Pieces for You

Hi,

My friend Amy Frost sent me an email recently with a wonderful question:
What would you do if you had a million dollars?
(Here's a song to listen to while you're thinking http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXdFTh1yX2c)

Let me know what you'd do!

Below is most of the letter I sent to everyone in celebration and gratitude...

For the holidays, I created a huge collage (18” x 48”) called, “Pieces for You”. It’s a mixed-media piece with:

bits of cards (there may even be something from one YOU sent!), 

fabric (scraps from Bhutan), 

beads, 

photographs, 

canceled stamps (from a collection donated to me by Mollie Messimer), 

images from magazines, 

copies of old keys and other items, 

a poem, 

quotes and sayings, 

Washi tape 

and other odds- and-ends

All these I collected this past year, then topped with a sparkle Mod Podge (I LOVE sparkle!) to hold it all together. Can you tell where your piece fits in?

Use the card for:

a bookmark (do YOU still read books? I do!)

refrigerator art

inspiration for your next poem, short story or blog

artwork for your office (frame it!)

writing a note to someone else

** Tell me your idea...

The concept for this collage came as I was preparing for a few days of rest this holiday season. I’ve had a few adventures earlier this year, including trips to conferences in Alexandria, VA, and Denver, CO, as well as Atlanta, GA (for my niece, Magee's high school graduation) and Dublin, Ireland for a counseling institute I co-lead. It's been a rough past few months at my full-time job, but I submitted my letter of resignation in November -- effective at the end of my contract in the latter part of May this year. (Yay!)

In November, I opened a new counseling practice with two colleagues (www.MilitaryIntegrativeTherapies.com); it's really a continuation of what I've been doing since 2000, when I started my practice, only now I'm collaborating! AND, I finally figured out how to organize all the websites I have under my name! My new website is www.Suzan-Thompson.com. It's under construction right now, but will include the various aspects of services I offer.

I'll be blogging weekly on this site or at toolkit4transformation.blogspot.com, so check in now and again for what's new!

Here's a collage-photo of the whole collage I created:

The one complete poem in the collage (if you received it, let me know!) is called “Praying” by Mary Oliver:

It doesn’t have to be

the blue iris, it could be

weeds in a vacant lot or a few

small stones; just

pay attention, then patch

words together and don’t try

to make them elaborate,  this isn’t

a contest but the doorway

into thanks, and a silence in which

another voice may speak.

So, with this letter, I’m sending patched words together from the collage – “Pieces for You” – that, as I was creating it, helped me remember my connections with friends and family.

Thanks for sharing yourself with me.

Yours in Magic, Wonder & Miracles,

Suzan

Waking Dream: A Miracle

The waking "dream" I had included a "visitation" by an angel (or, in Christian culture, it was Mary; Quan Yin, the embodiment of compassion in Buddhist)! 

Although I'm referring to it as a "dream", this ACTUALLY happened just a few days ago. I'm not much into "visitations" but it hit me as I was driving home that I had experienced something extraordinary.

Here's the "dream" (which is a real-life event):

     I'm driving to meet my colleague Ted for lunch and as I turn down a street, I see a car back right into another car which is parked on the street. The driver continues, without stopping. I honk my horn and grab a pen and paper to write down the license number because I see there's a dent in the car that was parked. The driver then turns her car around and pulls up behind the dented car. I'm still in mine, irritated and waiting to see what happens. 

     The driver pauses. I see she's an older woman. I roll down my window and say to her, "I saw you hit that car. You were just going to leave until I honked." She says to me, "I WAS turning around." I'm even more irritated, so I  just park my car, then return. 

     The driver is still sitting in her car when I walk back to the scene. She says she doesn't know what to do. I rattle off 3-4 steps in the process of reporting an accident (like I'm suddenly an expert -- I've had ONE in my entire life!). As I'm talking to her, another woman approaches (I have no idea where she came from!), crossing the street starting behind me, then ending just in front of me. She's a beautiful, African American woman, wearing a colorful scarf and long black coat, black skirt, top and shoes. She looks at me with compassion and says gently, "She's old. She doesn't know what to do. Help her. [And even more gently] You've started something, so finish it." She leaves and is gone in seconds. 

