nature

Embracing the Healing Power of Nature in Your Grieving Journey

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Welcome to Episode 71 of Dr. Ray Calabrese’s ‘Journey from Grief to Healing’ podcast. As he takes you with him on a tranquil morning walk in San Antonio, Texas, Dr. Ray explores the profound influence of nature on our emotions and healing process as we grapple with grief. Listen as he immerses himself in his surroundings, inhaling the fragrance of the blooming mountain laurel, greeting the mockingbirds and dogs he meets along the way, and exchanging smiles with passersby, sharing his first-hand experience on how these simple, seemingly mundane activities could, over time, help deflate the grief balloon.

In this episode, Dr. Ray prompts us to consider that perhaps it’s the perfect time to emerge from our winter of grieving and welcome the warming sun of our own springtime, letting love in its manifold forms touch us, bring a smile to our faces, and hasten our healing. Echoing the profound thoughts of Victor Hugo, he emphasizes that love thrives even in the direst of circumstances, and it’s this steadfast love that can help us foster resilience and healing in the face of grief. Embrace the warming rays of spring and journey towards healing with Dr. Ray.

You can listen to Episode 71 on your favorite podcasting app or click here for Episode 71.

Don’t forget to hit the subscribe button to receive notifications of future episodes

Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep: A Poem by Mary Frye

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Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep

Mary Frye

Do not stand at my grave and forever weep.
I am not there; I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn’s rain.

When you awaken in the morning’s hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.

Do not stand at my grave and forever cry.
I am not there. I did not die.

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Today’s Inspiring Quote: A Traveler’s Home

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But do not ask me where I am going, As I travel in this limitless world, Where every step I take is my home. ~ Dogen

Sonnet VII: To Solitude: A Poem by John Keats

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Sonnet VII: To Solitude

John Keats

O Solitude! if I must with thee dwell,
Let it not be among the jumbled heap
Of murky buildings: climb with me the steep,—
Nature’s observatory—whence the dell,
In flowery slopes, its river’s crystal swell,
May seem a span; let me thy vigils keep
‘Mongst boughs pavilioned, where the deer’s swift leap
Startles the wild bee from the foxglove bell.
But though I’ll gladly trace these scenes with thee,
Yet the sweet converse of an innocent mind,
Whose words are images of thoughts refined,
Is my soul’s pleasure; and it sure must be
Almost the highest bliss of human-kind,
When to thy haunts two kindred spirits flee.

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Episode 63: Grieving? It’s Time for a New Springtime in Your Life

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In Episode 63 of my podcast, Journey from Grief to Healing, I speak of spring in San Antonio, Texas, and my anticipation of it bursting forth in all its splendor.  I share important questions we can ask ourselves so grieving will not hold us back and we too, can enter our springtime and burst forth into new life. 

You can listen to Episode 63 on your favorite podcasting app or click here for Episode 63.

Don’t forget to hit the subscribe button to receive notifications of future episodes.

Today’s Inspiring Photo: Fly

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Thinking Out Loud: Unlocking Your Hidden Potential: Beyond Flaws to a Future Filled with Joy and Hope

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We have within ourselves Enough to fill the present day with joy, And overspread the future years with hope. ~ William Wordsworth

NOTE: We see only the tip of the iceberg of what we are capable of accomplishing or becoming. Yet to be discovered in each of us is an abundance of talent waiting to be nurtured and brought to fruition. Imagine a freshly painted white wall that is 4 m by 5 m. Someone comes along and paints a round black circle 7 cm in diameter. Immediately our eyes are drawn to the black circle and we ignore the white part of the wall. Don’t focus on a personal flaw or fault. Focus on your goodness, what you can do, and what you are capable of doing.

Love: A Poem by Czeslaw Milosz

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Love

Czeslaw Milosz

Love means to learn to look at yourself
The way one looks at distant things
For you are only one thing among many.
And whoever sees that way heals his heart,
Without knowing it, from various ills—
A bird and a tree say to him: Friend.

Then he wants to use himself and things
So that they stand in the glow of ripeness.
It doesn’t matter whether he knows what he serves:
Who serves best doesn’t always understand.

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A Prayer On Going Into My House: A Poem by William Butler Yeats

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A Prayer On Going Into My House

William Butler Yeats

GOD grant a blessing on this tower and cottage
And on my heirs, if all remain unspoiled,
No table or chair or stool not simple enough
For shepherd lads in Galilee; and grant
That I myself for portions of the year
May handle nothing and set eyes on nothing
But what the great and passionate have used
Throughout so many varying centuries
We take it for the norm; yet should I dream
Sinbad the sailor’s brought a painted chest,
Or image, from beyond the Loadstone Mountain,
That dream is a norm; and should some limb of the Devil
Destroy the view by cutting down an ash
That shades the road, or setting up a cottage
Planned in a government office, shorten his life,
Manacle his soul upon the Red Sea bottom.

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Thinking Out Loud: Let Me Introduce You to Tree

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To some people a tree is something so incredibly beautiful that it brings tears to the eyes. To others it is just a green thing that stands in the way. ~ William Blake

NOTE: There is a place called the Rose Garden in Columbus, Ohio, it sits on the edge of a great, green grassy field. A bike riding/running/walking trail borders the grassy field and runs parallel to the Olentangy River. Just beyond the field there is a duck pond. A stone’s throw to the north of the duck pond stands an enormous tree. I’m not sure of its type but its circumference is large. It takes five or six people holding arms outstretched and grasping each other’s hand to surround the tree. I have no idea how old the tree is, but I named it tree. Tree was as alive to me as any person I’d meet. Tree provided shade in the summer, colorful leaves in the fall, and even when it was dormant in the winter, you could almost hear its pulse slowly beating waiting for spring. I hope you have a tree or something similar wherever you live. When you talk to it, it talks to you.

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