along with the angels in heaven. You matter to me.
You are the reason I hung the stars in place, made halibut and hummingbirds, seals and sunsets, meadows and the moon.
I am vast and wondrous and wise. I am also close to you, watching each and every step you take, present to you morning, noon and night. Trust my love for you. Know that I am always near, as close as your breath as constant as your heartbeat.
Trust that I know what’s best for you and that I’ll work everything in your life together for good. I’m a master planner, just like a good quilter who knows just where to put each piece: the light and the dark, the rough and the smooth.
Most importantly, know that you are the apple of my eye, the joy of my heart. Nothing I desire compares with you.
I love you!
Your father,
God
This holiday is joyful for some; and can be difficult for others. On this day we mourn the fathers we have lost to death. We mourn the fathers some of us never had because of their physical absence or their absence due to alcoholism or workaholism. We celebrate the ways we were loved by dads who played catch with us, read us bedtime stories, wrestled with us on the carpet in our family rooms.
Whether you're celebrating or mourning this Sunday, receive the following letter as a gift of grace and truth:
Dearest One,
You are fearfully and wonderfully made. You are mine. I call you by my name. I love you with an everlasting love.
I see you. I know you; and I care about even the tiniest details of your life. When times are tough, know that I know. Know that I am collecting your tears in a bottle.
When times are good, I rejoice and celebrate your successes along with the angels in heaven. You matter to me.
You are the reason I hung the stars in place, made halibut and hummingbirds, seals and sunsets, meadows and the moon.
I am vast and wondrous and wise. I am also close to you, watching each and every step you take, present to you morning, noon and night. Trust my love for you. Know that I am always near, as close as your breath as constant as your heartbeat.
Trust that I know what’s best for you and that I’ll work everything in your life together for good. I’m a master planner, just like a good quilter who knows just where to put each piece: the light and the dark, the rough and the smooth.
Most importantly, know that you are the apple of my eye, the joy of my heart. Nothing I desire compares with you.
I love you!
Your father,
God
Friday, June 12, 2009
Two Poems on a Sunday
love
In church last Sunday our worship leader placed crayons and paper at the end of each row. He invited us to draw a picture or write a poem about forgiveness. The first poem came quickly like my second child. The next followed as if it were a tenacious twin. I'm not sure if the poems are related. But, I offer them - together - here.
Forgiveness
It takes longer than a day
Process: wheel turning on the
cracked, broken and bumpy
waylaid road of my soul
I give to him a gift of quenching
Freedom that washes away
control, rage that burned like
a forest fire in our family room
Quenching, slaking, washing away
the wild, circling, bitter helix of
familial sin
Releasing him and daily, surreptitiously
freeing
me
Oil
Gladness dripping down my
forehead like nectar of ripe
tangerine in summer:
sweet and sticky, fresh with
life and blessing
seal and expectation
In purse or pocket warmed
by body heat, waiting to
salve an open sore or
scarred wound with the ointment
of joy which comes
in the mourning
Lord, thank you for forgiving us. Be with all of who who daily offer the gift of forgiveness to those who have hurt us . . . to those we love. Bestow your healing, hope and help. Amen.
In church last Sunday our worship leader placed crayons and paper at the end of each row. He invited us to draw a picture or write a poem about forgiveness. The first poem came quickly like my second child. The next followed as if it were a tenacious twin. I'm not sure if the poems are related. But, I offer them - together - here.
Forgiveness
It takes longer than a day
Process: wheel turning on the
cracked, broken and bumpy
waylaid road of my soul
I give to him a gift of quenching
Freedom that washes away
control, rage that burned like
a forest fire in our family room
Quenching, slaking, washing away
the wild, circling, bitter helix of
familial sin
Releasing him and daily, surreptitiously
freeing
me
Oil
Gladness dripping down my
forehead like nectar of ripe
tangerine in summer:
sweet and sticky, fresh with
life and blessing
seal and expectation
In purse or pocket warmed
by body heat, waiting to
salve an open sore or
scarred wound with the ointment
of joy which comes
in the mourning
Lord, thank you for forgiving us. Be with all of who who daily offer the gift of forgiveness to those who have hurt us . . . to those we love. Bestow your healing, hope and help. Amen.
