A Metanoia Anniversary pt 17

 

The News of my death is greatly exaggerated"

- Mark Twain

meta -naoia

: a transformative change of heart, a new perspective, turning point, 

"He not busy being born is busy dying"

- Bob Dylan, It's Alright Ma

"Where your treasure is , there is your heart also."

- Matt 6:212

"Since the invention of the kiss, there have been five kisses

that were rated the most passionate, the most pure. This one

left them all behind."

- The Princess Bride

Inspiration :

The ride had been mostly a mostly gentle sail.

Many days of letting wind and waves carry this

vessel availing this sailor to the ascent to peace.

Moments of fierce storms soon arrived shifting

me of course and the task of getting back 

was almost impossible. Faith and courage waned as

the journey seemed out of control .Then the big knock

down arrived.The cardiologist said "You need heart surgery."

On Thursday July 31, 2008 , the Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola, I 

found myself at a noon mass at a local Jesuit Retreat House.

Spartan attendance was the norm for these liturgies but on

this day the small chapel was filled to leaving many in attendance

standing. Fr. Gerry , the celebrant, informed the gathered believers

that I was scheduled to have open heart surgery on Monday August 4 . 

A great gasp echoed throughout. Gerry then invited everyone to 

participate in the Sacrament of  Healing for me by laying hands 

on me in prayer. Humility and gratitude grew. 

The blessings began. My tears flowed like an underserved

prodigal.

While departing the chapel the Jesuit guru of the house,Fr. Tom,

 satat the exit-way grabbing me gently whispering into my ear

"You know, I heard that this works."

The following Monday waiting with palms perspiring 

in pre-surgery the surgeon invited Ginny for one more visit . 

My attempt at being the strong positive one was a poor mask. 

Ginny saw right through me and gave me a kiss

that I can still feel seventeen years later.It was the blessing I had not expected.

It was the kiss that exceeded the kiss of the Princess Bride. 

I was unaware just how much everything was about to change again. 

---------

The Writing:

A Metanoia Anniversary pt 17

"To Every thing there is a season, and 

a time for every purpose under heaven "

- Eccl. 3:2

Seventeen years ago today

The sacred heart band taught this troubadour 

What it means... to be.

Burned out working within the ivy walls

The student led the teacher..as it should be..

Fateful Ash Wednesday with nothing to lose

The collegial pastor marks the spot.

The retreating sun that day continued to mark a turn in 

The wandering pilgrim's road .

A late night phone call, an interview,

a cosmic intervention.

The sojourner introduced to a new world

where faith and work overlapped.

Ying and yang.

Time and the journey never stands still.

Pieces of the puzzle falling perfectly into place.

Another accidental encounter leads 

To a new invitation , a silent retreat.

The paralyzed prodigal was about to 

lowered into the holy presence.

The seeker then is recommended 

to a place of holy ground

within a stone's throw from his home.

There a guide to the spiritual realm continued to nourish

the prodigal's thirst and slow return.

The deep dive began as his worldly passage

begins spinning faster and faster.

Dizzied and heartache brings him to 

the expert in matters of the heart . 

The grand physician informs the lost soul

of his broken heart. A repair is urgent.

Hours before the chest being cracked open

the half hearted lost wanderer landed in the upper room

at the grace-filled place where those convened

placed there  their hands in Sacrament on the pilgrim. 

The healing, the transformation, the butterfly about

to break free into flight.

The heart repaired , ribs wired together.

The weak spark rekindled into flame-

Heart on fire , a metanoia being born.

Eyes are opened to see truth, purpose, compassion,

selflessness , peace , love  and faith.

Every thing , every moment , every encounter ,

every place , the words of inspiration and encouragement

through both the calm and stormy seas

was all that broken hungry heart  really needed.

Finisterre ... an ending - a beginning.

- JF Sobecki

--------

Poetry: some words and ideas to contemplate

(Please click on links underneath the video)

St. Ignatius' Day (8/2008)

Wel,it was St. Ignatius' Day

The presiding prelate put his hands on me

No words needed as the paralytic was lowered

Into the sanctified presence.

Immersed in the desire to be free

A proclaimed consecrated "exercise" 

was suggested by the advocate.

Slowly silently slipping away

When the the community gathered

That had filled the upper room 

Laid their hands on this frail worn creation.

A smudge of oil , spirit lifting higher and higher

Oh gentle intercessory prayers

It was St. Ignatius' Day

Fear need a dose.of love and

a confession of faith

Many demons to be slayed

No doubt they were real

Two standards recalled and contemplated

Simple choice 

Hold me, hold me don't let me fall

Within the deepest silence

a voice sings out for love echoes

falling into grace

Would this suffice?

