Renewed!

I spent this past weekend visiting with good friends who have rented a flat in Paris for the month… France was celebrating Pentecost while we enjoyed the revivifying effects of special friendships. Our travel usually ties into work of some kind, lecturing or research, but this weekend away was purely and simply a much-needed holiday. We spent hours lingering over leisurely breakfasts and came home to simple suppers of fresh tomatoes,french bread, and cheese accompanied by good wine and deep conversation. During the days, we visited Paris landmarks and wandered comfortably through shops, cafes, churches, and cemeteries. My friend, Erwin, wrote this morning that Pentecost reminds us that “Spirit is blowing everywhere.” When I read his post this morning I thought about how well our weekend fit into the spirit of Pentecost.

And, of course, labyrinth enthusiasts that we are, we made a quick trip to Chartres on Friday, realizing late Thursday evening that the famous Chartres labyrinth was likely to be open and that this was a rare opportunity for us to make a mini-pilgrimage together. What a joy to be able to simply catch a train to take us to a place that looms so large in our hearts and imaginations!

I’ve been to Chartres enough times now to feel at home with the streets, the shops, the cafes — and the Cathedral. Inside, the splendid windows soothe my soul while the candles and statues welcome me home. Memories of past pilgrimages weave through the cool air as I revisit the stones and treasures I know and love so deeply… new memories in the making!

While the cathedral prepared to receive its Pentecost pilgrims, we arrived less officially, but in good company nevertheless.Within moments of disembarking from the train, we walked straight into a group of CSJ’s from Minnesota, including several good friends from my spiritual community there. Later in the day, other friends from far-off places drifted into the cathedral and we enjoyed that incredible sense of belonging to an international family where an unexpected rendezvous is always a heartwarming delight.

Another highlight of the trip was our Saturday evening pilgrimage to Montmartre. Despite having visited Paris numerous times in the past, I had never gone up to Montmartre, and really had no idea of what to expect. It being a holiday weekend, there was a party-like atmosphere on the crowded streets, and I loved the sense of easy comfort as we listened to music drifted into shops, and rode the funicular to the top of the famous steps.

Sacre Coeur was crowded, and I was somehow surprised that everyone who had gone up seemed to be making a visit to the church; it was such a party atmosphere out on the steps and streets that I wouldn’t have expected many people to take time to walk around the church. How wrong I was! Despite the crowds, I could feel Spirit blowing through — and in a moment of quiet inspiration, my own heart opened to answers I had been seeking. I left with a new sense of purpose and direction…

Women need to spend time with other women — unstructured time to allow hearts to open and stories to flow. Paris provided a wonderful backdrop and gave us unforgettable memories (as well as luscious cappuccinos and great wines), but it is friendship that heals the soul and renews one’s zest for life!

To share our memories, I have posted an online photo album here . Enjoy!

 

With Full Heart

Many of you who read this blog know my family, others do not. Some of you know that between us, Jeff and I have 4 grown children and 5 grandchildren, with two more on the way. Last Christmas, a family crisis in California changed us — in good ways — forever.

On December 7, our 7-year-old grandson, Aaron, was diagnosed with a massive brain tumor. I flew in from England immediately and spent the rest of the month with my family there while Aaron had brain surgery and began his recovery, first with 3 weeks in a pediatric intensive care unit (where we all spent Christmas) and then with another few weeks in a Children’s Hospital Rehabilitation unit. There he had to re-learn the basic skills of standing and walking. We saw and experienced things in those weeks that touched us deeply.

To make a long story short, Aaron far surpassed the our wildest hopes and insisted on returning to school almost as soon as he was released from the hospital in mid-January. By mid-March, he was discharged from physical therapy and we had “our” Aaron back, fully and completely, with only a few scars on his head, which he seems to think of as a badge of honor of some sort. In his words, “I had a brain tumor, but it’s gone now.” His most recent MRI was clear and he’s looking forward to a long and normal life….

….Except that in some ways the word normal could now read exceptional. I don’t think it is possible to go through what he did without growing up quickly in some remarkable ways. As a family, we were beautifully supported by family, friends, and community during that strange and stressful Christmas season. People gave and gave…. and gave. Now, less than 6 months after his diagnosis, Aaron has found a way to give back.

He has decided to fundraise for a local pediatric brain tumor foundation, the Sami Disharoon Foundation, who stepped in immediately when they realized that Aaron’s family needed financial help so that his parents could take the necessary time off work to be at his bedside. On May 10, Aaron, his sister Anna, and his mother, Kirsten, will be participating in Sonoma County’s Human Race to raise money to be used in helping other children’s families. His two little sisters, Abigail and Amelia, and his father, Greg, will be cheering from the sidelines.

