by June | Jul 9, 2017 | Blogposts
I almost missed them, but then I saw them. “Hello there,” I said ever so quietly.
As I moved closer and looked at the baby swallows perched inside a rolled-up carpet in a friend’s carport, they came closer and closer to the edge and looked back at me. “Hello there,” they cooed or whatever swallows do.
We didn’t speak one another’s language. but we had made a connection. Not a human connection, but a connection – one living creature to another.
I dream of the time when human beings can make a connection with other human beings and say “Hello there” – without fear.
photos & text © june maffin
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by June | Jul 8, 2017 | Blogposts
Text and Photo © June Maffin
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by June | Jul 5, 2017 | Blogposts
“Goldilocks” – who would have thought that playing with
tjanting tools, wax, Procion dyes and Arches Text Wove paper
for this birthday card for a lovely daughter-in-love recently reminded me of the children’s “Goldilocks” story. My brain – gives me chuckles at some of the ways it works. 🙂
The birthday card didn’t turn out as I anticipated, but I learned a lot through the process. So, in case anyone wants to try making Batik on cards
here’s what I learned … the ‘large’ tjanting tool left blobs of wax … the wax from the ‘small tjanting tool couldn’t be seen until the dye was added.
For me, the Goldilocks (“Just Right”) tjanting tool is the ‘medium’ one. Learning. It’s all about experimenting and learning and this Fall, when I teach a group this fun technique, I know I’ll learn even more about batiking on cards. Thanks, Goldilocks. 🙂
© June Maffin
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by June | Jun 26, 2017 | Blogposts
Long before I knew him, our paths began to intersect.
Some call it “fate”. Some call it “co-incidence.” We called it “Divine Love.” In Montreal, he and his family lived about three blocks away from my family. In North Vancouver, he lived a few miles away from me. On the Sunshine Coast, his family had a summer cottage in the community I worked. We never met in any of those places.And then we met, by happenstance at a Christmas Fair. It wasn’t “love.” It was simply a meeting of two people who shared common interests and who began to grow in friendship. And then ‘love’ entered the scene. Not between the two of us … just yet. But through a rescue dog, his little King Charles Spaniel named Shandy. As the years passed, the friendship Hans and I shared, grew. Love entered the spaces that had been empty for far-too-long for us both.
When he first asked me to marry him, I said “No, not yet.” Then he asked again and again and again. And each time, my response was “No, not yet.” One day, he phoned and asked me to go for an afternoon drive with him
… we often did that. He came by with Shandy, picked me up and off we went. And on a bench overlooking the ocean at Qualicum Beach, again, he asked me to marry him. And this time I knew. I knew that the obstacles we had talked about were nothing, as long as we faced them together. I realized that his love for me was so deep, as was mine for him, that spending the rest of our lives together, no matter how long,
how short, was part of “Divine Love.”
Six weeks later he had sold his little house; I had sold my little house; a new little house was purchased and we were married and moved into our “forever, together home.” Our wedding day was a day marked by ‘clouds’ … rain clouds and other clouds, but we knew that we would face any and all clouds … together. We were the love of each other’s lives and we were grateful. Over the years, laughter filled our home, deep conversations filled our home, joy and peace and hope filled our home, Divine Love filled our home.
When my beloved took his leave of this Planet Earth, he never, never ever, takes his leave of my heart. Like other calligraphers, he joins others in that Great-Scriptorium-in-the-Sky, and is singing in that lovely voice of his the six words of his reality: “It is well with my soul.”
Through a cloud of sadness, love shines and always will. Through a cloud of sadness, love shines and always will. And when the time times for me to join him, our cremains will be placed together in a unique box crafted by our wood artist friend. Death may bring the end of life, but it does not end a relationship, for the love we were so blessed to share will never end.
Rest in peace my beloved Dutch-born, Canadian husband, Hans van der Werff. Rest in peace.
© June Maffin
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by June | Jun 24, 2017 | Blogposts
Birthdays are supposed to be happy days … times of celebration and memories that bring a smile to the face.
