  Spiritual
This week: Edited by: windac
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"We are cups, constantly and quietly being filled. The trick is,
knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out."
Ray Bradbury
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"You don't write because you want to say something,
you write because you've got something to say."
F. Scott Fitzgerald
The quote above describes me to a tee, and might explain why writer's block has been my nemesis for so many months. During the first two years spent here at wdc the words simply flew from my heart to the page. It was as if all the emotions, all the unspoken sorrows and joys, had been building since the day of birth, and the time had come for it to burst forth, to escape the bondage that had held it all in for so long. To have known nothing but the dark recesses of my soul, freedom for life's baggage was tantamount to my physical, emotional and spiritual well being. It is my belief that finding wdc was no accident, no mere coincidence. This site, and the art of the written word, has been a lifeline, and has proved invaluable in widening my spiritual path, in discovering who and what I am. For this, I will be forever grateful.
And then, as it has a way of doing so often, life threw an unexpected curve my way. After the heart and gut wrenching eruption of pent up emotion, after all the baggage had been set free, the well of words went dry. To say that I panicked is a gross understatement. How could there be nothing left to say? Why would God give me this gift, only to take it away? The harder I tried to push the creative process, the more empty and pitiful the results. One cannot force the words, force the feelings. They are either there, or they are not. I look back at some of the pieces written during the word feast - before the famine - and cannot help but be amazed at the depth and intensity they contain.
The big question now is, where do I go from here? If the well is dry, from where do I draw sustenance, from what do I gain inspiration? I'm not sure if there is a concrete, definitive answer. It could be that this gift was given to me for the sole purpose of purging the heaviness that was weighing me down. It could be that I've matured and more meaningful projects are on the horizon. Who knows? Certainly not I, at least not at this point. A couple of months ago I didn't think that continuing to be an editor of the SNL was an option. This monthly issue is virtually the only writing I've continued to do, and the mere thought of giving it up now would mean severing the lifeline. I'm just not ready to do so, and perhaps it means that I've still got something to say. Oh, how I pray this is true!
But, like a darkened lamp that comes to life at the flick of a switch, I too now stand in the light. My reason for writing? Simple. I write for me. I write because it gives me a sense of fullfillment, a sense of joy and freedom that is so elusive in every other aspect of my life. Kidding myself into thinking that my little, insignificant contribution each month would somehow encourage, uplift and help others, I now realize that it is I who has been encouraged, uplifted and helped in a way that is immeasurable. If another has found even a tiny iota of the same, it's simply an extra, and quite humbling, bonus. It would seem that the SNL readership has been invited, and most enthusiastically so, to tag along on my spiritual journey. For this, I have you to thank.
Normally, featuring a written piece of my own would seem a cheap and flagrant misuse of the space and time I've been given. This month is an exception, and I hope you'll forgive me the luxury.
Of A Certain Age
A threshold stands before us,
the final frontier of this life.
We've no choice but to cross over
into that realm of a certain age.
Through the years a heart gains wisdom
as the body becomes a visible testament
to the passage of the years, yet...
the mind in all it's incredible power
to wish and dream, stands still against time.
We embark on this life thinking that
we will last forever, that endless moments
stretch before us, not once believing
that Mortality will finally have his way.
Days of our exuberant youth overflow with
infinite possibilities and with the unspoken
promise that there'll always be a tomorrow.
But sand forever slips through the hourglass
on its unstoppable journey toward the next
generation waiting to take our place.
How then, are we to live out our final days?
In wistful regret for those things
that never came to be - those things that we
put on hold, waiting for that fabled tomorrow?
Or, do we cower in shadows of the past, and of
wasted opportunities to fully experience
life and all its glorious wonders?
Are we to crouch in fear of the unknown,
unable to grasp the mystery that waits beyond?
These questions are as old as the universe,
never changing from one era to the next.
