The Gift of Catharsis

                                          Grossmünster Church in Zürich, Switzerland.

"Let me Fall" from Cirque du Soleil, I enjoy singing this song a lot because it is, in a way, Cathartic.

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

The Gift of Catharsis

Catharsis: The process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions. 

“If kindness is in you, then give.

If the truth is in you, then speak.

If passion is in you, create.

If the words are in you, then write.

You must make space for the new to exist again.”

B. Oakman

It’s okay to whisper.

It’s okay to feel the breeze.

It’s okay if there are times you need to drop to your knees.

To pray, to meditate, to cry out loud.

Catharsis can be cleansing.

To realize, to have relief.

To have that weight taken off your shoulders even if that moment is temporary. 

Sing that song, even if you can’t carry a tune.

Write that poem, let your relief be your muse.

Paint that picture, draw and create.

Cleanse, purge, start anew. 

Liberate yourself today. 

If your heart is so weighed down by loss in your life.

Catharsis will be there, to help you through your feelings of loss and strife.

Cry those tears, pray with all your might.

Reach out to others.

Put your faith in God.

He gave us an outlet, a catharsis if you will.

When it all becomes too much, on your faith you can depend.

It can start small, one step at a time.

But keep moving, keep going, it is going to take time.

If you wake up tomorrow and feel it all over again, that's okay.

Just start all over again.

Have you ever read the story of the man who prayed for help during a particularly terrible storm?  He was a devout man who considered himself close to God.  A canoe came by to help and the man said, “I am praying for God to save me.” After that, a motor boat.  Still the man maintained that God would save him.  When the levee broke and the storm waters flooded the church he climbed to the steeple. A helicopter came down and asked the man to climb the ladder.  He still refused help.  As the man drowned he ascended to Heaven and asked God, “Why did you not save me?”  God responded with, “What did you want from me?  I sent two boats and a helicopter?” No one is really sure where this story originated but there are versions in the Jewish faith and the Buddhist faith. Even during the recent pandemic there were versions of this story that were written.  How often do we go through our lives never letting go of our past pain or current pain? I don't want to diminish someone's pain by any means. There are circumstances in life that are harsh and indeed painful. How much of the time do we hang on when we should if even for a moment, let go?  Holding on to worry is much like holding an object for a long time.  At first, if you pick up that five pound weight it feels just fine.  You think, “five pounds is nothing.”  As the first hour progresses, you begin to feel a bit heavy.  As the day goes on, that weight does indeed become burdensome and hard to carry.  The need to throw that weight down on the floor and give yourself relief is palpable.  The agonizing strain on the muscles of your arm.  When you let go.  Instant relief.  Let the weight go.  Give yourself some relief.  How often like the man in the story do we say, “My help is coming in the form of XYZ.” When in all actuality, we are holding on so tight that we cannot see the boat, or the helicopter.  Letting go brings perspective.  I am reminded of a story of misunderstanding.  Our family for the most part is quite outspoken, often to some it may seem blunt.  Our sons had a friend over who was quite taken aback at the dynamics of a large family.  We were all gathered around the table talking over each other, so many subjects were broached over breaking bread together.  Our guest asked our son a question about life.  He responded in his usual blunt manner (we are working on this) and our guest felt a little awkward.  So much so that she was hesitant to talk to our son the next time she saw him.  When she didn’t speak to him he asked why she was so silent around him.  She intimated that she thought that in asking the question she had offended him.  He said, “You have been carrying that for a week?  I let that go a few minutes after you asked.”  So you see dear readers, in letting go we are doing ourselves a great service.  And in that service perhaps the scales will be removed from our eyes of all the ways that the universe and God is sending help for us to cope in this grand adventure of life.  Find your catharsis. For me it is absolutely music and writing. Just looking at a piece of music provides catharsis. I can hear the melody in my head. I hope dear readers that you all can find your catharsis.

