A Winter Blessing
May
the still,
quiet beauty
of the earth
nourish your soul,
fill your heart with love,
and bless the world
with peace.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
A Winter Blessing
May
the still,
quiet beauty
of the earth
nourish your soul,
fill your heart with love,
and bless the world
with peace.
Friday, October 16, 2009
A Reflection on Fall
Let the Seasons Flow!
What if the maple
held onto its leaves
and refused to release the past?
Or a cedar kept
its clusters of nuts
firmly within its grasp?
Or geese said, “No,
we won’t fly south,
for it should
stay green all year!”
Would new leaves ever
grow from maple trees?
Would cedar trees be born?
Would squirrels have nuts to tuck away
and eat while winter storms?
Can geese too stubborn
to take to flight find
grass beneath the snow?
O’ little ones,
please learn from the earth
to let the seasons flow!
What if the maple
held onto its leaves
and refused to release the past?
Or a cedar kept
its clusters of nuts
firmly within its grasp?
Or geese said, “No,
we won’t fly south,
for it should
stay green all year!”
Would new leaves ever
grow from maple trees?
Would cedar trees be born?
Would squirrels have nuts to tuck away
and eat while winter storms?
Can geese too stubborn
to take to flight find
grass beneath the snow?
O’ little ones,
please learn from the earth
to let the seasons flow!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Wonderful weekend of art & blessing
The last 2 weeks of potting and painting, sometimes till 1am and often till 10:30pm cumulated in the July 11th Marketplace Art Show at the Old Art Building in Leland, MI, just a half hour from our home. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed our usual spot inside, in front of the fire place. Pottery purchases kept Youngman and me very busy, and we often had 3 to 5 people lined up at once, waiting to pay for the special Blessing Bowl they discovered on our display tables.
The landscape bowls and bright bouquet designs, in all sizes were the best sellers. Check them out on my website www.juliechai.com under pottery.
It was fun to see one of my wedding clients from years past, with her new baby girl and her mom who lives in Leland!
On Sunday, I had the honor of officiating a Baby Blessing for a couple whose wedding we celebrated in 2007. It was good working with them again and celebrating their precious baby girl!
Today Youngman and I are making pots, filling up the blank spaces on our shelves and throwing for special, Personalized Pottery orders. Tomorrow, we are expecting a large shipment of white stoneware clay.
Check out the photo of Youngman in front of our extremly tall hollyhocks on the back side of the studio!
Blessings to All,
Julie
Monday, June 15, 2009
What is the natural flow of your day?
Mornings to me are sacred.
It's the time when the doors to my unconscious are still open and I can easily contemplate dreams, write my Families First column, prepare this blog, plan my day or reflect on my life in an intuitive fashion.
I began my days this way when I pastored a church - sitting at my desk in the office, I would let my intuition guide me on who to call or visit, though I often did not know why at the time.
Not everyone needs this intuitive morning time. Youngman usually pulls on his pants, has his coffee and and is out the door. But when I tried to do like wise, I was ornery and out of sorts with myself and him because I had no grounding for the day.
So I have learned to honor my need for quiet, soul connection time by rising earlier and, if I am not ready to bolt out the door when he does, I already have the list of "to do's" and will follow behind soon.
Feeding my soul means early morning listening, but also checking in with my environment. I might feed the fish in the pond, look at the flowers or YM's vegetable garden as I walk Little Buddy around the yard. Before heading down to the studio, I usually prepare a light breakfast for LB and myself and fruit and a sandwich in case YM and I get hungry before we can go to the house for lunch.
I value this sacred time. It aligns my life with my soul. Not in a rigid way, but in a way that allows me to be fully present to the natural rhythms of my creativity and the unexpected things each day might bring.
At the same time, if I spend too much time in this space, say, past noon, that ornery and out of sync feeling can reoccur because I have a need to be up and about - implimenting my early morning discoveries, or just getting my hands into the clay! In otherwords, I now need to use my physical energy.
It may seem to some that being self employed gives me the perfect setting for following my natural flow. But I can ignore my needs just like anyone who has a regular 9-5 job.
