All Shall Be Well

"All shall be well.
And all shall be well.
And all manner of things
shall be well!"
~ Julian of Norwich

This wonderful saying by Julian of Norwich has been buzzing around in my brain this last week. A dear friend often quotes it to me, and did so before my surgery, and in its aftermath as well...

Many years ago, in 1988, I traveled to Norwich, England, to sit in the cell of Dame Juliana, as she is often referred to. We actually, do not know "Julian's" real name. All we know is that she was an anchoress, and was literally walled in, almost as if buried alive, in the Church of St. Julian.

Unfortunately, the original church was destroyed during World War II. But it has been reconstructed, and I enjoyed the time I spent in Julian's sacred space.

In the 14th century, an era nearly as tumultuous as our own, Julian had a series of visions which she called her "showings." These were written down, and her writings are regarded as the first writings of any kind, recorded by a woman. Hence, she is known as the "First English Woman of Letters," and until recently, her manuscript was housed in the British Museum. When I was in London last fall, I had requested to see them, but they had found a new home in the British Library.

Years ago, when I sat in Julian's cell, I felt her presence, and practically "heard" her whisper: "All shall be well" in my ear. And since then, at certain times of need, she gently gives me this reminder, either through her writings, or the voice of a friend.

And so, all is well, as I slowly make my way back to the land of the living and reflect deeply on the experience I just had. With so many wonderful souls sending healing energy and loving thoughts and prayers, I am doing remarkably well.

When I visited Norwich all those many years ago, I bought a key chain with this famous saying at the Cathedral of Norwich. Unfortunately, I lost it a few years later. But with the dawn of the internet in the early 90's, I was able to send a message to the cathedral and inquire about replacing my lost key chain. Several weeks later, a new one arrived, sent to me as a gift, and to this day, it is always with me.

Truly, all shall be well. And all manner of things always shall be.

This, I believe...