Letting Go (vol. 5, no. 8)

We dropped our one and only child off at college this past Sunday. Yes, it was brutal. Here are a few things I shared with him before his departure:

1. Question:

“If you remember who you are, what will you become?” – Rumi (Haleh Liza Gafori – Gold Rumi)

2. Quote:

• “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” ―?Marianne Williamson,?A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of “A Course in Miracles”

3. Poem:

Excerpt from Break My Heart by Joy Harjo:

Be who you are, even if it kills you.

It will. Over and over again. Even as you live.

4. Inspiring Lyrics:

The Only Way?by?Mark Erelli?(ht the email signature of my friend?Felix Bivens)

So I won’t tell you?what to believe,

I’m too young to be so cynical,?too old to be naive, but if every action?breeds a reaction. Let this be mine:

I’m gonna love

I’m gonna believe, I’m gonna dream, I’m gonna roll up my sleeves

And?give everything until there’s nothing left to give.

That’s the only way that I know how to live.

5.?Some Updates:

• New Blog – Football is Athletic Tape: “People often use physical mementos…as reminders of our love and our commitment. For me, that symbol…just happens to take the form of a piece of athletic tape from the summer of 1986…”
• Mark your calendars. This October, amongst the stunning New England foliage, my friend Dr. Felix ‘Skip’ Bivens (see reference to Skip above) invites you for a transformative weekend workshop at beautiful ALNOBA in Kensington, NH: An Introduction to Participatory Action Research for Epistemic Rebels.

Thanks so much. And, have a great day! – shawn