This time of year is filled with delight for me. It has always been my favorite time of year. The blooms of spring are abundant and vibrant. Those first few daffodils, jonquils or if you are a country girl, you would have called them buttercups, along with the hyacinth, crocus, and tulips come bursting forth. I witnessed them in their young shoots of green standing tall and daring even when seven inches of snow piled on top of them with several layers of ice last month. Nary a one let it kill them. Unbelievable really.
Along with this life comes the anniversary of daddy’s death on April 3, a short/long 14 years ago. We had the hardest freeze of the decade that week and most everything was killed, buds, blooms, and even trees. As I recall my dad’s life, I am grateful for my father Joe who truly lived out an entire spectrum of humanness. One of the things I treasure most about him was his ability for forgiveness. He seemed immune to the chronic nature of ill will, harboring, regretting, blaming, etc. I asked him many, many questions during his final years about his life and lesson. His replies were short and clear. For example: "It doesn't do any good to hold things against people. I've learned about people by what they do."
|
|
“So often we try to make other people feel better by minimizing their pain, by telling them that it will get better (which it will) or that there are worse things in the world (which there are). But that’s not what I actually needed. What I needed was for someone to tell me that it hurt because it mattered.”
— John Green
|
|
This never seemed like unforgiveness to me, it was simply wisdom to trust people to do what they do, not what I want them to do, and a clear practice of acceptance. After weeks in an ICU, on the drive home from the hospital, I asked him about regrets for his life and his response was "I don't regret the past, I can't change it, and I'm not going to live the rest of what life I have, imprisoned by it. I would do it differently IF I could, and I can't." — Joe Creek 1933 – 2017.
|
|
It is also the anniversary of momma’s diagnosis of pancreatic cancer that eventually was her cause of death, six months later. I left a career and heavily booked scheduled to go home and live with her from March 2017 until her death in September 2017. She loved her life and also lived in a very full spectrum of experiences. She had many sayings that live in my bones and blood, including; “Sweep under your own feet”. This saying for her was some attempt to catch criticism, gossip, and judgment from going any further and turning the real work back to ourselves, where it all belongs. Similar perhaps to “Take the log out of your own eye, before removing the speck from another.” She loved being useful, resourceful, and generous. She was generously giving, right up until her last breath, literally, the epitome of mothering energy. And, yes, there were plenty of bristling moments between us at times too. As life insists, the both/and of humanness. Celebrating the life of Virginia Mae Shockley Creek, 1938 – 2017.
|
|
Then, there is Easter. Spring colors, bunny rabbits, new dresses, sandals, painted toenails, and another depiction of the death of Jesus, a Wayshower for some. I purposefully and intentionally do not get into the religious beliefs of other people. I feel and believe it is a personal journey of the soul and spirit and none of my business what other people ascribe to or practice. That provides a great deal of freedom and liberation for me, and more importantly, keeps me questioning and discerning, not only what I believe, but what I am living and doing in alignment with what I claim to believe. It is a full-time job, to keep myself in integrity. If you believe Jesus’ life and/or death, then I know it’s a time for your reflection on what that life meant. I wonder if we are going to talk about the life of Jesus another 2000 years, or begin to live the way he modeled and directed us to? |
|
“Grief invites us to the greatest of all fear --- Love.”
— Martha Creek
|
|
I have several monthly classes offered ongoing through the year. I’m adding a profound dive into the spirals of grief starting in May and June, including rituals, music, and practices for purification. I believe that grief comes like spring and recedes like winter. I want to meet it all with open eyes and an open heart. Perhaps you do as well. Join me. |
|
Richest blessings to you dear friends. I send a wholehearted hug for your full spectrum of humanness, certain of your divinity. What if it is true that we are all angels, walking each other home?
|
|
Martha Creek
502-905-0783
|
|
“Every time we make the decision to love someone, we open ourselves to great suffering, because those we most love cause us not only great joy but also great pain. The greatest pain comes from leaving…the pain of the leaving can tear us apart. Still, if we want to avoid the suffering of leaving, we will never experience the joy of loving. And love is stronger than fear, life stronger than death, hope stronger than despair. We have to trust that the risk of loving is always worth taking.”
— Henri Nouwen
|
|
“When mourners achieve grief resolution, they can provide a caring presence for others who grieve without being flooded with their own feelings.”
— Grace Terry, MSW, author of The Spiral Pathway of Grief
|
|
My April 2021 Special Gift for You! |
And here is my special gift to you this month.
Click on the box to open your gift.
|
|
|
Ongoing Class Offerings and Upcoming events for 2021!
I am so excited to share these ongoing online class offerings for 2021 (click on the name of the class for details):
-
Universal Christ — January through September 2021 (meets monthly every second Monday on Zoom)
|
|
Mentoring Moments with Martha
or Martha gets to hang out with some of the coolest people on the planet!!! Please enjoy the interviews below.
|
|
Mentoring Moments with Martha — Rev. Elizabeth Mora. Click here to watch the video.
|
|
Mentoring Moments with Martha — Rev. Diane Robinson. Click here to watch the video.
|
|
Please consider a donation to continue the teachings of Martha Creek. Many of the classes and workshops are offered by donations only, with suggested donations amounts included in the class or workshop description. We welcome your support. |
|
You do not need a Paypal account to make a donation. You can use your debit or credit via PayPal if you don't have a Paypal account. If you choose to send a check, please send it payable to Martha Creek and send it to PO Box 1081, Louisville KY 40201.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
