I just returned from a gathering of over one hundred facilitators from the Center for Courage and Renewal, and to say that I came home feeling more courageous and renewed would be an understatement.
It was such a pleasure and an honor to be among such inspiring, kind-hearted, creative, brave people. I learned new skills, new resources, and most importantly, I learned new things about myself. I took every opportunity to risk and reflect, to push myself in new directions far beyond my usual comfort zone, and to bask in the love and humor of my colleagues.
A Gift
Just when you seem to yourself
nothing but a flimsy web
of questions, you are given
the questions of others to hold
in the emptiness of your hands,
songbird eggs that can still hatch
if you keep them warm,
butterflies opening and closing themselves
in your cupped palms, trusting you not to injure
their scintillant fur, their dust.
You are given the questions of others
as if they were answers
to all you ask. Yes, perhaps
this gift is your answer.
nothing but a flimsy web
of questions, you are given
the questions of others to hold
in the emptiness of your hands,
songbird eggs that can still hatch
if you keep them warm,
butterflies opening and closing themselves
in your cupped palms, trusting you not to injure
their scintillant fur, their dust.
You are given the questions of others
as if they were answers
to all you ask. Yes, perhaps
this gift is your answer.
~ Denise Levertov
Heading to the beach for closing circle