Dear
Family and Friends,
For
the same reason I said yes to two interviews (for a radio/podcast by Dr. Lisa
Belisle, and for a Profile column in Maine magazine), I said yes
to my former yoga student and friend, Jennifer Stanbro. She emailed me on
September 24, 2013 – exactly four years later, to the day, the day Francis was
first hospitalized.
Jennifer,
now a member of the Board for the Maine Jung Center, asked if I would be
willing to give a two-hour program under the heading “Tools for Individuation,”
on February 23, 2014. She explained that the Center occasionally holds these
programs in which someone shares a personal experience of inner growth. There’s
usually some sort of expressive dimension involved. For example, in the past,
artists came and talked about their process.
“I
immediately thought of you and your poetry,” she said. “I know you have another
book coming out and I was thinking this might be a nice venue for sharing your
story and your publications.” I agreed, and then drew up a “Proposal” in the
form of an outline. The Board liked it. That was three and a half months ago.
Amazed
once again by the unexpected, unlooked-for nature of these opportunities for me
to share Francis’ and my love story, I spent hours pondering, revising, and
refining the content of my outline. I knew right away I would be mentioning
Greg Mogenson’s book, Greeting the Angels – An Imaginal View of the Mourning
Process, and for two reasons. He is not only a Jungian analyst (and so, an
author certain to appeal to such an audience), but his book also deeply moves
me. (I first read a chapter in it after my mother died in 2000.) Then, after
Francis died, I found it so affirming to find my experience described in it,
that when the time came to select who might write a blurb for the back cover of
Sing to Me and I Will Hear You – The Poems, I thought of him. That’s
when I discovered he lives in London, Ontario, Canada. So I emailed Mr.
Mogenson. He not only said yes to my request, he agreed with me that my poems
reflect much that he expressed in that marvelous book.
At
that time, or likely, even more than two years ago, I had typed three pages of
notes from Mogenson’s book. They are notes I’ve found myself drawn to read and
reread. So I reread them then, and got an idea I suddenly put into motion: I
wrote down in the margins, or right over those typed notes, using a red pen,
the titles of my poems which illustrate his words. I felt some excitement about
this because the correspondence between certain words and my poems was
something I could see, now, concretely. It wasn’t just a vague feeling I had
had. My poems did and do, in some way, echo his words!
Some
months before I had started working on the outline, passages from my own poems
began coming up for me, either with new nuances, or by way of almost stunning
me with their enduring truth. Being a new poet, that phenomenon surprised me.
You can imagine my delight to hear Richard Blanco say something similar during
Diane Rehm’s excellent interview with him on public radio, on January 2 (and
here’s the link): http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2014-01-01/richard-blanco-all-us-one-today-rebroadcast
My
own poems had begun reverberating new meanings for me, and now here I was
finding yet more, by examining which ones might match with the words of this
Jungian analyst.
In
the end, I carefully selected twelve quotes from Greeting the Angels which
resonate with fourteen of my poems. My outline took on new life. There
will now be a part two to my presentation – a powerpoint projection onto a
screen of one of Mogenson’s quotes and its page number, and the title of one my
poems. After a pause to let those present absorb his text, I will recite the
poem I feel exemplifies it.
Why
am I telling you all this? Because the two-hour presentation on Sunday
afternoon February 23, from 2 – 4 pm will be held at the Friends’ Meeting on at
1837 Forest Avenue, in Portland. The general public is invited, not just
members of the Maine Jung Center.
I
was asked by Katie Miller, coordinator of the Maine Jung Center, to email her
information to use in their newsletter which is now posted on their website: http://www.mainejungcenter.org
It may not be wise for me to give you a copy of my outline now (attached in my email only) but it’s only an outline. It can’t deliver the live interaction
that will surely take place with those who come. (I’m looking forward to that,
even though, frankly, I feel a little nervous about doing this . . . though
that’s probably good too). But for those who can’t come – at least you’ll get
to see what has been much more than just a project for me in the last three and
a half months.
I
invite you for now, if you’d like to come, to mark your calendar – Save the
date February 23 from 2 to 4 pm, a Sunday afternoon. And better still - register online now at the Maine Jung Center's website, under "Programs" http://www.mainejungcenter.org
I’m
touched by everyone’s encouragement and support – thank you!
May
you all be well and blessed beyond your expectations in this new year,
Elaine
