Resting, Reflecting, and Reconnecting

We had a couple of wonderful weekends, enjoying the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame museum in Cleveland, Ohio, and celebrating El Día de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) in Madison, Wisconsin, with our friend Rebecca.

This introvert is going to take it easy for the next couple of days and focus on catching up with my WP friends.

I’ll leave you with a couple of quotes from Henry Nouwen that came to mind today while journaling.

“It is in solitude that this compassionate solidarity grows. In solitude, we realize that nothing human is alien to us, that the roots of all conflict, war, injustice, cruelty, hatred, jealousy, and envy are deeply anchored in our own heart. In solitude, our heart of stone can be turned into a heart of flesh, a rebellious heart into a contrite heart, and a closed heart into a heart that can open itself to all suffering people in a gesture of solidarity.” —Henry Nouwen, The Way of the Heart

“Spiritual reading is far from easy in our modern, intellectual world, where we tend to make anything and everything we read subject to analysis and discussion. Instead of taking the words apart, we should bring them together in our innermost being; instead of wondering if we agree or disagree with what we have read, we should wonder which words are spoken directly to us and connect directly with our most personal story. Instead of thinking about the words as potential subjects for an interesting dialogue or paper, we should be willing to let them penetrate into the most hidden corners of our heart, even to those places where no other word has yet found entrance. Then and only then can the words bear fruit as seeds sown in rich soil.” —Henry Nouwen, Spiritual Direction

Have a great rest of the week, my friends, and if you are in the U.S., don’t forget to vote tomorrow. It’s extremely important!

44 thoughts on “Resting, Reflecting, and Reconnecting”

  2. Thank you for sharing these wonderful quotes, filled with richness and truths, Edward. May we continue to grow in compassion and be the mirror of truth in lies and shine brightly no matter how dim the night. Solitude is one of our biggest teachers and I have faith that as we each share our honesty, love of our planet and each other, our telomeres will unite while things crumble and are rebuilt in integrity and justice for all! 🙌🏽🙏🏼☀️💗

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  7. Thank you for sharing these quotations, Edward. I especially like the first one.
    I’m happy you had a good time in my hometown, Cleveland. And I completely relate to the need for rest. Introvert people-hangovers are real.

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    1. Thank you, Natalie, for reading and highlighting the one that resonated with you. They are absolutely real, and sometimes I’m amazed at how well extroverts manage their energy. But I think we introverts are better at enjoying the moment and slowly taking it all in.

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  10. Thank you for sharing such beautiful, meaningful, and profound words. Much appreciated! Love the end: “let them penetrate into the most hidden corners of our heart, even to those places where no other word has yet found entrance.” Wish you calm and easy days ahead, Edward, to “recover” from the previous days of celebrations and extroversion. Lots of light, peace, and blessings to you, my friend*

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  11. Lovely quotes, Edward 🙏 this introvert feels ya, profoundly. After work ends on Wednesday morning, I am shutting everyone and everything out, and hibernating (and hiding!) lol errr recharging 😆 🤣 hope you enjoy the peace ☕️ ☕️

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    1. 😂 Thank you, Laura, and it sounds like you have a great plan for tomorrow. Don’t forget to set your “do not disturb” on your phone so you can enjoy a nice, peaceful, and relaxing time… with a cup of coffee, of course. ☕️☕️

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