A Summer of Pain and Healing

First, in case you wonder why I’m so candid about my story, my narrative, I’ve struggled my whole life with the concept of sweeping things under the rug. My gosh, that carpet would have to be HUGE and then the condition of those piles swept under it. Gross! Also, I understand my calling on the planet to be one who sheds light in dark spaces—we were meant to shine for crying out loud and one cannot shine if hiding in the corner, the basement, or the shadows of life. To that end, I share my life: the good, the bad, and the ugly. I choose to use who I am and my narrative in order to demonstrate the power in various healing modalities as well as the presence of God in our struggles working with us to heal and mend. I hold true to a theology where God does not create the pain we experience but allows it. It is up to us to recognize the struggle and create pathways out of it. We have the choice of how to participate.

​Yes, it has been a summer of pain—starting with my ankle injury in May (which has yet to heal), a massacre in the LGBTQ+ community in June, and personal and professional struggles throughout the other months. I am also feeling connected to the pain of the world which has been difficult to ignore lately. It’s been quite a roller coaster between the struggle and the summer fun I was able to enjoy in bits and spurts. 

I collected experiences throughout the summer and now am in the healing portion of the journey. I have had enough distance from the people, places, and incidents that triggered my emotional pain. I have to remember that I am a soul having a human experience. I have to get in touch with what my soul is telling me, and right now it’s telling me, “Enough already! Remember all the healing you’ve done in the past?! Let’s get back to that. You don’t have to keep suffering.” If we are to participate in this “heaven on earth” thing—maybe it’s time to transform the suffering. 

I attended incredible enlightenment classes a few years ago. It was an amazing opportunity to discuss the spiritual nature of the world and ourselves.  We would have an opportunity to resolve/heal issues and help our classmates, too. Every so often I recall people asking, "Am I done?" (especially after clearly a major issue/block). Our teacher would respond, "Are you still alive? Then, no...you are not 'done.'" We are far from done. Our world is far from done. The calling upon us is that of transformation. See, when I work on my "stuff" the ripple effect goes out into the world. As I help myself I am also helping civilization. In my humble opinion, that is one of the many reasons why Jesus (one of my many teachers) was so adamant about forgiveness. Forgiveness is not only a balm for my heart--it is restorative for our culture. That, is the heart of Jesus' message (along with other traditions). That is the task at hand. That is why the message is repeated and taught in many and varied ways through the Gospels. "Love one another" calls on not only an open disposition, but one that also forgives and forgives often. Hey, I didn't say it was easy. I said it was our calling. The choice is always up to us. 

The acts of healing, love, and forgiveness we do today are seeds we plant for future generations. The seeds are sown between souls, systems, and cultures. Let us cultivate a future of love.