The Church pictured above represents in some way catharsis to me. When we set foot in this beautiful sanctuary that was never touched in World War II. It was absolutely gorgeous. The organ music was playing so beautifully in the background. We paid 10 Franks to wind up the narrow stairs to the bell tower, as we looked out we saw the whole of the town all around us. What a cathartic moment it must be for those bell ringers. You see, the bells ring at 7 am and 7 pm in Zuerich. It is gorgeous.

The Gift of Cleaning out the Refrigerator

This picture was taken in NY, near Fire Island right before a sunset cruise.  Water signifies cleaning... let us clean our souls. 

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

The Gift of Cleaning out the Refrigerator

“Clutter is not just the stuff on your floor-it’s anything that stands between you and the life you want to be living.”

Peter Walsh

Clean up, tidy up, pick up your things.

It seems like such an odious task.

To wipe, to mop, to clear up dirty things.

Why should I even do it?

You often ask.

I will just have to do it again.  

Why waste my time on this task?

But if we don’t clean, the mess just gets worse.

The bugs and smells invade.

The rot, the stench, the decay.

So it is essential to clean, to wash the dirt away.

When something is clean, renewal can start.

The surfaces, the walls, the floors are pristine.

To start the process all over, the art of cleaning.

Life is much like cleaning. 

We need to address the soils, the dirt, and dusty circumstances of life.

Scrub off the layers of dust and dirt off your soul and spirit.  

Make the slate clean.  Don’t let the murky bits pile up.

Take time to clean your inner self. 

Give yourself a break. Make this a gift to your present and future self.

Cleaning.  Yuck, right? I have a love hate relationship with cleaning. I do like things to be tidy but the actual action to get things tidy.. not so much. I discovered that there are reels that are dedicated to cleaning. Uh. No. Recently I undertook the just laborious task of cleaning out our refrigerator.  Why do I refer to the task as laborious?  Honestly, the refrigerator was neglected.  Things piled up, the bento boxes with leftovers and good intentions sat there collecting stinky smells.  That random carrot that fell out of the baby carrot bag was in the very back and wilted and gross.  Those shelves where you thought someone had eaten your food that was bought “as  a treat”  was under a pile of regrettably old vegetables that we had every intention of eating.  My first thought was, I just wanted to close the fridge and hope for the best.  After a few moments of foot stomping and talking myself off the "I can just do this next week" cliff, the cleaning commenced.  While scrubbing I thought about life.  That is my new practice, what can I glean from a mundane/onerous task about life, the universe and everything?  This came to mind.  How often do we clean our soul and spirit?  If it is like my fridge, that is one dirty and stinky place.  How often do we dwell on unkind words that were uttered to us?  How often do we dwell on words that we have uttered that we wish we could take back?  Take a moment and clear out hate.  Empty the rubbish bins of regret, Sweep out the dust and dank of everyday life.  Mop up the urge to be unkind, and let the floor shine with a beautiful sheen of kindness.  Finally, take all the bags of rubbish to the trash bin of anxiety, anger, angst, and other bad feelings to the trash can and let the trash company take it off to the dumpster.  Will those feelings resurface?  Absolutely.  That is why we must clean our soul and spirit regularly. Neglect leads to a pile of old bento boxes of emotions and feelings that are growing mold. Open the door, take out the prayer, mediation, forgiveness, and relief that comes from a clean slate.  It will make a difference.  Now, when we open the fridge, we don’t immediately want to slam the door and deal with it later.  Rather, we marvel at the organization that has come from taking a moment to clean.  Clean your soul, clean your spirit.  Cleaning is the reset button of life.  

My books are on Amazon! 

The Quacktastic Adventures of Ellie and Lord Barks a Lot

The Case of the Missing Moo-Cow Bell

The Case of the Missing Bumbly Wumbly Bee

The Case of the Missing Honk Honk 

The Case of the Missing Wellies

The Case of the Missing Ornaments

Clean it Up! Wash it Up!

Coming Soon:

Appalachian Allegory

Buy me a coffee… pretty please… actually it would be a proper cuppa in my case. Thank you for reading! 

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The Gift of Running with Abandon

Dakota the doggo!  He loves to run but he also likes to judge you.... 

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

The Gift of Running with Abandon

“If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.”

