July 4--Freedom!

I am still in the process of growing up, but I will make no progress if I lose any of myself along the way.  --Madeleine L'Engle

    Happy Freedom Day! Even as we celebrate our forefathers bold Declaration of Independence, we are seeing consistent attacks on the magnificent freedoms on which our country was founded. Governments are working intently on trying to make us "lose ourselves along the way." 

    I am finding that art, some form of creative expression, is essential to both growing up and being myself. Here are words by Ruth King about art as a form of medicine for ourselves and our communities:

To express ourselves artistically is a mindfulness practice in that we are inescapably both creator and that which is being created. As we courageously give ourselves to our artistic expression, we cultivate patience, empathy, discipline, and our capacity to hold energy as it cooks and simmers into an offering of truth to ourselves and a caring offering to our culture….

Art speaks to a truth larger than our suffering, and our job is to make a genuine offer. Whether you are a writer, dancer, healer, sculptor, painter, singer, architect, teacher, gardener, philosopher, or caregiver, your offering is sure to be medicine for collective well-being.

Consider your life a gift. What’s inside? What creative expressions are you warehousing that bring you alive and belong to all of us? Philosopher, theologian, and civil rights leader Howard Thurman encouraged us in this way: “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”…

Identify a creative project—something your heart is curious about that you might enjoy. Consider your artistic expression, no matter how large or small, a gesture of affection that cultivates a culture of care. Offer it generously, as ceremony, and without apology. Pay attention to how you and others are impacted.

The offerings of our creativity are noble and emancipating. When practiced, we come out of hiding into light. When shared, it supports love and respect and inspires harmony and hope. It’s a gesture of gratitude, a way of giving back. To say yes to our artistic calling is to say to our culture, Here is my offering of care.

    Let us use and enjoy our freedom to create!

        Leta