“TRIGGER MOMENTS”

“TRIGGER MOMENTS”

Trigger Moments – they come; they go; they can ambush without consent.

Trigger Moments bring us back to a time and place with a loved one who has died or who is dying … who has dementia and whose mind is dying … who is missing and not yet found … a much-loved canine/feline friend who has died or for whom we have made the difficult decision for a veterinarian-assisted death.

Trigger Moments enter conversations and thoughts in other ways … catalyst for recovering addicts/alcoholics to slip …  PTSD flashbacks …  COVID19 when thoughts of “what was, is no longer” surround and affect on all levels: body, mind and spirit. 

Trigger Moments can be sweet. 
Trigger Moments can cause deep pain.
Trigger Moments can intensify the desire to have “just one more” conversation … one more laugh … one more time to travel … one more opportunity to be together in holy silence in the Studio or garden, creating … one more embrace … just one more “we” moment. 

When those Trigger Moments show up, when the tears flow and we are helpless to stop them, it is natural to want to “get over it.”   I know that I do. 

Instead, I let the tears flow … do some gentle, deep breathing … and acknowledge that the tears and sadness are part of the grief experience and I am not “losing it”.

Trigger Moments.  In those moments, I know I need to care for – and take care of – my husband’s wife … me. 

And I do – finding comfort in sitting on our deck beside the chair my husband used … sipping cold lemonade, enjoying the peace, quiet and beauty of our back yard … feeling his presence in a gentle way … and knowing that eventually, the Trigger Moment which left me reeling with the pain of loss, will pass.

I know that Trigger Moments are a natural part of healing from loss. 
I don’t like them. 
I know that there will be other Trigger Moments.

All I can do when they come is … let the tears flow and deep breathing happen … remember that such moments are part of the grief experience … recognize and accept the reality that in time, healing will come … take comfort in the words of the prophet Isaiah “joy shall come, even in the wilderness”.

Grief is part of life. 

Trigger Moments come. 
Trigger Moments go. 
May they not be resented.   May they not be despised. 
May they be welcomed
as part of the grieving process
as part of the healing process
as part of the circle of life.



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Photo and Text © June Maffin

 

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“THREE QUESTIONS”

“THREE QUESTIONS”

Three questions …
Let’s have some fun together.  

Question number 1:
“What is knowledge?”

Question number 2:
“What is wisdom?”

Question number 3:
“What is philosophy?”

Did you come up with some great answers?
Here are my responses
and no, they’re not “deep” answers,
but they are “fun” answers.  
Or, they are to me.  😉

Here goes …

KNOWLEDGE
IS
knowing a tomato is a fruit.

 


WISDOM
IS
not putting the tomato in a fruit salad.

 

PHILOSOPHY
IS
wondering if having a tomato in a fruit salad means
that ketchup is a smoothie.

 

Ahhh, a sense of humour can be a wonderful survival tool.   
And goodness knows but we can all use a bit of gentle humour these days.  🙂

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© june maffin 
https://www.soulistry.com/blog

The tomato plant in this photo was last year’s attempt to grow tomatoes.
This year, I didn’t even do this well!   
I got four mini tomatoes
and no, they weren’t supposed to be mini tomatoes.
My guess is that I didn’t water the plant enough.
I’ll try again next year.  
And remember to water the plant each morning.  🙂


 

STILLNESS – PEACE

STILLNESS – PEACE

Gratitude today
for the gentle reflected image of boats
bringing

Stillness of water
… peace

Stillness of mind
… peace

Stillness of body
… peace

Stillness of soul
… peace

May it be so
as the reality of what happened
at a presidential rally in Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024
is processed

© June Maffin
https://www.soulistry.com/blog


in the midst of tears

in the midst of tears

  · 
in the midst of tears
light raindrops on flower petals
reveal beauty
something about which
one can be grateful
if so
in the midst of personal tears
what are you grateful for today
if so
in the midst of political tears
what can we be grateful for today
if so
in the wider scheme of life
what can humanity be grateful for today
name them
name them out loud
name them by writing
name them so they will never be forgotten
even in the midst of tears


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© June Maffin
https://www.soulistry.com/blog
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THROUGH THE PEEP-HOLE

THROUGH THE PEEP-HOLE

Have a look through the peekhole … what is on the other side, if the head of the ultra-conservative very radical-sounding Heritage Foundation and architect of Project 2025, Kevin Roberts, has his way, is devastating. He stated: “We are in the process of the second American Revolution, which will remain bloodless if the left allows it to be.”

WHAAAT?

American lawyer Joyce Alene Vance who served as the United States attorney for the Northern District of Alabama (2009 – 2017) has written an intro to Project 2025’s ideology starting on page 34) and says “He’s (Kevin Roberts) talking about using violence if the majority of American voters don’t agree with his vision for our country. He’s endorsing another January 6, a bloodletting if liberals won’t cave into his view of how the country should be run. If the left won’t “allow” him to have his way, he’s going to make us give in. That’s the man behind Project 2025.”

Please, look through the peekhole – learn about Project 2025 … share what you learn about the Project (which, btw, has already begun) on social media … recognize that this isn’t “pie in the sky” it is as real as were the warnings in Germany in the 1930’s. https://www.project2025.org/about/about-project-2025/ https://www.project2025.org/

There is only one way to stop Project 2025 and that is to exercise the right to vote – ignore the hype about the candidates – ignore the rhetoric about what Trump promises – just don’t ignore what undergirds Trump or what undergirds the Kevin Roberts’ of this world.

Today Americans mark their independence from a monarchy. Kevin Roberts is trying to re-create the monarchy.

Remember Roberts’ words: “We are in the process of the second American Revolution”. Not “going to be”. It’s begun. But it can be stopped by one simple act … voting blue – voting the Biden/Harris ticket – choosing democracy not fascism.

Btw, here’s a list of some of the actual things on the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 list:


It’s real. Its implementation has already begun. Read – digest – and recognize where/how you/your loved ones will be affected. No one will *not* be affected.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision took the United States back to July 3, 1776, the day BEFORE the Declaration of Independence. That SCOTUS decision gave Americans the thing that caused them to break away from England – away from a a president-king who’s above the law.

Peek through peep-hole and learn about the depth of the plan of Project 2025. It is not good. It is anything but good. If it succeeds, it will mean the end of democracy. Don’t let that happen – exercise your right to vote and vote for democracy: blue.

Chair By The River

Chair By The River

took a drive down a road not travelled
and discovered
a chair by the river
that called and spoke


come – sit – rest
gaze – ponder – exhale worry
question – dream – write
sketch – inhale peace – feel
believe – be –

that chair – a blessing
those surrounding trees – a blessing
the river before me – a blessing
peace within – a blessing


blessings around, above, beside, beneath, within
blessed moment-in-time
thanks to a chair by the river

˙© june maffin

As always, you are welcome to share this Soulistry reflection. Comments are always welcome and appreciated.

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