07/11/2018
So last night marked the successful completion of yet another Level 2 Counselling Skills course and again I find myself both humbled and proud of our wonderful students who have shared so much of themselves with us. Thank you to all of you and we look forward to continuing your journeys at Level 3 later this month,and to those who will be leaving us we wish you the best of luck.
You were all AMAZING.
Our new assistant tutor Ash wrote a poem that captures this extraordinary journey beautifully.
Please feel free to see more of her work on her blog page https://rootsup.home.blog/2018/10/22/i-give-you-this-succulent/
I give you this succulent
(A.J.Cluskey @ Roots Up - October 2018 ©)
I want to give you this succulent,
To send a message to you,
Because I think you're wonderful,
And I'm proud, through & through.
I picked this type of plant,
In a very conscious way,
Because I think it represents,
A message I want to convey.
Just like this plants leaves,
Which hold many of different shade,
Remember: there's light & dark in all of us,
It's simply how we're made.
But that doesn't taint the plants character,
Or define it's identification.
It simply shows, its beauty and pose,
In a colourful demonstration.
Just like all of its ridges,
Which show off many of different dimension,
Remember: nature makes no mistakes,
So you too are built like that, with intention.
But that doesn't mean it's a weakness,
So don't feel like layers aren't alright.
It simply means, that we show the leaves,
Which work the best in the light.
Just like its textured tips,
Which can hurt if we get to near,
Remember: we all grow our own spikes,
It's how we learn to fight a fear.
But being sharp doesn't harden its insides.
If it did, it would make it a stone.
We need to feel the prick, to learn how we tick,
Because healed wounds show us we've grown.
Just like this plants biggest strength,
Its power of absorbability,
Remember: the things you take in, you store
But it doesn't have to hinder your capability.
But we can feel like we're drowning,
When dark water surrounds our root.
Yet your journey will begin, when you let dark water in,
As learning to feed from it, helps it dilute.
There's a reason these plants survive,
In the desert & hard terrain.
They've learned to adapt to the landscape,
Which includes embracing the rain.
They've evolved to handle the heat,
And withstand the dark of the night.
And when it gets dry, they manage to get by,
Because they battle with all of their might.
These plants remind me of you,
In its strengths. In its spikes. In its shades.
And just like the perfections of these plants,
You'll evolved over decades.
So it'll take time to accept our ridges,
Moving them from the shadows into sun-rays.
But I want you to know, I can see you grow,
And I'm proud of you. Always.
During the end of the first year of my counselling training, I was floored. I was flooded with newly discovered emotions, uncovering new elements of myself which I wasn’t previously aw…
