I slept on the drive home, walked Henny, and then slept again until 4:00 am. I take that as sign of body/heart/mind/soul working together. The lot of us were tired!
This feels like both an ending and new beginning for me, too.
Reflecting on "commencement" and "beginnings" reminded me of Rilke “If the Angel deigns to come, it will be because you have convinced her, not by your tears, but by your humble resolve to be always beginning: to be a beginner.”
-Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet
Adding my Jewish spiritual tradition Rosh Hashanah to the common calendar allows me two New Year's of beginnings. I've gazillions of quotes on just the word "begin".
If that were not enough about beginnings my Jewish tradition also adds a daily prayer upon awakening "modeh ani" which gives thanks for restoring my soul. The soul has gone elsewhere during sleep. This latter practice beckons toward treating each moment as coming and receding, accepting and letting go. Lots of images for this. The comings and goings of waves on the shore come to mind.
In returning to Rilke "To all that is used-up, and to all the muffled and dumb creatures in the world's full reserve, the unsayable sums, joyfully add yourself, ......
Two passages from Rilke that are new to me. Thank you.
IIRC, it was you who gifted me the opportunity to say, "In A beginning," rather than, "In THE beginning."
It has stuck to me like glue and there is potential for a printed version centering on that turn of phrase one day. Just one of the many sticky ideas asking to shift into tangibility,
Thank you for sharing your practices. I once saw a scene in The Milagro Beanfield War where an elderly man shuffles to the bathroom upon waking. He looks in the mirror and says, "Thank you God -- for giving me another day."
Interesting what we choose to hold onto, isn't it?
3. Can I hold onto the "process" of how I show up in the world and be in the learning mode at each moment as a beginner? That is the process of letting go of the known in going from the unknown to the known to the unknown in each moment as "a' beginning.
I remember my father telling me about the minister’s sermon one Sunday. It must have left a profound impact on him… and he transferred it to me.
The lesson was/is that pride is a sin.
I really took that to heart and have played with the idea ever since. It ties into the idea of ego, and a false self to uphold? That when pride is based on accomplishments, one can find themself stuck and unwilling to keep learning?
A few days ago I followed a trail into a Marginalian from days gone by. IIRC the subject was Bruce Lee who explained his way of comparing pride to self-esteem.
Self-esteem is the keep-going, keep-learning possibility for the self.
So... a cupola juxtaposed from a nearby building. Just posed in a gravity-defying position. Artistic license?
Writing notes, as you did with the book of Heraclitus’ quotes, makes deep grooves in our memories.
I very much enjoyed the Gibran passage. He seems to have targeted all parents, especially those shopping for helicopters. A great selection of material all across the board, LoveLetterist. 🙏🏽
Awesome! What? All of it. From the Commencement program, showing a 6-legged creature ascending the middle column in the logo, to an apropos song from the annals of rock history, to the wisdom of your Muses, and last, AI making T. S. Elliot appear to be offering his own ideas on today’s theme, you rock! Absolutely.
Carrying with us memories of an ending, such as Nathaniel’s commencement ceremony last night, on its face might appear paradoxical. Yet as his story in life grows and acquires complexity he’s ever changing as is the memory. Heraclitus might have an opinion...
Congratulations to Nathaniel and his mom who helped shape who he’s become. Without owning one helicopter!
A note from LoveLetterist:
Tears pricked the back of my eyelids as graduates filed in to the field house.
I've heard it said that there is no fiercer love than that of a mother.
In my personal experience, that feels true.
I am grateful to have influences that teach me that this fierce love is much more about letting go... than clinging to what once was.
I'm excited to watch the stories that unfold.
Congratulations to the graduate! :)
Thank you Julie!
I slept on the drive home, walked Henny, and then slept again until 4:00 am. I take that as sign of body/heart/mind/soul working together. The lot of us were tired!
This feels like both an ending and new beginning for me, too.
Let us see what happens!
