The Secret of Heart Surrender

Don’t let the storms that come, cloud your face so easily.  Many pass by, coming close, but missing us.  We cannot be worn down by these, as we need to conserve our energies for those blighters that hit us right between the eyes, force 9.  These monsters take us off our feet and the fallout/recovery in our lives can be months if not years.  None of us, thank God, know our future.  The fact that it is hidden is a real blessing.  I personally feel had I known what lay ahead even in 6^th grade it would have been a killer blow.  It’s not that my life has been a horror story (though at times!) its just, I am sure I am not the only one thinking, I barely got through that.  Imagine trying to cope with it knowing it all lay ahead in all its gruesome details.  Even a moderately unhappy school year would be unbearable.  But you need no lecture on dealing with tough days.  These past few years have been filled with all sorts of pain, akin to medieval torture but without the release of a swift execution.  I would not have had you go through any of this.  There are no lessons learned that can compensate me for seeing you suffer.  Reduced to being a spectator, as a loved one suffers, is horrid.  The powerlessness heightens anguish.  For some reason this line from Tolkien’s, The Lord of the Rings soothes slightly and helps provide the longer view.

“It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till. What weather they shall have is not ours to rule.” 

I am curious to know if everyone over fifty has come to the same conclusions as I have.  I share mine with you in case they are of use.

1.      People will disappoint and surprise you.  Despite how carefully you arrange your defences, they will get through and hit you hardest.  Economically it can sting, physically it can leave scars but it is emotionally that you carry the real lasting wounds.

2.    The very moments of life you feel your happiest, your proudest, your greatest sense of achievement are invariably the days of distance from God.  Perversely, it is in our darkest hours that we painfully turn and open our hearts to the light.  Watch out for those veils between your own heart and the life giving sun.

3.    You will do small deeds that will influence other’s lives in positive ways that you will never know.  These little gems make your very existence worthwhile.  Don’t bother to try and figure them out, record or publicise them.  Their beauty lies in the unconscious good that has spilled over into the lives of others.  You may not even be aware of them but you should certainly prime the pump that fuels their emergence.  Doing good should be our automatic mode while doing harm should be like screeching gears into reverse putting your teeth on edge.

4.    You are destined for great things – all of us are.  The only way we fail to achieve them is because lethargy, missed opportunities, distractedness or addiction has stolen our true destiny.

5.    Love is not a limited commodity that you parcel out like a plate of sandwiches.  It is fed from an unseen aqueduct and in order to tap into it we need only use what we’ve been given.  Keep it fresh and free flowing.  Meanness of heart causes stagnation and smells up not just your life but also those around you.

6.    Don’t be afraid of mistakes.  Fear instead the inaction that robs you of growth.

7.    Being bombarded with entertainment, materialism or addictions is a constant peril.  Flee it as you would the Embola virus.  It kills possibilities so quickly and infects all within its radius so completely you don’t even realise it has you.

8.    Get busy with people, projects, crafts, art, service and allow creativity to keep you afloat in this mire of a world.

9.    People will come and go in your life.  Some that you don’t even deserve to be in their shadow.  Be infinitely grateful for the glow they bring, the happiness they create and the fragrance that remains even after they have gone.

Sending this, for what its worth, with much love