Was my desire to please be

satisfactory for hope

I fell to my weakened knees

It was St. Ignatius' Day

Leading by being led

A lighthouse above the breaking waves

From the storms

Shining the great beacon on 

this fragile essence to 

the safety of the shoreline.

Disappointed with my doubt

Tears of joy - 

Pouring like eternal wine from a chalice

The prodigal pilgrim sanctified

From the abundant unconditional benevolence.

The lost vessel with filled with cosmic mercy,

consolations of peace while the 

fear washed away with the withdrawing tide.

Nourished by the solemn invocation,

Humbled and grateful

This wounded bird took to flight.

- JF Sobecki

For What Binds Us - J. Hirshfield

https://youtu.be/MQb5g5CISn4?si=W5FXRHS9RRe8p9xA

Life is a Walking - Good Buffalo Eagle

https://youtu.be/ZQYPlEoU9ko?si=5E8i-DZmhCzsS2Yl

----

Music: and such for your listening inspiration

Second Chances - G. A. Isakov

https://youtu.be/makCY8JSqgE?si=7OcM3izuwd1zUtGg

A Promise of Living - A. Copeland

https://youtu.be/bLM_YTnmLto?si=P1-W1B25CndmwjVk

One Fine Day - D. Byrne

https://youtu.be/JvlT5fBIi4U?si=alyDyJIDZQxWs5oK

-----

Coda: Some extras for your reflection

Field of Dreams - "Is there a  heaven?'

https://youtu.be/b_wnD6jxREU?si=pWu2d8CGnWr3e6ZW

(I'm not crying are you crying?)

Prayer- Beach Boys

https://youtu.be/X76ejh4EIV4?si=65-4YAWLRpejPaI4

A prayer of gratitude to all my "companions" I met

and continue to meet along the way.

!7 years since this Second Chance Dance Blog began to pour out.

AMDG

Copyright 2025 All Rights Reserved JF Sobecki LLC

    

Santosha and The Magnificence

 

Repeat when necessary...

The rich industrialist from the North was

horrified to find a Southern fisherman lying

lazily beside his boat, smoking a pipe.

"Why aren't you out fishing ?" said the 

industrialist. 

"Because I have caught enough fish for the day,"said 

the fisherman.

"Why don't you catch some more?"

What would I would with it?"

"You could earn more money' was the reply. "With that you could have a motor fixed to on

your boat and go into deeper waters and catch more fish. Then you would make enough to buy 

more nets. These would bring you more fish and more money. Soon you would have enough money to

own two boats ...maybe even a fleet of boats.Then you would be a rich man like me."

"What would I do then?"

"Then you could really enjoy life."

"What do you think I am doing right now?"

 - The Song of The Bird, Anthony DeMello SJ

"The Purpose of life is not to be happy.It is to be useful , to be honorable , to

be compassionate , to have it make some difference that you have lived 

and lived well."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Inspiration :

Labor Day articles indicate a current rise in  unhappiness , stress and dissatisfaction with 

life amongst the global population. There are lengthy analyses about the correlation

 between work dissatisfaction and one's level of stress. What seems to complicate these

issues is how stress has become a primary indicator of various diseases ; including

cardiovascular disease and the longevity of ones life ( the more stress, the more likely 

one is likely to develop physical anomalies and possibly end one's life earlier than 

necessary) Though some statistics indicate some improvement, the overall trend 

does not bode well for many.  Consequently medical  research has indicated 

that the day and time of the week that has the highest percentage of heart attacks 

in many working men is....Monday mornings ( just before heading off to work.)

https://news.gallup.com/poll/507725/global-rise-unhappiness-stalls.aspx

The Writing:

Santosha  and The Magnificence

How many morning meditations on the ocean bathed beach

does a pilgrim need to nurture that nirvana

that seems to wave gently just off the shoreline

from that peace-filled pod of dolphins?

Is there anything that a pilgrim really needs

that constantly burns the flame of their desires?

"Satis" the choir sang in some ancient Latin chant.

"Sometimes you just get what you need" hymned 

the consort's voices .

The contemplative Yogi  suggests 

genes of sentient beings are transcendental

pieces that of their ancestors , now

flourishing in the children of their children.

Asking his novitiates, "Is it not possible that the same is true concerning

the ever mysterious spark of that cosmic creator of the universe ;

the creator in all creation ? "

Seeds of love, seeds of peace, seeds of compassion and generosity-

living in every aspect ...coming and going...being ... sacred

proof of the access to the magnificence of  santosha all-ways . 

