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	<description>Art &#38; Inspiration</description>
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		<title>June 2013: Wonderful World</title>
		<link>http://songsfromthevalley.com/newsletter/june-2013-wonderful-world/</link>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 05 Jun 2013 16:58:58 +0000</pubDate>
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		<description><![CDATA[June 2013: Wonderful World Featured Art Bored Panda http://www.boredpanda.com/amazing-places/ Mallory Matson Live in Love Photography http://liveinlovephotography.com/ It’s a Wonderful World Ralph Waldo Emerson said, The earth laughs in flowers! I love that! We each walk in a human body while on this earth, which is really a fascinating and complex piece of art. We walk [...]]]></description>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://songsfromthevalley.com/June 2013 6.6 Wonderful World.pdf"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1793" title="Vol-526-homepage" src="http://songsfromthevalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Vol-526-homepage-231x300.jpg" alt="" width="231" height="300" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><a href="http://songsfromthevalley.com/June 2013 6.6 Wonderful World.pdf" target="_blank">June 2013: Wonderful World</a><br />
</strong></p>
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<td style="text-align: center;" width="50%" valign="top"><strong>Featured Art</strong></p>
<p><strong><br />
</strong></p>
<p>Bored Panda<br />
<a href="http://www.boredpanda.com/amazing-places/" target="_blank">http://www.boredpanda.com/amazing-places/</a></p>
<p>Mallory Matson<br />
Live in Love Photography<br />
<a href="http://liveinlovephotography.com/" target="_blank">http://liveinlovephotography.com/</a></td>
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</tbody>
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<p><strong>It’s a Wonderful World</strong></p>
<p>Ralph Waldo Emerson said, The earth laughs in flowers! I love that! We each walk in a human body while on this earth, which is really a fascinating and complex piece of art. We walk through a world of such breathtaking beauty it can only be described in bits and pieces with words, brush, camera, dance, music.</p>
<p>We work to interpret this amazing beauty; which is God. It fills our senses and calls to us at every turn. We must breathe it in, if we refuse to breathe in God, we die. If we refuse to see beauty, we might as well die. If we refuse the beauty of who we truly are created to be, we are dead while we live.</p>
<p>This being human is a guest house.<br />
Every morning a new arrival.</p>
<p>A joy, a depression, a meanness,<br />
some momentary awareness comes<br />
as an unexpected visitor.</p>
<p>Welcome and entertain them all!<br />
Even if they&#8217;re a crowd of sorrows,<br />
who violently sweep your house<br />
empty of its furniture,<br />
still, treat each guest honorably.</p>
<p>He may be cleaning you out<br />
For some new delight.</p>
<p>The dark thought, the shame, the malice,<br />
meet them at the door laughing,<br />
and invite them in.</p>
<p>Be grateful for whoever comes,<br />
because each has been sent<br />
as a guide from the beyond.<br />
- Rumi</p>
<p>Rumi knew about the glory of love, life, this earth and beauty. One of my favorite Rumi quotes is, “And still, after all this time, the Sun has never said to the Earth, &#8220;You owe me.&#8221; Look what happens with love like that. It lights up the sky.”</p>
<p>I want to live my life, and give myself, and my love, away that unselfishly. How about you?</p>
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		<title>May 2013: The Heart</title>
		<link>http://songsfromthevalley.com/newsletter/may-2013-the-heart/</link>
		<comments>http://songsfromthevalley.com/newsletter/may-2013-the-heart/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 07 May 2013 13:41:28 +0000</pubDate>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://songsfromthevalley.com/?p=1786</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[May 2013: The Heart Featured Art Sacred Art: a collaborative project. Artist Callahan McDonough &#124; Writer Ronna Detrick: ronnadetrick.com/sacred-art Callahan McDonough callahanmcdonough.com/ rubyslippersstudio.net Ronna Detrick ronnadetrick.com The Heart In Proverbs 4:23 we are warned to ‘guard our heart’ for everything we do flows from our heart. What does that mean? I believe it means that [...]]]></description>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://songsfromthevalley.com/May 2013 6.5  the Heart.pdf"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1782" title="Vol-525-homepage" src="http://songsfromthevalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Vol-525-homepage-231x300.jpg" alt="" width="231" height="300" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><a href="http://songsfromthevalley.com/May 2013 6.5  the Heart.pdf" target="_blank">May 2013: The Heart</a><br />
</strong></p>
</td>
<td style="text-align: center;" width="50%" valign="top"><strong>Featured Art</strong></p>
<p>Sacred Art: a collaborative project.<br />
Artist Callahan McDonough | Writer Ronna Detrick:<br />
<a href="Featured  Sacred Art: a collaborative project.  Artist Callahan McDonough | Writer Ronna Detrick:  http://www.ronnadetrick.com/sacred-art Callahan McDonough http://www.callahanmcdonough.com/ www.rubyslippersstudio.net Ronna Detrick http://www.ronnadetrick.com/sacred-art" target="_blank">ronnadetrick.com/sacred-art</a></p>
<p>Callahan McDonough<br />
<a href="http://www.callahanmcdonough.com/" target="_blank">callahanmcdonough.com/</a><br />
<a href="http://www.rubyslippersstudio.net" target="_blank">rubyslippersstudio.net</a></p>
<p>Ronna Detrick<br />
<a href="http://www.ronnadetrick.com" target="_blank">ronnadetrick.com</a></td>
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<p><strong>The Heart</strong></p>
<p>In Proverbs 4:23 we are warned to ‘guard our heart’ for everything we do flows from our heart. What does that mean? I believe it means that it is very important what we think, what we do, what we watch, what we think about, what we allow to be in our relationships – in other words, our actions, thoughts and choices are extremely important to what kind of life we live, and those actions are what becomes ‘us’. Who we are flows from our heart.</p>