     I'm taken aback by her gentle tone and the contrast with my harsh attitude. I am able to shift into helping the driver briefly, then walk away.

     When I think about the incident later, after I've returned home, I realize, "Oh my God! I was visited by Mary!" I write about the event in my journal, starting with, "Dear Mary, I saw you today and I am overcome by tears of compassion...."

     It's moments like these I am deeply grateful for the guidance that just SHOWS UP when I'm least expecting it.

In Wonder,

Suzan

Unable to Sleep

I'm up late tonight (Sept. 11 & into early 12, 2013), unable to sleep.

So many thoughts swirling around in my head and feelings bubbling up. (Plus I drank coffee today -- even decaf has an effect on my system.)

One of the biggest ah-ha realizations today came when I was talking with a colleague. I heard myself say, "I've had enough of crazy. It's what I grew up in and I'm done with it." It hit me that I'm steeped in crazy-making -- actions of others around me -- and I've been having the same thoughts and feelings as I did when I was a kid.

This evening, I drew a card from my Toolkit for Transformation deck (go to www.HealTraumaFast.com for the most recent iteration): "Notice Your Own Process". No kidding!

(Completely unrelated to what I'm writing about... the "Spirit Box" I've created. Diggin' the concept.)

I'm asking for a miracle to shift what is going on. It certainly can be one that changes my perspective. I'd love for this miracle to change the dynamics of the situation I've been facing. I'll "settle" for a minor miracle -- and celebrate it with equal joy and wonder as if it were a major one -- that helps me shift my focus in my thinking.

Interesting... as I write the last paragraph, I notice my eyes are drooping and I could fall asleep. (Maybe a little avoidance?!?)

Mission accomplished: ready to go to sleep.

Zzzzzz,
Suzan

Two Weeks in Ireland: Post-Return Reflection

Overall, this was a great trip. I know I felt resentment in the weeks before going because I don't get paid for leading the program. It's not a vacation. It's work. Yet, I was able to get into somewhat of a vacation mode -- I was, after all, in Ireland!

The flight on Thursday leaving Dublin was delayed 2 hours. Someone was sick -- not a medical emergency from what I could tell -- so we sat on the tarmac for almost an hour before we could turn around and go back to a gate. Customs had to meet the person to clear them back into the country. Then, because we'd sat so long, the plane had to be refueled. Passengers seemed calm, though, taking it in stride.

The delay meant that I missed my 3pm connecting flight to Roanoke. Luckily, there was one at 5. I made it home by 11:30pm with enough time to get everything together for the ropes course program on Friday.

Shadow and Emma have stuck next to me everywhere I go in the house for the past 3 days. Every time I sit down, Shadow is on my lap. I know he was lonely and is happy to have us all back.

In checking ODU email today, there was a message from someone at Trinity regarding a complaint. I don't know yet what it is. I'm sure that it's never happened before, though, and I wonder what it is and who it was...

It's good to be home.
Suzan

Two Weeks in Ireland: Days 12 & 13 Endings

Is it really already two days later AND a day before I leave?

The days have been full of activity and we have one final event -- a group dinner -- tonight. Tomorrow, I'll be up at 5 to leave for the airport by 6am.

Here's a little catch-up on yesterday:

It was our day to visit various counseling-related sites around Dublin. One of the students, Jordan, and I went to Aftercare Research Counselling (Cancer Support) House. Except there are 2 houses and the one that thought we were visiting wasn't the one we actually visited! The two volunteers, Eithne and Dympna, who very graciously showed up around, were enthusiastic about the services and the programs offered.

