The poet Louise Driscoll wrote:

If you come to Catskill in the spring
You will find the lilacs blossoming.
Though a miser hold the cup,
Every vagabond may sup.
Oh, we drink the wind of spring
When the lilac’s blossoming!

I am among those vagabonds, drinking the wind of spring, becoming “inebriate of air,” as Emily Dickinson put it. Whenever I pass by a blossoming lilac bush like this one on the corner near the entrance to the Health Services Center, I try to make a point to stop for a few seconds and smell the lilacs when I pass by.
It is such a wonderful fragrance to me, epitomizing the sweetness of the emerging spring life.
And small practices like that can help us be mindful, present to our bodies, the earth – and the moment we are in, here and now – savoring beauty wherever we may find it.

We behold these beautiful gifts, abundant when we begin to really take them in and our hearts feel something very deep in us – a joy that has been with us from our earliest days. This capacity to enjoy beautiful things is such a core part of who we are as human beings.

And so I invite you today to mindfully take in the beautiful things you see as you are on your way coming or going or in-between. And when you have time on your own, to immerse yourself in the winds of spring, in the forest, field, near the ocean, a lake or pond, or river, or even just as you walk along your street (the abundance is everywhere!) – and feel the energy of life emerging all around you.

I have a springtime practice I call “waterfall therapy” – as leaves are to NH autumn, so waterfalls are to NH spring.
Here’s a video I took of a waterfall in Franconia Notch this weekend. I would love to see your videos or photos too.

May you be well and supported today and may the blessing of God or all that sustains you, keep you safe, grant you peace and fill you with all that you need, just for today. Amen.

There has been a tremendous amount of harassment and violence against Asian and Pacific Islanders this past year. Spurred on by some needing to blame someone for the pandemic AND yet this prejudice has deep roots in our country like other hates. Are we aware of our own bias? I don’t let in enough thoughts and feelings that this violence has on those we work with here at HHH who have come from Asia and the Pacific Islands, themselves or their parents or their parents. Their elders, our elders, are being harassed, assaulted and killed in the streets. They are, we are, being yelled at with insults while driving. Do you see it? Do you speak up? Do you say “NO” not on my watch or in my circles or in my community?

We collectively can make this world a better place for all. As one of my favorite poems says, “It is our spell. We can break it.” How might you stand against violence and hate in all you do? How might you look deep into the bias that is in the air in our history and in our communities?

Let’s make this world and this workplace a “courageous space” where we all can breathe deeply, speak loudly, and be free of hate.

I want to offer a blessing that can be done in silence and embodied when you don’t know what to do or if you are feeling the burden, the sadness, or the rage and everything feels heavy. Any of us can do this at any time.

First I will demonstrate with a brief meaning; then you will follow me; then we will move
together in silence. (Below :Bold is gesture, regular font are words you can speak to yourself or out loud)

Take a deep breath. Exhale.
Place hands on heart. I see myself – acknowledge my own feelings – my own body.
Bow. Acknowledging sacredness, resilience, humanity, strength in myself. Bow.
Look around. I see you.
Cup hands to ears. I hear you.
Fold arms across chest. Mourning, feeling collective sadness, grief, lament, anger.
Bow. Acknowledging sacredness, resilience, humanity, strength in others.
Open hands, palm up, with a breath. Receiving blessings from God and from one another.
Reach out with one hand and extend the other hand towards another person. Heart-to-heart compassion.

Let us begin by taking a deep breath.
The blessing is repeated in action without spoken words.
Amen.

(Embodied Blessing created by the Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity for an anti-Asian violence
protest in Oakland, Calif. on February 13-14, 2021. Asian and black leaders and the entire community
gathered embodied this blessing for healing.)

I hope that the warm light of the sun warms you from the outside in and brightens even the most shadowed places in your heart. May you find comfort in the love and care that surrounds you. Let it in. It will heal those broken places. Amen.

Warmly,
Michelle