It may not look,
at times,
like much is happening
at all.
But I am still here,
listening
to silence,
holding this nothing
you can’t see
until it transforms
into something beautiful.
Quiet Reflections and Prayers
It may not look,
at times,
like much is happening
at all.
But I am still here,
listening
to silence,
holding this nothing
you can’t see
until it transforms
into something beautiful.
I let go
of the search
for understanding
and relief outside
of me.
I began to reconnect
with my own heart
and with my experiences
in the world
in a gentler way.
And to my surprise,
this gentler way
was so beautiful
that just one whisper
from this space
was enough
to drop all that was
untrue and unneeded
forever.
The deepest kind
of healing,
I found,
didn’t come out of
neatly wrapped packages,
but from the persistent search
and willingness to sink
right down into
what appeared on the surface —
to see through it,
honoring without needing
to analyze or fix —
to become quiet
in my heart
so that the pure love
and clarity
I found there
naturally became
the starting point
in all instances.
I found it was
possible to walk through
whatever appeared
on the surface of life.
I found comfort
in my ability
to hold and honor
my own experience,
meeting the outer world
with renewed compassion —
trusting
it was safe
to remain connected
with the natural
stillness within
when the contrast
seemed most vast.
I wondered how long
I could be
in the stillness
of my heart
and in a healing world.
But I had walked
the edge
and let go of
the space within.
And I had found
my way back.
And so I vowed
to hold the gap
in-between us
for as long as it took —
until we were one.
I found I didn’t need
to share
all of the details
or sort them all out
in my head
in order to be
in my heart
and in the world.
It was enough
to hold
the connection to
a little deeper place
in me
and to see it reflected back
in unexpected
and subtle ways.
And to my surprise,
I felt more deeply
connected.
I found I began
to create
a more peaceful life
a little more naturally
as I continued
to flow
out of this space
within my heart.
There was a lightness
that came
from not needing
to follow every thought
and a little magic
in the courage it took
to stand
in the silent spaces
in-between.
This peace comes
from the courage
to be present
right here –
where there are
many thoughts
and many distractions –
where there is acceptance
of all of this,
where all is surrounded
in love,
mixed up together –
somehow, mysteriously
becoming
beautiful as it is.
— from earlier notes
After a while,
I began to respect
and honor
my part within
the mystery.
I found it was
safe to let go
a little more
and continue on —
trusting in
a peace
I didn’t quite understand.