<p>Ronna Detrick and Callahan McDonough have been in my heart for the past month. They had no idea, but I have been praying for them, reading their words, looking at their art. Isn’t it interesting that those prayers were unknown to them, I have never met them, yet God put them on my heart and I prayed for each of them throughout the month. That’s exciting to me, as I know that this happens for ME as well.</p>
<p>Ronna and Callihan have a lot to offer on their websites, a lot to make you think, a lot to challenge your senses and your beliefs. I hope you check them out and think about what you find – it’s very thought provoking, and thinking is really good! Their collaborative sacred art project is based on the reimaging of the story of Eve, and Ronna has a recent TEDx talk that is very interesting. I love the passion in her voice. I understand passion. J</p>
<p><a href="http://youtu.be/i5n9Lb2iMKk" target="_blank">http://youtu.be/i5n9Lb2iMKk</a></p>
<p>Just a few days ago Ronna featured a book called, Eyes of the Heart: Photography as a Christian Contemplative Practice by Christine Valters Paintner. It seemed so perfect to add to this newsletter about The Heart and how God changes and transforms us over our lifetime, as we open ourselves and allow it.</p>
<p>I believe we are called to ever opening ourselves to new thoughts and truth. We will never figure out everything, we are not supposed to – that’s what faith is about. There is much more to this life than is un-understandable, but we are called to be ever learning and open to growth and new understanding as we go. We are called to look and to see in new ways as we go. I believe it is the seeking, knocking and opening which will lead to transformation of our lives and hearts, because that is what real love does.</p>
<p>Here are a few of her words about the book, Eyes of the Heart:</p>
<p>Cultivating eyes of the heart is about seeing in a more spacious and expansive way, and recognizing how we often move through life with limited vision.  It is a biblical perspective, where the heart is seen as the organ of transformation and integration.  It is the place from which intelligence, intuition, experiential knowing, and deep wisdom emerge.</p>
<p>Most days we move through life seeing from our minds.  Those tricky organs of thought, which love to categorize and analyze, love to plan and lay things out.  Our minds look for what they expect to see, rather than what is really there.</p>
<p>In my work with photography, I have discovered the camera to be an important tool in reclaiming a different way of seeing: one marked by soulfulness and compassion, one which sees things as gifts to be received rather than products to be taken.  Contemplative seeing means slowing ourselves down and savoring each moment, knowing there is something holy being revealed right here and now.</p>
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		<title>April 2013: Mud</title>
		<link>http://songsfromthevalley.com/newsletter/april-2013-mud/</link>
		<comments>http://songsfromthevalley.com/newsletter/april-2013-mud/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 01 Apr 2013 17:36:07 +0000</pubDate>
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		<description><![CDATA[April 2013: Mud Featured Art ALEJANDRO MAESTRE GASTEAZI http://newevolutiondesigns.com/amazing-mud-art-by-alejandro-maestre-gasteazi MUD It is spring and that means my favorite season is upon us. I love the changing of the seasons, but spring is my very favorite because, to me, it is the most beautiful, and because it is the time of rebirth, transformation, green, trees budding, [...]]]></description>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://songsfromthevalley.com/April 2012 6.4 Mud.pdf"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1773" title="Vol-524-homepage" src="http://songsfromthevalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Vol-524-homepage-231x300.jpg" alt="" width="231" height="300" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><a href="http://songsfromthevalley.com/April 2012 6.4 Mud.pdf" target="_blank">April 2013: Mud</a><br />
</strong></p>
</td>
<td style="text-align: center;" width="50%" valign="top"><strong>Featured Art</strong></p>
<p>ALEJANDRO MAESTRE GASTEAZI<br />
<a href="http://newevolutiondesigns.com/amazing-mud-art-by-alejandro-maestre-gasteazi" target="_blank">http://newevolutiondesigns.com/amazing-mud-art-by-alejandro-maestre-gasteazi</a></td>
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<p><strong>MUD</strong></p>
<p>It is spring and that means my favorite season is upon us. I love the changing of the seasons, but spring is my very favorite because, to me, it is the most beautiful, and because it is the time of rebirth, transformation, green, trees budding, flowers, Easter bunnies and baby chicks. The whole world wakes up and dances!</p>
<p>There is also another time during spring right before all the color comes, when it feels like the whole world is brown. It is a hard time when it is not yet pretty and when we find ourselves mopping the floor more than usual. Some years that time feels like it never will end and the world will always be drab and our shoes will always be dirty, but it never lasts forever!</p>
<p>During that time, things are happening below the surface, and soon enough, spring comes alive!!!</p>
<p>Mud is made up of a couple of things that are the foundation to all of life here on earth – even us! Clay and water – Yes, we are pretty much made of mud, and our spiritual and physical lives are made up if seasons, just like nature, and right before the flowers bloom can be a muddy time in our lives. We must be patient and look for the green shoots to begin to come up!</p>
<p>Right within<br />
this clay and water<br />
Breath of God<br />
finds a home</p>
<p>Light within<br />
our broken temple<br />
glow of God<br />
leads us on</p>
<p>Sight within<br />
our eyes are blinded<br />
eye of God<br />
illumine us</p>
<p>Fight within<br />
this battle raging<br />
peace of God<br />
gives us rest</p>
<p>Mighty God<br />
our creator<br />
