Creative Journaling - "One: A Little Child Shall Lead Them"

[Carol Clark]

This is the discussion area for work with Chapter One of Lucia Capacchione's book, Recovery of Your Inner Child.

Please feel free to post any passages you like, thoughts, ideas, or feelings about the reading itself, and hopefully we'll get a discussion going with that. Then I'll post an exercise to get started, and anyone else please post as you please.

I think the most important thing to remember, as Lucia emphasizes in her book, is to "Complement this work with a support group...therapy, or workshop. (such as we are, I think). "Inner Child healing cannot be done in isolation. After all, that little Child Within has been alone long enough."

And as she also quotes, "It's never too late to have a happy childhood."

So onward we go, let's get started...!
Carol

[Carol Clark]

Dear Camille,

This is a beautiful example of what this exercise could do. Wow. I just kept staring at your pix, marvelling at the beauty and the ache in it. Everything in it is heavy and pulled and weighed down: the tree, you under it, and the heart literally pulling the tree down to the ground. Absolutely amazing, I am so impressed and moved by this. The (Your) heart tethered to the ground touches me deeply. I want to store this image somewhere, to look back at it again.

Your words are beautiful and telling, too. Where is the silver lining, the joy?
Under my Les tree, I sit and meditate and cry. Your words are so poetic, just really got through to me.
I then love how the words turn to hope, with "...and my healing silver lining will show me the fruits of my growing pains and turn my new scars into floating stars." WOW.

What a stunning portrait of how you're feeling, Camille. I'm so glad you shared it with us. Please continue to share your work with us -- either here, or through the private e-mail group. We will all benefit from it.

I too hope, that your scars will turn into floating stars, sitting high up in the sky...

Love,
Carol

[Camille]

Thanks for your encouragement, Carol! Your insights have added to mine, here! I appreciate that!

Earlier today, had gone to a journal workshop, and later had fun doing the Summer ATCs

Since Les died, I have been very careful not to delete his last four voice messages on my answering machine. By accident they got deleted this evening and I have been deeply mourning once more, knowing I will never hear his beautiful and comforting voice again...the tears won't seem to stop...this incident really made for an even heavier heart than is expressed in my jounal recent offering.

It would be good to do another one of these tonight, I know, but I admit to being resistant to giving this newer, deeper sadness of today, a record of my symbolic expression yet...Don't wish to pour salt in this new wound!

I sure hope new journaling assignments won't continue to be so heavy of heart all the time. It is not my way to lay my burders upon others...

A package just came to my door. I hope it is the Cappaccione book!!! Love and hugs from Camille

[Carol Clark]

I'm so sorry that happened with the messages, Camille. I can only imagine the grief you are feeling. Know that my thoughts are with you.

I hope, too, to find some lighter assignments. I'll make a point to look for something lighter, for the next one. This is heavy material, especially if you're going through something like you are, or as I am too, with my recovery.

I hope your book did come - let me know. In the meantime, take care, and I'm giving you lots of hugs here...
Carol

[Maureen]

Hi dear Dabs, I am so so sorry about Les' messages! It makes me ache for you, just thinking about how you must be feeling. I understand how it would be difficult for you to do another journaling assignment right now -- the wounds are so fresh. In some time you will be more ready, but now might just be a time for tears. I still wish I could take the pain away somehow. But I know we're supposed to embrace pain in order to move through it ... blah blah. I wish that wasn't the way sometimes!

Please know that you aren't laying burdens on us by expressing your grief in your journaling ... you are being open and honest with yourself, and courageous enough to share your feelings with us. I am going to go explore the journaling exercise you did now, but I first wanted to respond to this message.

I hope the package that came to your door was a happy package! If it is Lucia's book, I hope you like it! I admit that I go back and forth between thinking the whole concept is really amazing, and then thinking the whole thing is kind of weird. But I am open to it.

Take care, Camille. I will lift up some prayers for you tonight ...

Love and HUGS,
Maureen

[Susan Hosken]

Camille, I am so sorry that you are suffering such dreadful grief with the loss of Les. I am so attentive to your grief as I know I will experience difficult times when my mother dies. She is well at the moment but reading about your grief always reminds me of mum. I am so sorry you have lost the answering machine messages. I know there is nothing i can say that can help but please know I pray for you often.
love from susan

[Maureen]

Wow, Camille. This is stunningly moving, so full of feeling, so honest and raw and real. I agree with Carol, your words are like poetry here. I love your drawing, so full of symbols and elements of nature. Underneath the pain and grief, I see your shining soul ... when you speak of your new scars becoming floating stars ... it shows how, deep inside, you know this time of grief will lead you to something greater, will make you stronger, make you shine even brighter for this world.

This is a beautiful tribute to Les. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Love, Maureen