On Purpose

Latin reconcilare "to bring together again; regain; win over again, conciliate,” "The success of a relationship is a function of the extent to which it meets the needs of two people" Dr. Phil Relationships are not easy, especially when a trust is broken, or an action becomes unforgivable to both parties. Before we outcast our once beloved to the ranks of a “negative” person and banish them from our lives, it is important to take a considered reality check on how you contributed to the breakdown of the relationship. What is truly important? “My children are important”   This was my mantra after my marriage breakdown. It was a cornerstone in that it kept me grounded and initially was the motivation for me to continue moving forward through some difficult days. This mantra changed its perspective when I started seeing the effect on my children of not having their father around. They saw bitterness in my attitude when I spoke of him, and despite...

There is a different kind of enchantment in berry picking. Anyone who has plucked the firm-fleshed, glossy nuggets of goodness -- and loves the process -- simply needs no further explanation. You “get it”. The places where these delights are found (Huckleberries specifically) are typically uninhabited by humans. Entering into this space with this awareness (in my experience) often heightens senses that at any time a four-legged friend may cross one’s path, and the sense of anticipation in that something unexpected could happen is palpable. So where does the receiving come into this? Focusing on the berries, and the attention that is paid to the “everything else” around you is a form of meditation. While blissfully steeped in the surrounding environment, in a labour of love and conscientiously collecting the huckleberries I fill my hand with the berries and place them into my bucket. This action continues for a long period of time. Then I drop some berries. I place wha...

I CREATE WHAT I SPEAK I create what I speak. I create what I speak? I create. CREATE; To form out of nothing -- something. Something to speak, to conjure, to call into existence using my lips, tongue, vocal chords, lungs, mind, heart, intelligence, and God-given CREATE - ivity. I speak WORDS to loosen the knot of scripted reactions and conditioning, binding catch-phrases and limiting hexes placed unknowingly from those with the best intention before me, around me and ignorantly by me. I speak WORDS to identify and reject unequivocally all that seeks to harm, manipulate, diminish and silence me into a colourless suggestion, merely to be passed by, overlooked and quietly forgotten. I speak WORDS to discern and discriminate the nuances of how the VERY words I speak create the distinction between the desperate wanting and the potent owning over my beautiful creation. I speak WORDS that call, summons and announce the arrival of all that is me; gratefully, humbly, rejoicingly, peacefully, ab...