Jordan and I arrived early (2pm for a 2:30 visit) and spoke to a woman who was waiting to attend a meditation and guided imagery class. It's taught by a fellow who is a reflexology practitioner -- one of the services that clients can access. We didn't have a chance to meet any of the counselors, but were told about some of the other services that clients can choose: acupuncture, EFT (as in the Emotional Freedom Techniques that I have been trained in!), meditation, stress management, group support and more. There's nowhere in the States that I know of that has this kind of space and these kinds of services.

I wish I had thought to take photos of the house. It's actually 2 victorian-era row houses. Beautiful spaces and lovely, warm decoration. It's clear that the organization has access to good funding.

Our 25-minute taxi ride cost 11 Euros. We took the train back for 3 Euros... Now I know how the train system works!

Once we returned to Trinity, I went in search of a paper store (www.daintreepaper.ie) that Ale (one of our guides) had told me about. It was a bit of a hike past most of the tourist area, but I first stumbled on an art supply store that's been in business for over 50 years (and there's dust in the shop to prove it!). I purchased a few pieces of colored paper as well as hand-made paper to finish the thank you cards I'd started.

I eventually found the paper store and found some awesome ON SALE items for collage work (which ended up in the cards above), but the most wonderful find was the "secret garden" Cake Cafe in the courtyard behind the paper store!

Today, after our closing activities with the students, Jill, her hubby Tony, and I went back to have tea (the cafe only serves breakfast, lunch & tea).

On the left, you can see bikes under what looks like a lean-to. Behind the bikes is a series of art pieces in panels by a Brazilian artist:

Materials include a stack of books, a multitude of keys, chipped china & pottery, CDs, piano keys, records, old coins, silverware, bottle and jar lids, and so many more things. It was a collage-artist's dream!

We ended the evening attending Riverdance at the Gaiety Theater. No photos, though. What an extraordinary show!

Students loved it. And it's one of my many "favorite" parts of this trip.

I was up late last night, in production mode, working on the thank you cards. I'm surprised that I'm not sleepy now...

Our group dinner tonight is at the Odessa Restaurant. Our guides, Ale and Seona, will have a fun quiz for everyone, then I'll come back to pack the remaining odds-and-ends for the trip home.

I'm ready to return. The coming semester is already calling to me to begin, even though it doesn't actually start until the 26th.

Mostly, I miss my critter tribe, Emma and Shadow, as well as my connections with friends.

Yours in Magic, Wonder and Miracles,
Suzan

Two Weeks in Ireland: Day 11 Presentations

Today was a stay-at-Trinity-and-listen-to-presentations kind of day. I started it with an overview of Complementary, Alternative & Integrative Therapies with a segue to "energy experiments" and an introduction to Emotional Freedom Techniques. I always have such a great time watching students begin to experience completely new ways of sensing and experiencing things.

My colleague, Ketta (Dr. Narketta Sparkman) presented on diversity, specifically the influence of pop culture on how we perceive the LGBT population. She compared how the US, Thailand and Ireland medial/pop culture present issues. I loved how she picked videos to help demonstrate her points. Plus, she used a really cool presentation software that I want to know more about!

Our 4 doctoral students (3 from ODU) presented as well. I enjoyed how they chose poetry and music to show the influence of oppression, substance abuse and other issues. Ireland has its fair share of poets, writers, musicians and story tellers, so it was particularly relevant for the institute participants.

Kristi, Gina & Paul in the background; Brett is at the front.

After all the presentations, I went to a bookstore, Hodges Figgis, close to Trinity with Jill, her husband Tony and Ketta. If we hadn't been so hungry, we'd have all stayed there for many hours! I was in search of books on Irish fairy tales and mythology. One book that our guide from yesterday recommended was actually on a bargain-basement sale shelf! And another one (This is How it Ends)  has a description on the back that starts, "Bruno, an American, has come to Ireland to search for his roots." I just HAD to buy the book!

The only pretty photo I have is my dessert from tonight. I had Shepard's Pie for dinner and I (of course) couldn't resist the chocolate fudge pie with ice cream and little heart-shaped cookies:

Yum!

