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Good Work

15/12/2014

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Good work is done with heart as well as knowledge and skill, done with a depth of commitment that brings integrity and courage to the workplace. But workplace culture can make it risky to reveal our hearts. So we hide them – and sometimes lose them. By supporting teachers, medical professionals, clergy and others who want to reclaim their hearts, we bring new life to them, their work, and the people they serve.
                                                          - Parker J. Palme
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As 2014 draws to a close, I’ve been mulling over all that has happened this year – the planned and unplanned, the good and the bad.  It’s been a big year.


My acceptance into the Facilitator Preparation Program with the Center for Courage & Renewal has been the highlight.  


I love the renewed sense of purpose and fulfilment I get from being involved in good work like this – the idea that I can help make a positive difference in the world.   It’s great to be immersed again in new learning, and I'm really looking forward to supporting people who are doing such important work in our communities – those involved in education, leadership, community service, health care and social change.  Through Courage & Renewal work I hope to help sustain and renew their energy and courage so that they are able to keep doing their important work in the world.

On the not-so-good side of the ledger, earlier in the year both my elderly parents had serious falls, and their health and welfare became all-consuming for our family.    In amongst the awfulness of it all though, I discovered the silver lining – it gave me the opportunity to spend many quiet hours with them both in hospital, and I enjoyed some precious conversations and experiences with them, which I now treasure.

At the time this lovely poem by Amy Fleury spoke a lot to me and helped me face my own inner questions around ageing and mortality ……


                Ablution 


Because one must be naked to get clean,

my dad shrugs out of his pajama shirt,

steps from his boxers and into the tub

as I brace him, whose long illness

has made him shed modesty too.

Seated on the plastic bench, he holds

the soap like a caught fish in his lap,

waiting for me to test the water’s heat

on my wrist before turning the nozzle

toward his pale skin. He leans over

to be doused, then hands me the soap

so I might scrub his shoulders and neck,

suds sluicing from spine to buttock cleft.

Like a child he wants a washcloth

to cover his eyes while I lather

a palmful of pearlescent shampoo

into his craniotomy-scarred scalp

and then rinse clear whatever soft hair

is left. Our voices echo in the spray

and steam of this room where once,

long ago, he knelt at the tub’s edge

to pour cups of bathwater over my head.

He reminds me to wash behind his ears,

and when he judges himself to be clean,

I turn off the tap. He grips the safety bar,

steadies himself, and stands. Turning to me,

his body is dripping and frail and pink.

And although I am nearly forty,

he has this one last thing to teach me.

I hold open the towel to receive him.

Amy Fleury

 



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                      "Where to from here?"                              Merit Scholars Workshop - Macquarie University

2/12/2014

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“Self-care is never a selfish act – it is simply good stewardship of the only gift I have, the gift I was put on earth to offer others.  Anytime we can listen to true self, and give it the care it requires, we do so not only for ourselves, but for the many others whose lives we touch.”
                                                             - Parker J. Palme
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In September I had the pleasure of working for a day with a group of Merit Scholars from Macquarie University in Sydney.

Where to from here? was the theme of the workshop, with activities that invited the students  to consider their life direction and future options as they near the end of their degrees.

What a wonderful bunch of young people to work with!  Deep thinkers who care deeply about others, the future of the world, and their place in it.  They grabbed at the opportunity to step out of the busyness of their daily lives to reflect on some very big and very important life questions - about themselves, their journeys thus far, and the things in life that matter deeply to them. 

I came away from our time together with a renewed sense of hope for the future, and also quietly amazed (in the best possible way) at how readily these young people grasped the importance to make time for reflection in our crazy, busy world today. 

I love Mark Nepo’s poem, Breaking Surface, and how it invites us to reflect on our life journey and its possibilities…

Breaking Surface

Let no one keep you from your journey,
no rabbi or priest, no mother
who wants you to dig for treasures
she misplaced, no father
who won't let one life be enough,
no lover who measures their worth
by what you might give up,
no voice that tells you in the night
it can't be done.


Let nothing dissuade you
from seeing what you see
or feeling the winds that make you
want to dance alone
or go where no one
has yet to go.


You are the only explorer.
Your heart, the unreadable compass.
Your soul, the shore of a promise
too great to be ignored.

                         
-  Mark Nepo

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    Mennie Scapens

    Mennie designs and leads leadership development programs, teacher renewal retreats, and programs for personal and professional development.  She is passionate about helping people uncover and grow their unique talents and dreams, and discovering personal pathways to living and leading authentic lives.  

    She is a facilitator prepared by the Center for Courage & Renewal. 

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Mennie Scapens M.Ed
Courage & Renewal Facilitator
Phone +64 27 686 7449
Email  [email protected]


What participants have to say:

"Taking the time out of the busy rush of university life to really reconnect with my inner self was definitely invaluable! I had forgotten to really take a step back to re-evaluate my personal goals and see whether they align with my values."
   - Merit Scholar, Macquarie 
      University, Sydney, Australia.


​"Themes were explored using silence, interactive reflection, the most wonderful poems, videos and a variety of activities. I really appreciated learning about 'open and honest questions' which I now use in my practice as a clinical psychologist."
  -  Veerle Poels, Whakatane,
           NZ.


"A powerful, honest, and meaningful investment of time.  I came away with the understanding that deep self-reflection will yield better long-term results. 
Thank you for such a refreshing approach."

 - Participant, Auckland, NZ.