Aaron has written a little webpage which I invite you to visit here. He has always loved money and is excited about this opportunity to raise funds to help others, checking his totals daily. Following the links, you’ll notice that Aaron has pledged high; this is an 8-year-old who has good reason to believe in miracles!

If I learned anything last December, it is that we live in a kind and generous community. Volunteering has always been part of my life, but never before had I been on the receiving end like this. As a grandmother, I am pleased and proud that Aaron is choosing to say thank you in such an open-hearted way. To see him walking is nothing short of a miracle; to see him walking for the benefit of others is sheer joy. My heart is full.

If you would like to support Aaron in his efforts to raise money for the Disharoon Foundation, please go his webpage or contact me for details on how to contribute to a fund that will be matched by Kirsten’s employer. And wherever you are when you read this, I invite you to think back on the miracles in your life and ask yourself how you might express your gratitude for those miracles.

 

Seasonal Paradox

This tug-of-war between the seasons really fascinates me. After a week of spring, we’re suddenly back to winter today, with snow falling since early this morning. I love the feeling of curling up in the house where two layers of paned glass protect me from the icy air. I was 18 years old before I saw snow actually fall from the sky. As a Califonia girl (Northern California, if you please), I had made plenty of winter pilgrimages to Lake Tahoe to play in the snow, always secretly hoping for a good blizzard that would snow us in for a few days á la Little House on the Prairie and the other books I had grown up with… but my wish never came true and we always made it home in without seeing a single snowflake.

So, this is pretty exciting, and just a bit exhilarating. We are leaving Tuesday morning to attend a board meeting in Minnesota (where I would expect to see weather like this) and I know that by the time we get back, this shoulder season will be gone and this seasonal paradox will have yielded to new flowers and fresh green leaves. I’ll welcome it! But as so often happens, my knitting mirrors my world. I’ve just finished blocking my latest socks, a surprise gift for a special lady… Don’t they look like those brave hyacinths, minus the snow? Warm socks pretending to welcome a sunny spring!

 

Memoir

Memoir in an image and six words:

Mystery gives birth to endless flow…

The lovely Peaceful Knitter tagged me last week (my first tag!!), challenging me to pen a 6-word memoir then illustrate it with an image. I’ve spent the past few days pondering deeply, asking myself about what six words could possibly sum up my passage through life….. The answer is Mystery as she weaves her magic into my ordinary existence.

I suppose some of you will be surprised that I did not show an image of the labyrinth, which I surely could have done, as Mystery led me to the labyrinth as surely as it accompanies me through the meandering paths of my journey through life. Indeed, the dedication in my doctoral dissertation which was on the labyrinth’s potential for transformation reads:

To Mystery,

who guides our passage through life’s

strange and unexpected turnings

From my love of labryinths, to my knitting and beading, to the cherished connections I have with friends and family throughout the world, I have learned that Mystery gives birth to endless flow….

In turn, I tag Tales from the Labyrinth, the blog that made me yearn to blog; MyMaze, who might choose to write his memoir in his native German; firefly of I Live on a Farm, who inspires me with her boundless energy and beautiful taste; Wovenflame, who probably doesn’t know I exist, but who opens her heart, her family, and her knitting to the world; and Thistle Hill, in hopes that this will rekindle her blogging efforts.

 

Spiralling Onwards

Labyrinth Angel

It is always so gratifying to catch a glimpse of the world in its ever-ongoing spiral. I’m sure that’s why the labyrinth draws me as it does, providing me with a gentle reminder of this eternal principle. Our home is spiralling at the moment. My close friend, Chris, is having her (long-awaited) new living room furniture delivered today, and she has passed her old furniture on to us. A family member had given it to her a few years ago to use until she was ready to buy a new suite herself…. recycling like this both reuses the furniture and weaves friends, families, and strangers together in our generosity and needs. For us, it is a change, a chance to rethink our surroundings as it sets an invisible spiral of giving and recycling in amongst the labyrinth images and spirals that decorate our house.

What can you spiral onwards today?

New to Us!

 

Easter Greetings!

Snow on Easter Day…. a first for me!

May your day be filled with wonder….

 

A Look Back in Time

My good friend, Pauline, and I went into London yesterday for a long-awaited Girls’ Day Out. After purchasing our tickets, we warmed ourselves with cups steaming of hot chocolate while we waited on the platform at Rayleigh Station. Transferring to the Docklands Light Railway at Stratford, we passed bustling construction sites for the 2012 Olympics and headed into a part of London I’d never seen. Sparkling new building are set into the old Docklands where the train stops still bear the names of the area’s interesting and colourful history… West India Quay, Mudchute, Island Gardens, Canary Wharf.