mold our clay<br />
to reach our best</p>
<p>AL 3/27/13</p>
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		<title>March 2013: My Best Today</title>
		<link>http://songsfromthevalley.com/newsletter/march-2013-my-best-today/</link>
		<comments>http://songsfromthevalley.com/newsletter/march-2013-my-best-today/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 05 Mar 2013 16:41:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[March 2013: My Best Today Featured Art Art Found on Pinterestwww.pinterest.com Follow me: al513 Board: http://pinterest.com/al513/the-path-we-take-makes-all-the-difference/ My Best Today What does it mean to do your best today? Well, the interesting thing I have found about this question, in studying this very seriously for myself is &#8211; it is really completely different for each person. [...]]]></description>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://songsfromthevalley.com/Darkness.pdf"></a><a href="http://songsfromthevalley.com/March 2013 6.1 My Best Today.pdf"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1767" title="Vol603-homepage" src="http://songsfromthevalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Vol603-homepage-231x300.jpg" alt="" width="231" height="300" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><a href="http://songsfromthevalley.com/March 2013 6.1 My Best Today.pdf" target="_blank">March 2013: My Best Today</a><br />
</strong></p>
</td>
<td style="text-align: center;" width="50%" valign="top"><strong>Featured Art</strong></p>
<p>Art Found on Pinterest<a href="http://www.pinterest.com" target="_blank">www.pinterest.com</a><br />
Follow me: al513</p>
<p>Board: <a href="http://pinterest.com/al513/the-path-we-take-makes-all-the-difference/" target="_blank">http://pinterest.com/al513/the-path-we-take-makes-all-the-difference/</a></td>
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<p><strong>My Best Today</strong></p>
<p>What does it mean to do your best today? Well, the interesting thing I have found about this question, in studying this very seriously for myself is &#8211; it is really completely different for each person.</p>
<p>You might be new to this question. You might ask how can that can be? Isn’t there some sort of ‘best’ standard we can expect and demand from everyone? My answer to that is, No, as far as I have found in studying this, even down to the parable of “The Talents”. We are each given different gifts, circumstances, understandings, relationships, origins, etc. and so, each of us are coming from a place that is uniquely different, so how could we hold the same standards of doing our best that is the same. It is pretty arrogant, and even foolish, to expect it to be the same. We are however, expected to do our best with what we have been given.</p>
<p>Yes, I am required to do is live to my best each day. Then when I learn something new and better, I am required to incorporate that new thing into my new day. To me this is the meaning of the verse in Philippians 1:6, “ being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” We are truly a work in progress – it never ends. We will always be learning here in this life we have been blessed to live.</p>
<p>This takes living with a high level of awareness and intention. Knowing we are not here to fake perfection which is impossible, but to strive for excellence, knowing all is grace as we bow in gratitude for all that we have been granted.</p>
<p>I love these 10 questions from Marc and Angel Hack Life</p>
<p><strong>10 Questions You Should Know the Answers To…</strong><br />
Because the answers to these ten questions will help you discover the very best in yourself…</p>
<p><strong>1. What would make you proud of yourself?</strong></p>
<p>When you follow your heart and intuition, people won’t always agree with you. When you find something that makes you happy, not everyone will be happy for you. When you show unwavering kindness to others, some people will question your motives. When you are honest to the core, some folks will attempt to use your honesty against you. When you look for the best in everyone you meet, a few of them will take advantage of it.</p>
<p>Don’t let any of these people stop you from doing these things. These people don’t matter. In the end, what does matter is how you feel about yourself and the life you have led. You will ask yourself one question: “Am I proud of how I lived?” Make the answer: “Yes!”</p>
<p><strong>2. How can you make a positive difference?</strong></p>
<p>Even when it seems like a hopeless effort, do the right thing. Always live firmly by the forces of love and truth. The bullies and cheats who seem unstoppable in the short term always fall from power in the end. Love and truth always rise to the top.</p>
<p>Keep injecting your goodness into the world, one small act at a time. It’s these small acts of goodness stacked together that eventually change the world. You may never see the full result of your positive actions, but they will be accounted for and realized in time. If you do nothing, there will be no result – no positive change ever.</p>
<p><strong>3. What are you trying to accomplish and why?</strong></p>
<p>Know the answer to this simple question and remind yourself of it every single day. You must identify, without any doubt, the specific reason you do the work you do. Success can only occur when there is a target and a reason to hit it.</p>
<p>When you have a reason to do something, you have a legitimate purpose behind your efforts. When you connect this reason to a desired result, you’re able to summon the discipline and persistence necessary to get the job done. Give yourself a good reason and you will find a way to succeed. Read The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.</p>
<p><strong>4. What are the roadblocks standing in your way?</strong></p>
<p>A roadblock is only a roadblock if you don’t know about it. If you know about it, it’s just a challenge. Look around and evaluate the challenges you face; within them lie the opportunities to make lasting progress. You are in the best position to make the most of these opportunities, because you know exactly where you are, where you want to go, and what resources you have at your disposal.</p>
