An unlikely gift….
There is something new growing in my gratitude garden this year,
this odd fruit of thanks for the crisp, clear gift of anger,
the way it tolls like a bell
when we need to stop and pay attention
to the sound our heart makes when it needs to be heard above the roar,
shaking and quaking that something feels false
and needs tweaking,
some line needs clearing,
some part of our voice needs hearing,
something fuzzy needs sorting
till it’s shiny and singing true.
It’s a gift and a grace to get angry and I’ve left it often unwrapped,
trying to walk off the burn
instead of letting it whisper it’s wisdom
and lead me back to my dislocated parts,
to healing and gathering me whole again.
There’s this sweet, wild smell about it all.
a freedom for my heart kind of thing.
It’s joy to finally recognize something as gift
when you’ve spent too much of your life apologizing for it.
“Bitterness is like cancer. It eats the host. But anger is like fire. It burns it all clean.”
-Maya Angelou
I’ve been celebrating some of the sweetest gifts in my life
this month,
those of you who read and take the time to leave a comment
(pure joy to my heart, those).
Each week I’m drawing a name from those who stop and say hello,
just a little giveaway….a happy surprise package,
a sort of love bomb:)
(This week I drew the name of beautiful and dear to my heart
Anne Camblin.)
I’ll be drawing another name on Saturday.
I am grateful, now and always to the warmth and wonder – not to mention the talent – that I have found in the blogosphere. And, like the gift of your anger, the slow burn of injustice recognised is something I am learning to welcome.
This is a wonderfully thoughtful post. You are absolutely right — anger can really help us discover something new — maybe about ourselves, maybe about someone else. But it is as much a signal to heed as joy.
I’m thankful for your gift of self expression in words. Always food for the soul.
I’m amazed and thankful that our Creator has seen fit to give us all the gifts that we need for self preservation which includes anger amongst others. You really have a gift for pinpointing the pressure points of your needs and you come out true and clean.
My anger burns bright to injustice. Seeing things with Jesus’ eyes helps but sometimes I see with the wrong lenses and then things gets out of focus and things gets messed up…
Wishing you a thankful heart, joy and happiness free of stumbling blocks.
Hugs,
JB
I am so glad you recognize your need to be heard! It is a valuable voice that has so much to teach us about ourselves.
Beautiful, beautiful. Anger opens room for solution and peace, instead of allowing sour feelings to fester and remain. Healing. Gratitude. Forgiveness. I am grateful for Trust, Jennifer. My Word for this year was so perfect for me! I learned more than ever before. (Your autumn photos are GORGEOUS). love, kath
dear!
when i looked at your first photo in the line-up here, after a second, the sun shone even brighter. wow.
LOVE you.
I’m one who is familiar with the gift and grace of anger but that’s not what I’m grateful for right now. I’m grateful for connection, pure and simple.
Thank you so much for this, for pointing out that anger can be a gift. I love that quote!
I too am thankful for backward gifts! The kind that only become gifts through a bittersweet process. My gift of isolation over this season has finally turned sweet. I enjoy readying your beauty gazes through your tranquil lens that gives me a gentle pause in my day. Keep at it!
you reach my heart with your special images and words …I hop you know that even though I am often silent …blessings to you !
Thank you for this. It was perfect for me to remember to allow the emotions to do their thing. So glad our mutual friend, Anne, introduced me to you. Hope I get to meet in you person one day!!
It’s the only way to do this right isn’t it. Nothing easy about it, but probably the most healing and gratifying of all… the most beautiful of gifts one can give one-self. Thank you for sharing who you are… beautiful soul. xo
So thankful for these little jaunts where a life genuine speaks her mind, as she grabs me by the hand and says hop on…this wind is ours to ride…
So thankful for the trips by the river, the fields of flowers and blue skies…thankful for the way you share life!
I have been cleaning and clearing by getting angry…it has been freeing.
I have been cleaning and clearing by getting angry…it has been freeing.