So, what's the magic I noticed today? It was in the eyes and reactions of the students as we were doing the "energy experiments". I also asked them if they wanted to have an "energy activation" -- multidimensional healing -- and all of them were game. Even though they were able to activate each other, many came to me for the experience. One who I wouldn't have expected had the most profound experience, too.

Yay!

It's getting late. Tomorrow isn't as busy. Students visit sites and then we go to a River Dance show in the evening.

Fondly,
Suzan

Two Weeks in Ireland: Day 10 Boyne Valley

Hill of Tara     Lough Crew     Trim Castle

Today has to be my favorite day of this trip so far!

We had beautiful weather, with a cool breeze, extraordinary clouds, and gorgeous landscape.

Our first stop was Hill of Tara, with its thousands of years history, steeped in mystery from earlier ages and their rituals and myths. It truly is a magical place!

Photographs don't capture the grand, sweeping views. From this "hill", you can see several counties and the mountains that delineate Northern Ireland from the Republic.

From here, we wound around pastures and small towns to reach Lough (pronounced "low") Crew (http://www.meath.ie/Tourism/Heritage/HeritageSites/LoughcrewCairns/). This 5,000 year old site required a steep path to the top, where "cairns" -- enclosed, human-built caves -- were constructed at the top of the hill. No one really knows how or why it was built, but the precision of its structure is incredible.

My favorite quote from our guide Keith: "Mind your step. The grass can be a bit slippy."

More breath-taking views!

Even the panoramic photos don't do them justice... The was a lightness to the place and I feel rejuvenated from being outside, in nature.

We had lunch at a cafe, then made our way to Trim Castle. The roads were even more narrow, winding and lurching with potholes as well as the rise and fall of a road in the hills. I know several had to take Dramamine!

The castle was where the movie Braveheart was filmed. Built in the 1200's it still holds the splendor and impressiveness of the original structure.

Tomorrow we have presentations, starting with mine on Complementary, Alternative & Integrative Therapies. I've got some additions to make this evening.

Loving Ireland,
Suzan

Two Weeks in Ireland: Day 9 Giant's Causeway

I'm pretty sure that if I had been home, I wouldn't have been willing to get up early AGAIN to hop on a bus only to drive 2-3 hours back to where I'd been yesterday...

Which is what happened today. I signed up for a tour of the Giant's Causeway, which makes a stop in Belfast. (Oh, and by the way, AFTER we were on the way, the driver informs us that there was rioting last night in Belfast. "It's the rioting season," was among the comments. And, "Don't worry, we'll be safe. The riots happen in neighborhoods, not the City Center." Comforting.)

It was a free day and 4 of our group went on this tour: Narketta, Lenora, Mary Catherine and me. At the bus stop, we met an Argentinean 20-something guy, Frederico, who had originally planned to go to the Cliffs of Moher (a completely other coast), but had somehow missed his bus. He seemed to take it in stride and ended up having a good time tagging along with us.

Passing through Belfast, we head to the coast, stopping first at the Carrick-A-Rede rope bridge that spans a chasm with a 100-ft drop into the sea. Thrilling!

The Scotland coast is easily visible (and makes me want to go there!).

This northern coast of Ireland is rugged and breathtaking. The ride was well worth it!

(A little confession: I [as well as 6 others] was 30 minutes late getting back to the bus from the rope bridge. The driver had the "don't be late" talk with everyone as we were heading out of Dublin, but there were lines to get on the bridge from each direction and honestly, I was so smitten with the landscape once we'd crossed the bridge that I didn't even remember we were on a time-table.)

A stone's throw away is the Giant's Causeway, rich with fairy tale stories and more heart-stealing scenery. (See http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/giants-causeway/.)

I love the myth and folklore of the Irish! Such storytellers...

As we left the area, we stopped "for a wee photo" of Dunluce Castle, which has been named among the "most romantic" castles. The story goes that as the owners were serving dinner, the rock face supporting the kitchen slid into the sea, killing all but a boy who had hid under a table.

It DOES have a gorgeous silhouette, doesn't it?

