18
in other words
november13
2012
THE
By Lynn Berry
Guest Contributor Christopher
Sedlmeyer
INKWELL
Fall has traditionally been a
time of turning inward, of meditating
and reflecting. In many spiritual
traditions, this is a time to remember
the dead and our ancestors, those who
have passed from this material world to
a spiritual one. For as long as humanity
has taken the time to ponder life, death,
and the soul in this season, there have
been poets who have tried to articulate
the journey. Whether it is William
Blake’s epic poem Jerusalem or the
Psalms of the Bible, poetry, by its very
nature, seems ideally suited to articulate
the experiences of the spirit—those
rare, blessed moments of clarity and
consciousness that are so often mixed
with the numinous darkness of the
unconscious and the pregnant mystery
of the unknowable source of our soul.
In Diana Peach’s untitled poem, this
journey of the spirit is presented using
a prophetic voice that continues the long spiritual tradition of
both Eastern and Western mysticism and yet points toward a new
terminology of spiritual oneness, a place of “Belonging” and a
“point of invitation”. Her poem does so beautifully what poetry
is meant to do, it allows us to pick up where our ancestors left
off and continue the spiritual journey for ourselves, with new
metaphors and new destinations.
Uncover and reveal the truth of the Way,
That the World is in and through you.
Be willing to release your judgments
For only when you are ready to forgive and only then,
Will you stand centered in the absolute power and love
That is your Belonging.
Turn within
And put your attention on your own forgiveness,
Deepening in your own love, truth and awareness.
In that place of centeredness and Belonging find us.
You then become the perfect point of invitation.
-------- Diana Peach
Better Parenting:
Thankful/Grateful
7. Can a terrible childhood make you
unthankful in life?
Often people have higher
optimism because they have faced
losses and tragedy early in life,
suggesting that adversity can promote
growth over time. But you don’t have
to wait for a tragedy to grow feelings of
gratitude. You can start right now.
8. My life is the pits how can I be
thankful for that?
Change
your
negative
thoughts from what you don’t have, to
positive thoughts about what you do
have. Sometimes we spend way too
much time being negative. I see people
focusing on what they don’t have: the
right body, the right job, the right mate,
etc. It makes our lives more difficult
and it has a bad effect on the people
around us.
9. I have never been the thankful type,
how can I change now?
Talk to yourself in creative,
positive and grateful ways. Saying
“thank you” isn’t hard for most people.
Terry’s
Gym
continued from page 16
But acting grateful, that takes more
work. You might have to change your
thinking for that to happen. Look for
small things to be grateful for. If you
are facing a challenging situation,
try to see the ways this may benefit
you eventually. For example, coping
with difficult people in your family,
on your job, or in your neighborhood
can improve your patience and
understanding with effort. Rather than
seeing your six-year old as a cranky,
irritable problem, you might reach a
conclusion that your child is tired and
needs rest. Don’t fret if people don’t
thank you.. Don’t sweat the small stuff
in life.
In closing, begin by being
thankful and grateful just for yourself.
Isn’t it better than the alternative?
References: Dr. John H. Skiare,
2006, LifeScript, Healthy Living for
Women, 2011. Robert Emmons, Ph.D,
Researcher, UCDavis, 2011, Wall Street
Journal, 2010.
---Writer’s Idea: Try on a new voice in your
poetry and open your perspectives on the
subject. If you are a shy person, try writing with
a confident exuberance, like Walt Whitman in
his famous poem, Song of Myself. If you are a
naturally self-assured person, try writing with a
more reserved tone like Emily Dickinson in her
equally famous poem, “Because I could not stop
for Death—“
---Writer’s Tip: Look for unique voices wherever
you can find them. The writer’s craft is perfected
not only in writing but also in reading. Our
personal literary style can often be shaped and
defined on other styles we have read—the technical
language of the lawyer’s brief or the military field
manual, the exaggerated language of advertising
and political campaigning, even the language of
the world’s religious texts can all broaden the
linguistic colors in our palette.
---WE ARE LOOKING FOR LOCAL POETRY.
WE NEED YOUR POEMS!!!! Please send your
original submissions to InkwellVernonia@gmail.
com or by mail: PO Box 333 Vernonia, OR
97064. Please include your name and contact
information.
Write--Express--Expand.
Chris Sedlmeyer holds an M.A. in English, specializing
in archewypal criwicism and medieval spiriwualiwy. He
has wriwwen for whe American Benedicwine Review and
currenwly wriwes a weekly blog on Carmeliwe spiriwualiwy
and discernmenw for whe American Province of whe
Order of Carmeliwes of whe Ancienw Observance.
Readers
Lend
Their
Voices...
continued from page 6
been considered and attempted?
B.
What happened?
7. CO-OP CONNECTIONS PROGRAM:
Phil Darrah, the owner of Banks Pharmacy,
will no longer accept the Connections
Card from WOEC members. The Co-op
Connection company did not disclose,
in their sales information, to Phil that
the pharmacy would be billed $3.95 per
prescription in addition to the discount
given by Phil.
The Questions:
A.
Who is the parent company of the
Co-op Connections card?
B.
How is the card delivered to
WOEC?
C.
What fees are paid by either
participating businesses or WOEC?
D.
Has WOEC verified satisfaction
of participating businesses on a continuing
basis?
8. COMMUNICATIONS: Pwr/1 believes
WOEC would benefit by increasing
communication with the membership. This
includes an enhanced website with online
access to individual KWH-use graphs, a
membership blog, conservation videos, an
online newsletter and energy generation
articles. These are some of the facts, statistics,
subjects and issues that can be easily
presented in this digital age as compared to
the cost, time and effort of published and
mailed print media or requiring members to
telephone, mail or travel to WOEC’s office.
Online enhancement is efficient, more
focused to individual member concerns
and immediately interactive. This includes
information on power outage events as to
what happened, and for those members with
computer power back up, during a power
outage, when the power will be restored,
thereby relieving traffic on dialed telephone
lines.
The Question: What is WOEC willing to
do to improve customer service and public
relations as described above?
*Pwr/1 requests written answers to the
above questions at the November Board
Meeting.
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