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Write-to-Publish Conference
LOVE
I'm just back from Write-to-Publish, a conference for writers held at Wheaton College in Illinois. There, I spoke on a panel titled The Writing Life; and taught two classes (poetry and co-authoring). CDs of these and numerous other informative and inspiring classes are available for purchase at http://www.writetopublish.com/.
After a year of fallow ground (writing & submitting poetry, revising old manuscripts, doodling in my journal, crafting new queries, mourning, waiting, hoping), Write-to-Publish has geared me up to start writing seriously - dare I say zealously - again. I returned to my Writing Room brimming with creative ideas, instilled with a renewed sense of commitment to my craft.
As I caught up on e-mail correspondence and a few of my favorite Writer's Almanacs, I stumbled upon a quote from Turkish author (winner of the Nobel prize in literature), Orhan Pamuk. He says, "For me, a good day is a day like any other, when I have written one page well. Except for the hours I spend writing, life seems to me to be flawed, deficient, and senseless."
The voracious writer in me resonates with this statement. But, the mom, friend, daughter, sister, and woman of prayer in me is almost repulsed by it. As I enter back into a disciplined writing regime, I want to take my season of fallow ground with me. I want to embrace sunsets and good glasses of wine and bedtime stories with my children. I long for the satisfaction of one page well written. More importantly, though, I want to honor God with a life well lived in service and love, in sacrifice and celebration.
A poem I wrote for one of my friends this summer comes to mind. A breeze rushed in through the window by my writing desk, refreshing my face as I re-read it this morning. Perhaps the poem was given for me, and all of my new aspiring writer friends from WTP:
Butterfly Wishes
Be free to fly and rest
like she does, unencumbered by agenda
and deadline or public opinion
Let the Wind blow you from
one sticky gold, crimson or
cornflower blue stamen to the next
Drink in Sweet as you do your long
curly proboscised work
with Grace and Intuition
Be yourself in full, colorful, feminine
creativity: embracing Process
and summer days, the Organic Way
Then, when your wings are tattered edged
unable to ride Wind as easily, readily
as on the day they dried
Flutter down to tree shaded ground
where it's cool and green
and safe
Sleep there
surrounded by the colors of
divine cross-pollination
Blessings on all of you who received prayer and information and good words at Write-to-Publish!
I'm just back from Write-to-Publish, a conference for writers held at Wheaton College in Illinois. There, I spoke on a panel titled The Writing Life; and taught two classes (poetry and co-authoring). CDs of these and numerous other informative and inspiring classes are available for purchase at http://www.writetopublish.com/.
After a year of fallow ground (writing & submitting poetry, revising old manuscripts, doodling in my journal, crafting new queries, mourning, waiting, hoping), Write-to-Publish has geared me up to start writing seriously - dare I say zealously - again. I returned to my Writing Room brimming with creative ideas, instilled with a renewed sense of commitment to my craft.
As I caught up on e-mail correspondence and a few of my favorite Writer's Almanacs, I stumbled upon a quote from Turkish author (winner of the Nobel prize in literature), Orhan Pamuk. He says, "For me, a good day is a day like any other, when I have written one page well. Except for the hours I spend writing, life seems to me to be flawed, deficient, and senseless."
The voracious writer in me resonates with this statement. But, the mom, friend, daughter, sister, and woman of prayer in me is almost repulsed by it. As I enter back into a disciplined writing regime, I want to take my season of fallow ground with me. I want to embrace sunsets and good glasses of wine and bedtime stories with my children. I long for the satisfaction of one page well written. More importantly, though, I want to honor God with a life well lived in service and love, in sacrifice and celebration.