On the return trip through Belfast, we stopped for a whole hour! Actually, it's longer than I've ever had to walk around the city center in the 3 years I've been coming here. The driver said something about "Victoria Square" and without knowing what he was actually talking about, we went in search of it. Turns out that it's a shopping mall with an amazing dome that is worth going up to.

Top left: Narketta & Mary Catherine. Bottom left: Lenora. Right: Y from Denver.

We mistakenly thought another square was our stopping point... so the adventure was in going to the tourist information office, finding a map, then winding our way to the square. This time, the 4 of us had 2 others in tow: Frederico as well as a Denver-based engineer, Y, who I had befriended at the rope bridge.

The book I started reading on this bus ride is fascinating and full of "magic" strategies for shifting one's state and reality. I'll write about it soon!

Mollie, the next time we work in clay, I want to make these:

Having a grand time,
Suzan

Two Weeks in Ireland: Day 8 Belfast

Our bus was to have arrived by 8 this morning. Students have been on time and early, so I was a little anxious when I didn't see our bus along Nassau Street. I'd been given the driver's cell number, but when I called, it just rang and rang. A quick call to our tour company rep was a reminder of just how different the Irish are when it comes to time.

Thankfully, the bus arrived at around 8:15. With a different driver. And the one whose number I'd been given called me back as we were heading out. They had switched but hadn't let anyone know.

After a nearly-three hour drive to Belfast (with a "quick" stop for gas, with one toilet and students who didn't realize that Northern Ireland doesn't use the Euro -- fortunately, I had a pocket full of shillings!), we picked up our guide, Peter Collins. Peter is a professor at Queens University in Belfast, having grown up in the city. As he filled us in on the climate (there had been riots about a week or so ago) as well as some of his personal history.

We drove around Belfast for only about 1.5 hours, but stopped at one place that has murals and passed through both Protestant and Catholic neighborhoods divided by 30-foot walls.

The murals depict various social and political events -- past and present as well as Irish and other countries where solidarity is felt. It's amazing how long people hold onto old hurts and how much violence and trauma people have experienced.

Peter wasn't alone in his comments that people LIKE the walls. They give them a sense of security and safety. We in the US just can't fathom the depth of the conflict that people in Belfast feel.

And neighborhoods are clearly marked, clearly delineated. A Catholic would be forced out of a neighborhood of Protestants and vice versa.

We ate lunch at the Crown Bar, the oldest in Belfast, built in 1826. Lunch was filling: I chose fish & chips (hadn't had it yet) and a brownie with ice cream for dessert. Yum!

After lunch, we visited the headquarters of the Integrated Schools organization, formed by very brave people who have a vision of unity and peace. Children in Northern Ireland attend very segregated secular schools, often not meeting -- and therefore getting to know -- children of other belief systems (again, Catholic vs Protestant). These people have worked for 3 decades toward an integrated school system and have made some headway, but only 7% of schools are integrated! It shed some light on our own "integrated" school systems and some of the assumptions I/we make...

It's late and I have another early morning tomorrow. It's our one free day and I'm going to the Giant's Causeway on a Paddy Wagon day tour (http://www.paddywagontours.com/tourView.php?id=55).

Enjoying my time here,
Suzan

Two Weeks in Ireland: Days 6 & 7

The days are starting to fly by. I'm still a little fuzzy-headed with some congestion, sore throat and coughing. Not so bad that I can't keep moving, though.

Yesterday, we had a fabulous speaker, Conor McNamara. He's an expert in Irish history and culture and it's clear that he has a passion for the subject. His talk is a good foundation for the coming days.

We had a quick lunch, then a bus ride to County Wicklow and Glendalough (pronounced glen-da-lock), one of the earliest christian monastic sites. The site sits at the base of 2 lakes, in the middle of a national park. It was among my favorite places in the last visits here because it's a refreshing change from being in the city and I get to be in nature for a chunk of time.

 Once we leave the city limits, we're in the rolling hills of the countryside. I just love the patchwork quilt of farmland!

