Gospel. Hands. Tenderness.

Early this year, I took writing class with Jeannine Ouellette. We wrote short essays inspired by Ross Gay’s Book of Delights. We were encouraged to find and write about a delight every day, as Gay had done in writing his book.

I have learned a few things while finding and writing about delight. I am reminded of the time in my past when I have kept gratitude lists. I am grounded in the importance of breath and presence. My paying attention muscles, my hope bones, my vision horizon, my imagination machination all work together to make finding delight happen like breath, when I let it. 

The month of June I have walked through a few delights I have noticed and remembered this year.

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Gospel Music Makes Me Weep

On singing into the I am and the not yet

“Spirit of Life, come unto me./ Sing in my heart all the stirrings of compassion./ Blow in the wind, rise in the sea;/ Move in the hand, giving life the shape of justice./ Roots hold me close; wings set me free;/ Spirit of Life, come to me, come to me.” – Carolyn McDade

I already knew I would cry when I read there would be a Gospel choir visiting church that Sunday. Everything about Gospel music makes me weep. Weeping is different than crying because weeping comes from the place in my soul that knows things. Things like — it does not have to be this way and it breaks my heart that it is. Things like — love one another. Full stop. Things like — building the beloved community is painful. Things like — I don’t care why they are scared or angry or “believe in small government.” (I am not at all curious about why they believe as they believe, and I am generally a voraciously curious person.) Things like — I am so damn angry I could bust.

Read entire post here.

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Holding Nana’s Hands

Remembering a final touch

I was holding my Nana’s hands when she passed away. I was her only granddaughter. Her namesake. Her beauty shop companion. Her sidekick rose gardener. Her sous chef who loved butter as much as she did. Her New Year’s Eve date. Her engagement ring diamonds are the diamonds in my engagement ring. The gold from her engagement ring forms my wedding band.

Read entire post here.

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Tenderness is in the hands.

Writing. Kintsugi. Nana’s hands.

I wrote with both hands in a writing class a few years ago. We wrote using our right (dominant, for me) and our left (non-dominant) hands. I started the exercise with pen and paper and journal and then moved to the computer as the conversation between my brain’s right and left side took off. Tenderness moves between our heads, our hearts, and our hands. Imagination breathes in and out, in and out, in and out. When we use our hands, we channel magic.

Read the entire post here.

Thank you for taking a walk with me. Subscribe to the Wide-Awakeness Project to take more walks and find delight.Subscribed

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