JOURNEY TOWARD LOVE
A collection from the Oasis community Lent 2015
Cover: Original artwork by Marie Rodichok
What’s Inside? In the following pages you will find a gathering of reflections from some of the amazing people who make up the community associated with Oasis Ministries for Spiritual Development. The call for submissions stated the simple theme of ‘journey toward love.’ It did not have to deal directly with Oasis. Enclosed are submissions we received: photos, poetry, artwork, reflections, and prayers. Our thanks to all who submitted material. Thank you to all who continue to support Oasis, especially through prayer. As you read and reflect, may you be inspired to journey toward love with us. Oasis Ministries for Spiritual Development 419 Deerfield Road, Camp Hill, PA 17011 717.737.8222 * www.oasismin.org
Table of Contents untitled artwork, Marie Rodichok .............................................................................................................Cover The Journey Toward Love Is, Cindy Garis ........................................................................................................ 3 Native Flute, Cheri Roth .................................................................................................................................. 4 Our Love has given us Wings to Fly, Kathyann E. Corl ..................................................................................... 5 Cloud taking the shape of a heart in Ontario Canada, Denise Crawn ............................................................ 5 The Woods, Kelly Chripczuk .............................................................................................................................. 6 A Heart in a tree at Kirkridge, Denise Crawn .................................................................................................... 6 Living Love as a Beautiful Angel, Kathyann E. Corl .......................................................................................... 7 Cosmic Love, Ellen Dionna ................................................................................................................................ 7 Lauds, Ellen Dionna .......................................................................................................................................... 7 My Prayer, Diana Barbera ................................................................................................................................ 8 Yellow flowers, Diana Barbera ......................................................................................................................... 8 Heart stone on Iona, Denise Crawn .................................................................................................................. 8 I’m Making Breakfast, Josie Byzek .................................................................................................................... 9 The Night Will Hold You, Kelly Chripczuk ........................................................................................................ 10 untitled photo, John Chripczuk ....................................................................................................................... 11 The Journey Toward Love has Many Paths, Yvonne Wilson .......................................................................... 12 Another Road, Stephanie Stover ..................................................................................................................... 13 I Have Grown More Simple, Pat Thomas ........................................................................................................ 14 Bleeding Heart found floating in the tarn at Kirkridge, Denise Crawn ........................................................... 15 Our Love is a Sanctuary and a Celebration, Kathyann E. Corl ........................................................................ 15 Love creates a Symphony, Kathyann E. Corl .................................................................................................. 16 Love Light, Ellen Dionna .................................................................................................................................. 16 Heart-filled messages, Denise Crawn ............................................................................................................. 17 To Love What is Passing, Kelly Chripczuk .................................................................................................. 18-19 Heart shape flowers, Ireland, Denise Crawn................................................................................................... 19 The Gift: Perfect Love, Deirdre Whitfield ........................................................................................................ 20 Tree of Love, Wanda Veldman........................................................................................................................ 20 Backyard Tragedy, Josie Byzek ....................................................................................................................... 21 Nature’s Beauty Births Tomorrows, Kathyann E. Corl ................................................................................... 21 Love is still around us, Kathyann E Corl ......................................................................................................... 22 The Spouting Cave on Iona splashing love, Denise Crawn ............................................................................. 23 List of Contributors ......................................................................................................................................... 24 2
Photo submission by Cindy Garis What I’ve learned from assembling this e-book for you...from our community:
The Journey Toward Love is ...Tragic and Sacred ...Terrifying and Beautiful ...Opening and Astounding ...Gentle and Harsh ...Erotic and Hopeful ...Intensely Personal and Passionately Communal ...Grace and Confusion Deep Mystery.
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Photo submission by Cheri Roth (accompanies audio recording below)
Native Flute (audio & video recording) - http://youtu.be/VGApmZ5Lzn8 By Cheri Roth Note: Cheri Roth shares her electronic reflection via a (3-minute) YouTube link (Our first sound recording included in one of our e-books!) Click on the link above to access her original native flute piece.) Cheri hiked out on her snow shoes on a 3 mile hike to the creek along the path where she goes to walk/run in Caledonia. This stream is off the fitness trail. The accompanying audio is Cheri on her bass flute. With the help of her technologicallysavvy daughter, she was able to post it to YouTube for us all to enjoy.