While many can be described as ‘happy’ days … not always.
This year’s birthday brought echoes
… echoes of words spoken that day by my husband’s doctor:
“esophageal cancer … it has spread … Hans, you have about six months.”
The doctor was wrong. Four days after those words were spoken
… not six months, my beloved Hans died.
Not surprisingly, I wasn’t looking forward to my birthday this year and didn’t spend time on the internet that day. But when I finally did, unexpected and kind birthday greetings brought light into the darkness.
Each image and comment touched my heart in ways I cannot express.
And a prayer emerged from deep within me
… a prayer of hope that kind words
would be written … spoken … echoed throughout our world
… from politicians and social media
… among family, friends, strangers
May words of kindness echo throughout our world.
***************************************************************
Photos and Text © June Maffin
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by June | Jun 19, 2017 | Blogposts
I smile a lot. I can’t help it. When I’m in the garden, I can feel a smile begin to form on my face as flowers bloom strawberries bear fruit, birds gift seeds and I wonder “what will you become, little seeds?”
When I’m out for a walk, I can feel a smile begin to form on my face as puppies romp in the dog park, lovers hold hands and snatch a kiss, children’s laughter fills the air, and even when a bird poops on my jacket!
When I’ve got my little camera in my hand, I can feel a smile begin to form on my face as raindrops transform the roses into something even more beautiful than they were before the rain and joy fills my heart as a new Soulistry blog piece begins to form in my heart and mind.
I believe that when we smile often and find beauty and joy in the ordinary,
we begin to realize how blessed we are.
Text and Photos © June Maffin
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by June | Jun 13, 2017 | Blogposts
No reason.
I didn’t create Ms. DinoCritter for … a reason … or purpose … or underscore a message. I created her simply
… to play.
Play with … shapes and colours and new techniques.
Play without … care for the outcome.
Play to … do something other than watch the never-ending media commentaries.
Play to … let go of anything that was distracting me from “be-ing”
Be-ing … creative … aware of blessings … filled with peace and joy and gratitude. Ahhh, the joy of play … “for no reason.”
Artwork and Text © June Maffin
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by June | Jun 11, 2017 | Blogposts
The word ‘love’ is used a lot. Even Facebook has an emoji to express love of a comment.
But what is love? Poets have “waxed eloquent” about love for centuries: Elizabeth Barrett Browning spoke of loving to “the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach”; 14th century Persian mystic Hafez noted that “love lights up the whole sky!”; Christians have been commanded to love
… love God, love your neighbour as you love yourself.
We say that we ‘love’ the colour and variety of flowers, the freedom and beauty of birds, the smell of newborn babies, the taste of chocolate, the playfulness of kittens and puppies, the sound of laughter, the touch of a lover’s hand, certain food, certain school subjects, certain types of music, certain seasons of the year, certain people.
Thich Nhat Hanh says that real love begins “where nothing is expected in return.” I like that. A lot.
Nope. I love it.
Text & Photo © June Maffin
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by June | Jun 6, 2017 | Blogposts
Author and theologian, Matthew Fox, writes: “Silence gives way for Spirit to arrive.” It leads me to ponder a possibility – a hope – a prayer.
What if people unplugged from social media – just one hour less – than they were usually plugged in? Just one hour.
And what if, in that one hour, they experienced silence. Not words.
There are times when words make me sick .. words that people use to explain their lies … words that people use to defend their indefensible position … words that belittle, abuse, mock, harass, demean, bully, disrespect.
Imagine – for just one hour less than usual – we disconnected from Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tic Toc etc. No texting either.
What is the world could simply be present to holy silence, the sounds of Nature’s joy, their creative gifts and allowed Spirit to arrive.
What if we observed “just one hour” less than usual of social media, tv, radio and were in silence, giving way for Spirit to arrive in hearts, communities the world.
May calligrapher Alice Young’s beautiful rendering of Matthew Fox’s words be a prompt for some gentle soul-reflection this day.
