Category: Medicine Basket

Did you ever have one of those ah-hah! moments that you just had to tell people about, even though you were pretty sure you were going to sound like you’d gone – as folks used to say, ‘round the bend? Or even fanatical?

Well, I’m having one of those moments, now. If you’re not feeling up to it, and want to bail, I’ll totally understand.

Here’s what you need to know – context wise…

I was hanging out, early Saturday afternoon with Sam Bennett and the Get It Done Lab tribe. We did our breathing and caught up a bit on all the who and what and how news.

Then it was on to worksheet time.

Many of us, in the group, are working on businesses or projects or other sorts of dreams which kind of imply clients of one sort or another.

Our first adventure involved pondering ideal clients.

As is fairly usual for me, I didn’t necessarily follow the directions but I did discover some useful new things, anyway.

Then, we turned to the page titled Marketing Verbs. Imagine about 90 words on a sheet of paper. Most of them doing kinds of words. A few odd phrases.

I’ve done this with Sam, before. She learned it from one of her teachers a while back. Frankly, it’s a difficult exercise for me. You know the kind…

Out of all the words, circle 20 that appeal to you. Things you want to be doing.

Then, cross off 10.

Then, narrow the remaining ones down to only 2.

(I don’t like giving back words!!!)

Suddenly, something inside me went tilt! I ignored all the rest of the words and got utterly hooked by one I’d noticed, initially, and declined as being past tense instead of present or future.

A word from back in the day when my Saturdays were usually spent fluffing the next morning’s sermon.

Preach!

Just as suddenly, that word changed into another word in my head…

Proclaim!

And that word was immediately followed – in my heart – by…

liberty to the captives…

There’s more, of course, depending on whether it’s Isaiah or Luke whispering in your head and in what language. And, yes, the tears were flowing by then.

You see, that’s exactly what I feel called to do! I’ve had lots of words for it since the days when all the knee surgeries had me looking for other ways to be.

Counseling, coaching, and writing were among the more obvious options.

Lately, Artist, Intentional Creativity Teacher & Coach® and Red Thread Guide have joined my list of labels as I help folks live their dreams with Unsticking Stuck Stuff, and Claiming their SuperPowers for Good.

All of those, and more, are rolled into my notion of being a Fiercely Compassionate Grandmother, for rent. And that has a great deal to do with Proclaiming liberty to those who feel captive.

Now, I won’t bore you with a long debate on whether the canon of Scripture is closed, or still open.

I will tell you that having our personal canons of truth and inspiration and, certainly, hope, open to newness seems like a pretty good idea to me. It also puts some responsibility on our shoulders. We have to choose which notions of truth are congruent with our paths, and which are not.

This is a huge challenge in our time! A challenge that – in my heart – looks a lot like this…

And one which often benefits from a bit of witnessing, and help sorting.

The photo at the top of this rather unexpected tale hangs on the wall where I can see it as I write. The more people and stories included in Your, the better. At least when one way to describe what we’re about is walking the Way of Love.

ps… feeling stuck? Longing for a bit of help with the witnessing and sorting? I have space for 2 new clients, ready for some liberty from limiting beliefs. Your story does matter… maybe now more than ever. Bring a cuppa, and some red thread if it’s handy, and tell me what you’re hoping for! Just ask the calendar elves to hook you up with 45 minutes, as my gift.

pps… if Grandmother Moon had leggings! Watch and see what comes next at FierceArtWithHeart!!!

Somewhere, in a dusty box in the attic of my mind, is a quote which goes something like this:

Perspective isn’t everything… it’s the only thing!

Oddly, when I tried to look it up and find the source, I discovered this, instead:

To change ourselves effectively, we first had to change our perceptions – Stephen R. Covey

Today feels a lot like that!

There are about 92 zillion things jumping up and down for my attention. (Well, it feels like that many!)

And a whole lot of those things have voices attached to them. Voices trying to tell me that their particular thing should obviously be the first thing on my list.

