2012: A Year of Ongoing Anticipation

2012 A Year of Ongoing Anticipation

As I composed this and searched for photos, I realized that this has been an exceptionally full year and that what follows here, are but highlights. It is different than last year which was very much completing a cycle and planting some seeds which may grow and may not. This year, everything began with the beginning and moved into form - even the high school reunion, back to yore that it was -was very much this kind of experience for me. 

January through March were consumed with finding a place, deciding on a theme, logo and keynote speakers for the 2013 AAP conference. Many places were contacted, many discussions held to meet the April 1^st timeline anticipated completion.

 I traveled to Tampa area to meet with my AAP colleague and friend Shamai. While there, I also attended a 50^th year anniversary afternoon gathering of the Institute of Cultural Affairs. I stayed overnight with my nephew Lee and his wife Sarah who were anticipating the birth and their adopting of their first child, Joshua.

Moi and Madison

Jean Guenther and her husband, Bob Stuhlman, on a road trip around Florida, stopped by on their way home to Vermont for an overnight at my home in Crescent City.  Earlier, on their trip down to Floria, I met them in St. Augustine for breakfast on the beach, as the waves lapped on the stone fortress and the sand.

Labyrinth at Jean and Bob's

A week long trip in April to Jean and Bob’s to visit Champlain College, resulted in choosing this venue for the 2013 AAP conference. Burlington and  Lake Champlain is so filled with peaceful energy, being there was a rare gift.  Of course, wakling the labyrinth that Bob had mowed from the grass in the yard, and the opportunity to sit on the bench and meditate for long periods, and the royal hosting of this presence of  the Love Light of Bob and Jean were as healing as the peaceful energy from the lake. While there, I also went to the Psychosynthesis Center’s Presenter’s Conference in Amherst and and did an AAP presentation in 3 minutes.

Chris and Madison when she was born

On May 16, 2012, at 1:42 pm granddaughter, Madison Elizabeth White was born into the family of Stephanie, Randy, and Chris. The anticipation of her arrival was such a joy to be able to experience in my life's time. Birthstone: diamond – now I know who gets all my diamonds!!! (Yes, sometimes I could wish that I'm dripping in diamonds.)

Roberto Assagioli at a young age

In June,  I was consumed with anticipation for a trip to the International Conference of Psychosynthesis in Rome, Italy. I am not accustomed to travelling internationally – and especially alone. Much preparation went into packing, arranging details, and preparing for what turned out to be the trip of a lifetime – a memorable conference and awe filled encounters in Florence, Montecatini, Assisi and Rome.

Lou Finch,Moi, Jim Samuel - we go back
almost to the  baptismal fount

At the end of July, I travelled north with great anticipation – and dread – to my 50^th high school reunion. I went to Linda Stavely’s home in Keene, NH, first, and we drove to the reunion and back to her home. I celebrated my birthday while there and then the reunion was another  “to remember forever” occasion. It wasn’t  a typical reunion. It was more like a family reunion as we all felt connected at a very deep level and some of us have maintained a connection since.

IN Montreal - Steering Committee Retreat

September, I travelled to Montreal, in anticipation of what became a memorable steering committee retreat with scrumptious vegan meals, a boat ride, another tour of the basilica, and hot chocolate at a patisserie. We shared  leading spirit exercises and conducted business in grand social synthesis style.

Madison and I touch hands - so precious

In October I flew to Oklahoma and got to hold my new granddaughter and hug my grandson’s neck. It was a long way, long wait, short visit, and priceless afternoon!

November intensified with stressful anticipation of the President’s reelection. Following that great victory, I began a meltdown, an auspicious anticipation of the end of the Mayan calendar and the promise of a shift in universal energies. But not before a delightful visit to North Carolina and a weekend with my niece, Leanne, Brian, and David.

December brought the last in our lifetime eclipses, meteor showers, an asteroid shooting through the moon and earth, the worst school shooting tragedy in the history of the USA,  12-12-12, 12-21-12 (Solstice) through 12-28-12 (full moon), sprained back, and congestive heart failure test results brings everything to closure.  In anticipation of positive resolve of heart issues, healing the sprains, I rest, relax, breathe deeply, and dance in the peaceful presence of Love Light.

Shall I venture into 2013?

Well, why not give it a go, I say!!!

I am planning on going to the Creative Communities conference in Colquitt, Georgia,  with Crescent City community leaders – a promise I claimed two years ago.

After a few important side visits, I will hunker down to giving my all to the June conference,

anticipating a successful AAP Conference during the Solstice in June.

I am dreaming of a trip to East Asia – to Indonesia, Bali, and maybe Sri Lanka – and maybe to India and Nepal.  Might be too much for this ailing heart. But, why not dream big time?

Do I dare to wish for just one – once in a lifetime gathering of the whole family in one place for one great celebration?  I do so claim this promise of pure unmitigated bliss!!!

Has it been one of those special kind of very intense and full years for you?  How would you describe your year? What promise are you willing to claim for 2013?

Both And...

Old Bo thinks he's an Eagle

The place: deep in the heart of Kenya.
The Task:  To set up a Village Leaders Training Institute

I met with the Chief to secure permission and solicit his lead in choosing the people to come to the training. He appeared genuinely interested in what I had in mind and agreed to help out if I would come to a community meeting the next day.

The next day, I arrived at the clearing as planned, encountering as I got closer, a huge crowd. There must have been 500 local citizens. This was nearly incredible since this  was an extremely rural area and people must have come from as much as twenty miles away to be able to gather 500.

"Surely" I thought, "He did not misunderstand me."  The thought of  the logistics involved in training this many escaped my sense of possibility:  the translation, the group processing, the work day, the implementation plans by villages, meals..

The Chief asked me to tell the people why I was there and to invite those who wanted to be village leaders to come and get trained.

He introduced me and  all 500 people fell silent. Even the breeze ceased for this brief moment - well sort of!!

I hadn't said three sentences when the Chief interrupted, took over and began talking in his local language to all these people.

That was it. I had all the time I was going to get.

I don't know exactly what he was saying to the people. He took a long time, and the Kenyan staff I was with told me he was holding an official meeting that had nothing to do with our being there.

I began to suspect that I had been used by this Chief as a way to gather his constituents.

The Village Leaders Institute was a success, as they usually were. We had a place to hold it, people to do the cooking, and about twenty leaders got trained - a normal sized group.

I imagine that Chief kept his word about helping me, since all the logistics were taken care of, but I am sure I helped him as well.

When is a time you have been used to your own benefit?