One can choose to go back toward safety or forward toward
growth. Growth must be chosen again and again; fear must be
overcome again and again.
– Abraham Maslow
faking a rainbow
Have you tried listening with your elbow
When you don’t like the song?
Tried spinning in circles
When you can’t get along?
When you have a bad day
Try stomping and say
“Everything’s crap!”
Then go take a nap
With your head nestled in
Your favorite friend’s lap.
Have you tried singing in thirds
When you don’t know the words?
Tried dancing in dirt
When your feelings get hurt?
Tried hanging from trees
When you can’t feel your heart?
And tried something dumb
When you’ve tried everything smart?
When the clouds have rolled in
And keep you from seeing
Try faking a rainbow
Till it bursts into being.
http://dharmacomics.com/post/34112370772
This morning I am sitting in the center of a labyrinth in Robin & Scott Kissel’s yard! And as I sit here in the amazing space and talk to God and breathe in my spirit and the spirit around me, I am so full of love, joy, peace and gratitude.
It has not been the easy path to get here, but it has given me so much more than I ever dreamed was possible. I am amazed and so humbled by this love which has consumed my path, and as I rest right here in the center, I realize how many times when I thought I was in the eye of the hurricane, I was actually in the eye of the majestic God of glory, who is everything and in everything!
Who am I that I would be so loved? I am the beloved daughter of God, and I am loved just as you are, you fabulous creation! We are so sons and daughters! Praise God in the highest! Let my lips and my words never stop giving praise!!!
“Praise is the beauty of a Christian. What wings are to a bird, what fruit is to the tree, what the rose is to the thorn, that is praise to a child of God.” ~ Spurgeon
There is a strange paradox in the soul: if you try to avoid or remove the awkward quality; it will pursue you. In fact, the only way to still its unease is to transform it, to let it become something creative and positive that contributes to who you are.
In actual fact, these demons do not account for all the subconscious. The primal energy of our soul holds a wonderful warmth and welcome for us. One of the reasons we were sent onto the earth was to make this connection with ourselves, this inner friendship. 
The demons will haunt us, if we remain afraid. Each inner demon holds a precious blessing that will heal and free you. To receive this gift, you have to lay aside your fear and take the risk of loss and change that every inner encounter offers (edited) – John O’Donohue in Anam Cara
New newsletter – thoughts on Good and Evil at www.songsfromthevalley.com
life: acoustic & amplified 