Welcome back to LifeThemes2012 – a new blog series celebrating the 2-year anniversary of SunnyRoomStudio. As you know, this series is based on the wonderful quote by Rilke: “The only journey is the journey within.” And to facilitate our journey within, we’re looking at life themes … unearthing them for greater self and universal awareness. I appreciate all of your wonderful comments last week and can see that you are intrigued by this topic, as well.
We come spinning out of nothingness, scattering stars like dust. ~Rumi
Last week I shared a primary theme in my life: nature. When I try to identify a life theme, I look for something that has been present in my life for as long as I can remember … maybe showing up in various guises, but still there … when I peer closely.
- Another theme for me is spirituality … seeing life as a journey within … as a wonderful mystery.
This orientation was nurtured in me as a young girl by my grandmother. A devout woman of the prairie, Anna was a wonderful influence in my life … gently pointing to our mortal journey as something more. She didn’t lecture me on the subject; she lived her spirituality. And my curious girlhood nature didn’t miss a beat.
- I’ve never met a more peaceful person.
Never rattled or short on patience, never bored or malcontent, never finding anything to complain about.
Anna was all about love. That’s how my young heart perceived her.
She basically lived this quote by Lao Tzu …
Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the world belongs to you.
It’s an amazing experience to be around someone who personifies contentment. And somehow, even as a young girl, I sensed it … knew that she’d found that wonderful place within that asks for nothing more. Of course I couldn’t articulate these things until I was much older, but what a gift … being around someone like her during those impressionable early years.
- If she’d figured out some things in life, so could I.
A lifestyle so simple … a presence so peaceful … a smile so real.
As I matured, and during times of decision or enormous personal challenge, I’ve always returned to my spirituality — somehow knowing her memory would guide me. Encourage me. To dig a little deeper, refusing to live on the surface of life … never having the courage to look within or to grow.
- For me, Anna is only a whisper away.
Turning to Rilke again …
The future enters into us, in order to transform itself in us, long before it happens.
~ Rainer Maria Rilke
What early encounters did you have that evolved into something more, into a life theme — into a profound and lasting experience? Are the blossoms of your youth becoming apparent only now? What happened along the way to confirm your earliest impressions?
Has spirituality been a life theme for you? How so?
- I hope you are enjoying this journey within. Thank you so much for being here to share in this celebration. I look forward to learning more about your process of discovery with “life themes” as our umbrella.
- Next Friday we take a brief pause in our LifeThemes series to welcome the amazing Jen Knox to SunnyRoomStudio as my first guest for 2012.
Sometimes we just have to look a little closer at our lives to find what seems hidden from us. We have to embark on the journey within. Here’s a bit more encouragement from the author of Conversations with God …
By providing the kingdom of heaven to others.
By being the kingdom of heaven, in which others may find refuge and strength.
By bringing the kingdom of heaven, and all its blessings,
to all those whose lives you touch.
For what you give, you become.
~Neale Donald Walsch
in SunnyRoomStudio: all rights reserved.
22 Comments
For me nature and spirituality are tied very closely together, also writing haiku is almost a spiritual practice.
Juliet, I agree about writing haiku … great observation. It’s a wonderful art form that really gets at the heart of the matter. Thanks so much for your thoughts here today!
I’d say that nature and spirituality are a finely knitted pattern in my life. One without the other doesn’t seem possible.
As I read your post today I thought how blessed you’ve been with a grandmother so full of love and wisdom; her effects remain highly visible.
Thanks Lee for your visit! Yes, I can see both of those themes being a big part of your life. And you’re right — they are closely aligned. My grandmother loved being outdoors in her yard … caring for a garden, 3 apple trees, a walnut tree, and so on. She was an amazing gift and we even had the same xmas eve birthday. I feel her spirit lives on in me. Take care, have a wonderful week.
Beautiful post Daisy! I am never sure how spirituality finds its way into my day-to-day living but it does. I suspect it is such an internalized way of being that I don’t notice unless I focus on it, only to find it has always been there – on my walks, while making cookies, with camera in hand, or brushes and canvas at the ready for my paints.
Hello Terrill … thanks so much for sharing your bright light here today! As an artist, I’m sure your life is comprised of many wonderful themes that find expression in your work. (Last week, when this series opened, I focused on nature as a primary theme, and I’m sure we both relate to that in many ways.) Appreciate your time today as SunnyRoomStudio celebrates its 2-year anniversary. A milestone with great meaning for me. Nice to share it with kindred spirits!
Anna sounds wonderful, Daisy. I had lots of Annie’s and Anne’s and Maggie’s and Margartet’s growing up. My grandmother Alice was very British and I’m sure that’s where my basic personality comes from. No matter what you have to deal with, tough it up, she would always say. Of course, the down side was she’s probably also responsible for my semi-dyslexia issues as she insisted that I write with my right hand in her presence. To be left-handed in her eyes was to be possessed by the very devil himself. I have several “Alice” pieces in which I’ve tried to capture her. Her spiritual place was church and her rock garden. Mine is in writing – the release of what I capture from the swirl of the cosmos. Your posts are wonderful, Daisy.