<p>Remember that the roughest roads often lead to the top, and the best way to get over a roadblock is to go through it. Thus, you must run toward your challenges with all your might, because the easiest way through them is to trample them beneath your feet. You have what it takes right now. You know what you must do and you know why. Step confidently into your challenges until you reach the road on the other side.</p>
<p><strong>5. What’s the next step?</strong></p>
<p>Remember, you will never make a bigger mistake than sitting back and doing nothing simply because you can only do a little. So go head and start small. Take a small step, and if you can’t take a small step, take a tiny one. Do what you can with the resources you have right now. Get yourself moving in a positive, productive direction.</p>
<p>The best thing about big success is that it comes one step at a time. A flash of success, no matter how small, creates the momentum necessary to create even more success. Every positive step forward puts you in position to take the next one.</p>
<p><strong>6. What are your flaws and faults?</strong></p>
<p>You will never be flawless. You will never be faultless. Acknowledge your flaws and faults and accept them. Let the difference between your flaws and the flaws of others be that you have accepted their existence and moved past them, while others are hopelessly trying to hide them. Let the difference between your faults and the faults of others be that you have addressed them and learned from them, while others are still living in denial.</p>
<p>Don’t fall victim to fabricated illusions. Don’t hide from reality. Face your deficiencies and use them to bask in the glory of your personal growth.</p>
<p><strong>7. What issues do you need to resolve with yourself?</strong></p>
<p>When you feel lonely you look around for someone to fill the void in your life. You assume that your loneliness stems exclusively from being alone. But once you find company, it doesn’t take long before you realize that there’s still a void in your life. You still feel lonely and unfulfilled, so you blame it on your company and you move on to someone else… and then someone else. This cycle perpetuates for months, or even years, until you are eventually ready to face the truth.</p>
<p>The truth is, a partner, or even just a friend, can add lots of beauty to your life, but they can’t fill a void that exists within you. You alone are responsible for you own fulfillment. If you feel desperately lonely when you’re alone, it means you’re in bad company. It means you need to work on your relationship with yourself first. To believe otherwise is to delude your mind and perpetuate your loneliness as you<br />
hop from one failed relationship to the next.</p>
<p><strong>8. How are you burdening yourself?</strong></p>
<p>If you feel like your back is breaking from the weight your mind is carrying, perhaps it’s time to lighten the load you carry. There are many burdens you can easily let go of if you’re willing.</p>
<p>Start by leaving your worries behind you; worries only fill your mind with negativity. Instead take constructive action – get involved in something worthwhile that takes your mind off of things. Next, drop your grudges. Grudges and resentments simply suck energy and time away from you without any positive return. Once you’ve gotten this far, it’s time to stop pretending like you know everything. Rather than attempting to prove yourself, open your mind, eyes and ears to new and real possibilities. And before you wrap things up, let go of your impatience. Two of the most vital virtues of your personal growth will be your patience to wait for the right moment and your courage to make the best of it.</p>
<p>As you can see, dropping burdensome negativity from your life is fairly easy once you realize how much of it you’re carrying around with you. Do yourself a favor today and lighten your load.</p>
<p><strong>9. How have you celebrated your progress lately?</strong></p>
<p>Focus on the progress you’ve made, on the next positive step, on the silver lining between where you once were, where you are now, and where you’re headed. Do not think of yesterday’s failures, but of the success that is possible today.</p>
<p>Be proud of yourself. The fact that you’re trying is immensely impressive. You have conquered complacency. You are crushing your fears with every new effort you put forth. You aren’t where you want to be yet, but you’re making progress. Step by step will get you there. Even if you feel like you’re running in place, you aren’t. No effort that you make to attain something worthwhile is ever lost. It doesn’t matter how slow you go as long as you don’t give up.</p>
<p><strong>10. What do you love about your life?</strong></p>
<p>Life is a series of highs and lows. There will be times when bad things happen. When these times strike, it’s important to keep things in perspective. How you respond to life’s inevitable difficulties defines the strength and growth of your character, as well as the quality of your life. The false idea that you are a victim of any particular circumstance is simply inaccurate.</p>
<p>The fleeting ups and downs that occur on a daily basis are tiny threads in the overall fabric of your life. Each one adds to your personal growth. The quality of your life is ultimately your choice. You can choose to be immobilized by the gravity of your disappointments, or you can choose to rise from the suffering and treasure the most precious gift you have – life itself.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.marcandangel.com/2013/02/25/10-questions-you-should-know-the-answers-to/#more-580" target="_blank">http://www.marcandangel.com/2013/02/25/10-questions-you-should-know-the-answers-to/#more-580</a></p>
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		<title>February 2013: Darkness</title>
		<link>http://songsfromthevalley.com/newsletter/february-2013-darkness/</link>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 06 Feb 2013 14:55:33 +0000</pubDate>
