Welcome to here we collide. A project by To Write Love on Her Arms.
This project is for you. We believe in stories; when something involves people, our story, and our lives intertwining with others’ it becomes important. Our stories collide. Something happens. And we believe there is significance in these smallest of moments in all of our lives.
You are breathing. You are alive with so much purpose, so full of potential. The future is wide open and full of beautiful things yet to be discovered. We believe in hope, in finding it amongst the chaos of life. We believe in sharing it with each other, and telling stories in our own unique ways.
This project is about moments. The photos, films, words and music we post are small glimpses of the world captured by strangers. We hope they are a light to your story and a daily reminder of possibility. We hope that you are inspired to capture your own moments as these stories collide with yours.
http://herewecollide.com/about
So I have written less and less on this site- and Yesterday I stumbled on a project by To Write Love on Her Arms, a description is listed above... and it brought me back. About three years ago I sketched out a project of my own: using art (photography, music, art, poetry) to capture community; people at work, living, struggling, overcoming, falling, and rising- everyday people- the good, the bad, and the ugly of little towns and big cities- Capturing it all, seeing what life looks like, what it feels like, what it is. How our world affects us and what we can do about it-
This idea, my idea, like so much of our school "work" gets buried away in the notebooks and letters past. I looked in vain for that notebook tonight.
Now I am not saying TWLOHA stole my idea, hardly. I am saying I had a similar idea, a little bit of energy and creativity that made it's way to paper and lit a spark in my heart- a spark that re-lit a lantern. See the "Daring Correspondence" is just that; a notion, an idea, that in everyday life, in all that is right and wrong in our world's, be they big or small, that you have a chance to relate, to correspond. That this chance, this choice, this idea corresponds to you, it hits you in the heart and shakes you to the core.
It could be the light on a group of kids playing in the park, making us feel as if everything is OK; it may be an elderly couple having coffee, allowing us to believe love and devotion to another can outlast the latest divorce statistic; it could be the smile of an old friend, allowing herself to be soaked in forgiveness or even praise, for both are long awaited- It is so normal, yet so daring, so bold.
Because, my friends and family, we have forgotten.
We have forgotten the beauty, the essence, the promise, of every little thing this life has to offer. we have forgotten to the point that to feel these things, to allow life to stir us and move us, we have to be daring. Our part is to be Daring, the Correspondence comes from beyond, from somewhere else, way bigger than us, way too beautiful to comprehend. The Daring Correspondence. A movement, a feeling, a way of life.
As if this little project of mine just began, it is time to put it away. I don't know for how long, I don't know if this is an ending. All i know, is that these principles and these Hopes take great courage, yet they are all worth every little effort. I encourage you to see yourself as part of a story, to believe in what is bigger and BRIGHTER. I cannot agree more with the encouragement to "capture your own moments as these stories collide with yours".
Sometimes people, songs, books, poems, and, experiences, serve us and change our worlds. Yet we experience all sorts of different stuff and certain things strike as at different times- sometimes for but a season in our life- and like the fading days of summer or the first flowers sprouting forth, we have to move accordingly, lest we be lost in the heat of the day, or frozen in time-
Goodnight and sleep well.
listen: Switchfoot- "restless" *new*
Switchfoot- *new* "restless"
Showing posts with label meaning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label meaning. Show all posts
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
Internal (from the inside out)
Seems as we move faster and faster in the world, with all the communication, media, ideas, etc. that we are forgetting a big thing. OURSELVES. We have many personalities, a multitude of attitudes and faces and a wellspring of things to do with our time. Yet, we are struggling. There are new statistics on the rise and it seems like we young people just aren't as happy as we used to be. There are many, many reasons for this, but i believe the most prevalent one is found within the false self, or rather, as Brennan Manning refers to it, "the imposter".
The community in which I reside has really taken on a new focus as of late. Seems like many of my friends are not only Slowing down, but they are also facing things head on and seeking healing and truth in the process. I have used what I have seen to take stock of things in my own life and see where I am at in terms of being true to myself and the people around me. Scary what you uncover when you look to the past to go forward.
