3.31.2025. Did I Open to Love?
Hello dear Friends,
“A gentler world begins in the way you touch your heart.
Be soft with the light inside you.”
—Alfred K. LaMotte
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The news seems bleak. Yes, and yet, I keep seeing people, ordinary folks like you and I seeking, stretching more and more, swallowing in one gulping breath, beauty. It is as if we know in our flesh and bones that it is true what the mystics and St. John of the Cross teach us that the barren, dry bowl of darkness only illuminates the greatness of unutterable light and clarifies our sight.
Maybe we are in such a profound time. A time of great clarifying light, a holy reframe, offering us insight. What is in your sight?
More and more, I see people on fire for the simplicity and goodness of everyday life; the ordinary wonders of beauty glimmering among the broken shards and heartless cruelty in our world that I, and maybe you too, cannot make sense of.
More and more, I see people savoring small moments: the smell of earthworms and dark soil after a spring’s wet rain. The burst of green poking through a stash of old decaying leaves. A kind word or recognition to a random stranger on the street. Reaching back to a friend. A not-missing opportunity to be touched by and offer care, kindness, and love– human meeting human heart (a heart that worries, has struggles, aches and pains, fiercely loves, and has children’s birthday cakes to be made—a heart rooted in we are all the same.)
More and more, I see people soaking in the sobering reality of the briefness and preciousness of life and closing each day, “Did I open or close to beauty, to give love?”
“Even though this holy night darkens the spirit, it does so only to light up everything.”
—St. John of the Cross, Dark Night of the Soul
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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 About Your Meditation Practice
Where: 1765 Glenview Road, Glenview in the Patio Shops
Cost: No Fee. Donations and poems appreciated.
So grateful we are here together.
Love,
Wini
🌸 Below are offerings to stretch your heart and highlighted links to linger in. xo ♥️
And, a deep bow of gratitude to Sue S. for offering her whole heart, her presence to being my two-hands to type up this Metta Newsletter. ♥️
🌸 Two Poems to Share
A Wild Prayer for the World | Lynne MacNeil
Beloved Earth, ancient dreamer, keeper of bones and stories—
We, breath in your body, stardust in your veins,
Come before you with hearts both broken and burning.
In this time of the Great Turning,
When despair and possibility dance in the same holy darkness—
May we offer ourselves as imaginal cells in your metamorphosis...
May we be scattered like spores,
Each carrying a fraction of the future,
Each vital, each necessary, each aflame
With particular purpose...
May our courage rise to match the magnitude of these times.
It’s When the Earth Shakes | Chelan Harkin
It’s when the earth shakes
And foundations crumble
That our light is called
To rise up.
It’s when everything falls away
And shakes us to the core
And awakens all
Of our hidden ghosts
That we dig deeper to find
Once inaccessible strength.
It’s in times when division is fierce
That we must reach for each other
And hold each other much
Much tighter.
Do not fall away now.
This is the time to rise.
Your light is being summoned.
Your integrity is being tested
That it may stand more tall.
When everything collapses
We must find within us
That which is indomitable.
Rise, and find the strength in your heart.
Rise, and find the strength in each other
Burn through your devastation,
Make it your fuel.
Bring forth your light.
Now is not the time
To be afraid of the dark.
🌿 This poem came my way through Eremos, a contemplative community without walls. A community of divine souls that inspire and grow me. A community to know about, and subscribe to. Many of their offerings are via Zoom.
🌸 Three Quotes | Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. Donna Ashworth. Mirabai Starr.
“It doesn't matter if the water is cold or warm if you're going to have to wade through it anyway.” — Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
“In those moments, when darkness is unbroken by light, hold tight. To your core. To the belief that there is more. That light will return, and soon. It will crack through the curtains and fill this very room. Stay afloat, by holding yourself like a safety rope. Until someone else can hold you too, the safest place in this world, must be you. Hear the truth. Not the voices who tell you you're useless and used. You're just bruised. And bruises heal. Hunker down and feel. This is simply passing through. In the way all feelings do. Hold tight, to you.” — Donna Ashworth
🌿 Don't miss clicking on Donna’s name; it’s always a sweet treat to hear a poet read her work from her heart.
