Paul Gauguin, Christ in the Garden of Olives, 1889
The Gospel reading for today is from Luke 9 and Jesus' saying, 'whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life will save it'. I'm immediately reminded of Joseph Campbell's great quote
You must give up the life you planned in order to have the life that is waiting for you.
Sometimes, we and our great Plans, just get in the way of living the life we have!
If at this moment, this life bring pain, breathe through it...
If at this moment, this life brings joy, cherish it...
If at this moment, this life brings loss, sit with it....
If at this moment, this life brings triumph, savour it...
The fact that life and death are 'not two' is extremely difficult to grasp,
not because it is so complex, but because it is so simple.
Ken Wilber
Life is never either/or, it's always both/and...
I had a chaotic childhood which has resulted in me being quite the control freak. In my garden however, Nature makes, and breaks, the rules and I just accept whatever comes along-such a relief.
ReplyDeleteI think gardens have a lot to teach us - they are spiritual places...
DeleteDon't know if you know this quote I used in journal page - keep scrolling, there's a close up of the quote :)
http://decide-what-you-want.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/ia-challenge-art-with-heart.html
Perfect quote, Claire. I'm going to put it in my line of vision when I first wake. My sight line also takes in the kitchen garden and the barn so I can't think of a better place for it.
DeleteI learned with Max's autism diagnosis, that there was nothing I could really do other than be present and always ready to change. He's taught me so much throughout the years, about patience, about never giving up hope.
ReplyDeleteI have been broken into pieces and built myself back up. And you know, I wouldn't change what's happened. It's made me appreciate our lives so so much more. <3
Thank you so much for sharing this, Marylin... May we support each other through the hard times and joyfully share the good times, for we are all connected x
DeleteWhat marvelous quotes - new to me.Thank you Claire. It's taken me years to understand this - of course I often
ReplyDeletestill forget, but now I know that's ok, it's just being human!:).
Indeed, Jules, indeed! It's good to connect in our humanness x
DeleteThank you for this Claire, today I am having a 'breathe through pain' day - and it is so easy for me to almost fall into that trap of forgetting to breathe properly, so this is a lovely reminder of a way to stay in balance and remember not only 'this too shall pass' but also 'it is all good' in the long view. x
ReplyDeleteBless you, Mary, I'm sorry it's a 'breathe through pain' day... I'll breathe with you... it saves me most days, and yes, 'this too will pass'... hopefully more quickly when sharing with a friend xx
DeleteWhen we give up trying to control everything we seem to find peace. Giving up to find....somehow it works!
ReplyDelete