It is also scary that just slowing down, (i.e. sitting down and turning off your brain for a few minutes, meditating, reading or even sharing a cup of tea) with no distractions (school work, television, music) can actually be a terrifying ordeal. As we begin to discover our identity in society as a new age of communication and young people emerge, this may be the biggest threat to our well being and success as world changers and overall happy and fulffilled individuals and communities.
Can you sit and reflect, without being nervous or upset?
Can you sit and tell your mind to hush, if even for a moment?
Can you sit and not be consumed by the fear of a vintage Alfred Hitchcock film?
Can you sit and be... with yourself?
The answer to all of these questions is Yes. Maybe not right now, but it will be a convincing yes. With practice and letting go and slowing down. It may be our only option. So we are all people made for awesome and amazing things. After all, if you can sit and rest, within the "sound of silence" or even, as one friend says, "sit in the pain", then you can see the situation for what it really is, and, in the light of revelation, darkness has no choice but to flee. Once you understand the situation, once you see things for what they are, you can see how you have the strength to overcome, even when things speed up again.
It is only when you allow that spirit to embrace you, that you can see things with eyes of truth and make peace with whatever the "imposter" says, which is not you at all.
If we cannot find this in an increasingly fast paced society, we may never come to realize who we are or what we are actually doing here.
"Nor will people say, Look! Here [it is]! or, See, [it is] there! For behold, the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]."- Jesus
listen:
Damien Rice- "what if i'm wrong"
The community in which I reside has really taken on a new focus as of late. Seems like many of my friends are not only Slowing down, but they are also facing things head on and seeking healing and truth in the process. I have used what I have seen to take stock of things in my own life and see where I am at in terms of being true to myself and the people around me. Scary what you uncover when you look to the past to go forward.
It is also scary that just slowing down, (i.e. sitting down and turning off your brain for a few minutes, meditating, reading or even sharing a cup of tea) with no distractions (school work, television, music) can actually be a terrifying ordeal. As we begin to discover our identity in society as a new age of communication and young people emerge, this may be the biggest threat to our well being and success as world changers and overall happy and fulffilled individuals and communities.
Can you sit and reflect, without being nervous or upset?
Can you sit and tell your mind to hush, if even for a moment?
Can you sit and not be consumed by the fear of a vintage Alfred Hitchcock film?
Can you sit and be... with yourself?
The answer to all of these questions is Yes. Maybe not right now, but it will be a convincing yes. With practice and letting go and slowing down. It may be our only option. So we are all people made for awesome and amazing things. After all, if you can sit and rest, within the "sound of silence" or even, as one friend says, "sit in the pain", then you can see the situation for what it really is, and, in the light of revelation, darkness has no choice but to flee. Once you understand the situation, once you see things for what they are, you can see how you have the strength to overcome, even when things speed up again.
It is only when you allow that spirit to embrace you, that you can see things with eyes of truth and make peace with whatever the "imposter" says, which is not you at all.
If we cannot find this in an increasingly fast paced society, we may never come to realize who we are or what we are actually doing here.
"Nor will people say, Look! Here [it is]! or, See, [it is] there! For behold, the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]."- Jesus
listen:
Damien Rice- "what if i'm wrong"
Monday, May 31, 2010
The Length of Time over which recollection Extends
Memorial Day is important. Memories are important. Memories are celebrations of Life.
It has been a very quiet memorial day in New London today, and I find that sad. Not to say that the day and the particular people remembered on this day (especially armed forces and recently lost loved ones) has been forgotten, but the outward celebration of life has not been proclaimed. That I can tell. Then again, maybe we all o this in many ways. I chose to think and pray for those close to my friends and myself, we have lost over the past few years and days, and I chose to make these thoughts action by writing some people I was close to on my left forearm as I ran in a local 5K race in remembrance and memorium.