Fred Devito

Do you ever just run with abandon just for fun?

Frolic, get the zoomies just run and run.

Life is fraught with worries and so much care.

Just try a little running even if you just have a few moments to spare. 

Dare to be a little silly, even when people are watching. 

Take that moment, seize it and do a little jaunt.

Make a small difference in your life, step away from worry.

Run with a purpose and a bit of flair.

Run even if the pace is slow, just take those steps. 

Challenge yourself even if it is a little, try not to be afraid. 

Seek to change something in your life with this little run.

We can all make the world a better place, one by one. 

Recently we visited my brother in New York.  He has a chocolate lab named Dakota.  This lab is full of spunky personality.  When he is let out of the house he bounds down the stairs and runs with great abandon around the yard.  Sometimes his zoomies are epic.  He runs and runs with a doggy smile on his face.  He does the same when he goes to the pool.  He bounds down the stairs and launches himself right in.  As we watched him run and run.  A thought came to fruition.  Do we ever take a given situation, let things go, and just run with abandon?  So much of life is lived with refrain (stopping oneself from doing something).  While there are apropos moments when this is definitely needed.  There are other times when we need to run with abandon through life and forge through to learn something new.  What happens if we never change?  What happens if we do not stir the pot?  The bottom gets burned and the food doesn't taste as good.  Also, if we don’t take that moment to run and challenge ourselves we usually are left to life as it always has been.  Dakota also runs with abandon anytime there is a ball within two feet of him.  His eyes grow large, he turns in a circle and waits with great anticipation for the ball to be thrown.  After we threw the ball he ran once again with great gusto to retrieve his beloved ball.  On one occasion the ball rolled under the chair.  We were not fast enough on the retrieval of said ball, Dakota proceeded to “dig” the cushions of the Chaise to get to the ball. What if, in life we stopped running at what we are gifted with?  Did you put down that hobby or act of service that brought you and other folks great joy?  If anything that can be learned from the last few years on this earth is that we need to rediscover, realize and rejuvenate those portions of life that bring joy.  Bring the focus on what brings us together rather than what tears us apart.  What can you run towards with great abandon that will improve life?  It might be something as small as a kind word.  We are often inundated with folks who say that humanity as it exists at the moment is inherently lost and not redeemable.  Let us start making what has been in many ways a world that is torn with anger, malice and general disdain for others and run towards a life that is peppered with kindness. Now, when I run my knees may crackle and creak from years of teaching kickboxing, I may double over out of breath, I may say, “Ouch!” but I will continue to run. It may take extra effort but surely it is worth a try.  In the words of the poet Rumi, “Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world.  Today I am wise, I am changing myself.”

The Gift of Simple Things

The Single photo taken during our visit... simple, yet beautiful. 

The song is called Simple Gifts.

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

The Gift of Simple Things

Why does everything have to be so complex these days?

Why is simple not so appealing?

To pause, to rest, to simply contemplate the simple gifts of life. 

As the words of the song convey, “Tis a Gift to be simple, tis a gift to be free”

How can we embrace simplicity?

By pausing, and looking around and seeing the simple blessings that surround you and me. 

The caress of the breeze, the colors you can see in nature when you walk.

To embrace the silence rather than feel the compulsion to talk. 

To listen, to hear, to really try to understand, that simple gifts really do abound. 

Embrace the freedom of simplicity. 

Make it a gift, make it a purpose, make it your aim. 

As the words of the song proclaim, “To turn, turn will be our delight, Till by turning, turning we come round right.”

