  Spiritual
This week: Edited by: windac
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"You don't write because you want to say something,
you write because you've got something to say."
F. Scott Fitzgerald
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"Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life."
Pablo Picasso
On Friday, May 18th, I celebrate 5 years with writing.com. This marks another milestone in what I consider to be an important part of my life's journey. This site and all that came with it is a gift that came at the precise time it was needed. During my first two years here, a deluge of words came swiftly, gushing from bottled up emotions held in for so long. A fast and loyal friend at the time was poetry, a lifeline to a drowning soul.
Thinking I'd expressed all that my heart had to say, a long and dusty dry spell ensued. Oh, I still put out an issue of this newsletter every four weeks, but for the longest time, that was the extent of my writing. Painful at first, the drought soon became almost as comforting as the original onslaught. There was no pressure to produce, no reason to press onward toward some invisible and unattainable goal. But there was also no creative expression or ultimate release of pent up thoughts and feelings. For someone like me who desires to be heard and feels she is not, writing can sometimes be the only soothing balm for this mind, body and spirit.
Until a couple of weeks ago, I thought poetry was simply a memory, a thing to be discarded in the pursuit of loftier dreams. And then, I attended a speaking engagement attended by two published authors, one of which is the current Poet Laureate of Wisconsin, Denise Sweet. Of Anishinnaabe blood, Ms. Sweet has a list of awards and credentials that boggle this want-to-be writer's mind. She expresses herself in a quiet but dignified voice, and at times can be moved to tears by the depth of her own emotion when speaking of her heritage, native youth, and of the suffering and sadness of the world at large. Hearing her poetry fanned a spark that I thought long dead. Although a bit rusty from years in the dust, poetry has made a welcome reappearance, not only by my own hand and from my own heart, but from others as well.
As she so often does, lIfe has rounded another bend, revealing new worlds to navigate, creating new visions and dreams, all offering possibilities of vital lessons to be learned. As in times past, poetry may well again be my saving grace. Although writing may be a silent voice, it is still a voice, and one that possesses the capacity to heal, to bestow strength and courage.
I don't claim to be an expert in poetry, nor do I always understand what a poet is attempting to convey. In other words, poems don't always make sense to me. For those of you who might not 'get' poetry, just imagine that it's simply a story told from a unique perspective and in a different form. This issue features poems that touched me on some level, whether it be through whimsical meanderings, or perhaps by presenting a stepping stone in the quest for truth and learning.
Zen and Woman's Way of Parking
by Denise Sweet
We know sooner than we think
when the vehicle we are driving
refuses to be herded into its stall.
We crank the wheel and ease our way
around and in and back and forth
and then back out and forward and in
again and then back and forth and
back and forth 'til we have neatly
and carefully negotiated a big thing
into a small space. "It's all in the
wrist" when we speak of power steering
or, for that matter, our lover. And yet,
it is a manuever that requires integration
of our body, mind, and spirit. The contortive
efforts of the drive imitate Hatha yoga
positionings, as we are expected to see
front and behind this side and that side
All at the same time. Be in the here and now
in the parking lot. Serenity is not far behind.
Neither is the Volvo parked in the next lane.
And how quickly we computate space, density,
width, length and probability at that moment we
grind the gears from first to reverse and back
again; after careful deliberation, the geniuses
that we are, we arrive at the parking nudge
principle: simply put, it is a necessary and
a tender act to nudge the vehicle to the front
and back of us as we locate parameters of the
space we are to become. Oh to be parked in a
stall of our own, but spiritually connected with
all that exists around us. Nirvana is achieved.
And the headlights are on.
Let them call us "ladydrivers" let them curse
and shake their fists at "the battle axe behind
the wheel." We'll give them no fast break,
no free ride; indeed we will not yield
even though the sign insists. Oh sisters,
this is the right way of revolution,
a woman's way of parking is knowing and seeing
and feeling our way around this hard, flat
landscape we call a parking space. We have finally
come to a place of which we surely belong.
We are at last in the driver's seat,
and we laugh in the face of cruise control.
The Story of a Million Years
By Barry Long
How do you write
The story of a million years?
How do you write
The story of a river of tears?
How do you write
The story of eternity?
How do you write
The mystery of you and me?
The whole world's agroaning and travailing in agony
Aweeping and afearing as it shuffles towards its destiny.
How do you write
The story of this tragic throng?
How do you write?
How do you write?
How can you right what's wrong?
Her Kind
by Alicia Ostriker
I have gone out, a possessed witch
haunting the black air, braver at night;
dreaming evil, I have done my hitch
over the plain houses, light by light:
lonely thing, twelve-fingered, out of mind.
A woman like that is not a woman, quite.
I have been her kind.
I have found the warm caves in the woods,
filled them with skillets, carvings, shelves,
closets, silks, innumerable goods;
fixed the suppers for the worms and the elves:
whining, rearranging the disalign.
A woman like that is misunderstood.
I have been her kind.
I have ridden in your cart, driver,
waved my nude arms at villages going by,
learning the last bright routes, survivor
where your flames still bite my thigh
and my ribs crack where your wheels wind.
A woman like that is not ashamed to die.
I have been her kind.
