Daily Nourishment for September 5, 2024: The Day Misspent with Guidance from Susan Cunningham
Daily Nourishment Read Time: 50 seconds
Pause/Prompt/Practice Time: 15 minutes
“The day misspent, the love misplaced, has inside it the seed of redemption. Nothing is exempt from resurrection.” - Kay Ryan
Pause.
Read “Read “Waste” by Kay Ryan:
Not even waste
is inviolate.
The day misspent,
the love misplaced,
has inside it
the seed of redemption.
Nothing is exempt
from resurrection.
It is tiresome
how the grass
re-ripens, greening
all along the punched
and mucked horizon
once the bison
have moved on,
leaning into hunger
and hard luck.
Prompt.
Read the poem again or read this passage from John 11:25-26 (MSG) slowly:
“You don’t have to wait for the End. I am, right now, Resurrection and Life. The one who believes in me, even though he or she dies, will live. And everyone who lives believing in me does not ultimately die at all. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26
What do you notice in your heart, mind, or body when you read words like “redemption,” “resurrection” and “re-ripening?”
Practice.
In the middle of the poem we read Nothing is exempt from resurrection.
Agree or Disagree? Write an argument or counterarguement for six minutes. Notice how you feel.
Notice the impact of the title of this piece on you. Choose an alternative title for this poem and/or write your own poem or paragraph entitled “Waste”.
Write a prayer or meditation inspired by this poem.
Want More?
Listen to Kay Ryan.
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Upcoming Workshops & Gatherings
—The September Co-Writing calendar is live.
—Spiritual Direction for Writers® + Enneagram for Creativity Gathering will take place on Friday, September 27th and Saturday, September 28th.
You can register here. All registered participants will have access to recordings.
—The Great Belonging Project is live here and The Great Belonging Project October Refresh will take place Oct 1-Oct 31. The Great Belonging Project October Refresh is open for registration with Early Bird pricing of $10.
This week’s Throwback Daily Nourishment offerings were originally provided by Susan Cunningham in 2023 before theywere shared on the website. All five of Susan’s offerings honor the poet Kay Ryan, the United States Poet Laureate from 2008-2010. Ryan has published seven volumes of poetry plus The Best of It, New and Selected Poems which won the Pulitzer Prize.
Susan Haroutunian Cunningham is a poet, therapist, soul coach and spiritual director. She specializes in counseling and training survivors of trauma and abuse to bring healing in personal stories of harm.
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