The DAILY SPARK Blog

LostStand still. The trees ahead and bushes beside youAre not lost. Wherever you are is called Here,And you must treat it as a powerful stranger,Must ask permission to know it and be known.The forest breathes. Listen. It answers,I have made this place around you.If you leave it, you may come back again, saying Here.No two trees are the same to Raven.No two branches are the same to Wren.If what a tree or a bush does is lost on you,You are surely lost. Stand still. The forest knowsWhere you are. You must let it find you.POEM By David Wagoner titled LOSTREFLECTION:When was the last time you took a walk in the forest?Where is HERE for you right now?Are you present ... HERE now?Do you need to plan a walk in the woods ... to find you?  Maybe a way to spend some time this weekend? 

Sometimes I'm two people.  Johnny is the nice one.   Cash causes all the trouble.  They fight.Quote by Johnny Cash  He was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his career.   (1932 - 2003)REFLECTION:Are you two people? ( or more??)Can you come to a truce.. a peaceful cohabitation?  Explore this. 

When Someone Deeply Listens To YouWhen someone deeply listens to youit is like holding out a dented cupyou've had since childhoodand watching it fill up withcold, 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 youthe room where you staystarts a new lifeand the place where you wroteyour first poembegins to glow in your mind's eye.It is as if gold has been discovered!When someone deeply listens to youyour bare feet are on the earthand a beloved land that seemed distantis now at home within you.Poem by John FoxJohn Fox, CPT, is a poet, certified poetry therapist, and a lecturer in the Graduate School of Psychology at John F. Kennedy University in Orinda, California. He is the author of two volumes of poetry, My Hand Touches the Sea and When Jewels Sing (audio tape). John also teaches in the California Poets in the Schools Program. He serves as a vice president on the executive board of the National Association of Poetry Therapy and is a recipient of NAPT's Distinguished Service Award.REFLECTION:It is Friday... the weekend.  Is there someone you can practice deep listening with?Is that someone YOU?  Is that someone somebody significant in your life?  Practice...  so you can experience your feet on the earth and being at home.