If you’ve been around for a while, you know that I’ve often shared the spiritual process I take in navigating life’s human challenges and losses, as well as with celebrations and obvious blessings.
Sometimes, if the experience is mine alone I’ll share some detail, however, this past weekend, I elected to share as much as I could regarding a very tough week without getting into the gory details. In this case the details are not important, however, I wish to clarify a few things so as to not conjure up any unwarranted concerns.
I, my husband, family and all of our children are all physically well; thank God. There is some emotional and spiritual healing that is in process and we are well on our way. Prayer, faith and the support of family, friends and spiritual communities are truly the main reasons our recovery has been—and will be—easier than what it could have been. This is what I wished to address in the letter shared on Saturday after several days of non-communication.
Parts of me wish to share more detail, however, in my desire to protect the innocent, I will not. This is someone else’s story to share and is yet to be complete. I will share that many have shown incredible bravery and courage and for that I am thankful and humbled. If we truly “sign up” to serve through various life experiences, many people involved signed up for some heavily intensive training and modeling. God love them!
We need not always know “what happened” to offer the powerfully alchemical prayers of wholeness, happiness and healing. Just seeing someone happy and free is enough to activate the magic and blessings of the Divine and bring comfort to those in need. In fact, I long ago realized that I may not be the best judge of what will ultimately bring me and others to joy and fulfillment. I have enough experience with sad or frustrating events leading to good to know that our preferred routes may not always be the best ones. So, often I simply imagine a person happy, singing, laughing, and free, trusting that the way to get there is something spectacular being constructed by an Intelligence much more ingenious and creative than me.
The Power of Surrender and Trust
Surrendering to “what is” and trusting that blessings will be received even in the most challenging situations are powerful acts that allow for a flow into the Divine currents of change and transformation. I can look back over my life and see enough evidence to know that if things always worked out the way I wanted them to, things wouldn’t have worked out as well as they did! And, as I write this, I am certain you know what I’m talking about, tapping into several examples in your own life!
I will tell you that this weekend, “normal” appeared to have returned in several extended time frames, much earlier than one would anticipate. We went to both the woods and the water for healing and received much needed reminders of the grace and beauty that surrounds us. Saturday, as I swam (hard) in the ocean, I felt the stress of the last week leaving my body and my brain. Watching my daughter and her friend laughing and playing, I shed a few tears of gratitude. As my husband and I occasionally reflected upon the last several days and the incident that brought us back to our knees in prayer (we’ve been on our knees a lot the last few weeks), all I could think was “what did I do to deserve such an amazing, conscious, perfect husband?”
As I spoke to my mother, and acknowledged the amazing way she handled things until we were able to catch a plane to join the family, all I could feel was immense appreciation for how we’ve all decided to show up in the world. I even appreciated the five hour delay my husband and I endured at the airport when all we wanted was to “be there.” I understood that it was a needed, albeit frustrating gift that allowed for a little more emotional processing before we’d be called to stand strong on behalf of others. The three of the five of our children who have been actively involved in the situation are breathtakingly impressive, each offering some of the most astonishing wisdom I’ve ever heard.
Your Past Does Not Have to Become Your Story
This has been a mantra I’ve repeated several times this week to those you are praying for and those who are praying. Rather than become victims of the situations that have caused pain and broken us wide open, we can instead choose to become empowered students. If we believe that everything happens for a reason and that all reasons are in service to our highest good and the growth and evolution that is primed to be experienced, we can collapse into our faith and trust in the unfolding.
The power of your story is always in “how you tell it.” Are the details of “what happened” more important than the growth that only became imminent as a result of the situation? Does the story you tell fight more for your limitations or is the focus on connecting to the good (and God) that came from the divinely undesired? Are you playing the role of victim or hero, and consciously aware that each moment is an opportunity to choose from love or hate, faith or fear?
One of the opportunities we are all facing right now, regardless of our pasts and what’s coming in the future, is to choose who we want to be in the world. As much as life doles out challenging moments, in reality that is all they are…moments. What matters most are the times in between the moments, and how we show up, either in alignment with our true natures and God-given potentials or not. Simply put, sucky moments do not need to become the proof or justification of a sucky life. Rather, we can approach each moment as an opportunity to co-create a future reality grounded in strength, faith, courage and grace.
Contemplate This! You Choose What to Infuse…
If you were offered the opportunity to infuse the world with one or two things, what would they be? And, what if, regardless of situation or circumstance, what you choose to infuse, is the most important influence of life and others?
For me, I wish to infuse the world with compassion, inspiration and healing. Given that, I often must ask, especially when challenged, “What would compassion look like, what would it say, and what would it not look like?” I’m also reminded of the wisdom of my elders who continue to remind us, “Forgiveness is the most powerful medicine the Creator has given us.”
This morning, as I awoke to feeling a bit out of control, wanting to KNOW the answers to many questions, hasten resolution, and figure out how to shift gears and take care of so much that we’ve had to put off over the last week, I addressed my impatience from a spiritual perspective, again, turning it over to the powers at work.
I must trust that the Universe will take care of us. At some point the laundry will get done, the boxes will get packed (yes, we are moving in a week!), my creativity will return, and the house will get cleaned. If I had a clone I’d assign it the responsibilities of getting back on track with the Next Top Spiritual Author Competition (I need your votes at and letting people know about Healing the Chalice (www.healingthechalice.com) , because so much of what I had planned to be doing just hasn’t been able to get done.
I’d assign it the worry about so much lost time that does not get paid when you are a solo-entrepreneur and I’d give myself permission to just take a nap, a swim, or watch movies with my kids all day. I give up without giving in. I turn it over and agree to “not care” about where the money will come from to pay for the last minute airfares (ouch!) and lost time at work. So, as all things go back to the beginning, I surrender and choose what to infuse into the rest of this day, knowing that in the long run, it will all work out.
“You surrender to love, in spite of your fear,
unwrapped and vulnerable; it is as it must be.”
~excerpt from www.divinitymovie.com by Anita Pathik Law and Brent Law
Much love, Ani
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