Tag Archives: Wishcasting Wednesday

Tender Hearted Warrior: Guest Post for Jamie Ridler

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mettaprayerWednesdays are often the day I wishcast with Jamie Ridler. She provides a prompt and we provide the wishes in response. Jamie has been taking a break from her regular practices and posts because the day after we lost our sweet Dexter, she lost her mom to cancer.

Almost a week before both those sad events, I got an email from Jamie, inviting me to do a guest post on her blog, since she would be taking a break for a bit. She said,

I wondered what would honour my mom, all that I’ve learned from her, all that her life has stood for, and I thought about something she said recently, “It’s not about being tough. It’s about being tender.” And that seemed just right.

My guest post, Tender Hearted Warrior, is up on Jamie’s blog today. The prompt was “It’s not about being tough. It’s about being tender,” and Jamie invited those of us writing to offer whatever came to us as a response, “anything goes.”

It seems so appropriate to me that it was published on a Wishcasting Wednesday. Today, I am wishing Jamie comfort and peace as she lives and loves her way through this difficult time. I wish the same for all those who have lost their mothers, in all the ways that can happen. I wish this same comfort and peace for all of us who have had to let go of someone we love, anyone who has suffered a loss, who carries the heaviness of big love that no longer has the same, familiar place to land, for anyone who is grieving. May we feel this hurt and continue to keep our hearts open.

As I mentioned the other day, I was so happy to support Jamie by writing this post, to have the opportunity to do something, anything for her as she lives this loss. It is becoming more and more clear to me that the only way any of us make it through the confusion and chaos of being human is together, helping each other, showing up, offering support, being kind, because as Ram Dass says “we are all just walking each other home.”

Wishcasting Wednesday

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Nurture-the-Creative-Within

On this Wishcasting Wednesday, Jamie asks, “How do you wish to nurture the creative within?”

I wish to provide her space, the time and room to slow down and stretch out, look closely and contemplate, expand and play, twirl around or sit still in a deep, quiet, safe place all her own.

I wish to give her love, an unconditional sense of herself, brilliant and beautiful, wise and compassionate and powerful, seen and valued, precious and protected.

I wish to balance her effort with ease.

I wish to offer her gentleness, to quiet the critical, mean voices, to stop the pushing and smashing, to silence any “should” or “have to” or “can’t” or “not enough.”

I wish to provide her mindfulness, to allow her attention to be fully in the present moment, hands and heart on the same task.

I wish to practice with her, to show up regularly, to maintain a routine, a way of letting her fully touch the work, to repeat and retrace and revise and remember.

I wish to pause with her, because sometimes doing nothing is the exact thing to do, sometimes staying still to stare at your toes or the sky, to feel a soft furry body against the palm of your hand, to notice your breath going in and out is everything.

I wish to soften to allowing, letting go of resistance or rejection or grasping or pushing or hiding, and simply surrender to what is.

I wish to give her courage, the willingness to be vulnerable and weird, accepting the possibility of being wounded, practicing being brave, showing up and being seen.

I wish her to know and attend to her hunger, to not fear or deny her desire and longing, even when it has teeth, even when it rages, even when it wants what is impossible, even when it wants to love the whole world.

I wish to open her to joy, pure feeling, heart wide open, full of light and love.

I wish to surround her with all the tools and resources she needs to do her heart’s work.

I wish for her connection and community, a tribe of understanding and love and support, a collection of artists and healers and teachers, those with big hearts and amazing ideas and the ability to make her laugh until it hurts.