Center for Purposeful Leadership

Here comes the Sun! Gifts of the morning

I've been shooting sunrise photos this winter from our home on Lake Calhoun in downtown Minneapolis. And what to my wondrous eyes should appear each morning, but this miraculous sphere of energy that brings us such joy and sustains life. Here is todays gift, as shot through our icy storm window, along with a poem by Mary Oliver.
Craig Neal

Hello, sun in my face.
Hello, you who make the morning
and spread it over the fields
and into the faces of the tulips
and the nodding morning glories,
and into the windows of, even, the
miserable and the crotchety—

best preacher that ever was,
dear star, that just happens
to be where you are in the universe
to keep us from ever darkness,
to ease us with warm touching,
to hold us in the great hands of light—
good morning, good morning, good morning.

Watch, now, how I start the day
in happiness, in kindness.
Mary Oliver

Wednesday Wisdom (or Wit) from Heartland: Your Life Catches Fire

sunrise photo through the frozen storm door,

by Craig, 2/20

When you die to what
you thought was true
everything in your life catches fire.

You are the instrument
not the music
If you think you are the music
you will stop at
the final bar

If you become an instrument
for the music,
you will go on playing
no matter where you are
or who’s conducting
the gig is never over. 

The heart is always singing
Yes.
The mind is always shouting
No. 

Between the two
we come and go
safe on the solid shore of maybe. 

John Squadrea, from The Compass of the Rose

Wednesday Wisdom (or Wit) from Heartland: Love and The Art of Convening

Love and The Art of Convening
by Cindy Wold

I started a graduate program this fall and am interested in carrying “love” as a scholarly topic of study and as a theme for my program. As I research this topic I am finding many others who are taking love as a serious phenomenon worthy of understanding for the sake of human wellbeing and effective relationships. The time seems right to dig deeper into this subject.

I find myself, still, passionately interested in studying the meaning and practice of love. I say “still” because this is not a new interest. It has its roots in many life experiences, in reading and study and, surprisingly, in the co-authoring of The Art of Convening!

Many years ago I read Erich Fromm’s classic book, The Art of Loving. In the book, Dr. Fromm posits that love is a not simply a sensation we may or may not be lucky enough to feel, but is indeed an art which one must study and practice to master. In the book he gave advice on how to both recognize and practice the art of loving.

When I collaborated with Craig and Patricia on writing The Art of Convening book, I began to think about one of the practices of loving that Fromm presented in his book: the quality of concentration.

Miracle of a Single Flower

"If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change."
~ Buddha

via www.beautydialogues.com

From friend Amy Lenzo, Beauty Dialogues