Darkness never lasts…
“May we let ourselves down into the arms of fire and allow it to melt the armor of our hearts. The excruciating fire of our loneliness and our fear of intimacy. The sweet fire of our longing for union with the Beloved. The purifying fire of radical unknowingness, which all the great mystics assure us is the beginning of knowing God.” — Mirabai Starr
🌸 Something to Inspire | Joy Cares Nothing About Your Messy Home
Another wonderful poem from the brilliant Donna Ashworth whose quote is above. Don’t miss listening here (make sure sound is on) to this beautiful recitation by Stagedoor Johnny.
May the tenderness of these words crack your heart open and remind us to welcome joy every day wherever and whenever we find it.
“you cannot truly invite her
you can only be ready when she appears
and hug her with meaning
because in this very moment
joy chose you.”
🌿
🌸 Something to Read | The Tears of Things by Richard Rohr
“Tears reveal the depth at which and from which we care.”
— Richard Rohr
If you don't know Richard Rohr’s work, he is a do-not-miss in your lifetime. Not only is he an amazing human being and a Franciscan friar, he is the founder of The Center for Action and Contemplation (something else not-to-miss in your lifetime, and it’s lovely to receive their Daily Meditations.)
Richard’s latest book, The Tears of Things, was sent to me by a dear friend along with a note that said “I wish I could see your smile when you notice the poet that Richard begins his book with.”
Not only is his book gorgeous and something to add to your reading list, but the opening page greets us with For When People Ask, a poem written by none other than the lovely poet Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer (and in case you haven’t heard, I’m hosting her here in Chicago the weekend of September 27. Visit my website to add your name to the guest list.)
Watch the trailer for the book here (2:08). If you have more time, this is a lovely interview (59:11) with Richard speaking about his book.
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🌸 Something To Be Part Of | Healing Vessel, Tuesday April 15
“The work of magic is this – that it breathes, and at every breath, transforms realities.”
— Rumi
Healing Vessel is sacred time; an inward time of quiet, of listening into Silence. Come join Julie Fedeli, Margaret Pasquesi and me for an exquisite night of tending to the magic that resides inside.
With gentle-beingness, meditative prayer, poetry, live harp music, hands-on energy healing and silence we will hold a sacred container to listen to the magic breathing within you.
The Conversation is Magic
When: Tuesday, April 15, 2025
Time: 6-8:30 pm
Where: 1765 Glenview Road, Glenview
Space is limited to 9
(3 spots open)
Pricing: We offer three payment tiers to keep Healing Vessel accessible and open for all! Please choose the amount that works for you.
Standard Fee: $150
Scholarship Fee: $160-$260*
Reduced Fee: $130
*Includes added donations to support scholarships and our overall costs.
Thank you for supporting our scholarship program!
“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the
whole world around you because the greatest secrets
are always hidden in the most unlikely places.
Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.”
– Roald Dahl, The Minpins
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🌸 Closing Song | A Song So Needed Today
WHAT'S GOING ON (as sung by Teddy Swims)
Marvin Gaye, Renaldo Benson, & Alfred Cleveland
Lyrics:
Mother, mother
There's too many of you crying
Brother, brother, brother
There's far too many of you dying
You know that we've got to find a way
To bring some lovin' here today, yeah
Listen on YouTube (3:55 min) or Spotify
🌿
“May you bring forth your light.
Now is the time.
May the sweet fire of your longing
open you to the whispers of the Beloved.
May you open your heart to this world
So ripe with holy devastation and holy joy.”
Have a blessed day,
Love, Wini 💖
🌸 I’m grateful you’re a part of this community.
Please share on, to a friend who might need tender dollops of kindness and love. Click here to subscribe
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I am dedicated to bringing as much light as possible onto this holy tender world of ours.
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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. 💖 ✨