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		<description><![CDATA[Februaryy 2013: Darkness Featured Artist Featured art found on Overstock www.overstock.com If you have ever been in to the darkness of life, this newsletter is for you. If you are struggling to keep your head above water, living in exhaustion and the hard things that come into our daily living, this newsletter is for you! [...]]]></description>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://songsfromthevalley.com/Darkness.pdf"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1760" title="Vol602-homepage" src="http://songsfromthevalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Vol602-homepage-231x300.jpg" alt="" width="231" height="300" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><a href="http://songsfromthevalley.com/Darkness.pdf" target="_blank">Februaryy 2013: Darkness</a><br />
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<td style="text-align: center;" width="50%" valign="top"><strong>Featured Artist</strong></p>
<p>Featured art found on<br />
Overstock<br />
<a href="http://www.overstock.com" target="_blank">www.overstock.com</a></td>
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<p>If you have ever been in to the darkness of life, this newsletter is for you. If you are struggling to keep your head above water, living in exhaustion and the hard things that come into our daily living, this newsletter is for you! I offer you hope! I offer you a shoulder. I offer you a place to rest. May you find yourself in God’s arc as you float towards the light and find the joy, which is possible. Blessings and love on the journey – let go and trust, even in the darkest of times.</p>
<p><strong>A Blessing for One Who is Exhausted</strong><br />
by John O’Donohue</p>
<p>When the rhythm of the heart becomes hectic,<br />
Time takes on the strain until it breaks;<br />
Then all the unattended stress falls in<br />
On the mind like an endless, increasing weight,</p>
<p>The light in the mind becomes dim.<br />
Things you could take in your stride before<br />
Now become laborsome events of will.</p>
<p>Weariness invades your spirit.<br />
Gravity begins falling inside you,<br />
Dragging down every bone.</p>
<p>The tide you never valued has gone out.<br />
And you are marooned on unsure ground.<br />
Something within you has closed down;<br />
And you cannot push yourself back to life.</p>
<p>You have been forced to enter empty time.<br />
The desire that drove you has relinquished.<br />
There is nothing else to do now but rest<br />
And patiently learn to receive the self<br />
You have forsaken for the race of days.</p>
<p>At first your thinking will darken<br />
And sadness take over like listless weather.<br />
The flow of unwept tears will frighten you.<br />
You have traveled too fast over false ground;<br />
Now your soul has come to take you back.</p>
<p>Take refuge in your senses, open up<br />
To all the small miracles you rushed through.</p>
<p>Become inclined to watch the way of rain<br />
When it falls slow and free.</p>
<p>Imitate the habit of twilight,<br />
Taking time to open the well of color<br />
That fostered the brightness of day.</p>
<p>Draw alongside the silence of stone<br />
Until its calmness can claim you.<br />
Be excessively gentle with yourself.</p>
<p>Stay clear of those vexed in spirit.<br />
Learn to linger around someone of ease<br />
Who feels they have all the time in the world.</p>
<p>Gradually, you will return to yourself,<br />
Having learned a new respect for your heart<br />
And the joy that dwells far within slow time.</p>
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		<title>January 2013: Mystery</title>
		<link>http://songsfromthevalley.com/newsletter/january-2013-mystery/</link>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 14 Jan 2013 15:54:39 +0000</pubDate>
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		<description><![CDATA[January 2013: Mystery Featured Artist Molly McDonald http://www.mollysmcdonald.com/msm-art.html Embracing the Mystery mys·ter·y n. pl. mys·ter·ies 1. One that is not fully understood or that baffles or eludes the understanding; an enigma. 2. One whose identity is unknown and who arouses curiosity. 3. A mysterious character or quality. 4. A work of fiction, a drama, or [...]]]></description>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://songsfromthevalley.com/January 13 6.1 Mystery.pdf"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1750" title="Vol-601-homepage" src="http://songsfromthevalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Vol-601-homepage-231x300.jpg" alt="" width="231" height="300" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><a href="http://songsfromthevalley.com/January 13 6.1 Mystery.pdf" target="_blank">January 2013: Mystery</a><br />
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<p><strong>Featured Artist</strong></p>
<p>Molly McDonald</p>
<p><a href="http://www.mollysmcdonald.com/msm-art.html" target="_blank">http://www.mollysmcdonald.com/msm-art.html</a></td>
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<p><strong>Embracing the Mystery</strong></p>
<p><strong>mys·ter·y</strong></p>
<p><em>n.</em> <em>pl.</em> <strong>mys·ter·ies</strong></p>
<p><strong>1. </strong>One that is not fully understood or that baffles or eludes the understanding; an enigma.</p>
<p><strong>2. </strong>One whose identity is unknown and who arouses curiosity.</p>
<p><strong>3. </strong>A mysterious character or quality.</p>
<p><strong>4. </strong>A work of fiction, a drama, or a film dealing with a puzzling crime.</p>
<p><strong>5. </strong>The skills, lore, or practices that are peculiar to a particular activity or group and are regarded as the special province of initiates.</p>
<p><strong>6. </strong>A religious truth that is incomprehensible to reason and knowable only through divine revelation.</p>
<p>Simply said, a mystery is something we don’t know the answer to. We like to think we are so smart we can figure out everything. However, life is full of mystery. There are many things we will desire to know, but will never know for sure about.</p>
<p>That’s where faith comes in. Faith is finding our way based on embracing the mystery, rather than solving the mystery.</p>
<p>In 2008 I sent a message to a relative stranger to ask him to pray for me. This was a small portion of his reply:</p>