Men through the ages have searched the heavens,
the very same ones that blanket us all,
lamenting the inevitable loss of
their own mortal existence. I wonder...
where are they now? Do they possess
the answers to all the questions ever asked?
Does such understanding wait for us all?
Hope is not lost, for that which we can see
and touch is merely temporary, surely to fade
away into nothingness. But our souls, those
invisible, spiritual cores that we cannot see
are eternal, born of God, our Creator.
It is He who planted eternity in the hearts
of men, and it is His Son that wields
the power to save. As long as there is
breath within this body, I shall place my hope
in His hands, and wait for time to be no more.
WGC 10/17/04
In closing, a question: In the spiritual sense, what is it that compels you to write, and from where do you find inspiration?
 Until next time, peace be with you!
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As always, your thoughts and feedback are so much appreciated! Were it not for your kindness and encouragement I doubt very seriously that my stint as an SNL editor would have lasted this long, or been nearly as interesting a ride. Thank you!! I also want to thank those writers who submitted items from their ports. There are four, and all of them unique and well written. Please take the time to give a little r/r/r. Trust me, you won't be sorry!
Submitted By: zwisis
~Wind in my Wings~ , thank you for another great newsletter. I think I'm a number three... and if I'm honest number five too! Self righteousness can be applied to both christians and non-christians. It's sad that as our world grows older we don't seem to learn from the past. Despite the incredible advances in techology over the last 100 or so years we're becoming less tolerant of one another...
Now look how you made me think!
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Submitted By: Puditat 
Wind, I enjoyed reading your newsletter as always. Thank you for your openness, which has always been such an inspiration to me.
~~~~~~~~~
Submitted By: maylee
Winda,
This newsletter is outstanding! Thank you so much for tweaking my spirit~
Love,
MayLee
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Submitted By: vivacious 
~Wind in my Wings~ , another let's cut deep into the heart newsletter (that's a good thing, by the way)!
I definitely saw myself in all the examples of Christian 'types' especially #5 of late. I hope someday to reach #6!
It seems I'm always trying to defend the Christian faith about what it is and is not because of the few who act contrary to that faith. Thanks for clearing a lot of that up in this newsletter. The next time someone comes along questioning it, I'll likely refer them to this newsletter.
Great job!
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Submitted By: revdbob
A very well written newsletter. Good job. I, too, am a Lutheran, refugee from the kind of ultra-rightwing fundamentalist Lutherans who have given you problems to the kind that recognizes that "in Christ there is no male or female."
I don't know if this has been in your newsletter yet. I like it. God bless.
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Submitted By: hviolette
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Submitted Comment:
This is just a piece telling Christians to get out of God's way! (I am one, so I can holler at them...)
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Submitted By: Beth Barnett
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Submitted Comment:
When I read your list of types of Christians, I felt you missing one of them. The Christians who are indecisive and has, as Paul would write, a veil over their eyes, limiting God's power to work through them. I see so much potential in those people, if only they wouldn't ride the fence.
The pastor you wrote of must've missed a some points in the Word. One of the very first, if not THE first, evangelist was the Samaritan woman at the well. Also, Paul, at the end of the book of Romans mentions a woman named Junia, whom he called an Apostle. Let's not forget Phoebe, who funded some of his travels. Historians have found that the Apostle Paul didn't write that women were transgressors (e.g. 1&2 Timothy and Titus).
Enjoy the short character sketch of a female prophetess of another world. She is her people's Moses, but she lives on Earth, hiding her giftings. God teaches her lessons.
God bless you.
Beth
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Submitted By: Kenzie 
Submitted Comment:
Wow, Wind, what a story. You're quite an inspiration. Forgiveness is not an easy task, especially when the act needing forgiveness is such a horrible one. Some of us have trouble forgiving others for small things, but you've allowed God to help you forgive something huge. Thanks for sharing that with us.
Blessings,
Kenzie |
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Spiritual: May 17, 2006 Issue [#1042]
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