Spiritual Things Matter

I am a great admirer of Kahlil Gibran’s work. The wisdom and the depth in his writing is profound, beautiful, and moving. One of my all time favorite is out of his book, “The Prophet.” Today, I would like to share it with my dear readers. May it speak to you as tenderly as it always speaks to me. May love awaken us and teach us life’s most valuable secrets.

When love beckons to you, follow him,
Though his ways are hard and steep.
And when his wings enfold you yield to him,
Though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you.
And when he speaks to you believe in him,
Though his voice may shatter your dreams
as the north wind lays waste the garden.
For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you. Even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning.
Even as he ascends to your height and caresses your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun,
So shall he descend to your roots and shake them in their clinging to the earth.

Like sheaves of corn he gathers you unto himself.
He threshes you to make you naked.
He sifts you to free you from your husks.
He grinds you to whiteness.
He kneads you until you are pliant;
And then he assigns you to his sacred fire, that you may become sacred bread for God’s sacred feast.

All these things shall love do unto you that you may know the secrets of your heart, and in that knowledge become a fragment of Life’s heart.

But if in your fear you would seek only love’s peace and love’s pleasure,
Then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love’s threshing-floor,
Into the seasonless world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears.

Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself.
Love possesses not nor would it be possessed;
For love is sufficient unto love.

When you love you should not say,
“God is in my heart,” but rather, “I am in the heart of God.”
And think not you can direct the course of love, for love, if it find you worthy, directs your course.

Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself.
But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires:
To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.
To know the pain of too much tenderness.
To be wounded by your own understanding of love;
And to bleed willingly and joyfully.
To wake at dawn with a winged heart
and give thanks for another day of loving;
To rest at the noon hour and meditate love’s ecstasy;
To return home at eventide with gratitude;
And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.

~Kahlil Gibran

Pity the poor adult who has lost their sense of enchantment. ~ Scott M. Peck, M.D.

For the last number of years, my family and I have gone to Petit Jean State Park in Arkansas, to spend Christmas in a log cabin in the mountains. Hiking in the beautiful Ouachita Mountains has become one of our favorite past times. The fresh, crisp air during a good hike always made dinner time something special to look forward to. We also enjoyed visiting other near by towns, tasting the wonderful food and looking at the brightly decorated shops with their quaint trimmings for the Christmas Season. We have enjoyed doing this with our children, as we have left the hustle and bustle of the Christmas rush behind, and simply enjoyed each other’s company. We always bring personal gifts along with us and yet, in the material world in which we live, we are wanting to instill in our children that the greatest gift you can give is love and the celebration of family time together.

It was last December, when on the way down from Petit Jean mountain, my husband discovered a little animal farm. He came back to the cabin and told me that he had a surprise for the kids and not to tell them just yet. Horse back riding was going to be the big event of the day and although a novice by far, I too, was looking forward to riding a horse again. My husband finally sprang the surprise on our children and they could not wait for this little adventure that their Papa had planned.

This Animal Farm was new to this area and therefore we had never seen it during our earlier trips to the area. It was only a short distance from our cabin to the farm and upon our arrival, we all rushed out of the vehicle to see what was in store for us. And, what a delightful surprise it was!

As the owner (a lady who wanted to open this farm for the towns-people and the tourists there) prepared to saddle a horse for each of us, we were curious to see what this friendly place offered, so we all took a little walk around this farm. It only really consisted of a quaint red barn, which had stalls separating some of the animals and outside of the barn was a corral for the horses, and there we found a friendly turkey, some chickens, and a few dogs.

It was only a few minutes later that I heard my daughter shout from inside the barn, “Oh Mama, look at this kitty playing with this cute little piglet.” My son soon joined in with exuberance and shouted, “Mama, listen to this donkey. I’ve never heard a donkey sound like that before.” This donkey made all of us laugh as he bellowed and howled, showing off his large donkey teeth. My children were in awe of all the baby animals - they loved watching the little goats frolicsome playing in some hay and the kittens were especially interested in one particular piglet as she rolled around in the dirt. The little baby chicks didn’t seem at all bothered that they were the tiniest ones in the barn - they didn’t appear to have a care in the world and seemed to enjoy their existence just as it was. “Look at how happy these animals are,” shouted my daughter as she picked up one of those kittens with as much happiness and joy as all the animals seemed to feel.

The spirit of harmony and togetherness in this tiny farm was indescribable….and, it was magical! As I stood back taking in this lovely scene and for a brief moment, thinking of a painful and heartbreaking situation back home, my own heart was capturing the love, the happiness, and the enchantment of the moment. This was something that I had only seen in children’s story books which I had so often read to my pre-schoolers and yet, here in this tiny farm, it was a reality. It was the perfect definition of Christmas and a wonderful gift we all will remember for many years to come.

As we went on our horseback ride, all we could talk about was that happy scene we had just left behind. My daughter could not wait to go back and pet the animals just one more time and my son wanted to hear that funny donkey bellow again before we left. I enjoyed watching the owner engage herself with her animal friends as she gave so much love and care to them. My husband looked over at me and smiled….and, I smiled back as I understood how pleased he was that he found this farm and could offer such a gift to his family. It was a special memory indeed!

