The Promise of Spring

In the early warmth
when little snow was left on the ground
and streams were running strong,
before the tadpoles and turtles
awakened from winter’s sleep
or bats returned to their roost –
when the sweet scent of violets
and the song of the peepers
had yet to fill the air,
when baby robins and cherry blossoms
had yet to hatch or bloom,
we trimmed up the maples
and raked old leaves from the edges of the pond.

We ate lunch in the sun,
played frisbee with the dog,
walked in the woods and
rested in an old grassy clearing,
surrounded by pines
where the sun kissed the earth
And smelled like the promise of spring.

A Valentines Day Poem by Youngman Chai

When green grasses stretch their arms
from the earth-
Everything new and everything hopeful…
I think of you.
When the sweet sent of roses linger
in the air-
Everything dreamy and everything standing still…
I think of you.
When falling maple leaves emit sweet and
comforting aromas high above the blue sky-
Everything accomplished and everything content….
I think of you.
When puffy white snow flakes dance with angels
in the air-
Everything refreshing and everything tranquil…
I think of you.
You are my spring, summer, autumn and winter –
My lover and companion,
my circle of life.

Only in WInter Do I Get to See...

Only in winter do I get to see
What my dog is sniffing
On his walks with me.

Bunnies, deer, mice and opossum
Have left tracks that must really
smell quite awesome.

His actions tell me there’s value in the find
Of a tender morsel
An animal left behind.

He wags and rolls and rolls some more
To come up with a fragrance
I truly abhor.

“Oh you naughty boy!” I yell, shaking my head
“You’re not getting that smell
all over my bed!”

So at home he obliges and jumps in the tub
Shampoo and water
Scrub a dub-dub.

His soft Labrador coat now shiny and bright
With a fragrance less natural
He smells just right!

A Winter Blessing

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.

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!

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

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.