“We Shall Not Be Moved!”

There’s a story in this post… one of those that insists on making its way through all the chaos and filters to be heard again, in a dream, at this moment in time. Considerable hunting through the archives was involved!

The last time this particular story wanted to be heard – and shared – was on September 11, 2016. If you’re doing the history thing, that was the observance of 9/11 day, just before the upcoming election in the US. And, yes, I mean that election!

It was written by Sharon Mehdi and published in a children’s book entitled The Great Silent Grandmother Gathering: A Story for Anyone Who Thinks She Can’t Save the World.

You, wise soul, see where this is going…

The Great Silent Grandmother Gathering

A busboy, who worked in a café whose window faced the public park, noticed that two grandmotherly looking women had been standing in the park all day without moving at all and without talking.
They were dressed up in their Sunday best and were just staring at the town hall.
He asked the other patrons in the café what they thought the women were up to. They speculated on a variety of things.
Then, a five-year old year who was in the café spoke up and said “One of them is my grandmother and I know what they are doing. They are standing there to save the world.”
All of the men in the café hooted and howled and laughed.
On his way home, the busboy decided to ask the women what they were doing and sure enough their answer was “We are saving the world.”
Over dinner that evening the busboy told his parents and he and his father hooted and howled, but his mother was totally silent.
After dinner, the mother called her best friends to tell them. The next morning the busboy looked out the café window and the two women were back, along with his mother, her friends, and the women who had been in the café the day before.
All were standing in silence staring at the town hall. Again, the men hooted and howled and said things like “You can’t save the world by standing in the park. That is what we have armies for,” and “everyone knows you have to have banners and slogans to save the world – you can’t do it by just standing in the park.”
The next day the women were joined by the women who were in the café the day before and a number of their friends. This brought the local newspaper reporter to the scene. He wrote a derisive article about the women.
The day after it appeared, hundreds of women showed up to stand in the park in silence.
The mayor then told the police chief to make the women leave because they were making the town appear to be foolish.
When the police chief told them they would have to disperse because they didn’t have a permit, one of them responded that “we are just individuals standing in our public park and we are not giving speeches or having a demonstration so why would we need a permit?”
The police chief thought about this and agreed with them and left the park.
At this point 2,223 women including the mayor’s wife, the police chief’s wife, and one five-year old girl were standing in the park to save the world.
The news quickly spread and soon women were standing all over the country. Even women standing in every country throughout the globe… standing to save the world!

The mixed media piece, at the top, is my image of standing to save the world. In fact, it’s my #Legend painting from 2023, just after I stood in exactly that place, under that Laurel tree, with a whole other group of women standing to save the world. My current #Legend painting seems to have learned a lot at the base of Montsegur, and I am learning, still!

ps… just in case you’d like your very own copy of Mehdi’s book – with fabulous illustrations – click here! Clearly, I need another copy, as I gave mine to the (now) grand-teens!

pps… it’s a very special day at FierceArtWithHeart! Fix yourself a cuppa, click the colored link, and come shop a bit, especially if you need a hat for – you know – standing in the park! From casual to fab-dressy, one-of-a-kind, hand knitted and felted, glorious hats waiting for you in the Hat Heaven collection! AND, if you purchase a hat, at the special reduced price, I’d be thrilled to include a free copy of my new children’s book, A Creation Poem… All you do is add one hat AND one book to your basket and the elves will make the free book magic. NOTE: there are ONLY 8 hats available and this offer is ONLY good until the last one is adopted! (And, yes… if you buy more than one hat, you get an equal number of free books!)

What if WE are the soup pot???

Yep… I have a bit of a soup pot fetish going on! Not the creepy kind!

The kind where an inanimate object is honored for its supposed magical powers. And it’s been with me for for quite a long time, in ways both literal and legendary.

Let’s start with the literal kind. The kind where bones and water and heat and time make healing magic. I think it began for me when my son, who was about two at the time, had repeated cases of strep throat-tonsillitis and was allergic to lots of the standard meds.

One of his docs – the enlightened kind – suggested soup. Not the kind in the red & white can. Bone broth. This was great for so many reasons… including the fact that it was cheap!

I loved my soup pot even more in the years when I had pneumonia way too many times. It felt good and helped me breathe.

Fast forward to my first #Legend painting, early in 2018. Much to my surprise, a soup pot appeared on my canvas and – a couple of days later – a phoenix appeared in my dreams, rising from that soup pot!

Perhaps because it’s about to be #Legend time again, or because fall is great weather for soup, the phoenix has appeared in my dreams again.