If you can’t make it better, you can laugh at it. ~ Erma Louise Bombeck

My daughter recently said, “Mama, you seem so serious sometimes.” I chuckled at her since I have been thinking for a while now that I would like to relax this serious and stressful side that I have carried with me since childhood. I know how good laughter is for a person and how incredibly healing it is. It is wonderful how simple and truthfully children will express themselves. I cherish the innocent keenness of a child.

I also recently read where someone expressed that they feel their personality changed due to chronic stress. This person felt sensitized to suffering, but at the same time felt the need to shut it out. They even wondered about war veterans and if they had similar feelings. Moved by such a comparison, I desire for this person to be strengthened and to feel the warm comfort of God’s abiding love, wisdom and peace.

Stress comes in different forms and in different ways for people. What might be stressful for one person does not even faze another. What seems to be painful for one might only feel like a small discomfort for others. Each of us is different. Depending upon our make-up and background, we learn to deal with our difficult times accordingly.

Chronic stress, however, is something different. I would have to agree with the idea that it does change our personality, and perhaps for some, it can change their moral compass. Chronic stress is something that needs to be evaluated and healed on some level in order to function as a whole person again. It takes a willingness to look at life differently and to find a deeper meaning to the suffering we experience. Suffering certainly is very real to many, and I would never want to diminish that for anyone. To do so would be cruel and very wounding in itself. However, the deeper meaning to suffering is just as real, and finding it can set a human being free to find joy and happiness in life again. Even in our deepest pains are gifts to be found that one could never have thought possible. Then, hearing oneself able to laugh again becomes the evidence that a transformation has taken place.

There have been times in my own life where I felt that I could not handle even one more stressful circumstance. I have had to make adjustments to my own belief system and my own way of evaluating what really matters in life. At times, I needed to withdraw into my own space in order to clearly hear Wisdom speak to me.

As tears come from brokenness, so it seems that laughter builds our hearts back up. It seems to heal us as the echo of our laughter is heard and felt throughout ones entire body. Laughter’s joyous sound seems to elevate the spirit and distances the noisiness of this world. Laughter can bring perspective to our difficult situations and diffuse the dreadful momentum that stress can create.

Scientist have determined that our very cell structure changes when a person is happy and feels a sense of well-being. Finding ways to laugh each day is one of the best prescriptions for wellness anyone can offer. Pretty soon, one does not have to find laughter any longer, but with diligence, our vision changes and we see beauty, joy, and happiness everywhere we go. Our faces soften into smiles and laughter bursts forth as our hearts are set free from so many heavy burdens.

I am learning more each day to not take myself so incredibly serious. I am learning more each day to allow myself the freedom to feel joy completely, to notice the happy moments completely, and to embrace life with a thankful heart. It is with gratitude and grace that many happy moments are recognized. It is also with a lighter heart that I am able to see humor in even the most serious of situations, and simply realize that all of us are doing the very best we can. We all stumble along, fall over our own feet, and certainly make many messes. It is in those messes that humor can be found, and the seriousness suddenly diminishes into compassionate acceptance . . . and, with a chuckle on our face.

The nourishment of rain brings new life - even to the heart. ~Viola Jaynes

As my windows are covered with droplets of rain, I look out to watch the drizzle gently fall. I open my door to listen to its beautiful sound. I sit on my step holding out my hands as I simply enjoy one of the most beautiful things that God has created. Rain!

When I was a child growing up in the orphanage, we would often go on walks. My most memorable walks were those on rainy days. There was something happy and frolicsome about jumping in the puddles. We would lift our heads to the sky and let the rain fall on our faces with our mouths open wide, as if to tell the heavens to pour out its sweetest drink it had to offer. I loved watching the bubbles rise in the puddles as each droplet made its own statement. I loved seeing the leaves wet and rich in color, as the rain rolled off, only to await its next drop.

I remember as the rain washed through my hair, the touch of it felt soft and kind. Strangely though, with all of its beauty, I would also feel sadness come over me. Once at home, I would feel the need to tug myself away - alone, to listen, as the rain still poured outside. I found myself longing for something and I wondered about the children who had mothers and fathers at home.

Rain is meaningful to me to this day. It seems to bring out a sense of melancholy, a time of reflection, and always a time to think about God.

Its tiny droplets remind me of tears that are shed in secret and of the many who feel they have noone with whom to share their sorrow. It reminds me that there are greater pains and greater sorrows in the world than my own. It reminds me that it falls on the just and the unjust alike, and thus, it teaches kindness and discernment. For it is a wise heart that realizes the vastness of the world out there, is also the vastness of the world in here.

When our lives feel thirsty and dry, it is the rain that comes to quench that thirst. At times it is clothed in pain and sorrow, and its mantle feels heavy on our shoulders. Still, the fresh water that is poured between each crack, and between each rocky place, flows deep into the rich, warm soil of our hearts. It then brings healing to our brokenness as our earth mends itself with the gift it has been given.

It is after such a rainy season that we take notice that something new and beautiful has been created - something we have never seen or noticed before. It is a gift that is held close to the heart and cherished forever.

Viola Jaynes