<p>This may be an important time to take time, to spend long periods of time in silence and readiness. Give time to let all of these wild feelings surface and thrash about and settle down, and for even deeper truths to emerge.</p>
<p>Here are some questions to ponder:</p>
<p>In all this, where is God for you?</p>
<p>When you long to hear God’s voice, what tone of voice would you love most to hear?</p>
<p>Might God speak to you in that tone—in forms other than words?</p>
<p>If God were indeed a gentle, loving, faithful presence, how would God accompany you through this time? If you were God, what would you do for Amy?</p>
<p>Whatever you are doing, it seems brave. Maybe you feel like you’re in a little boat all alone on a great, wild sea. But really you are in God’s hands, held and protected and cherished. You sail across God’s lap. Despite all that is unknown, we know that God is love, and God is with you. All shall be well. All shall be well. And all manner of things shall be well.</p>
<p>Yes, I took his advice and I have thrashed around in the wild feelings and in mystery. That message came from my mentor and friend, Steve Garness-Holmes, who writes the amazing poems I love so much and share all the time. We have both started websites over the past 6 years. His blog, Unfolding Light has been one of my greatest sources of inspiration, joy and learning over the past 5 years. You will find one of his amazing poems inside the issue above. You can subscribe at <a href="http://www.unfoldinglight.net" target="_blank">www.unfoldinglight.net</a></p>
<p>The mystery grows deeper for me every step I take. The father into the mysterious I go, the bigger, wider and deeper it gets. I am, like Ann Voskamp, desiring to have as much of God as I can, and like Ann, I know there are no limits to this love available to each of us. What an amazing gift! What an indescribable thing is grace!</p>
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		<title>December 2012: Poetry</title>
		<link>http://songsfromthevalley.com/newsletter/december-2012-poetry/</link>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 10 Dec 2012 13:32:27 +0000</pubDate>
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		<description><![CDATA[December 2012: Poetry Follow my Daily Poetry and Quotes Blog: www.lifeacousticandamplified.wordpress.com Art found on Pinterest www.pinterest.com follow me on Pinterest http://pinterest.com/al513/ Poetry Merry Christmas!!! Happy New Year! 2013 is right around the corner! Woooo Hooooo!!! This is my gift to you! The last newsletter of the year! Another full chapter of SftV closed! 5 years [...]]]></description>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://songsfromthevalley.com/December 12 5.22 poetry.pdf"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1743" title="Vol-523-homepage" src="http://songsfromthevalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Vol-523-homepage-231x300.jpg" alt="" width="231" height="300" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><a href="http://songsfromthevalley.com/December 12 5.22 poetry.pdf" target="_blank">December 2012: Poetry</a><br />
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<p>Follow my Daily Poetry and Quotes Blog:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.lifeacousticandamplified.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">www.lifeacousticandamplified.wordpress.com</a></p>
<p>Art found on Pinterest<br />
<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/" target="_blank">www.pinterest.com</a></p>
<p>follow me on Pinterest<br />
<a href="http://pinterest.com/al513/" target="_blank">http://pinterest.com/al513/</a></td>
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<p><strong>Poetry</strong></p>
<p>Merry Christmas!!! Happy New Year! 2013 is right around the corner!  Woooo Hooooo!!!</p>
<p>This is my gift to you! The last newsletter of the year! Another full chapter of SftV closed! 5 years of connecting with life, with artists, writers, poets and all types of people. People in all sorts of life circumstance…People suffering… people avoiding…people self-medicating…people enjoying.</p>
<p>I realized many years ago that life was for, and about, people. People loving, connecting and helping each other – in other words community.  Finding community has been a challenge for me. It has not been an easy process, and I value the tribe I am gathering around myself. Full of very special, very creative and very spiritual, people. The costs to be here have been great, but worth it. I am very blessed!</p>
<p>Two extra bonus poems – to start you before you open my gift:</p>
<p>First one is by my friend, and amazing writer, and friend, Anni Macht Gibson.  Her beautiful book of poetry, <em>Unfinished</em>, is available for sale and makes a wonderful gift. You can contact me through the contact form on this website if you would like to purchase copies.</p>
<p><strong>What’s in My Junk Drawer<br />
</strong>Anni  Macht Gibson</p>
<p>A rubber-band sphere of emotion.<br />
Two black and whites of me walking<br />
in blue seersucker on Santorini, age ten.<br />
The rainbow swirled super-ball that left a ding<br />
in the ceiling of our first apartment in Baltimore.<br />
Heinous thoughts of my best friend in sixth grade<br />
telling me she had found someone else.<br />
Two pair of tortoise shell glasses<br />
I can’t see through anymore.<br />
The verbal slap across the face<br />
from Mlle Marechaux freshman year.<br />
Six packs of spare buttons in mini-manila envelopes.<br />
A thin gold band from a first marriage, discarded.<br />
The stuffed bunny I won at “guess your age” on the midway.<br />
Three Valentine’s Day cards from the year we were engaged.<br />
Wadded up feelings from the year<br />
Mama left us when I was thirteen.<br />
The positive pregnancy-test declaring<br />
my twenty-three year old son.<br />
One pearl earring, grieving for her mate.<br />
The detritus of fifty-five years in the swamp of life.</p>
<p>________</p>
<p>This next poem is by Nic Askew of Soul Biographies – awesome beautiful stuff out there on Nic’s website, soulbiographies.com  PLEASE go and watch his interviews, read his words – life-changing stories and  perspective coming from Nic’s soul and camera. <a href="http://soulbiographies.com/">http://soulbiographies.com/</a></p>
<p>‘<strong>THE TREE OF DREAMS’<br />