One of those things was showing up for my 15 minute daily date with myself in Zoom land with a cool group of fellow travelers on the way way from here to getting “IT” done.

It’s a really helpful tool.

Except, I didn’t get there.

In fact, I got lost. I literally couldn’t remember where the link to the meeting was stashed.

And, since I’m being real, I got pissed. Which the therapist who lives inside me knows is often code for scared.

Then, I yelled at myself for a bit. I mean, really… how could I be so clueless???

Then, I thanked my hot water and lemon for playing and turned to the cacao stuff I’d been “saving” for a special moment.

As I sipped, I heard dusty words in my head. Stephen Covey explaining his 4 quadrant planning tool which says, basically, that any one thing on our lists is two of these four things:

Urgent/non-Urgent/Important/non-Important

The challenge is to figure out which two are true for whatever the thing in question might be.

It turned out that not making it to my meeting was nonUrgent AND nonImportant!

Now I’m not dis-ing the meeting. The meeting is great! Cool people all doing things that matter to them.

And, it was already over for the day. Shaming and blaming myself wasn’t going to change that!

And, there are lots more 15 minutes left!

So… I did one of my favorite things and asked a new question!

What IS important/urgent that I could do instead, NOW?

Imagine this… there were several options jumping up and down to be noticed!

The one I picked, first, was to hunt up the Legendary Husband and ask for a hug. Then, I told him that I’d had another morning of sad-dog dreams, because I really needed to be heard.

Next, I sent an email… asking for a reminder of how to find the meeting in the future, which was important/close-to-urgent, as it happens I am the leader for Friday!!!

Then, I fixed some food. And listened to Joan Baez, who is really good at the important/urgent thing, even if she doesn’t know Stephen Covey!

And, then, I decided I might not be the only one who could use this story today!

And, then, I had an inspiration. Did you notice that the photo at the top is kind of unusual for me? I mean, it’s one of my paintings but it’s in black & white!

It needed a bit of cropping and I almost took the bottom part off, too. And then I saw it!

We can still raise our hands – our power, if you will – on days that don’t feel all bright and colorful, IF we take care of ourselves, too!

Yep! Perspective/Perception shift with a big, gold bow!

Here’s the usual view… about to become leggings!!!

And, just in case you’re wondering… I totally re-did today’s list and crossed a couple things off, already. Next up… nap! No shaming and blaming. Just learning!

ps… one of those things I already crossed off was 15 minutes of practicing my PT exercises for successful suitcase wrangling!!! Kids and ancestors are on the calendar!

pps… what if I offered you 3×15 minutes to shift something holding you back? It works, and it’s my gift to you. If you’re interested, ask the calendar elves to hook you up… and do it soon!

I really need to get my eyes checked, lest I wear my glasses out with the on/off routine.

The Legendary Husband spends a good bit of time following me around, turning off lights.

All of that is true.

It’s also true that one of my favorite Greek words – and the first one I actually understood – is pronounced Blepo!

It means I see!

And, I do. In ways which, frankly, amaze me…

If you squint really hard at the painting, beneath my Muse’s left eye, the word is written there in Greek. If you squint even harder, you might notice two other Greek words for seeing… for there are many ways to see.

For instance, I’ve been – literally – dreaming this blog post for about 3 nights, now. And I’m grateful for the help! Mothers Day is a challenge. At least for those of us who have ways of seeing which go beyond greeting cards!

And, in my dreams, some of my friends showed up to help.

First, Steve, whose name may feel familiar if you’ve been around more than a week or two. (If you’re new – welcome! – and buckle up!)

Here’s the quote, which I learned from the mouth of Dr. H. Stephen Glenn, when my own son was about 4 years old:

If a teenaged child has 5 adults who will listen to them, take them seriously, and not shame or blame them for their questions, that child is practically immune from ever attempting suicide.

And, yes, my life changed!

