“A TIME OF WINTERING” by Cynthia Cady Stanton

April 8, 2023 becomingandbeholding1 Comment

Though the weather outside

is not wintery this season,

my soul has been in hibernation mode.

It is as if I am blanketed by a soft new snow.

I have become surprisingly quiet.

Hidden under its covering.

Having seasoned many winters by now,

I know that there is something germinating within.

I have been directed by the Mystery of it all

to be still.

It is the kind of stillness one sees

in the eyes of a startled deer in the dark

but without the panic.

I am quiet, but not afraid 

for I know that a quieting pause is a good thing -

it creates fertile ground for the soul.

It provides a chance to listen deeply

to what lies beneath.

So, though there is no winter happening outside,

there is wintering in my heart this year.

The chill of all the grief I have been hauling around

has settled into my bones

producing an ache which calls for attention.

So as I await the spring thaw

that I trust in completely,

all I can do is hold these losses tenderly 

warming them up with love and acceptance.

I get quiet so I can hear them speak.

They have so much to say.

Its their wisdom which will fertilize the new growth

which is surely on the way.

Copyright © 2023 Cynthia Cady Stanton
All Rights Reserved

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Beyond Solitude

November 6, 2021 becomingandbeholding3 Comments

When the chill of being alone

is knitted to the bone,

I long for you,

my friend.

It is too easy to feel capable

of navigating this life

in a solitary way –

to convince myself that

all is well,

and I am fine –

strong and muscled

in all the right places.

But as my bones begin to creak and groan,

and my sturdy stride weakens,

I feel my empty hand hungry

for your grasp.

Life does not want us to be alone.

And now as I sit

in the cold and dark,

the chill in my heart whispers,

“You need someone next to you to

warm this bleak contraction –

for there is no valor in enduring isolation.”

I sigh the kind of sigh that has the breath of the ocean within it…

and realize my need of a companion-

Being competent is not enough anymore,

and does not warm the soul

like a shared laughable moment would.

It’s friends who bring the warmth

with the their love and care,

and also the light which

illuminates and heals.

A good friend walks side by side with you –

a better friend helps you see more

along the way…

They provide the mirror you need

for your own evolution.

And so, the time for reaching out is here.

The confining walls fall away –

and this pressing question reaches my lips:

Where are you?

Homecoming

September 2, 2019September 2, 2019 becomingandbeholding2 Comments

When walking next to the shore,

take in the salted air.

It tastes like your tears.

When walking next to the shore,

listen to the music of the surf.

It is the soundtrack of the movement in your heart.

When walking next to the shore,

watch the swoop and dance of the Plover birds.

They effortlessly play in the waves,

undaunted by the constant changes beneath their tiny feet.

Witness the lesson.

A walk by the ocean

is always a homecoming.

The whispers heard soothe the soul.

The sprays felt baptize us anew.

We are reminded that

sometimes we need to get wet

to begin again.

So take a walk on the beach.

Hear the invitation of its dynamic landscape:

Let’s be the ocean together.

You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop. – Rumi