“Mine is in writing – the release of what I capture from the swirl of the cosmos.” … well said, Taylor! We all find our spirituality in unique ways and, as we discover avenues for its expression, the world is a brighter place. So good to have you here. Loved the story you shared. (rock gardens are fascinating :)
What a blessing to have had your impressionable young mind molded by Anna! You must have instinctively known her’s was a path worth following. I did not have the good fortune to have an Anna in my life, but at an early age, I knew something was amiss in my religious teachings. I knew there was more than the dogma, platitudes, and infighting so rife in traditional churches. So, at the age of seven or eight, I took on the mantle of seeker. I didn’t find the answers I was seeking until my battle with cancer in my late twenties. And even then, I was left with more questions than answers. Still today, I seek to tame my rambunctious spirit and settle into a quiet spirituality, but I’ve learned to embrace the mystery of the journey. I’ve come full circle, realizing that the world was functioning perfectly all along. It was I who needed to learn how to “see” it properly. Thank you, Daisy, for this very inspiring series! We all need little reminders now and then to take the time from our busy lives to look within. ;)
You were wise at a young age … seeking something beyond labels, easy definitions, conformity. That’s a blessing in itself! Marianne Williamson (A Return to Love: Reflections on A Course in Miracles) talks about a miracle being a shift in perception. I’d say that’s what you describe, Cynthia. How beautiful and inspiring! Thanks so much for dropping by … I appreciate it and hope you have a lovely week!
Sad to read Madeline’s comment. I only knew one grandmother–the other died when I was a toddler–and she (Lily) was a great influence on my life. Thank you for sharing Anna with us!
Monti
Mary Montague Sikes
Love the name Lily … so glad you stopped by, Monti. Have a great week!
” She didn’t lecture me on the subject; she lived her spirituality.”
Anna clearly was and is a tremendous positive presence in your life. Thank you for sharing her here with us. I’m looking forward to meeting Jen.
I sense, Laurie, that spirituality has also been a life theme for you … how did it first manifest in your life?
Thank you.
Great you could stop by, Ben. Thanks!
You are so fortunate to have had an Anna in your life. Neither my grandmothers nor my mother were calming influences in my life. In fact my mother was the opposite. My life calmed down a lot after her death at age 94. Unfortunately a major influence in my youth was the death of a favorite uncle in a plane crash.
But, I’m sure it wasn’t all black. You have inspired me to look for other more positive and peaceful influences.
Thanks as always. xoxo
Thanks, Madeline, for your visit, for sharing your impressions. Yes, I think we have to seek out positive and peaceful influences in our lives … Anna lived to be almost 100, but I wish it could have been forever. Yet, her memory is still a powerful reality in my life. And maybe we all can benefit indirectly from her timeless spirit. So good to have you here today. –Daisy
Madeline’s comment is close to my experience. I was raised in turmoil, so maybe that’s why I feel so comfortable with chaos. But I will say this: Mom taught us kids to hear the silence of the outdoors, of nature, and we all grew up savoring that. She would say, “Shhh! Listen.” And we would fall silent, turning our little heads this way and that, hearing the richness of the quiet. In my 40s I met my husband, and taught him to love it. He said he never appreciated it before. Think of this: in the middle of the desert, or in an isolated picnic place in the mountains, the sound of nothing but birds, the wind in the vegetation…peace. Thanks, Daisy, for your thoughtful posts. So beautiful.
Chaos and peace … life has a way of delivering both. Luckily, my earliest impressions were of the peaceful variety, but chaos was never too far away! The ying and the yang. In tracing my spiritual roots though (to identify another life theme for this blog series), I found myself as a little girl sipping tea with my grandmother. Relishing her quiet ways, her contentment. We do come full circle in life it seems … and then we grow again … repeating the cycle time and time again. Thanks, Lynne, for your comment and thoughts … I loved this: “…to hear the silence of the outdoors, of nature…”
I look forward to Jen Knox’s visit to Sunny Room. I have read both of her books. She has a powerful voice.
To your post today, Daisy, I say thank you. This quote is so meaningful to me.
“How may you seek the kingdom of heaven?
By providing the kingdom of heaven to others.
By being the kingdom of heaven, in which others may find refuge and strength.
By bringing the kingdom of heaven, and all its blessings,
to all those whose lives you touch.
For what you give, you become.”
~Neale Donald Walsch
A good friend is having surgery today. I told her I would pray for her and she responded, “I know. You always pray for me.” This dear woman told me years ago that God gives grace to those who extend it. And then she gestured toward me. It brought tears to my eyes. May I give grace to someone who desperately needs it this day.
So glad you’re acquainted with Jen’s work, Holly. She’s such a joy to connect with! Your good friend is so lucky to have you … you grace the lives of so many. Thank you for being here to share in this sunny space. Blessings, Holly!