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Our Love has given us Wings to Fly By Kathyann E. Corl When we met my life was filled with shadows With empty fleeting images which lasted from moments to hours My days and nights had melded into an endless abyss Life had become a cocoon and the sunlight beyond my reach. In this time of hollow darkness, shadows lingered in my heart, Feelings and emotions had grown inwards, into the cocoon, Tightly wound with fear and anxiety, brittle to the touch, Living was barely an existence on the verge of the edge. Into this abyss, existence required change and friendships and supports began Our friendship began slowly as we found ourselves sharing time together We were both brittle with pain from the past and found it difficult to trust Building our friendship evolved as the metamorphosis of the cocoon began. Frost left the trees, as spring allowed the new leaves to grow and evolved into summer Your friendship became a source of warmth and caring allowing my cocoon to unravel As summer grew into autumn our connection towards each other continued to grow Unveiling the beauty that was deeply hidden within each of us as individuals. As our cocoons unraveled, we began to grow towards each other as a couple Experiencing a connection that united our bodies, minds and souls Evolving, blending, molding and creating a connection that was united. From within these cocoons, two butterflies emerged from their metamorphosis Timid and uncertain, yet nurtured by the strength of this joint Love Vibrant with the colors of sunlight and stardust these butterflies emerged Connected with the power of Love these butterflies began the journey of Life. These butterflies found the strength to lift their wings towards the skies.
“Cloud taking the shape of a heart in Ontario Canada,� photo submission by Denise Crawn 5
The Woods by Kelly Chripczuk Within you dwells a wood there are trails, some old and overgrown, others fresh-cut and, between them, wide open spaces filled with untamed growth. In those woods you are every age you have ever been, every age you will be.
Those woods walk up the mountain and over the other side; those woods go on forever. In them stand ancient trees, sturdy, scarred and thick. Those woods whisper your name, "Be who you are," they sigh, "this is all that was ever needed."
“A Heart in a tree at Kirkridge,� photo submission by Denise Crawn
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Living Love as a Beautiful Angel By Kathyann E. Corl Today you are a beautiful angel Beaming with the Love that I shared with you as my daughter In this world on earth I live with the pain of your loss everyday Yet I have made a choice to live your life of passion As I reach for the Evening Star each night I touch your spirit with the totality of your essence
Your joyful smile is beaming through the heavens Daring us to dream of impossibilities That can become possible here on earth. Your gentle and loving laugh is coloring the heavens Echoing with a vibrant passionate paintbrush of love The colors of the sunset setting behind the mountain. Your beauty as an angel beams on the earth Planting dreams of embracing life to the fullest Creating double rainbows That spread across the circumference of the earth.
COSMIC LOVE
LAUDS
By Ellen Dionna
By Ellen Dionna
Beloved, I hurl roses-thorn and bloom—into your Firmament-petaled offerings of my devotion, and
Prayers to the winds in a misted circle whose circumference is nowhere.
You saw them as spangled stars blossoming in my heart-My wild radiance shines for you, the gift of our love a supernova guiding those who would seek heart-stars.
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Dancing to embrace dawn’s firmament folded into my heart. One ecstatic moment arcs me exultantly aloft to meet Beloved’s longing kiss Light-ravished I surrender into His morning dream of me.
MY PRAYER By Diana Barbera It’s not in having more Or searching for things outside But going deep within We find the truth resides. Let every day be sacred With the knowledge of beyond What lies on the surface To the treasures in our pond. And to open to the prize That each of us truly is No matter all the lies We’ve believed about our IS. For we are innocent creatures Trying as best we can To live the life we’re given With soul and heart opened. Dented though we may be, We deserve each spark of light And love that we can see To help us on our way To blossom . . . beautifully.