- JF Sobecki

-------------

The Poems and Such:

"Poetry is a gateway into intuitive consciousness. It knocks on the doors

 of the heart and the heart opens" 

 - Mirabai Starr

"Poetry is an Act of Peace . Peace goes into the making of a poet

as flour goes into the making of bread."

- Pablo Neruda

" To see the world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wild flower.'

- Wm. Blake

Fluent 

I would like to live

Like the river flows

Carried by the surprise

Of it's own unfolding.

- John O'Donohue

I am Going to Start Living Like a Mystic

Today I am pulling on a green wool sweater

and walking across the park in a dark dusty snowfall.

The trees stand like twenty-seven prophets in a field,

each station is a pilgrimage--silent pondering.

Blue flakes of light falling across their bodies

are the ciphers of a secret , an occultation.

I will examine their leaves as pages in a text

and consider the bookish pigeons, students of winter.

I will kneel on the track of a vanquished squirrel

and stare into a blank pond for the forge of Sophia.

I shall begin scouring the sky for signs

as if my whole future were constellated upon it.

I will walk home alone with the deep alone,

a disciple of shadows , in praise of the mysteries.

- Edward Hirsch

_________________

The Music:

(Musical reflections on the inspiration)

Look Within - Poco

https://youtu.be/KqTAdyCRTaM?si=5wMy8nHPZ_4-_r_E

Wasted OnThe Way - Crosby, Stills and Nash

https://youtu.be/nWlEsta4xS8?si=ZqK-bcXwf_l2b6vB

Watching the Wheels - John Lennon

https://youtu.be/pTvbB4br1pA?si=Pfhpb8XuxVbxaJV2

Coda: For your listening/viewing pleasure if you desire:

What Makes a Good Life - Longevity Study( TED Talk) - R. Waldinger

https://youtu.be/8KkKuTCFvzI?si=_zQmnOyam4gNZwII

Field of Dreams - Is This Heaven? ( Final scene)

https://youtu.be/lXjz-M_6eN8?si=bkf6TXIzrsXqAymJ

Some Musical Pieces/Videos for Meditation For Readers:

Queries: What do you to "let go" "to be ?"

               How do you find contentment/peace?

There is so Much Magnificence - S. Gold

https://youtu.be/vNHbGfjhH5I?si=_hbQ7iXABpStVX3I

Sri Angala Stotram( I Want To Know What Love is)- Krishna Das

( Read the translation on the video - listen through the end)

https://youtu.be/hl4dW30K1zU?si=SsEkxla2aPf6C7RN

Embryonic Journey - Jefferson Airplane

https://youtu.be/k6PsMeU4_9Y?si=Ds6cmGZehhOPZ95K

Happy Birthday G!

"One day I will find the right words , and they will be simple."

- Jack Kerouac

AMDG

Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved JF Sobecki LLC

The Advent Gift

Charlie Brown asked Lucy why she was so happy. Lucy explained how it was "Christmas" and explained further that this was the time of the year to " spread joy, caring, compassion. giving , peace and love."

Charlie Brown wondered to Lucy "What do we do these things at "Christmastime" and why can't we do these things and be that way all year round?" Lucy yelled at Charlie Brown. " What are you some type of religious fanatic?"

 

--------------

The Advent Gift

So he sat in the stillness with silence,

Letting go the contemplation, 

Surrendering to the sanctifying serenity..

Gazing through the ancient windows

Blurring all that magnificent gift of nature

Wondering if there would be one leaf

That would refuse to fall.

The noise of the world slowly 

Fading into nothingness.

His earthly vessel lost 

As the consciousness welcomed the light.

The soul slowly slipping 

Into the mystical cosmic void.

No conjuring analysis of the now,

Floating and free .

The eternal spark rekindled

Growing the flame warming the soul.

A secret voice of an unknown source

Seemed to speak softly to his spirit

"Who will love if you don't? 

Are you the selfless creation

Unafraid to to serve those pilgrims

Struggling to live in blessedness?

Are others aware of the abundant

Unconditional  perpetual grace?

What is your contribution to the solace?

How does your authenticity shine 

The light that has been gifted so

Every aspect of creation

Waking all to the great illumination,

The Divine DNA residing in every thing?

My gift to you :

Is that you are to give freely

All times - all ways.

All life is sacrament. All time is sacred.

All days are holy-days."

Eyes and  mind clear, heart and spirit filled.

He thought "Maybe this is heaven"

Advent complete.

