Today's mindfulness practice was Loving Kindness and Adrienne introduced it with the poem "Kindness" by Naomi Shihab Nye.
Bev introduced the writing sessions with ~ "Revenant" by David Donnison
long gone though you are
or
your kindness is
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And now for some of
YOUR WRITING:
Your Kindness is…
by Joyce Nicholson
Your kindness is a safe refuge
among violent recurrent storms and even calmer peaceful days,
your kindness is the lightest of loves, lip curling and nurturing holding,
your kindness is a solidarity to me and all beings, an equanimity of love,
kindness is the most powerful essence of hope and transformation.
Metta to all beings, regardless of the place you were born, where you travelled from to get ‘here’,
or what mother tongue was geid to you,
Metta to you regardless of the house you live in or the street you lie down in to sleep, the clothes you wear or the work you do,
Metta to you regardless if you eat too many carbs, indulge in ‘the drink’ or inject crack and heroin into your arm or groin,
love and solidarity to all beings, transforming our hearts and minds, that is what your kindness is.
inspired by David Donnison’s ‘Revenant’
by Kay Ritchie
In primary 1
I was the one who tied boys’ shoelaces, read The Secret Seven to the class. Perhaps that was why Miss Haggart, renowned harridan, now long gone, showed patience when I wrote with the wrong hand, left instead of the right, wrote my letters back to front.
She didn’t rap my fingers with a ruler. She didn’t tie my hand behind my back, although she terrified our mothers, terrorised the boys.
But looking back I realise that she was of that generation who’d lost fathers, brothers, lovers, to the war, were traumatised, numbed and often hard as rock.
So I consider her indulgence at my cack-handed copperplate a kindness, a sort of love & I appreciate.
On our anniversary
by Annan Paterson Hansen
Your kindness is
the thing my father
read about before we
said our vows.
How could we imagine
that sweetness could
grow sour with days
of disappointment?
Now we lie together,
face to face.
I say “I’m sorry” and
you say “I’m broken”.
Forgiving and healing
through these years
of love and pain,
we are transformed,
so that even if we
head now towards
the great unknown,
alone and afraid,
we hold hands
as companions of mystery.
The grateful understanding
of thirty eight years.
Long gone though you are
by Doreen Kelly
Long gone though you are, your assurance still lingers. As long as I breathe on this Earth your influence can never be banished. Your different view of the world and the questions you dared to voice opened my mind. The world may have been telling me that my differences were wrong, a problem and a source of shame that required to be hidden deeply away from society. You acknowledged it all and never questioned my experiences and interpretations. What you did question was whether THEY are, were and could be correct?
Friends may have been hard to come by elsewhere but your ironclad assurance sent me back to my everyday world stronger and more resilient. In these days of social media I learned that throughout these twenty odd years our loving kindnesses have seen us sitting on our immoveable rocks gazing towards each other throughout our late teens and young adulthood. We were separated by arguments and dogmas that we probably didn't fully know or understand. A brother's, mother's and sister's actions threw up walls that we had no technology to help us climb back then.
prompt: long gone that you are (David Donnison)
by Britt Doughty-Godchaux
Is it bizarre that I know you’re going
long before you’ve gone?
Is it bizarre to imagine your memories
even as we make them?
Can the present be bittersweet and missed
even as I sit steady in your gaze?
These are the things of flesh, of flesh
leaving as it holds souls near.
These lips and hands will not stay
even if they are not parted.
How do I hold you close knowing
the holding is foolish?
(Although it’s also all I can do.)
These koans of this lifetime
these thousand meals at this table
these moments caught or forgottenn
they are life.
Until they are something else.
The things unknowable beyond.
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Thanks to you all ...
... for your heartening feedback as always!
Joyce: thankyou xxx
Kay: such a lovely exercise thankyou kx
Catrice: I feel so lucky to be part of this beautiful community. This series is part of my own personal self-care. Thank you. 💚
Susan: sending everyone everykindness
Adrienne: ❤️
Bev: long gone though you are or your kindness is
Bex: Thank you all for sharing your time tonight. I'm slipping away just now but look forward to seeing you next week xx
Giovanna: I completely agree with that CArth
Britt: I love that line 'companions of mystery'. Amazing.
Giovanna: “traumatised, and numb and often rock hard”
Britt: Agree. I know too many who are rock hard from their losses.
Giovanna: “your kindness is the lightest love”
Doreen: I loved the rhythm of that Helen
Britt: Agree, Doreen!! And it is so interesting that we keep dinosaur bones around and visit them and ignore death. I never thoughts about it.
Britt: Thanks for sharing that, Doreen...
Helen: Thanks Doreen,,,brave to share and great that you have reconnected
Helen: brilliant last line
Joyce: wonderful Kate thankyou xxx
Britt: I'd love to read that again.
Doreen: That was amazing, Amber
Helen: fabulous tribute, he sounds a very special person
Amber: that made my hair stand on end
Catrice: From my children’s laugh-loud lips — Love that line!
Helen: blown away
Doreen: That's why Giovanna makes us all jealous and question whether we should be allowed to use the same words.
Giovanna: Don’t do that Doreen, your words are so important
Giovanna: Wait until they all see your amazing book
Doreen: "Laugh loud mouths" amazing phrase
Annan: Got to run to my meeting on the hour. Thank you all and blessings.
Giovanna: thanks Cath they sound great
Amber: Thank you for creating this wonderful space Adrienne and Bev.
Amber: Great to spend this time with you all
Kay: such wonderful generous words shared at these workshops thankyou to everyone kx
Britt: Thank you!! <3
Giovanna: HUge thanks again to everyone, and especially Bev and Adrienne xxx
Y: Thank you all. Tonight was so incredibly powerful. I feel so lucky to be a part of this group Love to you all xxx
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Lapidus Scotland gratefully acknowledges the support of Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership via the Wellbeing for Longer in Glasgow Fund managed by Impact Funding Partners