Letters from an Open Heart 6-16-09

Cancer is a thief. It steals time. Our days are already short with worry. Then comes this relentless disease, unfair as a hailstorm at harvest time. But cancer also has the power to transform us, for good. We learn to simplify, appreciating what we have instead of lamenting what we don't. Cancer even made me a better father. My work had made me a stranger to my three kids. But now I pay attention to what really matters. This is not a race. This is anew way of life and a new way of seeing, all from one malicious lump.

In the end each of us has so little time. We have less of it than we can possible imagine. And even though it turns out that Kathy's cancer has not spread, and her prognosis is good, we try to make it all count now, appreciating every part of every day.

I've picked up my camera again. I watch the sky searching for beautiful light. When winter storms come, Kathy and I gather our children and take time to catch snowflakes on our tongues. After all, this is the good stuff. This is what we're living for.

- Joel Sartore, from “Photo Journal” in the April, 2008 issue of "National Geographic"

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Invitation

Oh do you have time
to linger
for just a little while
out of your busy

and very important day
for the goldfinches
that have gathered
in a field of thistles

for a musical battle,
to see who can sing
the highest note,
or the lowest,

or the most expressive of mirth,
or the most tender?
Their strong, blunt beaks
drink the air

as they strive
melodiously
not for your sake
and not for mine

and not for the sake of winning
but for sheer delight and gratitude—
believe us, they say,
it is a serious thing

just to be alive
on this fresh morning
in the broken world.
I beg of you,

do not walk by
without pausing
to attend to this
rather ridiculous performance.

It could mean something.
It could mean everything.
It could be what Rilke meant, when he wrote:
You must change your life.

Mary Oliver, from Red Bird: Poems
published by Beacon Press http://www.beacon.org/

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This Month's Artist: Phyllis Northup

“The only true voyage of discovery lies not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes” Marcel Prous (as quoted on Phyllis website)

Phyllis is a Soul Flares reader who celebrates her love for wild nature through her art. From her artist statement:

Nature recharges my soul, and I hope that both my art and my teaching will help others to see and be open to the beauty of the natural world that surrounds us all. Awareness and appreciation will hopefully lead to the desire to protect, preserve and care for this fragile planet we dwell on!

Beautiful GiClee prints of Grandpa Tree and others are available on her website by visiting www.phyllisnorthup.com.

Needed: Someone to prepare Soul Flares' 990

My accountant charges more than we can afford fors 990 preparation. We have until August to file and the books are quite simple. Is there an accountant out there willing to donate their services or offer a steep discount? Please email me at annie@soul lares.org

We want to hear from you:

Did this email message inspire you to write? Would you like to share your own experience with loss? Join the Soul Flares Facebook group and add your post to the discussion called "Passages." Visit http://www.facebook.com to join and then search for “Soul Flares” to add us as a friend

Call for Artists:

I am back in the business of actively promoting the work of nature artists. Please email me (annie@soulflares.org )with recommendations of your own work or others to be included in this enewsletter. A few requests:

• Please review the art in past issues to get a feel for the general type of art featured.
• Only high quality photos or scans of art can be considered for publication here (at least 600 pixels at its widest measurement).
•  Please provide contact information (ideally, a web page)  for the artist and gain permission for Soul Flares to feature their work.

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Reconnecting With Our Wild Souls Workshops:

Now that I am unable to work full-time on Soul Flares, I need your help coordinating workshops. Now that I am teaching I have more vacation time to travel. Please consider managing a workshop in exchange for the program fee. Managing involves finding a suitable location, gathering all the necessary information and working out traveling logistics etc. If you are interested please visit here for more information on what kind of location is needed.

Come Visit Vermont

Vermont is a beautiful destination and I have a small apartment that is available for a few nights use here and there for friends of Soul Flares. I spend part time there with my kids and part time at my boyfriend's house so it is available quite a lot. Small donations in support of Soul Flares are encouraged but not required. Please email me at annie@soulflares.org if you would like to take advantage of this sweet little space in Richmond Vermont.

Thank You!

Operations costs are low for Soul Flares and I do not collect any salary's, but we do re lyon donations to keep the ship afloat. Please visit here to donate what you can. It is greatly appreciated.

To all those that sent in donations, I am deeply grateful. Every dollar makes a difference and helps to keep Soul Flares alive and thriving.

If you would like to contribute to the operating costs of Soul Flares please visit here to donate or mail your contribution to my NEW ADDRESS: ( Yes, another new address)

Soul Flares
PO Box 47
Underhill Center, VT 05490
802-922-3724

Gratitude
to tarin chaplin (1941 - 2009)

Last fall I rented a room in tarin chaplin's house. Living with this wildly creative older woman gave energy to the important parts of me: the dancer, the conservationist, the free spirit, the contented solitary woman. She called on me daily to walk my talk. She was loving and she was tough --and she was one of two women in my life whose lap I simply and gratefully rested my head in when I felt overwhelmed. My time with her marked the beginning of a period I like to call my mid-life revival. It began the day I left my last relationship. It had been a tough relationship to end but over the course of two years my partner became more and more controlling, to the point of being obsessive.  Three months after he told me he didn't want me to spend time in my room alone and would not compromise on that, I was sitting by a waterfall with tarin, preparing a little ceremony that would mark the end of that relationship and the beginning of me reclaiming my life. She did this for me in a magical way -- as she had facilitated many ceremonies and rituals for many over the years.

Words do not do justice to my dear friend and soul sister tarin. Visit here for a few photos and a tribute written by her daughter and a remarkable young woman who was by her side for most of her last few days.

Words for Wild Souls

A Free Downloadable “Book” by Annie O’Shaughnessy

Visit here to download a pdf of this book. If you don’t have Acrobat Reader visit here.

If this collection adds something to your life, consider making a donation to Soul Flares by visiting here.

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Soul Flares is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization founded by writer and workshop facilitator Annie O’Shaughnessy, dedicated to providing beauty, inspiration, support, and community for people trying to live a soulful, creative life in harmony with nature and all beings. Through art, workshops, bi-weekly e-newsletter, and an online community, Soul Flares will provide light for seekers on the path.