Today we took a trip to the mountains of North Georgia to see our sons.  It was parent’s weekend at their college.  Spring was in full swing, the trees were varying shades of verdant green, the breeze was delightful and the little college town was full of folks enjoying the lovely day.  I packed a picnic for us to partake in a particularly nice park. We chose a spot to eat right by the flowing creek.  The water babbled like a muted song, the wind gave the melody of nature singing its sweet melody.  The lull of the people around us enjoying the day made the symphony of this day quite great.  As we sat to partake of the sandwiches and goodies that I prepared, I looked around the table at my boys (well, three of them out of our 4 boys) and thought what a blessing it was to be able to take this moment. I thought of the song by Joseph Brackett, “Simple Gifts." One of my resolutions for this year was to take very few pictures.  I would rather make memories. So on this trip I took exactly one photo. To keep in my memory. The focus was not on the pictures but the people, the beautiful setting, the breeze, the comfort of conversation.   Recently, I have been guilty of scrolling through reels. Those snippet shots of videos that are but a small bit of time.  Why?  I don’t know.  Probably trying to fill a small gap of time between tasks. I often wonder if our society has become hesitant to have some times of boredom? That might be why I watched so many reels.   As I watched these videos I noticed that many folks were doing reels about how glamorous their life is.  Their physical possessions, their cars, etc.  Most of these are probably not real.  As I continued to think about these reels I remembered a place in the mall that I saw recently.  I know, who goes to the mall, right? I am sure lots of folks go,  I do not visit a lot but it was a rainy day and we were trying to find something to do on the dreary day.  There is a shop in the mall that is dedicated to selfies with “glamorous life” backgrounds. At first I thought okay, it is the glamor shots of the 2020’s.  Today I thought, could this be a symptom of not knowing or seeing the simple gifts in our life? As this idea began to flesh itself out in my mind, I started to look around for the simple gifts.  We had a bit of a walk to get back to our car.  Me, being the shortest, always trails along in the back. My legs don’t have the long gait of my grown sons and husband. As I looked at them in front of me, I felt blessed for the simple gift that they are all in my life. They love the family and that we can fellowship together.  That evening at home, I started to walk around the house and contemplate the simple gifts that surround our lives. A favorite coffee mug, a favorite chair in which to sit. A rocking chair that can sit and listen to the singing of the birds. A comfy blanket that you always love to use. A favorite food, a good friend, a wonderful song that gives you hope. My husband's simple gift? Costco hot dogs. He wants me to write a blog post about it. That is his simple thing that he looks forward to each week. Life is so much built on the complex.  Let’s try to make it simple.  It might just be for the best.  “Tis a gift to be simple, tis a gift to be free, tis the gift to come down where we ought to be, and when we find ourselves in the place just right, twill be in the valley of love and delight.” Beautiful words.  Beautiful purpose. Simple, yet profound. Let us find the simple gifts in our life so that when we turn we will find ourselves in a place of love and delight. 

The Gift of Casseroles

A recent visit to a cemetery at sunset.. I bet they made casseroles back in their time.

You Raise Me Up. I think casseroles are much like raising others up. Let's make a life casserole!

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

The Gift of Casseroles

“Try not to be a person of success, but rather try to become a person of value,”

Albert Einstein

A pinch of this, a pinch of that.

A tablespoon, a teaspoon, a cup, and a pint.

A smattering of different spices that add to the recipe.

A heaping cup of cream to give it depth.

A stir of love to help the recipe develop. 

Some salt, some pepper, and maybe some hot spice.

To make the dish taste very nice. 

That is what we can be, to add to the recipe of life.

Be salt to some, be sweet to others, be spicy when the recipe needs a little kick..

Be a savory delight when someone is struggling. 

Be a bonbon or a sweet meat to someone who needs some tenderness.

Be patient, be forgiving, keep tweaking the recipe of life.

With time and fortitude, eventually the recipe will become a luscious delight for all to behold.

Casseroles.  A staple of the south, particularly in the church.  Recently my husband and I attended a funeral for a family member who had led a very long and fulfilling life.  After her celebration of life service, we were invited to come to the buffet with the family.  We were welcomed with open arms by a group of gray haired delightful church ladies.  When I use the word cornucopia of casseroles, that would be an underestimation of just how much food was on the buffet table.  Chicken casseroles, green bean casseroles, corn casseroles, macaroni casseroles, potato casseroles to name a few. Oh yes, and hand fried chicken.  On another table there were homemade desserts that were a sight to behold.  Fresh Georgia peach cobblers, cake, cookies.  To top it off there was southern sweet tea.  As I was sitting and enjoying the absolutely delectable food, I got to thinking about casseroles.  A lot of recipes for casseroles were passed down for generations.  Much of the preparation for the casseroles was in the similar situation that we were in.  A funeral, a sick family member, a new baby, or just to give a blessing to others.  As we navigate through life let us contribute to the recipe of others.  Some people need some salt, others may need some sugar.  In Christianity, to be salt to others is to deliberately seek to influence the people in one’s life by showing them God’s love.  Our world is in need of more casseroles.  More folks like the church ladies who with a lovely smile invite perfect strangers to enjoy the fruits of their labor.  This not only tweaks the recipe that is working in the lives of others but yours as well.  I leave you all with the profound words of Mother Teresa: “Not all of us can do great things.  But we can do small things with great love.”