It’s likely, though, that the phoenix and the soup pot also have to do with what’s going on in the world around us, what’s becoming inside of me, and the presence of anxiety on my path.

Typically, for me, I noticed the words in my dream, first.

Anxiety is not a character fault. It’s not a diagnosis of doing “it” wrong. Instead, it’s a sign that something matters! What???

And that, dear friend, seems like a really, really good question in this moment!

I’d love to hear what this brings up for you… You can scroll down and leave a comment, or email me. suesvoice@gmail.com

Here’s one of the things that happened since I dreamed that dream…

And, no… it’s really not supposed to look like much, just yet. It did get me pretty close to something that might be called dancing with the brush… which could be something that matters to my currently cranky body.

My physical therapist might even call it exercise! (It’s a 48 inch square canvas…)

What I can tell you for sure is that the process is something that matters. Curious about #Legend??? Click here for all the info!

pps… here’s something else that matters! A way to help our Littles feel included in the story of being. Complete with original art, some tips for the Bigs who are reading aloud, and the very most treasured thing I know! The holidays are coming… just click here to get your copies!

Between was and will be…

Yep! That’s where it feels like I’m standing. And that’s a picture of what it felt like a couple hours ago!

For now, a bit of musing… sitting with my feet up, hoping the power doesn’t go out!

Sunday’s book launch was huge fun! Monday’s doc’s appointment… let’s call it progress. Tuesday – moving. (Joints and muscles!) And, today, hearth tending in the Red Thread Cafe Classroom!

I love hearth tending. It’s a lot like summer camp but without poison ivy and water moccasins! On this day, though, I seem to be channeling the suspended bridge over the Santa Fe River in Florida’s O’Leno State Park.

Exhilarating and terrifying all at the same time. And, according to the elves in my cell phone, closed today because of Hurricane Helene. It kind of sounds like my back yard should be closed today, too, as the early bands of Helene make their way north and it’s full dusk at 3:30pm!

Here’s the “betwixt and between” bit…

A Creation Poem… exists. There are copies upon copies headed here – which is another storm concern! I’m waiting to hear whether I’ll have an exhibitor’s booth at the Decatur Book Festival, on October 5. Not a whole lot of time to plan for something I’m not even sure I need to be ready for!

Just between us… I’m really hoping it works!

For today, though… Medicine Painting. (Which sounds like way more fun than homework!)

There are many notions of how Medicine Painting works and even more about what it looks like.

And, here’s the thing… you don’t really know until you do it! A notion that makes some of us anxious… or, used to!!!

Here’s my favorite part – instead of deciding what to put on the canvas, I get to sit with the canvas and discover what I see as it comes forth! It’s a lot like claiming that I do, indeed, have influence, while choosing to set aside control. Here’s what’s happened since this morning…

It’s been a long road! And the first step was setting aside the notion I learned early on that I was not the artistic kid. Which was a whole lot like realizing that Mom was right about a lot of things, but that wasn’t one of them!

The world feels a lot like that in this moment! And all I know to do is to show up being the me I am now.

So… I told the guy named Steve that I wanted a booth at the book festival if it works out. And then I asked what I needed to know! His advice had a lot to do with where to park and having as many ways as possible for people to pay for books. And art. And then he said the coolest thing…

Give people a way to engage!

You guessed it… dots!!!

So, non-toxic, washable dot markers. They’re round, like finger tips!!! Because if you’re going to write a book about including kids, you need a way to INCLUDE them! Probably a few extra paint shirts, too. And baby wipes.

And, if this whole thing actually happens, I’m going to have two choices about where to make the dots. On a spare round canvas which makes a great home for a peace sign. And, as the next layer of the medicine painting I’m deep in today!

Because more people making dots for Peace and Hope gets the world that much closer to – well – Peace and Hope. To believing that WE can do something to create and claim what matters!

And, you know what???

Even if this book festival doesn’t work this time, I’m already clearer on my Promise. And I’ll have two more books done for next year! (Really!!!)

Here’s the cover for the next one…

ps… just in case you have something you’re longing to manifest in the world, there’s still time – but not much! – to check out Shiloh Sophia’s new, year-long painting adventure called Abracadabra! (I’m so excited!!!) Just click here for all the info…

I used to think I was supposed to be perfect!

Blessedly, I’m (mostly) over it! Trust me when I tell you that it’s really not sustainable!

For me, this perfection hang-up has always had a lot to do with words. And I began to understand more about that when I was failing (literally) my first semester of Hebrew in Seminary. Let’s just say my brain doesn’t quite work that way. Nothing I saw made any sense. I didn’t understand anything I heard. And I felt doomed.