</strong>Nic Askew</p>
<p>Many had gathered under the<br />
tree of dreams.<br />
All but one stood shaking its<br />
branches for dreams<br />
to fall.<br />
Dreams that had been whispered<br />
to them by the voices of<br />
others.<br />
Dreams that would fade<br />
with time.<br />
But one sat quietly, waiting<br />
for a dream to recognize his soul.<br />
And to consume him with no doubt.</p>
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		<title>December 2012: Winter</title>
		<link>http://songsfromthevalley.com/newsletter/december-2012-winter/</link>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 30 Nov 2012 13:32:54 +0000</pubDate>
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		<description><![CDATA[December 2012: Winter Recommended Website/Blog Art found on Pinterest www.pinterest.com follow me on Pinterest http://pinterest.com/al513/ Winter And now for the gravy on top! The turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes and rolls are all great, but it’s the GRAVY that makes it all sing! And so we have arrived at the gravy of newsletters, the last two [...]]]></description>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://songsfromthevalley.com/December 12 5.21 winter.pdf" target="_blank"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1736" title="Vol-522-homepage" src="http://songsfromthevalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Vol-522-homepage-231x300.jpg" alt="" width="231" height="300" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><a href="http://songsfromthevalley.com/December 12 5.21 winter.pdf" target="_blank">December 2012: Winter</a><br />
</strong></p>
</td>
<td style="text-align: center;" width="50%" valign="top"><strong>Recommended Website/Blog</strong></p>
<p>Art found on Pinterest<br />
<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/" target="_blank">www.pinterest.com</a></p>
<p>follow me on Pinterest<br />
<a href="http://pinterest.com/al513/" target="_blank">http://pinterest.com/al513/</a></td>
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<p><strong>Winter</strong></p>
<p>And now for the gravy on top! The turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes and rolls are all great, but it’s the GRAVY that makes it all sing! And so we have arrived at the gravy of newsletters, the last two issues of Songs from the Valley for the year 2012.</p>
<p>2012 has been quite a year for me, and I am feeling a bit overwhelmed as I walk into December, towards a New Year &#8211; 2013!!! I LOVE a new year, with all the possibilities before me, yet there are some things that are not in place for me yet. I am hoping things settle soon.</p>
<p>There are some big, and exciting, changes coming for the newsletter in the coming year. They are beginning to be defined and there will be much more up coming in the next coming weeks as I get new creative and dreamy ideas into ‘being’ with solid action and collaboration.</p>
<p>I love this time of year and I am so grateful for the beauty of winter and the Holidays. It is definitely one of my favorite times of the year! I hope you enjoy the holiday season and take time to just savor all the delights that are available for all our senses! Especially our noses!!! I walked into a beautiful, old Presbyterian Church sanctuary last night, while about 8 men with ladders were doing awesome and amazing things to decorate for this special time of the church year, and the smell of the large fresh-pine wreaths they were hanging was so beautiful I almost just stayed there for the night! Truly a very special smell of Christmas!!!</p>
<p>Yes, it’s been said many times &amp; many ways, but I truly wish &amp; hope, you have a merry, merry Christmas and a wonderful holiday season!</p>
<p>xoxoxo</p>
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		<title>November 2012: Forgiveness</title>
		<link>http://songsfromthevalley.com/newsletter/november-2012-forgiveness/</link>
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		<pubDate>Sat, 17 Nov 2012 21:38:58 +0000</pubDate>
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		<description><![CDATA[November 2012: Forgiveness Recommended Website/Blog Featured Artist Osa Manheim manheimphotography.smugmug.com Forgiveness I get stuck a lot – how about you? I have found, over the years that things like grief, forgiveness, and other less than ideal emotions, are something I will go to great links to avoid dealing with. And so, I often find myself [...]]]></description>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://songsfromthevalley.com/November 12 5.20 Forgiveness.pdf"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1730" title="Vol-521-homepage" src="http://songsfromthevalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Vol-521-homepage-231x300.jpg" alt="" width="231" height="300" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><a href="http://songsfromthevalley.com/November 12 5.20 Forgiveness.pdf" target="_blank">November 2012: Forgiveness</a><br />
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<p><strong>Recommended Website/Blog</strong></p>
<p>Featured Artist</p>
<p>Osa Manheim<br />
<a href="http://manheimphotography.smugmug.com" target="_blank">manheimphotography.smugmug.com</a></td>
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<p><strong>Forgiveness</strong></p>
<p>I get stuck a lot – how about you? I have found, over the years that things like grief, forgiveness, and other less than ideal emotions, are something I will go to great links to avoid dealing with. And so, I often find myself stuck in things that are just sticky. I find that life is very sticky.</p>
<p>I wrote this for a friend the other day, who happens to be a little stuck herself lately, these things were just random things that I got stuck on over the past couple of months. It is a snapshot of my sticky path.</p>
<p>The most wonderful thing I have found to be true, is that looking for goodness and giving thanks and declaring my gratitude, is the magic potion which releases me from the quicksand of life’s sticky things. So the way to keep myself from sticking to the silly things is to always keep my eye on the bigger picture and look for things to be thankful for right in the middle of the sticky, messy, madness.</p>