“A heart stone on Iona,” photo submission by Denise Crawn
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“Yellow flowers,” original watercolor by Diana Barbera
I’m Making Breakfast by Josie Byzek I’m at the stove and I’m frying eggs and planning this year’s garden in my mind While you are dying. I’m pushing with the spatula, salting and peppering, Turning and flipping and popping down the bread While you, my friend, are still dying. Outside the neighbors are taking down their dead tree, Outside mated birds are singing and weaving with twigs Outside tulips are pushing through, despite the last snow still clinging. While you are planning on no plans. While you are not trimming or chopping While you are not even going to eat these eggs I just made While you just stare and talk of what took place, and try not to dwell on What will not take place. I’m going to walk the dog, and she’s going to smell every damn bush, Every damn rock between here and the park, Noting where the rabbits are and the squirrels are And the bigger dogs have been. I’m going to note whether the turtles are out yet, And whose toddlers are bike-ready, pedals turning, As they practice running away, As they practice being grown. And you, my friend, You — Stubbornly, insistently, maddeningly, Are still dying.
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The Night Will Hold You by Kelly Chripczuk (with photo on page 11 taken by John Chripczuk)
When the grief you carry
Now that you are no longer afraid,
wears your face into a thousand
the night will hold you with its velvet
heavy lines, when the sadness
love, the emptiness of the darkness
feels like a knife splitting
sidling up against you as the well
your very body in two,
of grief pours out.
night will come at last.
“There's something comforting
With the children tucked safe
about the darkness,” you will tell
in their beds, you will stand
your husband when he finds you there.
in the doorway of your own
Instinctively, like the night, he will curl
darkened room and the night
himself around you offering not words,
will welcome you with its wide,
but himself to hold you, his flesh
and gentle embrace.
echoing in physicality the sweet
How can I explain that this
silent night that draws you close.
is what you need, what you have waited for, this knowing that the darkness is nothing to fear? You will lie down on your bed, half curled around the old, old wound, with your face turned toward the windows. Weeping, your eyes will search outlines of trees, the few bright stars captured in your window’s frame. 10
Photo submission by John Chripczuk 11
Original digital artwork by Yvonne Wilson "The Journey Toward Love has many paths. We are blessed to have the ability to choose ours." ~ Yvonne Wilson 12
“Having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they left for their own country by a different road.” (Matthew 2:12, ISV)
Another Road By Stephanie Stover Returning by another road, I’ve learned that the journey is not at all about the destination. Rather, it consists of the twists and the turns, the dust in your eyes that clouds your vision; the faith and the trust that become your companions, the starting and the stopping all along the way. A camel stores up water for such arduous travels, but I’ve been led to water from another, greater well; to learn to drink more deeply from the springs that give my spirit life, and dwell in the house that mercy builds until I reach my home.
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I HAVE GROWN MORE SIMPLE By Pat Thomas As the world has grown more complicated, I have grown more simple. As the world trips and stumbles over its plans, policies and procedures, I simply follow Jesus on the path of love. As the world argues and complains, I grow more silent. As the world busies itself building monuments to itself, I simply stand in awe of the beauty and majesty of sunrises and sunsets. As the world clamors for money and power, I pray for peace of mind, soul and spirit. As the world rejects and denounces God, I hide safely under the shadows of his wings And walk with him in the cool of the day. As the world grows bitter and lonely, I enjoy his sweet Presence. As the world wars with itself, I walk in the peace that passes all understanding. As the world grows dim, I live enlightened by God. As the world talks and says nothing, I listen to God and receive wisdom.
As the world has grown more complicated, I have grown more simple.
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“Bleeding Heart found floating in the tarn at Kirkridge,� photo submission by Denise Crawn
Our Love is a Sanctuary and a Celebration By Kathyann E. Corl Today we meet in the Chapel to begin our celebration Our sanctuary and sacred space where we can spend our lives together We have shared our experiences and our lives Discussing our philosophies about life with each other Through sharing heart-heart talks We recognize that our time is a treasure A blessing of love that so few truly find in their lives Together we will live our lives Making love a sanctuary and a celebration Making each moment more precious than the one before. For in the core of our relationship There is a deep respect and love for each other Through happiness and heartbreak Each day we will be a daily inspiration of the hope Cherishing the essence of what we are and will become Through the sun rises and sun sets of our days We will share a love that binds us together Together we will live our lives Making love a sanctuary and a celebration Making each moment more precious than the one before. 15
Love Creates a Symphony By Kathyann E. Corl Love is all encompassing Hearing silence and recognizing within it Harmonies that only those partners who love can hear. Together, they hear the words that speak to their hearts They create symphonies that make them whole. Love is a part of a union that is created in the heavens Unions that are created in this world are marked with fragmented notes They are marked with disjointed tunes of discontent. This symphony becomes a statement of Love It becomes our choice how in-tune or out-of-tune that symphony grows Love has the power within its essence to create beauty A Symphony of notes blended from individual tones into a wondrous rhapsody Love’s beauty exists in the eyes and heart of one’s beloved For in the presence of one’s beloved this symphony becomes a harmony for life. The wonder of the symphony is that it grows, and matures, as it grows beyond The composition of notes that are scrawled across the page. This symphony that can over time Become written on the hearts of the partners Partners that are striving to give all to the Creator. Partners who together create a composition That uniquely expresses the beauty of our lives.