Somewhere along the line, about 3 million flash cards later, the magic happened. Almost literally! Somebody explained that a word my ear recognized – abracadabra – could be translated as, for I create from the word. Or, even better, I will create as I speak!

How utterly cool is that???

I’d been writing for a long time before that. In that moment, though, I think I became a writer!

I’ve written a whole lot since then. Sermons. Magazine & news articles. A dissertation. Editorials. Books. Blogs. And, now… another book!

In fact, the first actual hold-in-your-hand copy arrived Saturday. (And, yes, that was a bit close for comfort!)

It feels good. It smells good. It looks great!

And then the old anxiety kicked in! As in, what if it’s not perfect???

I’ve been here before. There’s a typo in my 269 page long doctoral dissertation. One.

It was around that time that I learned a helpful old story. Legend tell us that the people who hand-tied Persian rugs in days gone by always included an intentionally mis-tied knot because they believed that only Allah is perfect and they should not attempt perfection.

I’ve always found that comforting! Comforting enough, at least, to put my work out there in the world. Now, more than ever!

First, there’s me modeling the notion of showing up and doing my best for my grand-teens! (Who helped, by the way, with the new book-baby!)

Then there’s the even more important – and also urgent – notion that all our voices matter. That it’s okay if not everybody hears what we meant to say in the way that we hoped they would. That a big part of life is learning to make our choices even though some people think their way is the only way.

So… A book launch party!!!

Today. (Sunday) In honor of all the women who came before us and risked their safety – their lives, many of them – to choose. To use their voices. To claim that they mattered. All wrapped in an ancient story of beginnings and belonging. An ancient story told, intentionally, so that all our Littles might learn that they, too, are part of the story of love and hope and inclusion.

And some new ways to think about setting ourselves free from limiting beliefs!!!

I’d love for you to join us! The adventure begins at 1pm PT/ 4pm ET. Just click here for all the info.

ps… It’s also possible to pre-order copies of the book at the same link!

‘municating! (Really!!!)

Dear Heart, have you ever had one of those stories you’re so excited about that you tell it 20 ways and think everybody will surely understand it just the way you do?

Well, I seem to have paid a visit to that place! And the story I’m trying to tell has enormous years of history behind it. For today, though, we’re going with the current events!

First, we’re putting the Com- back in -municating! As in information going both ways! Kind of old school journalism style, but updated!

You probably remember the list of questions, too… possibly from Yearbook staff, like I do! Now we know more, though, so we’re starting with WHY? This is the big one! I’ll let the book-baby speak…

Now for the rest of the details…

Who? You. Me. My right hand tech director. And a circle of awesome people who care about kids… and the future of the world!

What? A Zoom gathering. We’ll explore the book-baby and do a bit of our own growing with some of the best transformational magic I know… which you can put to use in your world, right away. (I’m guessing you have big hopes, too!) Each registration includes a hard-cover, hand autographed copy of the book!

When? Sunday, September 22 at 1pm PT/4pm ET. (Plan on about 90 minutes.)

Where? Well, Zoom… anywhere you happen to be. Preferably someplace that feels safe & comfy!

How? I’m so glad you asked!!! Just click the link, below, and sign yourself up!

ps… here’s what one preview reader had to say about A Creation Poem…

Sue had me at the bear on the cover! Rich, bold art illustrates this story as ancient as time. A Creation Poem… joins many origin stories taught to children around the world to help them make sense of their place. We know this story. But we haven’t heard it told this way, with inclusive language, progressive theology, and captivating images familiar to the Littles we love… Natalie Moyes, Interim Family Ministries Leader, Bedford United Church, Bedford, Nova Scotia, Canada.

pps… as I mentioned, I’m working hard to keep this circle feeling safe. You are welcome to bring a plus one kind of person as your guest and I’d be honored if you have a safe place – like a private facebook group – and would care to share this post there. You can also email the link to wise beloveds!

ppps I’ve promised my Great Aunts, and a whole lot of women before us – and after us! – that we’re really not going back!

When minor miracles lead to bigger ones…

Okay, sleeping in a bit doesn’t necessarily count as a miracle but it sure felt like one on Saturday! There’s a whole lot going on and The Muse is a very early riser!

Wonder of wonders, though, I made it clear to 9:00am, which was a perfect time for a cup of cacao. Then, on to checking all the various sorts of messages.

One that really called out to me was from Shiloh Sophia McCloud who is busy with a whole lot of newness in her world, too. And, like me, Shiloh has been known to switch from preachin’ to meddlin’ on occasion. That’s one of the things I love best about her!

