Spiritual Things Matter

Photograph by: K. Alan Lewis

Show your wound with your own tenderness
Know that tossed decay will rot in dark seclusion.
Fear must no longer be the guest that hides within
Healing’s desire is gently knocking on your door.

Show your wound oh lovely soul
Not to me and not to them.
But show it now to your own kind beholding
That the light of love can mend its broken wings.

Your kindly benevolence toward your own humanity
Will bring a sudden transformation to that lacerated heart.
All are broken, deeply wounded, grieving in their beds
Oh may a kind beholding…come, and change all that.

~Viola M. Jaynes

Sacredness brings a gentle transformation as our roots go ever deeper into its rich and fertile soil. ~Viola M. Jaynes

Hurricane Ike left a great path of destruction. One of the things that I have found so astounding are the huge trees that have been pulled out of the ground by their entire root-system. To my amazement many of those trees only had about a five to seven inch root system supporting an entire tree. As I inquired about this, I was told that the roots do not go past the clay and therefore, the roots expand outward but do not go deep. I was utterly amazed that these huge trees we have in our town here are really only supported by very shallow roots.

Of course, my readers know me well by now. How could I not immediately see a parallel into our own lives with a lesson given to us so generously by nature. I think of a long ago friend who told me once that he has always had his way in life. Everything he has ever wanted, no matter what it was, seemed to fall right in line with his desires. Yet, this same person struggled immensely with dealing with everyday life. The smallest troubles that came his way seem to collapse him into a state of total helplessness. Alcohol seemed to give him some relief, and his many visits to his psychiatrist seemed to only prop him up temporarily.

Another person once told me that she lived in a home that was much like the TV series ,”Leave it to Beaver.” In her description, her childhood was perfect. This same young woman also told me that she felt it was this perfect environment that has brought her the most challenges trying to function as an adult. I was puzzled over her story and pondered over it for sometime.

I do not necessarily believe that people must suffer in order for them to become a strong human being, although, suffering does tend to burn away the harder outer crust of our hearts, which allows a gift of compassion to surface as suffering has pierced deeply into the essence of our being.

But what then, I wonder, is it that makes some people have a solid foundation and a strong and resilient nature? The answer perhaps is different for every individual. Much, of course, is traced back to infancy and early childhood experiences, and much is discussed about the home life people experienced. Many lived in a less than perfect or ideal home, and yet, so many of these same people go on and live relatively emotionally and mentally stable lives, while others, seemingly struggle constantly.

If one has grown up with good parents, a good stable home, or, if one was tossed back and forth with every whim that the adult in their lives had at the time, I am convinced of one sure thing which will bring deep roots into a persons life:

Learning to honor sacredness.

Honoring sacredness in our lives creates roots that will go deep. Those roots will stay deep and perhaps go deeper each time a strong wind comes along. Those roots will be supportive and will never disappoint because it reaches far beyond the the surface of our being.

Sacredness brings a gentle transformation of old and mundane ways of looking at life, to a creative realization of the possibilities that each event which has touched our lives can be a beautiful tapestry of possibilities working for our good. Thus, sacredness is a very tender and gentle anchor into our very soul.

Because of hurricane Ike, I have gained a literal mental picture in my mind of how it looks when a very large, seemingly strong tree has fallen because of shallow roots. May we find a place of quietness within our own hearts to ever deepen our soul into the rich and generous fertile ground of sacredness. May we find peace and strength at all times, and may we never be frightened when the winds and storms of life do come.

Love is not blind…it sees more not less. But because it sees more it is willing to see less. ~Julian Weber Gordan

Most people know that the Toastmasters Clubs of America were established for the sole purpose of building leadership skills and strong communication skills in people. Recently, I joined a local chapter, because for years now, I have wanted to do some type of public speaking, but lacked the self-confidence to pursue that dream. After having written articles for my site for over two years, I have come to realize, that now more than ever before, the time has come to sharpen and strengthen my own abilities to communicate effectively, as well as build my personal confidence.

The clubs hold a contest about twice a year and last Thursday was one of those times. An e-mail had been sent out to inform the members that another Table Topic contestant was needed. After a bit of hesitation, I answered that call. Having already participated in the regular meetings for less than a month, I knew that a person would be chosen to answer a random question and given one to two minutes to provide an answer. In my first attempt, I got emotional and went under one minute which disqualified me. When I was called on for a second time, I did fine. The third time around, I froze and could not think of a single clear or coherent thing to say. When the invitation was offered for this contest, I jumped at the chance to face my own fears that had lingered so long in my mind and life. With a big smile, I proudly accepted the Second Place Trophy!

Our topic question for that day was: “If you could have any job in the world, what would it be and why? I was relieved when I heard this question because I did not even have to give it a second thought. “I would chose to be a healer, I answered. Not a healer of men’s bodies, but a healer of men’s hearts.”

I only had a few minutes to speak but after I came home, I wanted to expound on what I would have said if that would have been a full-fledged speech:

A Healer Of Hearts

If I were a healer of men’s hearts, I would pierce through the walls of the pain and mistrust that have been erected and would temporarily move them aside to reveal , that men can become their own healers. I would attempt to show them, with sheer tenderness, understanding, and love that which they never dreamed possible for their lives. They could then begin to discover a wealth of potential that lies within their own hearts. Then and only then will they come to realize that anger and blaming others for their perceived misfortunes, have only deepened their pain and hardened their own hearts. They would then begin to heal themselves.

If I was a healer of men’s hearts, I would bring clarity to their understanding. They would realize that those who have abused them and hurt them in any way, were in fact, bruised and hurt by someone else and their abusers were also in need of healing. Through this realization, they would be willing to forgive and release their resentments and bitterness which would bring about their own gift and ability to show mercy and love.

As a healer of men’s hearts, I would compassionately embrace those that felt cheated as a child. Those whose mother’s had not properly provided for them or perhaps even forsaken them. I would embrace those whose fathers were never there or perhaps had been too harsh in his disciplining methods. With great tenderness I would embrace all those who felt alone and never felt supported as a child, feeling that a hole has been left in their hearts which could never be filled. I would embrace them all, and I would embrace their parents, gently whispering into all their hearts, “Your parents did the only thing they knew to do. Forgive them and be healed!”

If I were a healer of men’s hearts, I would enter the prison walls and mental institutes and bring hope again to those that have been condemned by society. A hope that would bring freedom once again. Even within its closed walls, a heart that has been made whole and has been restored can find meaning and purpose in some way.

Perhaps each of us can be healers of men’s hearts. Through compassion and tenderness, through love and understanding, through humility and forgiveness, we can heal ourselves and touch the aching hearts of those around us.