and my heart soars

photo by rastudio.com

today I walked in the woods
and I soaked in the
 beauty of
gold
and red
I drank in the cool
fall air
deep into my lungs
I heard the rustle of leaves under my boots
I saw the wings of eagles
and in the words of
Chief Dan George,
my heart soared.
As I sit at my table
and look at the sticks of an orchid plant
that looked dead for a time
and now is budding again with new life
I gaze at the bright green shoots
and the pregnant 3 blossoms that will soon open
and my heart soars.
beauty
all around
if we will see
if we will hear
if we will be present and awake

The beauty of the trees,

the softness of the air,

the fragrance of the grass,

speaks to me.

The summit of the mountain,

the thunder of the sky,

the rhythm of the sea,

speaks to me.

The faintness of the stars,

the freshness of the morning,

the dew drop on the flower,

speaks to me.

The strength of fire,

the taste of salmon,

the trail of the sun,

and the life that never goes away,

they speak to me.

And my heart soars.

Chief Dan George

Every Time......

photography by revival arts

rastudio.ca

I found this old song in the stacks of my choral music

 in my studio sometime last year.

I immediately felt my toes start tapping and the rhythm captivated me.

However, the words were old were filled with  fairly negative descriptions of the

 devil coming to catch us all.

so........I thought, why not rework this baby.

and I did with a lot of fun.

Sharing this song in many different concert situations has been a gift.....

and what it brings is - joy.

simple joy.

tapping foot joy.

humming along joy.

I think we often forget simple pleasures these days.

We have forgotten the joy of singing with each other

and experiencing music in community.

this is also a song about freedom.

And every time I sing this, it reminds me....

sister, you are free.

No matter what my circumstances - there is an inner freedom

to still choose

Choose YES

Choose LIFE

Choose LOVE

Choose LIGHT

Freedom

Rise Up

photo by revival arts  rastudio.com

You know that book - Conversations with God?

Well, sometimes I have my own conversations.....

the other day, this is what I heard beyond my tears - 

Cathy, 

remember

I don’t do shame

Any shame you feel is not coming from me, my darling

I have given you life – do I want to diminish that?

You can walk into these new places with humility and grace

But not guilt

Or shame

That is not beautiful

Remember I am beauty

And beauty is full of grace, wisdom, gentleness and kindness. 

You can be kind and loving and gracious and beautiful even as you take this next step and rise up.

It is not about ‘pushing’up or striving in any way to rise.

It is about naturally doing what your body was meant to do

It is natural

It is pure

It is holy

And even as you rise – it does not push others down

It is not a rejection of others that you rise

It is not a negative towards others at all

It is simply shining

With the light I have put within you

Others can shine too

And you can shine on others

You can be kind to others and not lose anything

You can be generous and not lose anything

Because the fullness of light is within you

Just as the fullness of light is also within others 

if they open up

So, don’t be afraid of being loving, kind, gentle and beautiful

BE

ALIVE

And all my fullness will flow through you

Remember, we are dancing together

We are dreaming together

We are walking in light together

We are loving together

We are ALIVE

We are present right here, right now

When you are afraid of being loving, you are allowing yourself to go back to the past and let old feelings come to the surface.  What is important for you to learn is to stay present to me and then allow me to guide you in every ‘present’ moment.  Then we can create new ways of being and the most healing, the most nurturing, the most loving possibilities for your relationships.  And you open yourself up to the greatest Love opportunities.

Let us BREATHE together.  

Breathe with me girl

Rise UP.

thanksgiving 2011 - how can i keep from singing?

Thanksgiving 2011
this year has held incredible highs and far reaching lows.
It has been a year of living each day .....being fully awake 
for what that day held
both intense joy
and significant pain
but through it all
I have known again the gift of song
Singing connects me with my soul
through all of life's experiences
songs express - and help me to express
my soul, our soul
stories
so I want to give thanks
thanks for the songs
that have come like gifts
floating from heaven
rising from the earth
these songs that I now am able to share with many others
and these songs heal me
heal us
restore us
and remind us of a deeper truth
of the 'song from beyond'


I also want to give thanks for the 
beautiful community that surrounds me
in love
mirroring back to me
truth
love
friendship 
and 
hope
thank you
thank you
thank you


the words of this classic song express my heart this thanksgiving day:


My life goes on in endless song
above earth's lamentations,
I hear the real, though far-off hymn
that hails a new creation.

Through all the tumult and the strife
I hear it's music ringing,
It sounds an echo in my soul.
How can I keep from singing?

Oh though the tempest loudly roars,
I hear the truth, it liveth.
Oh though the darkness 'round me close,
Songs in the night it giveth.

No storm can shake my inmost calm,
While to that rock I'm clinging.
Since love is lord of heaven and earth
How can I keep from singing?

When tyrants tremble in their fear
And hear their death knell ringing,
When friends rejoice both far and near
How can I keep from singing?

No storm can shake my inmost calm,
While to that rock I'm clinging.
Since love is lord of heaven and earth
How can I keep from singing?

My life goes on in endless song
Above earth's lamentations,
I hear the real, though far-off hymn
How can I keep from singing?

Lord, how can I keep from singing?
Oh, how can I keep from singing?


I will be performing two Love Shines concerts
with Boris Sichon, Kevin Boese & Jonathan VanDyke


Saturday Oct 15, St. John's Anglican Church  Chilliwack
7:30pm  $15 at door
Saturday Oct 22  House of James Abbotsford(with Rebecca Sichon)
7:30pm $15 at door


would love to see you there


Thursday Oct 27/Friday Oct 28 - at Gospel Music Awards of Canada in Calgary

clay & the tucking of the thumb

These past two weeks have been ones of going slow
of feeling the feet stuck at times
in fields of clay
mires of muck
the clay of sadness
when one's feet are in this clay
it is impossible to move quickly
to move quickly is to fall down face first
one must succumb to the
journey through the clay
and trust that the clay fields do
naturally end
and come to dry ground
where one can walk again
at a pace familiar
but in those moments of deep clay,
it is a plod
even though
you can feel
the sunshine
you are aware of the rainbow
still....your feet are in the muck
and so you feel the warmth
you know the promise
but there is no escape
you must walk through the clay
until it passes
no side journeys
no escape
but a steady, step-by-step
with trust

as I was teaching a student this week how to play a scale
I explained the concept of tucking the thumb
play thumb, index, middle finger - then tuck the thumb
and you can play the full 8 tone scale
to make the scale sound smooth
the thumb anticipates the tuck and begins to move into position
even before it is time to play that 2nd note

this movement of anticipation to me became a symbol that I could live into
Life is predictable with the thumb, index, and middle finger - but
now.....the thumb tuck
transition
I can adjust - and move into position in my heart
and be ready for the rest of the scale
the rest of my life
or I can freeze
in what I knew before
this transition
However, if I yield to the thumb tuck - the beautiful scale will emerge
it is uncomfortable
it is new
it is strange at first

but can I trust?  Can I yield?
As I plod through the clay
I open my heart to
the full scale
of my life.