I want to be one of those five adults for as many of our kids as I can. And it’s going to take a lot of us, so I spread the word!

Then, Shiloh Sophia McCloud, with her updated poem for this day, titled:

Happy Mama Day to All Kinds of Mamas

It does, indeed, take all kinds of Mama-ing to help our Littles bloom!

And, these days, it takes a tribe of Mama-types willing to speak out for all the things our world – and our people – need. Like Daphne, my Mama Bear buddy!

Each of us will see those needs differently. It’s called Filters! And it helps a whole lot if we get clear about which of our personal filters are helping and which are – perhaps – holding us back!

That’s a bigger conversation than we have space for today, so… a couple of glimpses into my album of filters…

This one – from just about exactly 16 years ago – is me and my mom, Sally, at the Florida baby shower for my first granddaughter, who was born in Scotland. I invited people to bring books and cd’s so that I could take them all on the plane, along with other necessities hard to find in Glasgow.

And this one – from this winter… Liberating Lily! A whole lot of my filters and symbols in a way that amazes me utterly!

I’d love to know what you see in this moment, in this place! (If you scroll on down, there’s a place for comments. Or email me… suesvoice@gmail.com )

For now… a very blessed and happy this day to you and yours, from me and mine.

ps… curious? The calendar elves will gladly hook you up with 45 minutes, my gift. Ask me about filters. Or being one of those five people. You’ll want a cuppa and a bit of red thread if you have some handy, and a notion of a place inside you that’s longing to be less stuck! Hurry, though! I’ve got some wandering coming up…

pps… watch for Turning Points 2, coming out soon! It’s an anthology project and my chapter is more about all the important stuff here! (And one of Lily’s cousins on the cover!)

It is 6:15pm ET as I begin writing these words. It’s been kind of a long day.

And, by comparison, a pretty calm one!

Thirty-three years ago, in this moment, I was being the bride! Also the wedding coordinator. And the florist. And the co-host. And…

The Legendary Husband and I got married at 7:00pm on the Thursday evening before I graduated from Columbia Theological Seminary on Sunday. It was also Mothers Day weekend.

It was a high church/low budget kind of event.

Lots of preachers and about-to-be’s. Lots of musicians. Lots of opinions!

My mom was appalled when I visited with guests – dressed, but still working on the makeup – before the service. (Bad luck and all that!)

The wedding guide who came with the church didn’t attend. She just couldn’t wrap her head around the notion of the bride and groom walking into the ceremony together.

(The guys pouring punch weren’t her style, either.)

Someone — who shall remain nameless to protect innocent relatives — mooned one of our Professor/Preachers in the parking lot.

It was, on one hand, a bit of a zoo.

On the other, it was a celebration.

Of love. Of life. Of learning.

Which, when you get down to it, is a pretty good way to do the wedding thing!

Today has been a different sort of celebration.

Both of us in meetings most of the day.

Still adapting to having only 2-footed beings in our home.

In some ways, there are just as many questions as there were all those years ago. They’re not the same questions. The world isn’t the same! We’re not the same!!!

Here’s what is the same…

There are stories which need to be told. In words. In art. In action.

There are questions which need to be asked.

There are adventures which are waiting to be experienced.

There are kids to hug and dreams to dream.

And, I suspect, there is courage to be needed.

The photo is my mental image of courage these days. She reminds me of stories I’m only learning about some of my ancestors. Women of huge courage in a world which did not encourage courage in women.

She is, in a way, a model for me… as I hope to be for my girls. A model of voice and choice and even action.

A model of love which would have celebrated the bride and groom walking into the wedding together.

And walking together, still.

I do. And I will.

ps… Happy Anniversary “Norm”!

pps… need some wedding help? Check this out... https://sueboardman.com/weddings-are-acts-of-very-large-hope/

It’s not all that common for me to be at a loss for words!

Today, it’s not so much that I’m at a loss… rather that there are about a zillion of them which feel true and they don’t all get along very well.