LOVE LIGHT By Ellen Dionna Oh Holy Beloved you lie with me in shimmering loveliness my body a river of light in your arms-cascading incandescence. I open to you my ardent flesh receiving creation in your jeweled seed. Ecstatic, I worship Holy One, abandon myself to your searing love. 16
“A heart-filled message found while walking in the woods at Kirkridge (both the heart in the leaves and moss heart shape),� photo submissions by Denise Crawn
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"To Love What is Passing" by Kelly Chripczuk I watch the sunrise each morning. Reading, writing, I pause to turn toward the window. At first all is black, night’s heavy velvet stretched. With every glance the scene changes, like clicking through slides in a view finder. Fog shifts, blue spreads wide one day, then purple or even green the next. Mist rises off the river I cannot see from here, ghostly lines of white revealing the river’s path. In the evening I bend and twist while washing dishes, watching the light change again through the kitchen windows. The sun sets out one side of the house morphing clouds into relief, filling spaces with yellow, etching outlines in gold or pink. On the other side of the house the light also changes. “Rainbow, rainbow,” my son shouts and we all run out the closest door like a crowd fleeing a burning building. Scurrying around the yard, we search for openings between the tall pines, the out buildings, where the biggest arcs of red, yellow, indigo and all the rest can be seen running like a road through layers of clouds and light. The sky’s show changes quickly, morphing like trees in fall. None of this lasts for long. // My little boy gives me twelve kisses at bedtime each night, rapid-fire smacks one right after the other, an exertion of pure love on his part. He lays his claim of love on me, pressing lips to my cheek and I count to hold them close, these kisses like shafts of light buried in my heart, memories of this passing season of such open love and affection. The other night, he woke to go to the bathroom and sat waiting for me on the hallway floor, cross-legged, his head bobbing and weaving like a sleepy kitten. Standing in the bathroom, unsteady, he makes it known, “Me love everyone.” His heart is open wide like the sky, filled with light and shifting colors that wash across his face with every changing emotion. This boy of mine moves so quickly soaking in the joy and light of each moment, no matter the shade. Last night he marched happy through the kitchen with a giant bowl of plain rigatoni tucked under his arm. He didn’t get to go to the Halloween parade with Daddy and his older siblings and when his twin brother asked about the plan, he replied, “Me stay home with Mommy . . . and the noodles.” When I asked what he loved more – Mommy or the noodles – “Me love noodles,” was his smiling reply. (Continued on page 19)
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(Continued from page 18)
// To love what is passing, to open one’s heart to what is in each moment, is to live deeply, fully. No one pleasure or delight lasts for long and in its passing we expose ourselves to potential loss and grief. But to live closed off from each moment for fear of its passing is to rob ourselves of much that is truly precious in this life. Knowing this, I bend my cheek to receive the kisses, I turn my head toward the window, I run toward the rainbow, toward each moment to embrace it with arms open wide as I teach my heart to say, "Me love," over and over again.
“Heart shape flowers, Ireland,“ photo submission Denise Crawn
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The Gift: Perfect Love
“Tree of Love� Photo Submission by Wanda Veldman (right) This is a six foot square quilted wallhanging I made in memory of my beloved grandmother, Viola. It took me ten years to finish as I worked through my grief and gathered the pattern ideas and materials that gave honor to her memory. The quilt blocks are: *8 Job's Tears blocks surrounding a Tree of Life block. *The outside board is all crazy quilting with many items she made by hand included and family names and dates embroidered in many of the blocks. 20
Backyard Tragedy By Josie Byzek The year spring came in fits and starts, All the fish died in our small backyard pond, Calico and brightest orange bodies leached of tint And left white, naked on the snow when netted out. The dirt too hard to dig, They had been left under a drift in the compost pile. And when the snow melted, They were exposed. The boy cried upon finding them, Horrified, thinking they had swum to their death Through a frozen water land That had to melt eventually Their small bodies regathered tenderly, We interred them on the one warm, soft day that season,
A painted blue rock to hold them down, Lest they try to swim away again.