At the same time, someone on a 9-5 schedule can learn to honor their needs too! Just because you work for someone else does not mean you don't have any control over your time or inner space. You may have a choice on when to take a break and what to do on it, how you use your drive time, lunch time, and the attitude you set for your work and work relationships. And you have control over the time you are not at work.
So let's not be victims of someone else's schedule or how we think we should function, but discover and honor, to the best of our ability, the natural flow that brings meaning and delight to each day.
Blessings,
Julie :)
Every day is an opportunity to feed your soul.
Mornings to me are sacred.
It's the time when the doors to my unconscious are still open and I can easily contemplate dreams, write my Families First column, prepare this blog, plan my day or reflect on my life in an intuitive fashion.
I began my days this way when I pastored a church - sitting at my desk in the office, I would let my intuition guide me on who to call or visit, though I often did not know why at the time.
Not everyone needs this intuitive morning time. Youngman usually pulls on his pants, has his coffee and and is out the door. But when I tried to do like wise, I was ornery and out of sorts with myself and him because I had no grounding for the day.
So I have learned to honor my need for quiet, soul connection time by rising earlier and, if I am not ready to bolt out the door when he does, I already have the list of "to do's" and will follow behind soon.
Feeding my soul means early morning listening, but also checking in with my environment. I might feed the fish in the pond, look at the flowers or YM's vegetable garden as I walk Little Buddy around the yard. Before heading down to the studio, I usually prepare a light breakfast for LB and myself and fruit and a sandwich in case YM and I get hungry before we can go to the house for lunch.
I value this sacred time. It aligns my life with my soul. Not in a rigid way, but in a way that allows me to be fully present to the natural rhythms of my creativity and the unexpected things each day might bring.
At the same time, if I spend too much time in this space, say, past noon, that ornery and out of sync feeling can reoccur because I have a need to be up and about - implimenting my early morning discoveries, or just getting my hands into the clay! In otherwords, I now need to use my physical energy.
It may seem to some that being self employed gives me the perfect setting for following my natural flow. But I can ignore my needs just like anyone who has a regular 9-5 job.
At the same time, someone on a 9-5 schedule can learn to honor their needs too! Just because you work for someone else does not mean you don't have any control over your time or inner space. You may have a choice on when to take a break and what to do on it, how you use your drive time, lunch time, and the attitude you set for your work and work relationships. And you have control over the time you are not at work.
So let's not be victims of someone else's schedule or how we think we should function, but discover and honor, to the best of our ability, the natural flow that brings meaning and delight to each day.
Blessings,
Julie :)
Every day is an opportunity to feed your soul.
Monday, June 8, 2009
June 8, 2009
Ok, it's already June and my last post was April! I'll do my best to update once a week, so much is happening around here, it will not be hard to do!
I'll keep you posted on the critters in and around our pond, what's happening in the studio and wedding activities.
Weddings: Last Saturday, June 6th, I officiated a ceremony at the Riverside Inn in Leland for a really sweet couple from Sweden. It was a lovely day and I heard her sister sing the most beautiful Swedish song.
Internet Ordained Officiants: Already this year I have gotten calls from couples whose "minister" fell through at the last minute. They are almost always internet ordained friends who offer to "do" the ceremony for them then have other obligations at the last minute. What do they expect? If you hire a non-professional, you get a non-professional. Cheap and easy is not always better.
By the way, I just got my dental degree online so anytime you have a toothache, give me a call and I'll get the drill out of the shed! Ha, ha, just kidding. I wish the above mentioned folks were kidding too!
Premarital Counseling: I still hear, "I'm not sure my fiance would be willing to do it although I think we need it," when discussing premarital communication work - the 2nd of the 3 sessions I do with couples. I finally said to one gal, "Do you hear what you are saying? You are already experiencing some difficulties communicating. What are you going to do when a year or two down the road, you are having problems and you need to get some help but he refuses to go?" With a 50% divorce rate, couples cannot afford not to do premarital work!
Advise to the wise - please don't wait too long before seeking help. When you do, resentments and frustrations build up and one of you is already emotionally out of the relationship. The sooner you seek help and understanding, the better. And the more open you are to understanding yourself and your partner, the more successful you will be in the relationship.