The short version of her message was, Make one much needed change today.

And, yes… that particular message set off a cascade of ideas in my consciousness!

Kind of surprisingly, I’d done the first step Friday night, without even being aware of where it was headed.

Here’s the intention that insisted on being the beginning…

When I’d made enough progress Saturday morning for the thinking to kick in, I claimed my personal plan for much needed change. Before I tell you what it is, though, you need to know that I’m up to my eyebrows in the kind of tech challenges that go with new book-babies. And, my right hand is really grumpy which makes the tech stuff even harder.

So, kind of predictably, I started my much needed change by editing a filter!!! A strategy filter!

Here’s what it sounded like…

Me, to my Inner Critic: Oh! I just learned that Saturday is the new official Critic’s Day Off. That means you can go down by the lake and watch the swans. Or go window shopping at Kudzu. Or go to the library. Yay! Have fun! No need to hurry back!!!

Then, I enlisted The Muse’s best buddy, my Inner Fiercely Compassionate Grandmother, and put her in charge of getting the word out, in whatever ways it could be heard, as easily as possible, by the folks I want to reach. We weren’t going to worry about everything matching. We were just going to tell our Beloveds how excited we are about the book-baby! Because this world needs to hear what the book-baby has to say. Now! And, yes… the photo we began with is a big hint!!!

Just in case you’re new around here, or we accidentally missed you, just click here for all the details. We’ve saved a seat especially for you!

Now, even in the midst of this story, which might sound a bit woo-woo around the edges, I suspect I’m going to need some more practice with this new strategy of mine. Especially the part about enlisting my Inner Fiercely Compassionate Grandmother when things feel hard and I’m afraid of not getting it right enough.

The thing is that now I have a new strategy to choose. Consciously. Intentionally. Frequently!!! Some of which might just come up at the book-baby party! 😉 😉

For this moment, though, a new being is appearing on my canvas. I’m already learning new things!

ps… if you hurry really fast, you can still sign up for Abracadabra, Shiloh Sophia’s new year-long course. And, yes, much needed chosen changes will be involved… Click here… and hurry!!!

pps… there’s a pet portrait challenge going on at Dick Blick! Click here if you’re curious…

I almost changed my mind!

There’s a moment for many women, somewhere in the pushing phase of labor, when they declare that they’ve changed their minds and they’re not having the the damn baby, after all!

That was me, somewhere in the wee hours between Monday and Tuesday.

Blessedly, it doesn’t work!

The PUBLISH button has indeed been pushed on the book-baby!!!

And, the Intentional Creativity® Purple Passion virtual art show was a world full of wonder and em-power-ed intentions! (Even if you weren’t there live, you can still join the amazement with the link, below.)

Just between us, those are about the only things from Tuesday that feel accomplished. And, yes… I waved my magic wand and turned the “debate” into a re-run of The West Wing! Turns out there is a point where the context can get too crazy for even prayer dots to help!!!

Here’s the thing, though… there’s external context, like – well – news. And weather. And storms. And fires. And school shootings. And remembering. So much remembering. All of which feels like it’s trying very hard to out-shout new babies and bowls of homemade soup and the wonder of finding unexpected meaning in spilled paint.

New meaning in this moment.

For me, noticing has a whole lot to do with making meaning. What gets in, amidst the chaos. Here’s a thing I noticed…

Angela Davis…a notable woman I don’t recall from Social Studies – though she should have been there! And, a cousin! Really!!! Angela and I share a Mayflower ancestor… a story which seemed to be an even bigger surprise for her, as a guest on Finding Your Roots, than it was for me, watching!

And then the stories started re-arranging themselves in my mental library, as I slept.

Stories about my French Cathar aunts, uncles, cousins, and – quite probably – grandparents. Victims of an autocratic papal crusade against Christians, some 800 years ago. People of peace, and love, and learning… women and men teaching as partners.

I have no idea what the artist intended when they formed the statue, above, and placed her at Kudzu to find her home. To me, though, she is a courageous Cathar guardian of sacred stories and just community. And a powerful reminder that it is our job to carry on!

Somehow, in the context of this moment, all those stories live on in me. And they birthed the book-baby, because Creation goes on, even now, and the story is for all of us… especially our Littles!

I’m really glad I didn’t change my mind!!!

So… we’re going to need a baby shower of sorts. A book launch event! And it wouldn’t be the same without you! All the details, along with some new ones, are here, eager for you to click the big, bright link just below…

We’re not going back!!!

ps… don’t miss the amazing art show! (And the artists‘ stories about their work!) Just click here…