Here's Glendalogh:

While we were out of the city, he had dinner at Johnnie Fox's, Ireland's highest-elevation pub. It's a fun evening with good Irish food, music and dancing. Later, we go to Dublin's Riverdance show, so it's a great preview for that. We arrived early, so I pulled out the watercolor paints and spread them out on one of the tables. The students LOVED it!

Today, we had 2 counselors as guest speakers. One dear man, Padraig (pronounced poor-ig) O'Morain, who has also been a columnist. He has a beautiful way of seeing and phrasing things and I love hearing him talk. I only wish I had gotten a photo of him... He's been a counselor for over 30 years, and it wasn't his first career! Same with Chris Murphy. Both have lead the counseling movement in their own way here in Ireland.

We had the afternoon free, so I walked (about 3 miles) with my colleagues Jill, her husband and Narketta to the Guinness Storehouse/Brewery. None of us wanted to go on a tour, we just wanted to go to the gift shop, only in order to do THAT, we had to each buy a tour ticket at about $20 per person! I figured a photo in front would be enough:

It's easy to walk here and most things are close. I really like being able to go and do without much effort. We could have taken a city bus to the brewery, but we walked along the river and enjoyed the time together.

I'm noticing that only now am I releasing the habit of feeling the need to BE SOMEWHERE. With this free afternoon, the only time limit was meeting the group for dinner at 6. I actually took a brief nap before heading to the brewery. It's taken a week to start to unwind.

Dinner tonight was at the Trocadero restaurant.

The food was WONDERFUL! Chicken stuffed with pesto on top of whipped butternut squash.

And pecan pie -- not nearly as sweet as true, Southern PE-can pie -- for dessert.

Isn't that pretty?!?

Tomorrow, we go to Belfast. It's another highlight of the trip for me, although for different reasons. The  area still has unrest, with some riots in the last few weeks. In an interesting twist, they tend to leave tourists completely alone...

More soon!
Suzan

Two Weeks in Ireland: Day 5 Pub Crawl

Students arrived yesterday and we met briefly with them, then headed to a pub for a welcome gathering. Now, lest you think that going to Ireland involves going to pubs for drinking, let it be known that a pub is like a restaurant in the US. They are community gathering places, places where bands might play, and where history is steeped in the walls.

Our day started with guest speakers from the Ireland Association for Counseling & Psychotherapy. We're in one of the classrooms at Trinity. Not exactly an attractive room, but it will be "home" for the next 9 days.

Many of our meals are at "the Buttery" -- a small cafeteria -- within the walls of Trinity college. We had breakfast (interrupted by a fire alarm) and lunch there today. I skipped the bus tour of Dublin this afternoon so I could rest. My throat is still sore and hoarse, so I'm still not at 100%.

The pub crawl starts at The Duke.

I ate dinner in my room, then went to meet the group for a "Literary Pub Crawl". It's lead by 2 actors who intersperse history of the city along with reciting pieces from Dublin's famous authors. The 2 1/4-hour tour goes to 4 different pubs with enough time in each to drink a quick beer or take a look around. There's a quiz at the end of the tour where the winner receives a t-shirt and runner-up a little bottle of whisky. In the past years, someone from ODU has won the t-shirt; this year was no exception. Of course, it helps that the only people on the tour tonight were our students!

I have a dilemma. As one of the trip leaders, I have to address a couple of issues with 5-6 students. It's a significant enough number that it's affecting the program already. Even though we talked yesterday to determine group guidelines, and one of those is being on time, these 5-6 students have been late for the past 2 times the group has gathered for something. And I have to admit that I'm surprised at these students' behaviors. But maybe I shouldn't be...

Even though I took a 3-hour nap, I'm sleepy and ready for bed. I trust that some solutions for easy resolution will come. (Sometimes it DOES work to "sleep on it"!)

My intentions for tomorrow:
1. From a place of compassion AND firmness, speak with students about their behaviors.
2. Paint when we visit County Wicklow & Glendalough.
3. Be gentle with myself.
4. Remember to notice magic!

Yours,
Suzan