Truth of change...
Onward and upward!
Reflecting on "commencement" and "beginnings" reminded me of Rilke “If the Angel deigns to come, it will be because you have convinced her, not by your tears, but by your humble resolve to be always beginning: to be a beginner.”
-Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet
Adding my Jewish spiritual tradition Rosh Hashanah to the common calendar allows me two New Year's of beginnings. I've gazillions of quotes on just the word "begin".
If that were not enough about beginnings my Jewish tradition also adds a daily prayer upon awakening "modeh ani" which gives thanks for restoring my soul. The soul has gone elsewhere during sleep. This latter practice beckons toward treating each moment as coming and receding, accepting and letting go. Lots of images for this. The comings and goings of waves on the shore come to mind.
In returning to Rilke "To all that is used-up, and to all the muffled and dumb creatures in the world's full reserve, the unsayable sums, joyfully add yourself, ......
Rainer Maria Rilke
Two passages from Rilke that are new to me. Thank you.
IIRC, it was you who gifted me the opportunity to say, "In A beginning," rather than, "In THE beginning."
It has stuck to me like glue and there is potential for a printed version centering on that turn of phrase one day. Just one of the many sticky ideas asking to shift into tangibility,
Thank you for sharing your practices. I once saw a scene in The Milagro Beanfield War where an elderly man shuffles to the bathroom upon waking. He looks in the mirror and says, "Thank you God -- for giving me another day."
Interesting what we choose to hold onto, isn't it?
This raises bunches of questions:
1. What do I hold onto and why?
2. What do I let go of and why?
3. Can I hold onto the "process" of how I show up in the world and be in the learning mode at each moment as a beginner? That is the process of letting go of the known in going from the unknown to the known to the unknown in each moment as "a' beginning.
Related… kinda:
I remember my father telling me about the minister’s sermon one Sunday. It must have left a profound impact on him… and he transferred it to me.
The lesson was/is that pride is a sin.
I really took that to heart and have played with the idea ever since. It ties into the idea of ego, and a false self to uphold? That when pride is based on accomplishments, one can find themself stuck and unwilling to keep learning?
A few days ago I followed a trail into a Marginalian from days gone by. IIRC the subject was Bruce Lee who explained his way of comparing pride to self-esteem.
Self-esteem is the keep-going, keep-learning possibility for the self.
Now that’s something I can get behind.
Congrats to the graduate and to his proud (not always a sin!) mama!
Thank you Karen!
There is such a feeling of satisfaction in watching them grow into their own. 💜
So... a cupola juxtaposed from a nearby building. Just posed in a gravity-defying position. Artistic license?
Writing notes, as you did with the book of Heraclitus’ quotes, makes deep grooves in our memories.
I very much enjoyed the Gibran passage. He seems to have targeted all parents, especially those shopping for helicopters. A great selection of material all across the board, LoveLetterist. 🙏🏽
Awesome! What? All of it. From the Commencement program, showing a 6-legged creature ascending the middle column in the logo, to an apropos song from the annals of rock history, to the wisdom of your Muses, and last, AI making T. S. Elliot appear to be offering his own ideas on today’s theme, you rock! Absolutely.
Carrying with us memories of an ending, such as Nathaniel’s commencement ceremony last night, on its face might appear paradoxical. Yet as his story in life grows and acquires complexity he’s ever changing as is the memory. Heraclitus might have an opinion...
Congratulations to Nathaniel and his mom who helped shape who he’s become. Without owning one helicopter!
The 6-legged creature is the cupola from one of the campus’ iconic buildings. 😂
Heraclitus! Did I ever mention that a book of his translated poems demanded I check it out many years ago at the library. I took notes!
I think that helicopter free parenting is a gift to all parties. I’m grateful to Khalil Gibran who helped me with that lesson:
Your children are not your children.
They are sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you.
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For thir souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the make upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness.
For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He also loves the bow that is stable.