Thank you for this. Right this moment, I’m redirecting my concerns about loss and and feelings about general concerns in relation to running out of time with and for so much in my life. And the charged part has come from 2 funerals in one week and an ordering form for a DNR bracelet for my Mom. I am learning not to worry about things until I need to and am really reminding myself to be here in gratitude. I am so truly lucky!! I wrote this hoping to process and transcend these feelings:
Never Again Always
There are many types of things that will never again happen in one’s lifetime.
I call them the never agains’.
Some never agains’ are freeing and create so much expansion and joy, and these are often accompanied by begins’.
Some never agains’ take time to adjust to and though they may be uncomfortable at first, they hold potential for wondrous growth and changes.
Some never agains’ are revealed by the nature of time, and they are precious to behold at every stage.
Some never agains’ require acceptance and are accompanied by peace.
And some never agains’ create so much space that it hurts deep down to our very soul.
But these never agains’ are the most sacred kind of never agains’.
Hey Carrie! I just returned from 3 weeks in Tanzania visiting Tanzanian friends who are doing amazing work despite immense challenges. I needed a reentry tool, so your latest Spotify playlist was my go-to that I’m listening to right now. Your Sunday Thoughts set my mental pace for my return.
You don’t promise nirvana but you offer a perspective that, I believe, reflects reality. Life will not be perfect, but we can all generate good the best we can and it will create ripples of good energy. Expecting more (perfection) creates and fuels our needless anxiety. I’ll hang onto that thought as I get my feet back on the ground here in the US.
Just wanted to thank you for bringing goodness into my world! You’re awesome!
Thank you Carrie for such a wonderful reminder today. Your words can calm a restless soul. You bring so much positive to a world where we are surrounded by so much negative. Safe travels to you and John. What I would give to be a part of your week long retreat!! 🥰
"...hope emerges from daily action for good. I choose to believe that how we live our daily lives matters"
It is not an easy choice: "to believe that how we live our daily lives matters". It requires an effort to live so that life matters. It would be easier to say: "my individual actions have no influence, greater forces rule the world". But the effort of taking daily actions for good is the only choice that gives hope. Every one of us has their own talent, their own realm to do some good every day. An individual action may matter a little, but when there are millions of people who try to live in a similar way, a power to overcome the evil emerges. Thank you, Carrie, for your "daily actions for good": sharing the wisdom of a poet, in songs and in writing. They matter for many.
So very true. My experiences in life form who I am to some degree. It them is up to me to filter through the stuff to find my truth. So I need to allow others the same space and respect. None of us will end up in the same spot. But we can findable way to work and live together.
I love your sharing. It's so true! Acts of love make a difference in the world be they big, small, or in-between. Unfortunately, what's often emphasized in society, especially the media, is the negative, which gives a skewed impression of reality. Over the years, there are many beliefs I've had to lay down basically because I just didn't believe they were true. I remember back in college, after reading the Gospels and some psychology books, including Jung, I realized the interconnections between the two. Also, I realized that people are basically good as creatures of God, not essentially bad. Love is stronger than the darkness. Of course, this is not to deny the presence of dark forces and their destructive influence. A spirit that provides a charge for me is truth in love and especially speaking truth in love to power. Of course, there are many other beliefs I have that inspire me. Thanks for your sharing!
Carrie I gave you a shout out this morning on the Poetry Unbound Substack article about singer songwriter poets. So many of your words within your songs have a *charge*, but I continue to be recharged by your song “I Can Do This Hard Thing”. Thank you for sharing your words, your music, and your light with the world.
Love how you bring light into the world. You truly are a beautiful gift who continues to lift and highlight others weaving a beautiful tapestry of goodness . ❤️🙏❤️Yes there is darkness but as you say “Lean into The Light” ☀️🤗☀️
Carrie, I am grateful for your putting these thoughts out into the world, because they do make a difference to at least this one weary soul. I will add A Great Wild Mercy to my thought toolbox, or first aid kit, I’m not sure which. I live too much in a space I call The Sacred Ache, where I see the world as it is (or as I perceive it to be) and how beautiful it could be, and feel the ache of the in between area, trying to pull them together. I know there are lessons to be learned here, like acceptance of what is, and being more aware of examples goodness. Thank you for your offering to the world and this community.
Thank you. In retirement from Ministry I have learned people are more than the news identifies them as. A neighbor has a very ugly flag in his yard that supported Trump and used the F word regarding Biden. I was very concerned about the presence of such thought in my new neighbor hood.
One day he was out walking and I had a chance to get to know him. As he told me his life story I came to know this man as more than the news had identified him. He had cancer and in his fight we became friends. I attended his funeral as was saddened I would not learn more from this man.
We are more than the identity the world assigned to us. I am still learning this in retirement and am blessed everyone a door is opened to me.
The strong beliefs that people have don't come out of a vacuum. Their experiences set the stage, and as you pointed out, people are way more complex than their flags would suggest.
Thank you, Carrie. This, a truly lovely way to begin our Sabbath work of envisioning mercy and love at all times and places ... and making it so the rest of the week!
Thank you for this. Right this moment, I’m redirecting my concerns about loss and and feelings about general concerns in relation to running out of time with and for so much in my life. And the charged part has come from 2 funerals in one week and an ordering form for a DNR bracelet for my Mom. I am learning not to worry about things until I need to and am really reminding myself to be here in gratitude. I am so truly lucky!! I wrote this hoping to process and transcend these feelings:
Never Again Always
There are many types of things that will never again happen in one’s lifetime.
