04.21.2025. Bow, Break or Bathe
Hello dear Friends,
The Metta Newsletter on February 17th began:
“We have two options only: bow or break.”
— Maria Popova
I am learning there is a third option: bathe.
🌿
I'm learning about the space between bow and break – the sacramental space of in-between. Perhaps you know this place too? The place where you cannot yet bow to what has been given; to do so would feel like a betrayal to your bones, a spiritual bypassing – prematurely glossing over pain with a heart-forced 'happy-happy nice’. Yet, its alternative breaking doesn't seem like a wise option either.
So what do we do? We choose option three: bathe.
As my meditation teacher would advise, "You do nothing." You deliberately pause. Sometimes the holiest of medicine needed is bath water: you draw the shades and take refuge in a hot tub. You soothe your weepy heart-tears with 'be,' sit in the quietude of slow time and compassion, allowing the churning waters of your emotions to slowly settle.
After a long soak, when skin is well water-wrinkled, you rise and begin again. For in each of our hearts, there is a relentless fury, a perseverance-prayer “questing and quenching the thirsty Soul”. This is our unyielding human longing to awaken, to know 'whole,' embodied Soul this lifetime.
"As long as there's breath in this body I will be doing the work of waking up."
– Dona Monterrelli
🌿
Today is Metta (loving-kindness) & Calm-Abiding Meditation Practice
All Welcome. No meditation experience needed.
Come as you are, open heart and all.
2 - 3pm: Drop-in Meditation Practice
3 - 4pm: Conversations on the Practice of Meditation–what it means, how it feels, and how it supports your life.
Where: 1765 Glenview Road, Glenview in the Patio Shops
Cost: No Fee. Donations and poems appreciated.
So grateful we are here together.
Love, Wini
🌸 This newsletter is full of inspiration and resources to linger in. Made with ♥️.
💌 Know someone who could use a little goodness for their heart? Send them a copy! If a friend forwarded this to you and you'd like your very own newsletter subscribe here
🌸 Two Poems to Share
Spring Song | Paul Laurence Dunbar
A blue-bell springs upon the ledge,
A lark sits singing in the hedge;
Sweet perfumes scent the balmy air,
And life is brimming everywhere.
What lark and breeze and bluebird sing,
Is Spring, Spring, Spring!
Inside This Clay Jug | Kabir
Inside this clay jug there are canyons
and pine mountains, and the maker of
canyons and pine mountains!
All seven oceans are inside, and
hundreds of millions of stars.
The acid that tests gold is there, and
the one who judges jewels.
And the music from the strings
no one touches, and the source of
all water.
If you want the truth, I will tell you
the truth:
Friend, listen:
the God whom I love is inside.
🌿 Robert Bly translation listen hereWorthy of repeating, the God I love resides inside.
🌸 Three Quotes | Henry David Thoreau. Ram Dass. Viktor Frankl
“Though I do not believe that a plant will spring up where no seed has been, I have great faith in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonders.” ― Henry David Thoreau
“It’s all right now But later?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . forget it baby That’s later Now is Now Are you going to be here Or not? It’s as simple as that!” ― Ram Dass, Be Here Now"We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way." – Viktor Frankl
🌿 May we all remember this truth– the inner freedom that rests deep inside the heart, the choice of mind, inner refuge.
🌸 Something to Inspire | Mary Oliver, The Journey
Some poems you live with. Some poems you can hear over and over again, and each time, no matter what, they strike you in the same spot—an arrow that pierces your heart, a bell that summons you to pause, opens you to prayer.
Mary Oliver’s poem "The Journey" is such a poem—no matter how many times I hear, read, receive it…it still strikes true, brings tender tears, and to countless others too.
Who does not know this place—this journey (not so easy, stormy at times) we all must undertake to call back our true voice, heart, to embark on the path that is ours to follow.
What a treat to hear the beloved Mary Oliver recite her own poem, hear her voice.
🌿
🌸 Something to Be Part Of | Attention all seekers… Is Your Name On the List?
“...how grief is a door for love”
– Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer
A Day of Poetry and Connection in Chicago
Save the Date: Saturday, September 27, 2025
With the luminous poet Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer
Immerse yourself in "The Conversation is Truth and Soul," a One-Day Retreat at Valley Lo Club in Glenview (9 am - 3 pm, lunch provided). We'll gather with like-minded souls to explore the heart of grief, the expanse of love, and saying yes to the beauty and difficulty of being alive. Registration details coming soon!
Don't miss out on this rare opportunity!
Add your name to our list to be the first to know when registration opens, as spaces will fill quickly. Rosemerry is a true treasure.
Put your name on the list here.
🌿
🌸 Two Closing Songs | Learn to Love…plus an Encore For Your Heart ❤️
A not to miss for your heart…
Two offerings: One a song by Grammy and Emmy-winning ensemble, Time For Three (TF3 = Nicolas “Nick” Kendall (violin, vocals). Charles Yang (violin, vocals). Ranaan Meyer (double bass, vocals), ‘defies conventions with genre-bending excellence’ a gorgeous trio of sound, heart and skill. Give a listen
Learn to Love
Lyrics:
“I may be broken and tough
But I can learn how to love
I can learn how to love…”
Listen on YouTube (5:20 min) or Spotify (5:11 min)
🌿
And an encore for your heart, for hope…
This encore Charles Yang did after his performance with the Dallas Symphony has been spreading all over social media. (my husband sent it my way, a powerful and relevant song for our time. ❤️)
“May you know your holy bones.
May you open to truth of who you are–
precious, a sacred gorgeous soul.
May you offer your heart out to this world –
your light is needed.”
Have a blessed day,
Love, Wini 💖
🌸 I’m grateful you’re a part of this community.
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✨ may we bloom more Light together.
💞 may we grow more Goodness for the healing of all
🌎 may we stitch more heart-tenderness into the fabric of our planet.
*Venmo : https://venmo.com/u/Winifred-Nimrod
Zelle: wininim@gmail.com or 847.312.9313
….Until next week. 💖 ✨