<p><strong>Stuck in the blues</strong></p>
<p>I get stuck on silly things<br />
Like rainy days<br />
when my phone rings<br />
I get stuck in parking spaces<br />
And in hugs of biblical proportion<br />
I get stuck in desperation of<br />
empty wallets<br />
And gas tanks<br />
And stomachs<br />
And stalkers<br />
And water bills<br />
And you-know-who’s<br />
And I-owe-U’s<br />
Some days I just get stuck in bed<br />
Covers all up o&#8217;er my head<br />
&#8216;I cant get up&#8217;, I tell my clock,<br />
&#8216;Cause I am stuck,<br />
So just shut up&#8217;<br />
I get stuck when my pillow gets hot<br />
Or when it&#8217;s cold and I cry<br />
And ice sickles hang from my eyelashes<br />
I get stuck on random things<br />
Like boots and shoes<br />
And onion rings<br />
When socks don&#8217;t match<br />
Or there&#8217;s no cream<br />
when stupid songs stick in my head<br />
The ones I just don&#8217;t want to sing<br />
I get stuck when I think about what I want<br />
Instead of what I have<br />
I get stuck in a few more minutes&#8230;<br />
Or another year goes by<br />
Reminding me<br />
I might get stuck dancing&#8230;<br />
At your wedding to someone else,<br />
Or on your grave,<br />
Or in a dream about Madonna, and bananas and a cat who likes to pray<br />
I get stuck eating meatball subs<br />
And pumpkin muffins with extravagant amounts of butter<br />
at times I get stuck in the blues<br />
I know it&#8217;s sad<br />
Yet mighty true<br />
the hardest times to get unstuck<br />
Are when my mind gets stuck on you<br />
Stuck on you<br />
Stuck on you<br />
Yes I get stuck<br />
Stuck&#8230;<br />
and then I stop and take a breath</p>
<p>Deep and long<br />
and full of health<br />
I feel my heart beat in my chest<br />
and I remember what is true<br />
even here I know there’s You<br />
Yes, right here in this sticky place<br />
My whole life is full of grace<br />
and so I bend my head again<br />
And say a Thank You there and then<br />
yes, in the good and in the bad<br />
You’re always there<br />
You’re always good<br />
and then I start to walk again<br />
and sing, and dance with all my friends</p>
<p>AL 11/12/12</p>
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		<title>November 2012: Place</title>
		<link>http://songsfromthevalley.com/newsletter/november-2012-place/</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 01 Nov 2012 21:29:16 +0000</pubDate>
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		<description><![CDATA[November 2012: Place Recommended Website/Blog Featured Artist Beverly Erschell http://www.beverlyerschell.com/ Place Has your life ever been disconnected? I mean have you ever not known where you belong in this world and wondered where your place is? I know there are many people who have experienced this in greater, longer and more devastating ways than me, [...]]]></description>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://songsfromthevalley.com/November 12 5.19 place.pdf"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1724" title="Vol-520-homepage" src="http://songsfromthevalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Vol-520-homepage-231x300.jpg" alt="" width="231" height="300" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><a href="http://songsfromthevalley.com/November 12 5.19 place.pdf" target="_blank">November 2012: Place</a><br />
</strong></p>
</td>
<td style="text-align: center;" width="50%" valign="top"><strong>Recommended Website/Blog</strong></p>
<p>Featured Artist</p>
<p>Beverly Erschell<br />
<a href="http://www.beverlyerschell.com/" target="_blank">http://www.beverlyerschell.com/</a></td>
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<p><strong>Place</strong></p>
<p>Has your life ever been disconnected? I mean have you ever not known where you belong in this world and wondered where your place is?</p>
<p>I know there are many people who have experienced this in greater, longer and more devastating ways than me, but I went through this feeling for around 13 years. It was an interesting experience and, sometimes, I wondered if I would ever find my way to ‘home’. If I deserved it, if I would ever be in any way normal again. Even as I write this, I feel tears as the memories of those years come back to me and the difficulty of not having a place to settle, and rest, fills me.</p>
<p>Two years ago I finally felt I had reached ‘home’ – yet I am just now finding my place within that thought, and I still struggle to settle, and begin to grow roots, in this particular location where I feel I am at a place to really, not just roots, but to grow root structures.  I am aware of my practice of protection which is to disconnect and become separate. Aware of the tendency to protect and stay aloof, and to ‘fit in’ rather than express my true thoughts.</p>
<p>Even as place has been so difficult for me to find, and has created some of the afore-mentioned pitfalls, which I have to be aware of, I have also found some benefits to all of my wandering: I have learned to be at home in my own skin, I have learned the value of the human soul, and to define myself from who I am, rather than where I am from or what I have. I have learned that I am Beloved by my creator, more than I could ever comprehend. This has been very important for me and has healed many insecurities and allowed me to adapt in many different environments and find goodness in it all.</p>
<p>We all have a place we are ‘from’, our history, our family-tree. A few years ago I came back to the farm where my mom and her siblings were born. Ground which had been loved and worked for generations of my family, and I felt a connection to this dirt, as I walked this piece of earth, which was a tremendous experience for me and it gave me new confidence in finding my place, connected me, even more profoundly to my part of the current flow in the relay-race of humanity. All is connected.</p>
<p>I am not here by accident in this time and in this place. Life is important. What we do with this gift is one of the most important things we could ever think about. If we don’t like the story we can change it, if we are not place, may we keep on walking until we find our place in the world.</p>
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