Monthly Archives: December 2009

Grace, Grit, and Gratitude Interview with Jai Kur on BlogTalk Radio

Listen to my interview with JaiKur on Grace, Grit and Gratitude from this morning! Great speaking with her! Listen Now

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Filed under Shiloh's Writings

Where Is the Love?

Often I have wondered – Why do we act the way we do? What makes us unable to “CARE” for one another from a truly and profoundly real place? If we do not know what we care about – how … Continue reading

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Filed under Poetry I Love

A Prayer for Artists to Our Blessed Lady

Our Lady, Mother of All Good Things

We artists are a complex weaving

Our beauty and our pain seek us

Through brush and pen

Through hand and foot

Through drum and flute

Through paper and scissor

Through image and word

Through life and death

Through our desire to be self expressed.

While we are at once struck with joy

at sudden inspiration, we are also

sometimes stuck with a strange halting fear

Fear enough to stay the brush

or halt the tambourine.

Is it worth it to make art?

Am I good enough? Can I sell it?

What will others think? Of me, my art?

I should be doing accounting,

become a lawyer, a doctor or politician,

or clean my house after all,

instead of getting myself to studio or notebook.

We all know – poets and artists -

are of no value here…there are mouths to feed!

And so we chatter on in this way

Poisoning our ideas with lack of Faith.

Blessed Lady, You have heard all of our complaints I am sure.

For many thousands of years, and as a form of medicine,

have given yourself, Lady, your own image and heart,

to millions of painters, poets and songwriters to keep them

Going. To keep them company in the dark night.

For this we thank you. For this I thank you beyond measure.

You are the most painted, most sung about Lady in all the world!

Blessed Lady I beseech you on our behalf, on behalf of all artists! Continue reading

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Filed under Prayers

Practicing Peace – A 30 Day Plan for Thriving During Challenging Times

I send you greetings this bright December 1st! I woke up thinking about you again…

and about what so many of us are going through! What a time we are having right now! Whether our challenges are being too busy, being financially stressed or moving through the kind of blues that seem like it will never end, there is always something we can do to lift the dark clouds. I believe!

One of the hardest parts of going through challenging times is that when in the very midst of it, it has this impermeable quality that seems to echo lies like: “this it is how it is now”,which continues to create the sinking feeling we already have. Or we have been skidding downhill for a while now, and it appears there is still very much more skidding ahead, so, despair comes and pounds on the door of our heart and says things like: ”you have been in denial, you are too optimistic, face it, you are going down.”

We have tried red wine and chocolate and festive gathering with friends. We have even tried making a decision to “shop anyway”. But somehow the old quick fixes aren’t fixing. That is because it is not just us – we know of many who are also challenged right now – and it is not that misery loves company because misery is so morbid, it is because we do not want to feel alone in our dark night depth diving. Continue reading

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Filed under Love Letters