A poem I wrote for one of my friends this summer comes to mind. A breeze rushed in through the window by my writing desk, refreshing my face as I re-read it this morning. Perhaps the poem was given for me, and all of my new aspiring writer friends from WTP:
Butterfly Wishes
Be free to fly and rest
like she does, unencumbered by agenda
and deadline or public opinion
Let the Wind blow you from
one sticky gold, crimson or
cornflower blue stamen to the next
Drink in Sweet as you do your long
curly proboscised work
with Grace and Intuition
Be yourself in full, colorful, feminine
creativity: embracing Process
and summer days, the Organic Way
Then, when your wings are tattered edged
unable to ride Wind as easily, readily
as on the day they dried
Flutter down to tree shaded ground
where it's cool and green
and safe
Sleep there
surrounded by the colors of
divine cross-pollination
Blessings on all of you who received prayer and information and good words at Write-to-Publish!
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of the birds, the ebb and flow of the tides, the folded bud ready for the spring. There is someting infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature -- the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter.
-Rachel Carson, 1906-1964, American Biologist, Writer
-Rachel Carson, 1906-1964, American Biologist, Writer
Saturday, May 02, 2009
Robin's Egg
love
I watched her come
day after day
to the Alberta Pine
beside my front door
Building with dried grass
small twigs, pieces of
my son’s hair (he’d just
had an outdoor haircut)
And mud
I wondered how she
carried the mud
From a chair
by the picture window
I saw her smooth
and compress the crisscrossed
creation with her breast
When it was
perfect and padded
and remarkably round
she laid – at great effort –
the first egg
I saw it new
its indescribable blue
shell still covered with
small rips of white membrane
from The Passage
sun shone on the blue
adding a glimmering
spot of white
The next day there was
another egg
the day after that
another: a trinity of eggs
perfectly nesting in the nest
Then, surprise, a fourth
“Four eggs!” I told my daughter
“I’ve never seen four before!”
The foursome squished into
the round seemingly fighting
for position until a day later
when I found one of the eggs
Dislodged from the nest
cradled in greening branches
of our tiny pine
“What should I do?” I asked
my husband. “Put it back
in the nest?”
“Maybe she pushed it out,”
he said.
When the Robin left
to dig a wiggly meal
I retrieved the egg from
its cradle bow
In my hand
it was cold and heavy
with promises that would
never be trued
I felt like crying over the egg
and over all the indescribably
smooth, blue and beautiful
things that have fallen,
too soon, out of my own nest
I watched her come
day after day
to the Alberta Pine
beside my front door
Building with dried grass
small twigs, pieces of
my son’s hair (he’d just
had an outdoor haircut)
And mud
I wondered how she
carried the mud
From a chair
by the picture window
I saw her smooth
and compress the crisscrossed
creation with her breast
When it was
perfect and padded
and remarkably round
she laid – at great effort –
the first egg
I saw it new
its indescribable blue
shell still covered with
small rips of white membrane
from The Passage
sun shone on the blue
adding a glimmering
spot of white
The next day there was
another egg
the day after that
another: a trinity of eggs
perfectly nesting in the nest
Then, surprise, a fourth
“Four eggs!” I told my daughter
“I’ve never seen four before!”
The foursome squished into
the round seemingly fighting
for position until a day later
when I found one of the eggs
Dislodged from the nest
cradled in greening branches
of our tiny pine
“What should I do?” I asked
my husband. “Put it back
in the nest?”
“Maybe she pushed it out,”
he said.
When the Robin left
to dig a wiggly meal
I retrieved the egg from
its cradle bow
In my hand
it was cold and heavy
with promises that would
never be trued
I felt like crying over the egg
and over all the indescribably
smooth, blue and beautiful
things that have fallen,
too soon, out of my own nest
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Friday, April 03, 2009
Words about Word
LOVE
The Word became flesh and moved into the neighborhood.
- John 1:1 (The Message)
They can be like the sun, words. They can do for the heart what light can for a field.
- St. John of the Cross
A word is dead when it's been said, some say. I say it just begins to live that day.