Nature’s Beauty Births Tomorrows By Kathyann E. Corl In the moments of profound silence Through the stillness of the night wind From amidst the trees, I see the shadow of my beloved We embrace each other with a hug Linking together our lives amidst nature’s beauty. It is in the wonder of this profound starlight Beneath the brilliance of Orian’s belt That we are drawn to look into each others eyes Allowing our hand to be held together with a silver thread Of growth, possibilities and tomorrows.
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Love is still around us, By Kathyann E. Corl Love is here today around us In places where we would never look Because we are so busy rushing through the day That we dull our awareness to the wonder of the Creator’s Love. Love has never left us Even when we are in our darkest moments of the soul Love embraces us and renews us With its strength making us whole. Love is in the face of those, we choose to call Friend, And those we do not choose. Love is in the touch in the eyes and in the heart and soul of a friend A Love that they share with us to help us lighten the load. Love is in the laughter of a child, the spontaneity and joy Which encourages children to embrace the world Love is in their eyes with each new discovery As they are amazed at the wonder of the world. Love is in the laughter and smile The embrace that only a child can give. Love is the music of the heart Allowing us to create a symphony of our lives together Love gives us the insight, creativity and forbearance To not only create the symphony But then to allow it to live in our daily lives. Love nurtures the music allowing it to stretch and grow Beyond the boundaries that we would have created for the notes If we would have tried to create the melodies and harmonies Yet Love is the composer of the symphony. Love gathers the audience that will be touched by this symphony Love touches the lives of the musicians and the audience Allowing the glory and wonder of Creation To be celebrated with each note and phrase. The music of this Love allows the joining of the heavens and the earth As the celebration nurtures and heals each soul.
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“The Spouting Cave on Iona splashing love,” photo submission by Denise Crawn
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Our deepest gratitude to all of our contributors and our heartfelt thanks to our proof-readers. Many of the contributors have participated in various day or overnight retreats. All are friends of Oasis. Ones that have completed year-long programs are identified by the following Oasis acronyms: CLSDL = Contemplative Living: The Spirituality of Daily Life (one-year contemplative program) DYDM = Deepening Year for Direction Ministries (one-year program for spiritual directors) LCG = Leading Contemplative Gatherings SDSG = Spiritual Direction for Spiritual Guides (two-year training in spiritual direction) B&P = Breath and Prayer JIS = Journey Into Silence NWSE = Nurturing Women in the Sanctuary of Earth
List of Contributors In alphabetical order Diana Barbera (page 8)—SDSG (2013-2015) Josie Byzek (pages 9, 21) John Chripczuk (page 11) Kelly Chripczuk (pages 6, 10, 18-19)—SDSG graduate (2013-2014), JIS (2012-2013) Denise Crawn (pages 5, 6, 8, 15, 17, 19, 23) -Walking Awake, LLC, www.walkingawake.com Kathyann E. Corl (pages 5, 7, 15, 16, 21, 22) Ellen Dionna (pages 7, 16) Cindy Garis (page 3)—SDSG graduate (1998-1999), DYDM (2012-2013) Marie Rodichok (front cover) — SDSG graduate (2007-2008), B&P (2013-2014) Cheri Roth (page 4) — SDSG graduate (2009-2010), LCG (2009-2010), NWSE (2012), DYDM (2012-2013), CLSDL (2013-2014) Stephanie Stover (page 13) - SDSG graduate (2008-2009) Pat Thomas (page 14) Wanda Veldman (page 20)—SDSG graduate (1998-1999) Deirdre Whitfield (page 20)—SDSG (2013-2015) Yvonne Wilson (page 12) If you are interested in participating in the Oasis community and programming, please explore www.oasismin.org, call 717.737.8222, or email oasismin@oasismin.org. Receive brochures by becoming a part of our mailing list, or receive free news, updates and prayers by joining our email list at www.oasismin.org. Thank you.
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