Birthday Gratitudes
Before this week is out, I just wanted to take a moment to publicly thank and do a huge shout out to family and friends who helped bring in my36th birthday and have celebrated with me these past few days! (My dear beloveds-you all know who you are!)
Under a dusky blue sky of the Honolulu Art Academy courtyard, we started the celebration at the Art at Dark series last Friday. Grooving to soulful Paula Fuga and the folksy and fun Girlas, we chilled to amazing local women's ballads of love lost, love longed for, and a life gained when one is true to one internal promptings and cues.
The party continued on Saturday with a down home family cook-out at the Caligtan-Tran home. Before we ate, the 20 some of us joined hands and stood in a circle and offered our gratitude and request for guidance under the full moon. I took a moment, just to be in awe of how this circle grows in our lives in exact proportion to how big we can love and let it all in and just be. My gratitude was for everyone present and my guidance was a request to have the energy and know-how to create more spaces like this effortlessly and more often.
A potluck buffet of yummy foods followed, and were topped off with cake and champagne. Fellow babaylan and mother/sistah friend, Sonia Zabala, offered story-telling afterwards. Flanked by our brood of children to her left and right and with aunties and manangs sitting on the couch and the rest of us in a circle, Sonia sang about a caterpillar and its process of turning into a butterfly. She shared about the caterpillar's hunger and search for food. And she paused, just so, to allow us to muse on what it ate during its journey.
Watching the kids get into the story was a gift in of itself; however, the way we all engaged each other to imagine what we dreamed of being while in our own cocoons was the most precious of all. "Wrap your arms around yourself-like this," Sonia instructed as she seemed to hug herself tightly, "Now--close your eyes. What did the caterpillar see in its mind while it was asleep?"
"An actress," I said out loud, almost startling myself for allowing my childhood dream to be uttered in such safe and loving company.
"A writer. A filmmaker. A comedian. A doctor. A teacher. A scholar. An entrepreneur. An artist. A healer," our children and inner children all shouted out loud and in silence.
My eyes glanced over at what I consider to be the closest thing to a council of wise women of the Pukengkeng Liberation Front. These amazing women, who have been my mentors and touchstones: Auntie Charlene, Auntie Sharon, Auntie Pat, and Auntie Deanna seemed to all be delighted and amazed at what the children were saying. I was excited at the inter generational bridge that was being crossed in that moment. A new tradition of publicly allowing to call forth one's authentic and true desire was being sparked in the next generation. Our children-especially our girls- were seeing us support that in each other.
After the collective story-telling, we asked folks to express their visions, visually. And cardboard, glue, scissors, and magazines were provided to make our vision boards. Those who were inspired got down to the art and magic of finding images and words that would one day serve as the wings of their inner butterfly. Others were simply just moved and contented bearing witness to something blooming.
Sunday-my actual birthday-was a more quiet affair, with time to reflect on deeper questions like the nature of love and giving that I witnessed the night before. I spent time with another group of friends who I hadn't seen in ages and brought some of my birthday flowers to share and brighten our being together. Adorned with new jewelery, I felt like the stargazer lily in a bouquet: special, open, and blossoming.
Later that evening, I opened another present from my dear friend, Kat Hurtubise that perfectly fit the moment. It was just under the size of a phone book and it looked like it could pass on a bookshelf as a dissertation that might have been spiral bound at the nearest Kinkos. The cover read: Grace Caligtan's 36th year of life. Subtitle: Gratitude Book, from July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008. Manifestations for my 36th year, Daily Affirmations, and Daily Gratitude list.
Inside, I was touched by a graphic of little people, big people, brown, black, yellow, and white people, girls, boys, women and men holding hands and smiling across the page.
That night, I wrote this affirmation: "I am truly blessed and loved. I stand in a large circle of love and light."
Indeed, indeed.
And so it shall be.
Under a dusky blue sky of the Honolulu Art Academy courtyard, we started the celebration at the Art at Dark series last Friday. Grooving to soulful Paula Fuga and the folksy and fun Girlas, we chilled to amazing local women's ballads of love lost, love longed for, and a life gained when one is true to one internal promptings and cues.
The party continued on Saturday with a down home family cook-out at the Caligtan-Tran home. Before we ate, the 20 some of us joined hands and stood in a circle and offered our gratitude and request for guidance under the full moon. I took a moment, just to be in awe of how this circle grows in our lives in exact proportion to how big we can love and let it all in and just be. My gratitude was for everyone present and my guidance was a request to have the energy and know-how to create more spaces like this effortlessly and more often.
A potluck buffet of yummy foods followed, and were topped off with cake and champagne. Fellow babaylan and mother/sistah friend, Sonia Zabala, offered story-telling afterwards. Flanked by our brood of children to her left and right and with aunties and manangs sitting on the couch and the rest of us in a circle, Sonia sang about a caterpillar and its process of turning into a butterfly. She shared about the caterpillar's hunger and search for food. And she paused, just so, to allow us to muse on what it ate during its journey.
Watching the kids get into the story was a gift in of itself; however, the way we all engaged each other to imagine what we dreamed of being while in our own cocoons was the most precious of all. "Wrap your arms around yourself-like this," Sonia instructed as she seemed to hug herself tightly, "Now--close your eyes. What did the caterpillar see in its mind while it was asleep?"
"An actress," I said out loud, almost startling myself for allowing my childhood dream to be uttered in such safe and loving company.
"A writer. A filmmaker. A comedian. A doctor. A teacher. A scholar. An entrepreneur. An artist. A healer," our children and inner children all shouted out loud and in silence.
My eyes glanced over at what I consider to be the closest thing to a council of wise women of the Pukengkeng Liberation Front. These amazing women, who have been my mentors and touchstones: Auntie Charlene, Auntie Sharon, Auntie Pat, and Auntie Deanna seemed to all be delighted and amazed at what the children were saying. I was excited at the inter generational bridge that was being crossed in that moment. A new tradition of publicly allowing to call forth one's authentic and true desire was being sparked in the next generation. Our children-especially our girls- were seeing us support that in each other.
After the collective story-telling, we asked folks to express their visions, visually. And cardboard, glue, scissors, and magazines were provided to make our vision boards. Those who were inspired got down to the art and magic of finding images and words that would one day serve as the wings of their inner butterfly. Others were simply just moved and contented bearing witness to something blooming.
Sunday-my actual birthday-was a more quiet affair, with time to reflect on deeper questions like the nature of love and giving that I witnessed the night before. I spent time with another group of friends who I hadn't seen in ages and brought some of my birthday flowers to share and brighten our being together. Adorned with new jewelery, I felt like the stargazer lily in a bouquet: special, open, and blossoming.
Later that evening, I opened another present from my dear friend, Kat Hurtubise that perfectly fit the moment. It was just under the size of a phone book and it looked like it could pass on a bookshelf as a dissertation that might have been spiral bound at the nearest Kinkos. The cover read: Grace Caligtan's 36th year of life. Subtitle: Gratitude Book, from July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008. Manifestations for my 36th year, Daily Affirmations, and Daily Gratitude list.
Inside, I was touched by a graphic of little people, big people, brown, black, yellow, and white people, girls, boys, women and men holding hands and smiling across the page.
That night, I wrote this affirmation: "I am truly blessed and loved. I stand in a large circle of love and light."
Indeed, indeed.
And so it shall be.
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