What crisis?

Approaching 60 degrees on the west porch for Sunday mugs of tea at 4 PM in late February. FEBRUARY! A lovely interlude but clearly something is wrong. The ice is completely out of the farm lake which is unheard of; four inches of snow two days ago also gone. And disavowing that something is wrong was our new President's first official act. I thought then I had identified a cause to strap on a shield for. But then the refugees, beloved brethren of the very same planet. Now the press. What crisis next? And which one will ignite my most fiery passion? [It's strategic scattering, neh?]

Solidarity

It is no miracle our mood is high.
Courage is in the air in bracing whiffs

These two lines are from Robert Frost’s poem Dedication. He wrote it for the inauguration of John F Kennedy. The glare of bright sunlight on that winter day and Frost’s failing eyesight (I believe he was 87 at the time) prevented him from reading it aloud. He recited another of his poems from memory. 

Yesterday Donald Trump was inaugurated and I was attached to the radio listening for high mood and courage in the air. I was disappointed. Last night I even ventured into television viewing, a rare activity for me, to check again. I heard a pundit say, “If you wanted poetry there was another candidate for you.”

So today we walk,
Bracing courage in the fog.
Mindfulness.  Kindness.

Title IX kicks in

I took this photo last August in anticipation of an autumn reunion with my high school field hockey team in Cleveland. Those are my cleats. Yes, they still fit and I wore them to the reunion.  The embroidered 55 was salvaged from my practice vest and repurposed on a pillow by my dear mum. Of course, the reunion was a gas. Still undefeated, the SHHS varsity team of 1968.

August 2016 I watched the Olympics with awe for the great athletes coupled with huge, unfettered pride for ALL those American girls.  Title IX kicked in. It took a generation +. You go girls! GO, GO, GO.

Title IX states that: No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. Effective June 1972.

Repositioning a porch

My decision to refresh the core business of Centering Porch LLC required consulting with neither a lawyer nor a marketing guru. I only needed to be centered on the porch long enough to receive Spirit's clarifying presence. It was not a moment's epiphany, but rather weeks of discerning in stillness, surrounded by abundant life.
Don and I will continue to keep these porches open for others seeking a site for quiet contemplation. See www.centeringporch.org. But the central business at CenteringPorch LLC is on to greater loving. Healing Touch for Animals.
The shift may indeed require a lawyer, marketing guru, and allies of many stripes. Community. Thanks, all.

Three divine smacks to the head

 

In late winter, early 2016, I came out of some dark months and dark moods. Animals in need of a healing boost drew me back to the light. Three in particular. All were in very bad health and their owners were floundering as their animals declined. Spirit opened these owners to allow me to provide complementary care in addition to the veterinary care they had already sought. I was able to help relieve pain and restore enough vitality to make a big difference in the last weeks, days and hours for each animal.

Each animal opened a pathway for me. It became clear that it was time to focus or at least pay daily attention to Healing Touch for Animals [HTA]. Since April I have taken one step, tiny or grand, each day to lift my HTA business. Today, a blog post.

A logo to love

Diane Muse, my down-the-road, round-the curve neighbor designed this logo in 2012. Imagination and artistry. It’s striking, inviting, and mysterious. I love it because it captures relaxing in an abundant garden under celestial influence. I love it because Diane made it- BY HAND- no computer involved- cutting plastic as if she were in the first stage of generating a silk screen. Hence, it might be just a tad off-center. That’s just another point of perfection. It always evokes conversation. It serves on multiple levels for multiple businesses- farm, contemplative retreat, and now Healing Touch for Animals and their People.

Global sky Global healing

I have been away from center, spun out by waves of global violence, overwhelmed by their scale. Despair unbalances me. I go outside. Big sky is the first tiny relief for big hurt. I just stand there. I can begin to reclaim the power of healing.