- Emily Dickinson
Most of my friends like words too well. They set them under the blinding light of the poem and try to extract every possible connotation from each of them, every temporary pun, every direct or indirect connection - as if a word could become an object by mere addition of consequences. Others pick up words from the streets, from their bars, from their offices and display them proudly in their poems as if they were shouting, "See what I have collected from the American language. Look at my butterflies, my stamps, my old shoes!" - Jack Spicer
I'm apt to get drunk on words. - Madeleine L'Engle
Her words were like tinfoil; they shone and they covered things up.
- Helen Cross
Step out form behind the words. When you're a writer you can imagine that the words speak for you and are you, but they're not. You are this living, breathing, bad hair day kind of person.
- Beth Kephart
The Word became flesh and moved into the neighborhood.
- John 1:1 (The Message)
They can be like the sun, words. They can do for the heart what light can for a field.
- St. John of the Cross
A word is dead when it's been said, some say. I say it just begins to live that day.
- Emily Dickinson
Most of my friends like words too well. They set them under the blinding light of the poem and try to extract every possible connotation from each of them, every temporary pun, every direct or indirect connection - as if a word could become an object by mere addition of consequences. Others pick up words from the streets, from their bars, from their offices and display them proudly in their poems as if they were shouting, "See what I have collected from the American language. Look at my butterflies, my stamps, my old shoes!" - Jack Spicer
I'm apt to get drunk on words. - Madeleine L'Engle
Her words were like tinfoil; they shone and they covered things up.
- Helen Cross
Step out form behind the words. When you're a writer you can imagine that the words speak for you and are you, but they're not. You are this living, breathing, bad hair day kind of person.
- Beth Kephart
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Green Sprouts in Spring
love
I've been reading Luci Shaw's latest book, a collection of her reflections on creativity and faith. It's titled BREATH FOR THE BONES: Art, Imagination and Spirit. Her words are baptising my mind, renewing my love for creating; and inviting me to return to my love of poetry, visual art, music . . .
love
Here are a couple of paragraphs that seem particularly apropos today as green shoots are sprouting in my yard, the park, and my soul:
love
I find it fascinating to note that as we allow the created universe and the Scripture to illuminate us with their primary and secondary revelations, what we deeply believe will push up through the fabric of our writing or painting like green sprouts in spring, bursting the earth's crust.
love
When the artist lives in the house of faith, her consciousness is suffused with and informed by Christian images, and when that imaginative intelligence is allowed freely to describe life experience, the images and words supplied and shaped by the artist will reflect Christian belief even when there is no overt effort or intention to do so.
love
And so I become more aware of a number of correlations between faith and poetry. These intersections, as I call them, are elements of trusting God and making art not only as parallel to each other but as forming a network of connections that touch and interrupt, interlace and reinforce each other like the fivers in a woven fabric. For me poetry and faith are interdependent. Each affects the other as they embrace and interpenetrate. Faith in forms art, and art enhances faith.
I've been reading Luci Shaw's latest book, a collection of her reflections on creativity and faith. It's titled BREATH FOR THE BONES: Art, Imagination and Spirit. Her words are baptising my mind, renewing my love for creating; and inviting me to return to my love of poetry, visual art, music . . .love
Here are a couple of paragraphs that seem particularly apropos today as green shoots are sprouting in my yard, the park, and my soul:
love
I find it fascinating to note that as we allow the created universe and the Scripture to illuminate us with their primary and secondary revelations, what we deeply believe will push up through the fabric of our writing or painting like green sprouts in spring, bursting the earth's crust.
love
When the artist lives in the house of faith, her consciousness is suffused with and informed by Christian images, and when that imaginative intelligence is allowed freely to describe life experience, the images and words supplied and shaped by the artist will reflect Christian belief even when there is no overt effort or intention to do so.
love
And so I become more aware of a number of correlations between faith and poetry. These intersections, as I call them, are elements of trusting God and making art not only as parallel to each other but as forming a network of connections that touch and interrupt, interlace and reinforce each other like the fivers in a woven fabric. For me poetry and faith are interdependent. Each affects the other as they embrace and interpenetrate. Faith in forms art, and art enhances faith.
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