We had a destination, a place that sounded perfect for a day out with no husbands in tow. From the outside it looks like just another Georgian townhouse set in a Greenwhich neighbourhood of discreetly lovely homes….but inside is housed The Fan Museum, the only museum in the world dedicated solely to showcasing fans from around the world. The museum is beautifully and artistically laid out, reflecting the refinement and elegance of a bygone age. Even the warm welcome at the front desk seemed an invitation into another world.

As chance would have it, the current exhibit is A Touch of Dutch: the Royal Fans from the House of Orange-Nassau containing dozens of exquisite fans on loan from the Netherlands. As two of my dearest friends are Dutch, I have a great interest in the Netherlands, so I was thrilled by this glimpse into the Dutch Royal Family at time when the women would give each other beautiful fans, sometimes set with diamond and other gems, for special occasions. These fans would then show up discreetly in various portraits and court pictures, giving a sense of the importance they held for the recipients. I felt I was being given a peek into not only the fashion, but also the relationships that wove through these women’s lives. I found myself wondering about their long-ago days out together…

Time moves on and fashions come and go,

but the magical thread of feminine connection

endures as it sustains us

through the journeys that are our lives.

 

Monolithic Shadows

 

 

In my mind I feel like I’m at an edge deep within my soul, seeking to discover the Self who lurks in the shadows of the monoliths that stand guard over my possibilities, potentials, and secrets. Perhaps this longing for shadowy exploration explains my incredible draw to places like the Outer Hebrides and the Orkneys in Scotland (where this picture was taken). As we travel by ferry, road, and foot, I can feel myself leaving the crowded safety of my usual life. My inner world reflects my travel in the outer world, and I hear the whispers of my soul more clearly as I approach the edges of what I know about myself. Light, shadows, reflections hold new layers of meanings…

Since recommitting myself to blogging as a way of communicating with my widespread and farflung family and community, I find myself thinking about it a lot, writing posts in my head as I go about my life. A nasty little voice in my head hisses that my eclecticism is confusing to readers and probably indicates some great shortcoming… but there is also a stronger voice of Truth rising to the surface. I recognize that voice… it is the one whose whispers take me on great adventures and give colour and shape to my life. Who would want to resist that invitation? So, I will write fearlessly about my work with labyrinths, my creative pursuits, my life in England, and my spiritual explorations along with whatever else fires my imagination and touches my heart.

Meanwhile, I am enjoying the memory of what it feels like to lean against these giant standing stones, to let my body relax and simply be embraced and supported by monoliths for whom time knows no limits.

Thanks to my husband, Jeff Saward, for this photo of the Ring of Brodgar which he took on one of our recent tours to Scotland. © Labyrinthos, www.labyrinthos.net

 

Reaching Through Time and Space

Look what dropped through my letterbox this morning!

We live in such an age of miracles…. Last Thursday night I sent off an e-mail to a little shop on the other side of the world, and this morning my current heart’s desire was in my hands. And can you see how it’s addressed? Who wouldn’t smile about being called marvelous at 8:00 on a drizzly grey morning? And things only got better when I tore open the package…

I have a new project unfolding, one that has been incubating for quite some time now. And these are the little bits and pieces I’ve been wanting for my work. But they’re more than little trinkets… I work with beads as much as with yarn, and this series is beaded. I’m exploring ways of honouring the diverse and eclectic nature of women, and the connections that exist between us.

I’m taking both my inspiration and my motivation from a group of friends in Minnesota. These four women graduated from high school together some years ago, and now meet up once a month or so to keep in touch and stay connected. Although I wasn’t in their school (or even their state), I graduated the same year, and they invite me to join them when I visit Minnesota. Something about this really touches my heart and I’m finding that I treasure our little spark of connection and want to honour it — and them — as part of a bigger picture of Womanly Friendship and Connection.

My first piece is finished, but I’ll wait to unveil her until her first few companions are similarly complete. With luck, each of those women will receive her own little artpiece when we get together in April. Imagine living in a world where our circles can span oceans and continents, as well as decades…

 

Knitters Unite!

I’ve mentioned Ravelry earlier — but let me say a bit more. Are you a knitter? If so, Ravelry is a great way to compare your knitting projects with what the rest of the world is knitting. You can post pictures of your work, keep records of your stash, plan your next projects, and download free patterns.

If you’re on Ravelry, you can find me listed as klsaward. If you’re not on yet, you’ll have to register for an invitation. Joining is free, but you’ll have to be patient as it takes a week or two for new invitations to be issued. Once you’re in, let me know and I’ll link to you as a friend.