My 2020 Holiday Message for You
“When the crowded Vietnamese refuge boats met with storms or pirates, if everyone panicked, all would be lost. But, if even one person on the boat remained calm and centered, it was enough.”
Thich Nhat Hahn
Dear Friends,
This year I celebrated my 40th year in practice. On August 31st, after 36 years in one place, I closed my office door leaving the keys on the desk in with a note of thanks to my now, former landlord. Nearly all my clients came with me into the virtual world of tele-mental health. Most, months before August. Here we will stay for the foreseeable future. I’m so grateful for the trust placed in me.
This year has not been for the faint of heart. Nor will be the start of the next. We have been obliged to dig deep for courage, wisdom, grace, resilience, and strength. We can now choose whether we see the year we’ve lived through as exclusively overwhelming and devastating or as transformational. Our hearts break for the suffering of others and for our own. So much loss. We can also mine the depths for our greatest resources of love and fellowship and faith.
As we prepare to slowly awaken and engage life in the upcoming New Year, may we remember that change brings new awareness. Through the transitions of change, we can come more alive, elevated, and build a new way.
The temptation to despair is profound. Yet, as the beautiful lyrics from the song, Dust & Ashes tells us, “Let me wake up now. God don’t let me die while I’m like this. If I die tonight, I die in my sleep.” May we be willing to awaken more deeply. Grieving yes, yet shedding fear and resentment and pessimism. May we not die in our sleep. In waking there is often pain. I know. Nevertheless, therein is also our joy. And we can bring others with us. That is power, not helplessness.
“If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, don’t hesitate. Give in to it. Whatever it is, don’t be afraid of its plenty. Joy is not meant to be a crumb.” Mary Oliver
Always, Jeanne
PS Note my new business address, a PO box. Everything else is the same :”)
Jeanne C. Folks, D.Min, LPC