Thanks for tuning in. And as always, may something you read here touch you in a good and positive way. Until next time, get in touch with the poet in you! 
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Poetry is an avenue by which many come to understand and deal with the ever changing ebb and flow of life. And because it can be so extremely personal, such poetry should never be judged solely on perfection of form, but also by the merit of depth in what the writer has to say. The first three items are 'books' of an emotional form, and I urge you to lend an ear and offer encouragement.
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This next item was intended to be an entry in my quest for essays, but was submitted after the deadline.
Excerpt: I was six years old when grandpa started those lessons on character. I didn’t realize it at the time, but the lessons stretched deeper than that… way down into integrity and spirit. Something else I didn’t realize was that he was teaching them to me - about me, not necessarily about the person I was shaking hands with. Furthermore, it didn’t only work with handshakes but it also worked with those good ol’ family hugs that everyone greets each other with in the South.
Submitted By: Bluesman 
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Excerpt from the next item: Because of the living miracle we are, I believe that gratitude for our living, thinking, breathing selves, should be paramount in life.
Submitted By: SHEA 
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This next item is one you'll just have to see for yourself.
Submitted By: ridinghhood-p.boutilier 
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Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
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Submitted By: SHEA
I am so GRATEFUL for the wonderful opportunity to enjoy the Spiritual Newsletter each month; THANK YOU! Each month the newsletter is the BEST.
I have attached my writing on gratitude, and hope that my colleagues, and readers of your Newsletter enjoy.
In Christ,
Shea
The might of the word, outweighs even the sword...Peace Pal!
Thank you Shea, for the most encouraging feedback, and for sending in a written item! Blessings to you!
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Submitted By: ridinghhood-p.boutilier
I enjoyed today's newsletter and your message of being present with what is resonated strongly with me. I am not particularly happy with my present job, but nothing more enticing is presenting itself. That "still, small, voice" within keeps telling me to "STAND"---and not move on---just for the sake of moving on. I am sometimes turned-off by the "Christian-only" aspect of a spiritual newsletter---but today's message was timely and well-received.
Thank you for taking time to send positive feedback and a written piece my way. It does my heart good to know that something I shared had a impact on another in a good way. I wish you much success and many blessings!
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Submitted By: diana
Submitted Comment:
My apologies for not submitting. I had fully intended to enter as well, but I too work on a unit full of abused girls who take up most of my time when a crisis arises, and these last two weeks have been hectic.
On an inspirational note, it sounds as if your step-son has issues outside the home and it spills over on you; or it's the all-to-common jealousy over father. Either way, kids do not adjust well to change, and when they do it takes quite a while for them to come around, so don't take it too personal and take into account what he's going through when he's not there.
If stress gets in the way, take a walk through a garden and take notice of the tiny details in each flower or leaf, and take notes. Do this all through the season and watch the changes that occur, and it will keep you in perspective of how people change as well. You find more beauty in the silence of any journey.
Your feedback is possibly the most poetic this editor has yet to receive, and I thank you for taking the time to do so! And yes, I must strive to find the beauty in silence. Blessings to you!
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Submitted By: vivacious
Submitted Comment:
Oops! I'm sorry, Winda. I had planned on writing something as well, but time got away with me. I do think a separate contest is a great idea, though.
I also thought johnmcc's essay was well-written and thought out. I doubt if I could have done better.
I'm always amazed (though I shouldn't be) how God gives us the words we need most at just the right moment. This newsletter more often then not does that for me.
You did a wonderful job yet again, and I thank you.
You are such a sweetheart, and I love your kind heart. (Now, how many gp's did I promise you?  ) God bless you my friend!
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Submitted By: Bluesman
Submitted Comment:
Thanks for a great newsletter... I was shocked that I forgot to post my writing for your assignment several weeks ago... I also found out when I signed in today that if I had signed in on Friday I would have received 1000 free gift points just for signing in... I have been so busy... I wrote this in Word to paste into the site several days after that assignment but never signed back in in order to remember to post it... But that is ok... At least you can see that someone else did the assignment... Sorry ~
Absolutely no need to apologize! I'm just glad that you did write and submit a piece, and one that I enjoyed immensely. Blessings to you!
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Submitted By: Budroe
Winda:
Another excellent Newsletter. Thank you for the gift. Sometimes, the only thing we have to give is the last thing we have available: ourselves. You do it very well.
Hiya Mr. Bud! It's just so like you to send positive and reinforcing feedback my way. Thank you so much, and God bless!
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Submitted By: PlannerDan
Submitted Comment:
Excellent newsletter, Wind. Being a spiritual person includes being a person with all the warts and moles that come with life. It is good that we see that you are faced with the same kinds of challenges that we all encounter. To be able to reach beyond our situation and take refuge in a loving Father is a privilege and a reward that we have. Your newsletter shows how we can do that, how we can find inspiration and motivation while surrounded by our circumstances. Very good job.
Awwww, thank you Dan! Like my heart, I wear my warts and moles on my sleeve for the world to see.  Sometimes I wish that that weren't the case, but Dad didn't build me that way. Surely He had a reason for doing so. God bless you Dan!!! |
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Spiritual: May 16, 2007 Issue [#1711]
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