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Poems from GPS training January 2023

1/27/2023

These are poems that were shared in the recent Group Peer Support (GPS) facilitator training, hosted by Perinatal Support Washington (PS-WA).

Notes on Survival
by Nikita Gill

You are allowed to break.
Everything does.
The stars grow tired and fall.
The waves crash against rocks and shores.
Trees fall for both storms and wind
leaving behind seeds and saplings
so a version of them may grow again.
Storm clouds part for rain
then part for the sun to come through.
Night must break for day
and day for night in a cycle.
The world is made of broken things
piecing themselves back together
-- this is what gives us the most resilient stories.
So why do you think that you were made
any differently than the night and the storm clouds?
You know how to put yourself back together again, too,
just as well as they do.

Take heart that you have managed
to rebuild yourself a thousand times
after every bad day.

That is no small thing.

Image description: a tree is at the top of a grassy hill with a blue sky behind it. A large branch is broken off and lying on the ground.
Photo credit: Tim Mossholder via Unsplash

Image description: two people sit with their backs to the camera, looking toward water. Glowing light from the sunset shines between their shoulders.
Photo credit: Briana Tozour via Unsplash

WHEN SOMEONE DEEPLY LISTENS TO YOU
by John Fox

When someone deeply listens to you
It is like holding out a dented cup
you’ve had since childhood
and watching it fill up with
cold, fresh water.
When it balances on top of the brim,
you are understood.
When it overflows and touches your skin
you are loved.

When someone deeply listens to you
the room where you stay
starts a new life
and the place where you wrote your first poem
begins to glow in your mind’s eye.
It is as if gold had been discovered.

When someone deeply listens to you
Your bare feet are on the earth
and a beloved land that seemed distant
is now at home within you.

the fire that awakens you
by Danielle Doby
From I Am Her Tribe

I am drawn to the light in others
it is how I know I am not alone

to be a seeker of the light
is to be connected to the very truth itself -

the way out of the darkness
is when we can look across the table
and find our face in another's

when we let our stories exist
we invite others to see themselves more clearly
in a space where
pain
struggle
stunning resilience
and belonging
are not unique to just one person

they live in each of us
proving we are not on our own

i heal
and you heal
and when we heal
the world heals with us

an open heart is the key
that unlocks hope's reach

the sun is here
within you
now open your eyes

Image description: a field of bright yellow sunflowers. The sun is just visible above the tree line in the background.
Photo credit: Todd Kent via Unsplash

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Animal & Plant Ally cards for 2023

1/15/2023

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From Art Church - Jan 15, 2023

In today's Art Church, I pulled a card for each person who wanted one. We pulled from 2 decks: Animal Spirit by Kim Krans and Dirt Gems by Anne Louise Burdett & Chelsea Granger. Folks could choose a plant ally or animal ally to take them into the new year. Maybe you'd like an ally for 2023? Feel free to choose one that resonates for you!

SEAWEED - for Sara

HORSE - for Deb

MAGNOLIA - for Alyson

OYSTER - for Laurie

BORAGE - for Liz

EAGLE - for Emily

BARBERRY - for Yvonne

EARTHWORM - bonus card

BLUE VERVAIN - bonus card

Earthworms

by Lynn Ungar

Imagine. The only thing that
God requires of them
is a persistent, wriggling, moving forward,
passing the earth through
the crinkled tube of their bodies
in a motion less like chewing
than like song.

Everything they encounter
goes through them,
as if sunsets, drug store clerks,
diesel fumes and sidewalks
were to move through our very centers
and emerge subtly different
for having fed us — looser somehow,
more open to the possibility of life.

They say the job of angels
is to sing to God in serried choirs.
Perhaps. But most jobs
aren’t so glamorous.
Mostly the world depends upon
the silent chanting underneath our feet.
To every grain that enters: “Welcome.”
To every parting mote: “Be blessed.”

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Art Church Update

1/13/2023

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An update about Art Church

The bullet points:

No longer on 3rd Sundays
Dates will be posted quarterly, dates and times will vary
Format will change - very loose structure, lots of art-ing and chatting time!

Instead of Art Church being on 3rd Sundays every month, they'll be scheduled on different Sundays and the dates posted quarterly. After having to cancel several, I realized that my schedule just doesn't work well with trying to plan a year in advance. Quarterly planning and scheduling of the Art Church dates means I'll be better able to ensure they work with my schedule and hopefully I won't have to reschedule or cancel.

The format will be slightly different. I'll be bringing something to each Art Church gathering for us to do together - it may be pulling cards for everyone (that's what's happened in January! March was found word poetry), or an art or journaling exercise, or a simple follow-along type project. Nothing will require any specific supplies, and it's 100% opt-in. So if you just want to chill and watch or work on your own thing, or join the call for the later portion, that's just fine!

Loose schedule will be:
First 15 minutes: arriving, chatting, checking in
30-45 minutes for exercise/activity
1 hour for art'ing on your own project, chatting, etc.

If you'd like to skip the structured bits completely, plan to join the call about an hour after our start time.

The next dates for Art Church are:

April 23 @ 10am (PT)
Register for April Art Church here
May 21 @ 10am (PT)
Register for May Art Church here
June 11 @ 10am (PT)
Register for June Art Church here

Want more info about Art Church? Here's a blog post I wrote about it.

Art Church is not religious or affiliated with any faith tradition. The idea is that art and creativity are inherently beautiful, joyful, and sacred and that doing them together in community with others is a spiritual and revolutionary act. Join us no matter what you believe.....as long as you believe in MAKING shit.

If you'd like to be sure to get reminders and updates about Art Church, you can add your name to the list by clicking the button below.

Yes! send me art church updates and info!

I hope you'll join us for an Art Church playdate sometime!!

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Poems from GPS training January 2023

Animal & Plant Ally cards for 2023

From Art Church - Jan 15, 2023

SEAWEED - for Sara

HORSE - for Deb

MAGNOLIA - for Alyson

OYSTER - for Laurie

BORAGE - for Liz

EAGLE - for Emily

BARBERRY - for Yvonne

EARTHWORM - bonus card

BLUE VERVAIN - bonus card

Earthworms

Art Church Update

An update about Art Church

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