Journey to the Heartland: A Spiritual Memoir on Life and the Life More Abundant
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JOURNEY TO THE HEARTLAND
A Spiritual Memoir on Life and the Life More Abundant
Chronicle of a Life Unfolding, Toward a Future Yet Unknown
Spiritual Experience Collection / Heartland Series
When the author sets out for a month-long journey to the American Heartland, all she knows for certain is that her desire to live from the affirmation of who she is is stronger than anything that might keep her from it. Part travel log, part spiritual memoir, Journey to the Heartland offers a rare and honest look into a life unfolding.
Richerson takes readers along for the ride, providing glimpses into a deepening spirituality along with the confrontation of all that might hold us back from touching mystery and miracle. From the Tennessee foothills to the North Woods, the author captures the raw and essential beauty of the country and draws on timelines past, present, and future, as well as images from the natural world, to issue an invitation to our life's unique dance.
In the pages of this book, we bear witness to daring adventures with the new and touch on the sacred union of our humanity and divinity. Through the lens of the author's month-long road trip, we are met with snapshots of what it means to be on the way and often surprised with the radiant realization that we are more than who we think we are.
Named a Top 10 Inspiring Book by Aspire Magazine September 2014
FROM THE INTRODUCTION
If you want to know the truth, it started with a dream. The Pacific Rim was on fire and something that looked like a Crystal City was rising from the Atlantic Ocean. The West Coast of the United States was crumbling and the Eastern seaboard had moved inland by hundreds of miles. I woke up startled and heard the words distinctly, emanating from deep within my core: “Go to the center.”
Hmph. I don’t think so. My mind registered a vote quickly. Still, I know the call of Spirit when I sense it, and there was no mistaking this was an invitation into the dance of my own life. I would say, “Yes” — about this there was no doubt. The question was to what exactly was I saying “Yes”? I set about grounding myself and coming to my own center. This being the work of my life and one I often conveniently “forgot” or pushed down the list of seemingly important “to dos” that cluttered my days, I was no stranger to the idea of returning to my center.
CONTENTS
Dreaming My Life: Called to the Center............................1
Setting Off: Stalled in the Driveway...................................5
Stars: The Falling and the Rising........................................9
Coincidence: Worlds Away, a Convergence....................... 17
Multitudes of Light: Reflections of the Real World.......... 21
Home Far Away: Preparation............................................ 29
Communion: Partaking Grace.......................................... 33
Sunset: Passage to the Dawn............................................. 41
Set to Reset: Through the Portal of the Moment.............. 43
Cultivating Curiosity: A Wonderful Day........................... 47
Cemetery: Hallowed Ground, Sacred Sky......................... 51
Bounding Deer: Awake in a Moment of Grace................. 53
Gathering Storm: Calm and Unknowing......................... 55
Bluegrass: The Gospel Truth............................................. 59
Bearing Witness: A Piercing Cry...................................... 61
Primitive Nature: Connecting the Dots............................ 65
Carried Away: From Here to There and Back Again......... 69
Sower and Reaper: Catharsis and Communion................ 73
Through the Dark: Shifting Winds................................... 79
The Girl I Was: Straight to the Heart................................ 85
The North Woods: A River of Rain................................. 91
Lone Wolf: The Illusion of Isolation.................................. 97
Take a Seat: Presence of Mind, Peace of Heart................ 101
History Lesson: Faith and Solitude................................. 103
In Town: Out and About, Within and Without................ 107
Little Pink Houses: Dancing with the Whales................. 109
Candles: The Mystery and the Miracle........................... 113
Screaming Eagle: Life’s Fire............................................ 121
Doe, a Deer: Green and Growing Things........................ 131
Resolution: In One Accord............................................ 135
Bon Voyage: Gypsy Heart............................................... 141
For the Birds: Out on a Limb, Singing............................ 145
Foreshadowing: Freedom Found in Flow....................... 151
Drive Time: Coronation and Completion...................... 159
Acknowledgements........................................................ 163
About the Author.......................................................... 165
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