My books are on Amazon!

The Quacktastic Adventures of Ellie and Lord Barks a Lot

The Case of the Missing Moo Cow Bell

The Case of the Missing Bumbly Wumbly Bee

The Case of the Missing Wellies

The Case of the Missing Honk Honk

The Case of the Missing Ornaments

Clean it Up! Wash it Up!

Coming Soon!

Appalachian Allegory

Buy Me a Coffee please? Or... A proper cuppa. 

PayPal familyking8@gmail.com

Check out my column at Patheos.com

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The Gift of Shine

I love how the sun shines beautifully even during sunset. 

I took a moment last night to give thanks in my own way. Faure' wrote this beautiful song, it was admittedly for a requiem but, the beauty of the music feels as if heaven were on his mind when he wrote it.

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

The Gift of Shine 

“We are told to let our light shine, and if it does, we won't need to tell anybody it does. Lighthouses don't fire cannons to call attention to their shining - they just shine.”

Dwight L. Moody

What does it mean to shine?

Does it mean to shout and sing, “Look at me! Look at me!”

Or, does to shine require to be who you are authentically?

In a world where pictures and videos abound. 

Would you shine when those avenues were not around?

To shine, really and truly means to always seek humility and grace when no one else sees. 

Give the gift without shouting it from the rafters.

Be the change when it truly matters.

Shine in secret, don’t yell or shout.

I guarantee you, others will see your shine without a doubt! 

Today is Easter. It has been a completely different Easter than we have had in quite some time.  Our family has gone through some very interesting situations in the last few months. They have required lots of prayer, faith and commitment to see things through.  Also, in the varying life situations, Easter completely fell off our radar. When the day approached, we found out some of our military kids had training, others were at a military base doing things, and our youngest was not going to be home. Our “empty nest” truly was empty.  We decided to make the best of it and take a little impromptu trip to Tennessee with our oldest daughter and her husband.  Our little party had a nice day of food, walks and fellowship.  What an absolute blessing.  As I was sitting with my “small” family party, I got to thinking about Easter and what it means. I should qualify our party being small.  With six kids, five of which either are married or have significant others, a grandchild and other adopted folks who have come through our home through the years, we come in large and loud.  So you see, four people is small for us, but I digress. As I looked at my loved ones, I thought about how they shine without shouting it from the rooftops that they do good deeds.  They do it without any thought of themselves. They do it in the service of genuine humanity. That got me thinking about our other children who were serving our country.  That is definitely a circumstance where they shine with no real noticeable return.  How can we shine? We can do a simple deed of kindness and not tell a soul. There are so many who perform kind deeds and instantly post it on social media.  I myself have been guilty of this action. As I started to search on the internet about kindness unknown, I did not get three words typed out and instead of kindness, the main question was: “Why are people so messed up?” Wow.  I want to share a local story with you. Recently, I was in line at the grocery store, and the woman in front of me had a pretty full cart of groceries.  The amount was pretty high.  At that moment, a man came through and said, “I would like to pay for your groceries to bless you.” The flabbergasted woman did not know what to say.  She cried. This man continued to do this at every register in the store for those with large orders. The cashier at the register told me that he comes in regularly to help those with large orders with no thought to ask for anything in return.  What an amazing human.  In my search I found one particularly wonderful story. A grandmother wanted to buy her granddaughter a dress at a consignment shop but she simply did not have the money at the moment to pay it in full.  She asked if she could make payments on the dress.  At that moment, a woman tapped her on the shoulder and asked her if she could buy the dress for her.  The grandmother said she could not do that. The woman explained that she was homeless for three years and relied completely on the kindness of strangers to get her back on her feet.  It would be her honor to buy the dress for the granddaughter.  The only payment she wanted was a heartfelt hug.  This Easter, whether you are a Christian or not, take a meaningful day and choose to shine.  I am sure you have seen the news. There is not much shining going on at all.  Grab a washcloth, do a little scrubbing and shine in the lives of others. 

