Dear Friends,
Have you been to Alki Beach in West Seattle, Washington? To me, it’s one of the most beautiful places on earth! The expanse of sandy beach and blue water is surrounded by a panoramic view of the Cascade Mountain Range, the Olympic Mountains, Mt Rainer and Seattle’s skyline. It takes my breath away and at the same time, it is home. A recent visit brought back little girl memories of visiting my cousins in West Seattle after making the long trip from Northern California. I remembered our strong young legs running up the hills, after a day of play. I remembered fish and chips at their favorite spot. I remembered feeling included in their joy for life and love for one another. Home.
As we get older, our memories pile up on one another, some get forgotten, some retain a kind of “shimmer.” Some memories become the story of our lives that we tell ourselves, over and over, even if others may not remember things the same way. I’m thinking that some memories, join with the great collective unconscious that all of us share. Even though you were not part of my personal experience on the beach at Alki, you have your own beach memories, your own cousin memories, your own sunny-day-and-the-world-is -wonderful kind of memories. At least I hope you do! And its in that place of connection, of shared consciousness, that you and I meet as you read these words. And that place of connection, I would offer, is also a feeling of “home.”
I guess my August Glimmer is an invitation to expand our definition of “home.” Think for a minute of a time you were relaxed…safe….loved. Isn’t that an experience of coming home? If we add new images around the concept of home, we would have more opportunities for the inner peace that results. And, in this world of constant change and uncertainty, we’d have a way “in” to our hearts, in to the place where we know love, where we come home.
I am learning to trust a place within me that is not defined by words. While words enter through thoughts and memories, they are not the core experience. When I enter this place of rest, I even suspend my emotional response as best I can. For me, this inner home is much larger than feelings, although my feelings do surge in response to the peace I find here. Sharing this time of rest, of prayer, with others offers an experience that is rich as we are silently present to each other and to the great Mystery of Love.
So I offer here, humbly but passionately, a suggestion….
Listen to This two minute piece of music
It’s “Gabriel’s Oboe” from the soundtrack of The Mission, a movie made in 1986. As you listen, close your eyes and relax. Let the music’s vibration travel through your heart, mind and body. Be present to the music as you would to a sunrise, let it unfold as you sit in wonder. Don’t search for words to describe it or responses to explain it, just be…You know, as I write this Glimmer and imagine you reading it, I am nudged into that same place of peace I’m trying to describe. I imagine your precious heart working so hard to manage all the responsibilities and pressures around you. Today I am sitting with you and holding your story, for a bit, so your heart can return home. Allow your heart to find its way back…
Come home…what might that really mean for you today?
With love, Lisa
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