friday quotation

"...community is first of all of quality of the heart.  It grows from the spiritual knowledge that we are alive not for ourselves but for one another.  Community is the fruit of our capacity to make the interests of others more important than our own.  The question, therefore is not 'How can we make community?' but 'How can we develop and nurture giving hearts?' "
~ Henri Nouwen

friday quotation

Feeling like giving a little tribute to Oprah today for asking hard questions with a big dose of humanity, compassion, and accountability.

If you peel back layers of your life - the frenzy, the noise - stillness is waiting. That stillness is you. 
~ Oprah

sunday something

And we wonder why some people didn't recognize us cheering at 3M?! 
Nonetheless, we did see a lot of people today as we cheered friends and unknown runners alike through parts of their 13.1 mile saunter through Austin.  The weather was PERFECT.  A little more perfect for running than for spectating, but no rain and crisp air to keep everyone alert.  Oh, for perfect running days like this morning all of the time.  I was even feeling the tug of putting on a race number again.  I'd forgotten the excitement of an event like that.  The crowds running through the streets all with a common destination and many shared goals and purposes.  The spectators offerings words of encouragement and energy.  Everyone out there being healthy and able to do something like that.  Yes, I fall into that category, too.  So maybe I'll find my way back into my running groove.  Or maybe I'll settle into a walking groove.  Or swimming groove.  Or yoga groove.  Or barre/pilates class groove.  I'm all over the map right now.  But happily so...evidenced by the goofy grin on my face this morning. 

friday quotation

May your joys be as bright as the morning, and your sorrows merely be shadows that fade in the sunlight of love.  May you have enough happiness to keep you sweet, enough trials to keep you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, enough hope to keep you happy, enough failure to keep you humble, enough success to keep you eager, enough friends to give you comfort, enough faith and courage in yourself to banish sadness, enough wealth to meet your needs and one thing more; enough determination to make each day a more wonderful day than the one before. 
~ An Irish Blessing

Friday quotation

In keeping with my theme of light, some words from one of my favorite authors...

The thing about light is that it really isn't yours; it's what you gather and shine back.  And it gets more power from reflectiveness; if you sit still and take it in, it fills your cup, and then you can give it off yourself.

~ Anne Lamott, Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith

my word for 2013

I think that instead of listing resolutions or intentions or goals or, or, or... for the year ahead, I'm going to try to do everything through a lens of a certain word or theme. 
And this year's word/theme for me: LIGHT.
Nurturing the light within me.
Sharing that light with others.
Being light as I go through the world.
Letting go of things so that I go through the world lightly instead of burdened.
Taking things lightly instead of seriously (as appropriate, of course!)
And always believing that there is a light at the end of whatever tunnel I'm traveling through...no matter how dark it seems.
Yes.  This is the year of light.  Of epiphanies.  Of hope.  Of new beginnings.  Of seeing things in a different way.  Of understanding things on a deeper level.  Of self-reflection, self-nuturing, freeing myself to fly, and warming the world with whatever light I've generated.    

Monday musings

I almost called this "Monday meditation" but that sounded a little too serious.  "Musings" seem to be more my style.  And it has been a day of musings - and a few meditations, but I've been moving too much to do much real meditating, except for the moments in yoga class.  Started my day with a wonderful class with Bekah.  I had not been to one of her classes in months and I forgot how much I like her as a teacher.  She's authentic, enthusiastic, encouraging, and nurturing...all at once, which is pretty cool.  The 75 minutes flew by in her wonderfully rich flow that she had planned for us, complete with her (self-described) sappy playlist.
It was funny because on my way to the studio I was reflecting on how much more frequently I'd been to yoga in 2012 - which had, I think, been one of my resolutions for this past year.  For at least 6 months, I've been pretty committed to getting to class twice a week.  In 2013, I'm challenging myself with three classes a week (plus some practice at home).  I'll save the rest of those 2013 intentions for tomorrow.
At any rate, Bekah started the class by encouraging us to look back on this last day of 2012.  What had we accomplished?  What had we lost?  What had we learned?  How had we loved?  How had we grown?  What had we shared with others?  etc... 
So often on New Year's Eve we're all about looking forward that we forget to look back and reverently acknowledge what and who we're leaving behind and from where we've come.  It's a bittersweet reflection for me as I look back to 2012.  It was a year that was full of love and growth and excitement.  And loss and confusion and hurt.  But that is life, right?  Was it a bad year?  No.  Was it a tough year?  Yes.  Was it one that I'd want to trade in and that I'm in a hurry to leave behind?  Yes and no.  Was it a year that I want to savor and tuck away in some special place in my soul never to forget?  Mostly yes. 
It was filled with some painful moments.  Naturally those were also the moments where I came to know myself and the love and life and strength that is around and within me in ways that I'm not sure I would have otherwise.  And the bright moments - well, there were so many that were bright and revealing beyond measure!  And light-hearted and playful and life-giving and full of health, joy, and promise.  Precious time spent with people who are dear to me.  And not enough time spent with others.  Time in nature rejuvenating my soul.  
With each passing year, I see the fabric of our lives woven together with more and more richness.  Some effervescent threads and some darker threads - all reflective of the lives that we've lived.  And I'm amazed at how in any given snapshot of the days or the threads, the luminous ones continue to push past the dim ones - as if the good and the hopefulness is relentlessly forcing itself in front of the bad and the gloom.
At least that's my take on things...my Monday musing as it were.  Incomplete without my latest musical obsession from yoga class - a wonderful version of the classic "Somewhere Over the Rainbow".  Seems like the words could be just right for a trip over the rainbow - a reminder of hope and promise and protection - into 2013.  See you there...