https://www.rd.com/article/kindness-strangers/

The Gift of the Moon

This was taken from a recent late evening walk.  It was a bit hard to get a good picture of the moon with my little camera. 

*Seeing the moon inspired me to sing Moon River from Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

The Gift of the Moon

“Be the moon and inspire people, even when you’re far from full.”

K Tolnoe

The moon has many shapes that we can see with our eyes.

The full moon, the half moon, and the crescent moon, and the new moon, which starts the process again.

Through each of these phases the moon never goes away, it remains faithful to the earth each and every day.

What can we learn from the moon and its various phases?

We can learn that just like the moon has phases we too can practice this meaningful occupation.

Learn from the moon, grow in your purpose.

That is why we have nature, to show us that we have a great purpose.

To give love, to spread joy, and spirituality. 

So be like the moon!  Do it for all to see! 

How often do we just look at the moon?  Since starting our early:30 walks together, my husband and I have been watching the varying shapes and position of the moon.  Right now, winter is winding down and spring is well into motion.  This morning when we began our walk, I took a moment to look up at one of the most beautiful moons I have seen in quite some time. It was full and almost pink in its color. It is actually called a pink moon in some circles. It has been referred to as an Easter moon, a Passover moon, among other names. Either way, it was absolutely gorgeous. Watching the moon has made us both conscious of just how faithful the lunar workings are to the earth.  In each phase, the moon helps with weather, the oceans (through the gravitational pull between the earth and moon), and some folks believe that moon phases even influence our behavior.  Though the theory of behavior has not been proven, isn’t the moon a very interesting subject?  Did you know that when the moon is waning (no light from the sun on the moon), the moon never stops working, and the sun never stops shining on the moon.  The sun is shining on the back side of the moon.  This brought to mind a very interesting thought.  What if we use the phases of the moon to help guide us to be an inspiration to others?  For instance, when there is a new moon (the moon is basically black), take that time to start something, whether it is a better attitude of thankfulness or even that book that you have been wanting to read for sometime.  Start something new.  When the moon starts to wax (a small crescent), try to find one productive activity that you have needed to do but not necessarily wanted to do.  Accomplish something small.  When the moon is in its first quarter (half moon), try learning a new idea or concept that you are not familiar with.  Study after study has shown that if we keep a sense of curiosity, we keep our minds healthy.  Try learning something.  When the moon is a waxing gibbous (stay with me on this one), try and clean something that you never clean.  For me it was cleaning the baseboards in my room. I know, I know, what a boring task. I just put on my favorite podcast and cleaned.  That small task did not take long, but it actually made our bedroom a little brighter.  Clean something.  When the moon is full, try and treat yourself and be a blessing to another.  Something as small as making your neighbor a batch of cookies or giving them a coffee will not only fill their cup but yours as well.  Be full!  When the moon is a waning gibbous (three fourths full), pause, take a moment, and look at nature in all its beauty.  Summer, Winter, Fall, and Spring all have a symphony of colors and smells to share with us.  Take the time to pause and refill your cup.  When the third quarter moon appears, take a moment and spread some cheer.  Seriously.  Give cheer to something or someone.  Whether that is a kind word or a vase of flowers.  Adding cheer to everyday life will make such a difference.  Finally, when the moon makes its move to waning crescent, engage your spirituality. Now, I challenge you all, dear readers (and myself) to put this into practice. Take the hope, gratitude, forgiveness, peace, and community and realize that you are meaningful and have a purpose in this world.  

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