There was a mass shooting in Midtown Atlanta today. The shooter is still at large. A veteran, reported to be suffering with mental challenges.

As my fingers move on the keyboard in this moment, Rep. Lucy McBath (D, GA-07) is on CNN calling on lawmakers to – you know – make laws to make tragedies like these more rare. Ms. McBath lost a teenaged son in a shooting and has worked tirelessly for reasonable gun laws throughout her service. Sen. Raphael Warnock’s children were involved in a school lockdown in the vicinity of today’s shooting.

“They’re there. I’m here, hoping and praying they are safe. But the truth is none of us is safe,” Warnock said (THE HILL).

According to CNN, there have been at least 190 mass shootings in America in 2023.

Five women were shot. One of them died of her wounds. The others are being treated for serious injuries at Grady Hospital.

Georgia Governor, Brian Kemp, who holds vastly different views from McBath and Warnock, is notably absent on the news.

While the shooting was happening, I – without having seen the news – was doing my walking/creative problem solving thing at Kudzu. Two full laps and some accessible, budget friendly solutions to the on-going Furniture Yahtzee challenges at our house.

And, in a deeper level of awareness, I was pondering change.

Practical changes for new needs and desires.

Perceptual changes emerging from learning new stories. And claiming them.

Visionary changes sprouting in me like the seeds of this Beltane season.

Then, home to a gathering of Red Madonna sisters in the land of Zoom. Women I know and women I don’t know yet, all walking a similar path, each in our own ways.

Tears. Prayers. Huge courage. Courage to speak deep truths and needs. Courage to speak dreams.

A blessing in the moment.

An even bigger blessing in the face of the news I learned just afterwards.

Soon it will be time for dinner. And Jeopardy… the geek bonding ritual at our house. More consciously, I suspect, this night than most.

And, then, back to the studio. The Sanctuary where I am mending Her and she is mending me so that I, in my own way, might help mend this bit of the world.

So be it.

ps… CNN reports that the Atlanta mass shooter is in custody.

pps… as Grandmother Moon reminds us, we ARE all connected!

I have a decision to make.

A hard decision.

I’ve thought it every way to Christmas. All things considered, I’m a pretty good thinker.

Sometimes, good thinking is not enough. This feels like one of those times.

Fortunately, I have some other tools in my medicine basket!

Today was our first Sanctuary paint party of the year. Women, in community, working on their paintings.

No pressure. No behind. No not good enough.

Just music and paint and supportive company.

Some of those women were old friends. Some, new sisters.

A variety of stories during check-in time. Challenges. Backgrounds. Doubts. Dreams.

One of those new sisters introduced herself as a Russian speaking Ukrainian. Suddenly, the world felt much smaller to me. More intimate. Even more urgent.

I listened to the stories and then I listened to my canvas, speaking to my heart.

Being somewhat off the beaten path is not unusual for me, though I’m there a bit early this time.

Today my next right thing was obvious. Dots!!!

Prayer dots. All the neuro-processing patterns working together. And yes, I’ve had a lot of practice!

I began with wisdom. You know… that decision I need to make. A good start for warming up, but not making space for the magic.

Tell me wasn’t getting it either. Probably because part of me already knew.

And then, it found me.

Show me the Way of Love.

Six dots, over and over and over again with all of my awareness. The darker ones inside the roses.

And, eventually, tears.

Sad. And good, because after an hour of that, I was ready to claim what I already knew.

I have no idea what this painting will become. We’ve got about 11 months to go!

Here’s what I do know…

I will be more ME, because of it.

Hanging out where art meets life can be a very good thing.

Maybe, just maybe, a thing that will help heal the world. Even the hard parts!

ps… wanna learn? Let’s talk! 45 min. My gift! The calendar elves will hook you up!

pps… need some art in the meantime??? The FierceArtWithHeart elves have been fluffing the shop and adding new stock and making some good deals. Get inspired AND help send an artist to France!