Pottery: Two weeks ago Youngman threw and trimmed 24 1lb bowls, all the same size! He is really learning the craft and I have enjoyed his company in the studio. We have been working some long hours making a large order for Sturgeon River Pottery and for the July 11th art show in Leland.
I have enjoyed painting the Personalized Pottery orders and I appreciate each and every one! It has been fun getting to know people who order a bowl and find out we live just down the street from each other!
Pond Activity: And, inspite of the cool, rainy spring, we have seen the green heron at least 2 times, as he looks for tadpoles on the grassy edges of our pond.
YM saw the first string of frog eggs a few days ago.
The leopard frogs are singing and are quite tame, one even let me pick him up for one of our young visitors to see! If is such an honor to live so close to nature. We really do impact their well-being, and they, ours.
Blessings to all,
Julie
Ok, it's already June and my last post was April! I'll do my best to update once a week, so much is happening around here, it will not be hard to do!
I'll keep you posted on the critters in and around our pond, what's happening in the studio and wedding activities.
Weddings: Last Saturday, June 6th, I officiated a ceremony at the Riverside Inn in Leland for a really sweet couple from Sweden. It was a lovely day and I heard her sister sing the most beautiful Swedish song.
Internet Ordained Officiants: Already this year I have gotten calls from couples whose "minister" fell through at the last minute. They are almost always internet ordained friends who offer to "do" the ceremony for them then have other obligations at the last minute. What do they expect? If you hire a non-professional, you get a non-professional. Cheap and easy is not always better.
By the way, I just got my dental degree online so anytime you have a toothache, give me a call and I'll get the drill out of the shed! Ha, ha, just kidding. I wish the above mentioned folks were kidding too!
Premarital Counseling: I still hear, "I'm not sure my fiance would be willing to do it although I think we need it," when discussing premarital communication work - the 2nd of the 3 sessions I do with couples. I finally said to one gal, "Do you hear what you are saying? You are already experiencing some difficulties communicating. What are you going to do when a year or two down the road, you are having problems and you need to get some help but he refuses to go?" With a 50% divorce rate, couples cannot afford not to do premarital work!
Advise to the wise - please don't wait too long before seeking help. When you do, resentments and frustrations build up and one of you is already emotionally out of the relationship. The sooner you seek help and understanding, the better. And the more open you are to understanding yourself and your partner, the more successful you will be in the relationship.
Pottery: Two weeks ago Youngman threw and trimmed 24 1lb bowls, all the same size! He is really learning the craft and I have enjoyed his company in the studio. We have been working some long hours making a large order for Sturgeon River Pottery and for the July 11th art show in Leland.
I have enjoyed painting the Personalized Pottery orders and I appreciate each and every one! It has been fun getting to know people who order a bowl and find out we live just down the street from each other!
Pond Activity: And, inspite of the cool, rainy spring, we have seen the green heron at least 2 times, as he looks for tadpoles on the grassy edges of our pond.
YM saw the first string of frog eggs a few days ago.
The leopard frogs are singing and are quite tame, one even let me pick him up for one of our young visitors to see! If is such an honor to live so close to nature. We really do impact their well-being, and they, ours.
Blessings to all,
Julie
Friday, April 10, 2009
Poem - When spring is but a promise
When spring is but a promise,
I remember the color of green
and feel the warmth of the sun
reflected in the melting snow.
I hear spring peepers
and imagine tadpoles
abundant
on the grassy edges of our pond.
When the last snow falls (is it the last?)
I welcome back the robins
and catch glimpses of opossums
soaking in the sun on their near naked bodies.
When tropical breezes mingle
with the cold air,
I open my windows – briefly
to smell the sun baking on the windowsill.
Soon, I will plant window boxes
with petunias and vines.
1st published in families First monthly April 05
I remember the color of green
and feel the warmth of the sun
reflected in the melting snow.
I hear spring peepers
and imagine tadpoles
abundant
on the grassy edges of our pond.
When the last snow falls (is it the last?)
I welcome back the robins
and catch glimpses of opossums
soaking in the sun on their near naked bodies.
When tropical breezes mingle
with the cold air,
I open my windows – briefly
to smell the sun baking on the windowsill.
Soon, I will plant window boxes
with petunias and vines.
1st published in families First monthly April 05
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