- JF Sobecki

--------------------------------

Some different music for the Holidays

You Got The Love - The Retrosettes Sister Band

https://youtu.be/fMEgZiCTW0M

When Love Comes to Town( w BB King)- U2

https://youtu.be/_TGU35i8czo

Long,Long, Long - Beatles( G. Harrison)

https://youtu.be/e9vUCdfwlgw

Peace Train - C. Stevens - Playing for Change

https://youtu.be/0QpjR6-Uuks

Do They Know its Christmastime- Band Aid

https://youtu.be/j3fSknbR7Y4

Field Of Dreams - "Maybe This is Heaven" (watch til the end)

* Warning: Men grab that box of tissues

https://youtu.be/lXjz-M_6eN8

Scrooge ( A Christmas Carol - Full Movie)

https://youtu.be/zvEMd7WLoew

amdg

Copyright JF Sobecki LLC All Rights Reserved 2022

The Zen of Baseball

“The game of (base) ball is glorious”

                         – Walt Whitman.             

Ted Williams with Red Ormsby the Umpire

“…Baseball is a lot like religion.

Its followers put their faith and hope in uncontrollable forces in search of fulfillment and inner joy….

Baseball is about coming home. The whole point of the game is to finish where you begin – home plate – and once you are home you are finally safe."

 - James Penrice, The Spiritual Lessons of    

                            Baseball

“In my beginning is my end…

Home is where one starts from…

In my end is my beginning.”

       

               -T. S. Eliot, “East Coker”

“Your grandfather once told me it was ok to think about what you want to do until it was time to start doing what you were meant to do.”

          

                 - The Rookie

So where does one get the authentic sense of purpose and identity? What event during one’s younger years sparks that flame to burn and cast a true light as to where one should be headed. Who created that spark? What was the point of this spark in the first place? Why does this flame make everything crystal clear and yet still muddy the waters of one’s own desires and notions about what and where one should be? Could there be more than one flame or more than one source? Would another flame appear if one burned out? Is there any end to the sparks?

Was that youth recreation baseball coach some angelic spirit in human disguise? How did he get here? What was his purpose? Why did he busy himself with encouraging his young charges to be authentic, free to be one’s self, joyful and be in the moment? How did time become no time? Seizing the day, the moment never seemed to be so real did it? How did winning and losing evaporate and get carried away by some sacred breeze?

Who would have thought that the smell of linseed oil on leather would replace that of incense? Who would have believed that the 108 stitches on a baseball would coincidentally be the same number as Buddhist prayer beads or two mysteries of the Catholic Rosary?

Was this the great lesson that could not be taught or understood in school and churches? Were the players who were selected identified by some greater spirit as needing to learn the lesson of unconditional love for self and others, truth, authenticity, faith and integrity by playing this game for this coach ?

And by the way when did the last two words of the National Anthem become “Play Ball?”

Can I hear an "Amen?"

                                         Game is called - Grantland Rice

                                           https://youtu.be/NbN5Q-Na66U

Game Called

Game Called. Across the field of play


the dusk has come, the hour is late.


The fight is done and lost or won,


the player files out through the gate.


The tumult dies, the cheer is hushed,


the stands are bare, the park is still.


But through the night there shines the light,


home beyond the silent hill.

Game Called. Where in the golden light


the bugle rolled the reveille.


The shadows creep where night falls deep,


and taps has called the end of play.
T

he game is done, the score is in,


the final cheer and jeer have passed.

But in the night, beyond the fight,


the player finds his rest at last.

Game Called. Upon the field of life


the darkness gathers far and wide,


the dream is done, the score is spun


that stands forever in the guide.

Nor victory, nor yet defeat


is chalked against the players name.

But down the roll, the final scroll,

shows only how he played the game

 - Grantland Rice

  

                                         People will come – Field of Dreams

                                           https://youtu.be/7SB16il97yw

                                         Docs Dream- Field of Dreams

                                          https://youtu.be/Y9yrupye7B0

                                          Farewell Moonlight – Fields of Dreams

                                         https://youtu.be/v6bD23vEigE

                                        Hey Dad Wanna Catch? – Field of Dreams

                                          https://youtu.be/lXjz-M_6eN8

                                         For the love of the game-  Just Throw

             https://youtu.be/QYTadlooH7o?list=PLeG0OVxY34arKyc0H6tQAlEyjH2v5rKnW

                                       The Natural - Ending

                                          https://youtu.be/i94ldGNNSQ0

                 

( Dedicated to Coach B who taught me to let go , be present and be myself - to live , work and play with joy and love. I still have my youth baseball glove at hand to help me remember to remember.

I always loved having a catch with my daughters. You ladies are the best! Get out your gloves for our next get together.)

amdg

Copyright all Rights Reserved JF Sobecki LLC 2017