River Lessons
Today, as I met a dear intuitive friend for breakfast - someone I like to refer to as my "guardian angel" - I shared with her how the river has been the only constant companion in my life in the past year.
She nodded affirmatively, saying to me - "Yes, it ebbs, and flows, but it is always there."
This afternoon, when I got out into the river, I couldn't help but observe how dirty and murky the river has been. There is this residue clinging to the shores and sometimes floating on top of the river. It almost seems to to me as if the river is in the process of purging. According to the ancient Indian science of Ayurveda, it is important to detox and cleanse as one transitions from one season to another, so perhaps the river is preparing to enter deeply into the Fall. I have been thinking of how best to do this myself and once more, I found the river mirroring my own life and the state of my soul...
As always, I paddled upstream to meditate in my favorite spot and then float downstream for a while. I bypassed a blue heron that was more or less in the same place as the one I saw recently. We looked at each other intently and I felt he was the same one I had seen before. A Voice inside me said - "he's the one."
A motor boat went by and stirred up the waters creating big waves. I was tossed about and found it hard to paddle at first. Then I released and remembered what another friend said to me in the monthly Reiki meditation group that I host: "Like the river, go with the flow. That is what I learned when I went swimming with the whales - it is what they kept telling me over and over again."
Go with the flow...Release...Surrender...Do not fight what is...Accept everything as it is and realize it is all perfect as it is...
These are important lessons - but often so difficult for us to embody.
Then I thought of a review I read of the book Led By Faith - the remarkable story of Immaculee Ilibagiza, who survived the Rwandan genocide. Her family was exterminated and she was left wondering how she could ever love again. But then, a friend shared with her these words. (The following is excerpted from a newsletter sent out by Hay House, her publisher):
"Go back into the world and find someone to bless with that same type of love. Give it to someone who has no love at all, such as the homeless, the sick, or the orphaned. Look for the beauty of God in the eyes of a little boy or girl. Find a child whose heart has been shattered, and give him or her some happiness. Remember, all love begins with a smile."
Immaculee herself describes her journey of discovery and spiritual growth:
"I learned that when we have suffered a loss too great to bear, our hearts and minds are open to miracles... and sometimes even a little miracle can sustain our faith and help us survive."
So many lessons - everywhere - the same lessons coming in so many different forms and flavors...
She nodded affirmatively, saying to me - "Yes, it ebbs, and flows, but it is always there."
This afternoon, when I got out into the river, I couldn't help but observe how dirty and murky the river has been. There is this residue clinging to the shores and sometimes floating on top of the river. It almost seems to to me as if the river is in the process of purging. According to the ancient Indian science of Ayurveda, it is important to detox and cleanse as one transitions from one season to another, so perhaps the river is preparing to enter deeply into the Fall. I have been thinking of how best to do this myself and once more, I found the river mirroring my own life and the state of my soul...
As always, I paddled upstream to meditate in my favorite spot and then float downstream for a while. I bypassed a blue heron that was more or less in the same place as the one I saw recently. We looked at each other intently and I felt he was the same one I had seen before. A Voice inside me said - "he's the one."
A motor boat went by and stirred up the waters creating big waves. I was tossed about and found it hard to paddle at first. Then I released and remembered what another friend said to me in the monthly Reiki meditation group that I host: "Like the river, go with the flow. That is what I learned when I went swimming with the whales - it is what they kept telling me over and over again."
Go with the flow...Release...Surrender...Do not fight what is...Accept everything as it is and realize it is all perfect as it is...
These are important lessons - but often so difficult for us to embody.
Then I thought of a review I read of the book Led By Faith - the remarkable story of Immaculee Ilibagiza, who survived the Rwandan genocide. Her family was exterminated and she was left wondering how she could ever love again. But then, a friend shared with her these words. (The following is excerpted from a newsletter sent out by Hay House, her publisher):
"Go back into the world and find someone to bless with that same type of love. Give it to someone who has no love at all, such as the homeless, the sick, or the orphaned. Look for the beauty of God in the eyes of a little boy or girl. Find a child whose heart has been shattered, and give him or her some happiness. Remember, all love begins with a smile."
Immaculee herself describes her journey of discovery and spiritual growth:
"I learned that when we have suffered a loss too great to bear, our hearts and minds are open to miracles... and sometimes even a little miracle can sustain our faith and help us survive."
So many lessons - everywhere - the same lessons coming in so many different forms and flavors...
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