Issue 1: Blooming with Grace
Things to Read, Watch and Do to Cultivate Compassion, Release Shame & Celebrate the Painful Wonder of Being Human
Almost 8 months into COVID, I’m turning 38-years-old. I still have cancer. I’m still writing my way through SOVEREIGN: Recovery Poems—a project which took on a whole new dimension in the wake of COVID-19. I’m also still making the pivot from operating a musical instrument company with my now ex-husband to writing full-time.
Money’s tight. Health’s uncertain. On the macro level, the upcoming election and the dawning of the new US civil rights era have me re-thinking what it means to be an American. On the micro level, my mother’s struggle with dementia (combined with my family’s response to this struggle) has me re-framing much of my childhood.
The result is the familiar and welcome blend of pain, wonder, gratitude and sorrow that I’ve come to associate with being human. This potent collection of emotions also acts as fertilizer for the type of hope that grows within the difficult, shadowy and uncertain moments of our lives—the sort of moments this weekly newsletter celebrates.
In preparation for launching The Grey Rose Garden in earnest, I drew a card: Grace.
I couldn’t help but smile.
First, Grace is the name of my new compassionate and flexible landlord. She enabled me and my children to move into a safe and welcoming Atlanta neighborhood last week despite me not traditionally qualifying for other rentals in the area.
Second, Grace is the name of the student who’s been most helpful to my daughter during her first month of hybrid middle school.
Finally, grace is an essential component of hope blooming in the dark. It’s the choice to move forward with care and diplomacy in a manner that removes obstacles rather than erects them. It’s something we need to show others as well as ourselves.
I wish you all grace this week. As you move through each moment, here is some inspiration for sharing grace with me, with yourself and with our world.
Pictured above: “Grace” from The Vintage Wisdom Oracle by Victoria Moseley.
Some Recent Creations:
Write Naked: A Poem about Ink, Tar & Soul, BAMF Mag
Writer’s Alchemy: A Short Poem, A Few Words
Don’t Call Me a Hippie in 2020: Or I Just Might Put a Spell on You, The Bad Influence
Every Time a Statue Falls, Our Story Changes, Ninja Writers Pub
The Seed, Issue 2: Vote Your Voice on Cannabis
Some Recent Discoveries:
It Shouldn’t Have Come Down to Her: Rebecca Traister, The Cut
I Quit Dieting at 400+ Pounds: Shannon Ashley, Honestly Yours
Foreign Bodies, Issue 18: We can all break the cycle of shame and trauma.
What are Universal Human Rights?
Click to watch this instructive video I found recently & shared with my kids.
Content of The Grey Rose Garden is free, but tips via Venmo or PayPal are always welcome and needed. Curious about the other projects I’m developing? Head over to The Grey Way and sign up to stay in touch. Interested in owning one of the last instruments my company will ever make? Take a listen to this video by Kelly Richey, and email kellilynngrey@gmail.com.