It is important to remember, for so many reasons. The title I chose for this post is one of the many dictionary definitions for "memories". The length of time over which recollection extends. As many of you know, one of the struggles related to my brain injury is trouble recollecting short term memories (anatomy was really difficult five months post accident!) So, according to this definition, their is a limited time which recollection extends. This is of course true, and maybe even more true for somebody like me who has trouble recollecting in general. It is also true because people with brain injuries and short term memory deficits are often depressed and frustrated with life due to these struggles. That tells you how important memories are.
Memories are extremely relevant too. Where we have been and what we hold onto can tell us a lot about who we are right now. It can also tell us where we would like to and not like to go in the future. Memories are like a cities on the map of your story, your life. They are filled with everything life has to offer, all the ups and downs, all the love and pain, all the trial and tribulations- all the ebb and flow. So they are not only important and purposeful, but they are monumental in leading us towards the life we would like to live, the destiny Love would have us grasp.
But I would say they are even more.
Memories are the recollection of all five senses combining to make a movie from the past, of a person, of an experience. They are not just a filling of time and space, but a lived opportunity at making this world better, or somehow OK. So on memorial day, we can think of the people who made these experiences come to life. After all, this life is about relationship. Good or bad, missing, crying, and rejoicing, people make us move, and love leads us to continue, on and on, with memories being the wake in the sea of time.
To all those I have lost, to all whose memory I hold still, joyfully or begrudgingly,
Thank You
For you have made my life beautiful and filled me to overflowing. And YOU continue to do this, in spirit and in truth, ALWAYS.
On this memorial day, know that YOU are much more then a "recollection", so much more, but rather our lives are an extension of God (in HIS image), that spans all time, and always rejoices at the memories we hold close. Memories are celebrations of Life.
It has been a very quiet memorial day in New London today, and I find that sad. Not to say that the day and the particular people remembered on this day (especially armed forces and recently lost loved ones) has been forgotten, but the outward celebration of life has not been proclaimed. That I can tell. Then again, maybe we all o this in many ways. I chose to think and pray for those close to my friends and myself, we have lost over the past few years and days, and I chose to make these thoughts action by writing some people I was close to on my left forearm as I ran in a local 5K race in remembrance and memorium.
It is important to remember, for so many reasons. The title I chose for this post is one of the many dictionary definitions for "memories". The length of time over which recollection extends. As many of you know, one of the struggles related to my brain injury is trouble recollecting short term memories (anatomy was really difficult five months post accident!) So, according to this definition, their is a limited time which recollection extends. This is of course true, and maybe even more true for somebody like me who has trouble recollecting in general. It is also true because people with brain injuries and short term memory deficits are often depressed and frustrated with life due to these struggles. That tells you how important memories are.
Memories are extremely relevant too. Where we have been and what we hold onto can tell us a lot about who we are right now. It can also tell us where we would like to and not like to go in the future. Memories are like a cities on the map of your story, your life. They are filled with everything life has to offer, all the ups and downs, all the love and pain, all the trial and tribulations- all the ebb and flow. So they are not only important and purposeful, but they are monumental in leading us towards the life we would like to live, the destiny Love would have us grasp.
But I would say they are even more.
Memories are the recollection of all five senses combining to make a movie from the past, of a person, of an experience. They are not just a filling of time and space, but a lived opportunity at making this world better, or somehow OK. So on memorial day, we can think of the people who made these experiences come to life. After all, this life is about relationship. Good or bad, missing, crying, and rejoicing, people make us move, and love leads us to continue, on and on, with memories being the wake in the sea of time.
To all those I have lost, to all whose memory I hold still, joyfully or begrudgingly,
Thank You
For you have made my life beautiful and filled me to overflowing. And YOU continue to do this, in spirit and in truth, ALWAYS.
On this memorial day, know that YOU are much more then a "recollection", so much more, but rather our lives are an extension of God (in HIS image), that spans all time, and always rejoices at the memories we hold close. Memories are celebrations of Life.
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