I call them the never agains’.
Some never agains’ are freeing and create so much expansion and joy, and these are often accompanied by begins’.
Some never agains’ take time to adjust to and though they may be uncomfortable at first, they hold potential for wondrous growth and changes.
Some never agains’ are revealed by the nature of time, and they are precious to behold at every stage.
Some never agains’ require acceptance and are accompanied by peace.
And some never agains’ create so much space that it hurts deep down to our very soul.
But these never agains’ are the most sacred kind of never agains’.
These are the kind of never agains’
that when it is time, become ALWAYSes’.
The beautiful thing about the alwayses’
is that the alwayses’ WERE always there,
and the alwayses’ WILL always be there,
And ALWAYSes’
are always accompanied by LOVE
..Always ❤️
Friends are important and we should always let them know we appreciate them. Book are important because they ta
Hey Carrie! I just returned from 3 weeks in Tanzania visiting Tanzanian friends who are doing amazing work despite immense challenges. I needed a reentry tool, so your latest Spotify playlist was my go-to that I’m listening to right now. Your Sunday Thoughts set my mental pace for my return.
You don’t promise nirvana but you offer a perspective that, I believe, reflects reality. Life will not be perfect, but we can all generate good the best we can and it will create ripples of good energy. Expecting more (perfection) creates and fuels our needless anxiety. I’ll hang onto that thought as I get my feet back on the ground here in the US.
Just wanted to thank you for bringing goodness into my world! You’re awesome!
Thank you Carrie for such a wonderful reminder today. Your words can calm a restless soul. You bring so much positive to a world where we are surrounded by so much negative. Safe travels to you and John. What I would give to be a part of your week long retreat!! 🥰
Good reminders for us this morning. Thanks Carrie. There is no one solution. It will take many solutions to find our way.
"...hope emerges from daily action for good. I choose to believe that how we live our daily lives matters"
It is not an easy choice: "to believe that how we live our daily lives matters". It requires an effort to live so that life matters. It would be easier to say: "my individual actions have no influence, greater forces rule the world". But the effort of taking daily actions for good is the only choice that gives hope. Every one of us has their own talent, their own realm to do some good every day. An individual action may matter a little, but when there are millions of people who try to live in a similar way, a power to overcome the evil emerges. Thank you, Carrie, for your "daily actions for good": sharing the wisdom of a poet, in songs and in writing. They matter for many.
So very true. My experiences in life form who I am to some degree. It them is up to me to filter through the stuff to find my truth. So I need to allow others the same space and respect. None of us will end up in the same spot. But we can findable way to work and live together.
I love your sharing. It's so true! Acts of love make a difference in the world be they big, small, or in-between. Unfortunately, what's often emphasized in society, especially the media, is the negative, which gives a skewed impression of reality. Over the years, there are many beliefs I've had to lay down basically because I just didn't believe they were true. I remember back in college, after reading the Gospels and some psychology books, including Jung, I realized the interconnections between the two. Also, I realized that people are basically good as creatures of God, not essentially bad. Love is stronger than the darkness. Of course, this is not to deny the presence of dark forces and their destructive influence. A spirit that provides a charge for me is truth in love and especially speaking truth in love to power. Of course, there are many other beliefs I have that inspire me. Thanks for your sharing!
Carrie I gave you a shout out this morning on the Poetry Unbound Substack article about singer songwriter poets. So many of your words within your songs have a *charge*, but I continue to be recharged by your song “I Can Do This Hard Thing”. Thank you for sharing your words, your music, and your light with the world.
Thank you Carrie,
A realistic, though positive perspective, is so refreshing - especially when the news we're bombarded with seems so stale.
Carrie ,
Love how you bring light into the world. You truly are a beautiful gift who continues to lift and highlight others weaving a beautiful tapestry of goodness . ❤️🙏❤️Yes there is darkness but as you say “Lean into The Light” ☀️🤗☀️
I believe in the power of nature. It is everyday that I try to still myself and separate the negativity that looms below.
Nature will heal if I allow it. I must surrender to a power greater than myself. That's the mercy!
Thanks Carrie, you are an inspiration.
Carrie, I am grateful for your putting these thoughts out into the world, because they do make a difference to at least this one weary soul. I will add A Great Wild Mercy to my thought toolbox, or first aid kit, I’m not sure which. I live too much in a space I call The Sacred Ache, where I see the world as it is (or as I perceive it to be) and how beautiful it could be, and feel the ache of the in between area, trying to pull them together. I know there are lessons to be learned here, like acceptance of what is, and being more aware of examples goodness. Thank you for your offering to the world and this community.
Thank you. In retirement from Ministry I have learned people are more than the news identifies them as. A neighbor has a very ugly flag in his yard that supported Trump and used the F word regarding Biden. I was very concerned about the presence of such thought in my new neighbor hood.
One day he was out walking and I had a chance to get to know him. As he told me his life story I came to know this man as more than the news had identified him. He had cancer and in his fight we became friends. I attended his funeral as was saddened I would not learn more from this man.
We are more than the identity the world assigned to us. I am still learning this in retirement and am blessed everyone a door is opened to me.
The strong beliefs that people have don't come out of a vacuum. Their experiences set the stage, and as you pointed out, people are way more complex than their flags would suggest.
Thank you, Carrie. This, a truly lovely way to begin our Sabbath work of envisioning mercy and love at all times and places ... and making it so the rest of the week!