Accreditation:
Calligraphy © Alice Young (www.calligraphy.ca)
Text © June Maffin (www.soulistry.com)
Quote © Matthew Fox
by June | Jun 3, 2017 | Blogposts
“Don’t be surprised at the fiery ordeals taking place among you.” Considering what has been happening in the world recently “fiery ordeal” seems to describe our situation well. Fiery ordeals make me think of an eight letter word that begins with the letter “A” and ends with the same letter. It’s something that has no limbs or extremities … has bizarre ways of eating, odd smelling habits, unblinking gaze and a worm-like method of locomotion. Classed as a reptile, some can even grow to thirty feet in length.
A manual, supposedly attributed to the US government’s Peace Corps designed for volunteers who worked in the Amazon jungle says that if you’re attacked by one of these things here’s what you should do: Don’t run (it is faster than you think). Lie flat on the ground. It will come and begin to climb over you. Let it. Do not panic! After it has examined you, it will begin to swallow you, always from the feet end. Let it. Do not panic! Lie perfectly still. When it has reached your knees, s l o w l y and with as little movement as possible reach down, take your knife, and …
This may not be an authentic publication from the Peace Corps, but there are two things that might help when facing the fiery ordeals of life – those things that cause us to fear or even terrify us, even if it’s an anaconda
… the answer to the eight letter word.
Terrible ‘fiery ordeal’ things may happen in our world and in our personal lives. When Anaconda Moments strike and we feel as if we are being devoured by life itself and the darkness of life seems to take over or even overwhelm, we must carry our sharp spiritual knife. But, what if our spiritual knife is dull? there is no joy? there is no “centre” in our lives? our spiritual lives are empty? Then we go back to the first learning. DO. NOT. PANIC.
Many years ago, little Dolores was born. The origin of ‘Dolores” is Spanish meaning ‘sorrows.’ Much of Dolores’ life was spent in extreme childhood poverty and life-threatening illnesses which pummelled her throughout her youth and adulthood. But after meeting Eddie, the love of her life who eventually became her husband, she became known as ‘Joy’ … not ‘Dolores.’ Several years ago, I made a mobile as a keepsake for myself
and ultimately my son, to remember my mother, his grandmother: Joy.
At the bottom of the mobile, I added the poem, simply entitled “JOY
which Mom wrote in the mid 1980’s in celebration of her Confirmation of her faith when she was 70. It speaks to me of the importance of counting our blessings – even in the midst of Anaconda Moments in life.
JOY Through a love of God and a willingness to submit my will in everything – most of the time – comes this deep sense of peace and joy even though at times it would appear I have almost nothing to be joyful about and feel full of despair. As I begin to count my blessings and feel grateful to God for even the smallest tone, this joy begins to permeate my being and fill my heart. It grows so quickly! Even the troubles I am experiencing have little power to depress or overwhelm me. It is like a magic spring! Always bubbling beneath the surface. All it takes to make it appear and flood my being – is a conscious love for God and a deep sense of gratitude for permitting me to catch even the smallest glimpses of this wonderful JOY DIVINE over time. <author: Joy Mack, 1985>
My mother had many Anaconda Moments in her life, but she learned not to panic and to carry a sharp knife. No matter what size anaconda begins to nibble at our heels“fiery ordeals” (Anaconda Moments) can be faced especially when we don’t panic and carry a sharp knife.
An aside: The mobile in the image has three red wooden hearts with pearls around each heart. Pearls were Mom’s favourite. 🙂 The top heart has a smaller heart covered by a piece of silk she used for the dress she made for my high school graduation (she was a lovely seamstress) on top of lace which she often used – and loved. The bottom of that heart: an antique pearl button (part of her collection of antique buttons). The second heart has other buttons from her collection, a mini photo of Mom and Dad, and her pearl earrings. The third heart has a Canadian pin (born in the US she became a very proud Canadian citizen when she and Dad married), a pin from Cursillo (a significant step in her faith journey) and another button from her antique button collection. At the bottom is a copy of her poem: JOY.
© June Maffin
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