Time of Restoration

These are new times. It appears things are falling apart, becoming outdated as quickly as we say yes to it, old ways of being, previous interests, that which we are/were hooked into; are no longer working. During the past ten years or so, many have written about old paradigms falling away, no longer working constructs, institutions of longevity no longer functioning, serving or being purposeful - and now we are living it personally. We are standing in the midst of volatile personal change: shedding, detaching, peeling, molting, reformation, letting go of, overhauling, improvement, rectification. The word which has been brought to my attention is 'restorative'. Restorative meaning recuperative and renewal.  Eventually, after a time of upheaval; soothing, invigorating and uplifting will emerge. But first comes the draining facet; where many souls are right now.

Where there is change, if we hold on to old paradigms it is draining. It is the old; hold on and get pulled or let go and ride the wave! Our government is the perfect example of this truth. It is a law of nature. Life is change. That which worked for us years ago, may not work for us now. That which even worked yesterday, may not be positive for us today. Nothing is stagnant. Nothing. There is life  force, God force in all things - and IT is always moving, growing, expanding, releasing, becoming something different than it just was.

The phrase 'let go and let God' has never, in my life, been more relevant. Since I was a child I knew I had to let God handle it. No matter what IT was. I first had this six year old epiphany sitting in between my parents on a cold seat of an original wooden pew at the Second Congregational Church in West Boxford, MA; as the passionate minister was displaying his evangelistic tone with hands raised and black flowing fabric moving rapidly from his arms - his demeanor appeared out of character for this sedate group of New Englanders (and I liked him very much)  - but the view through my child like eyes was that no one else was moving, my mother sat very staid & erect to my right, in a perfect years of modeling back straight mode, not moving her head for fear her magnificent hat would fall; I assumed. Yet my father not only was staid, but asleep. And the entire congregation knew it; for he snored like a mac truck. It was my job to let him sleep, but when he made a gurgling, sinus like, too loud people are starring at us noise; to nudge him, as to not embarrass himself ( or my mother). After several nudges I realized; God, this is up to you. If I fell asleep, I'd be in real trouble!

One of very best gifts we can offer one another is our honesty without self judgment. For years we have each worked on not judging others. We have listened to ourselves through the still small voices of the nasty guides speaking internal comments - which we would never confess to out loud. But now, now is the time to speak our truth without self incrimination, without making ourselves wrong or right, without passing a good or bad, should or could have flag on our own lives. We have worked at being unconditional to and with others; and now, the call is, we MUST be unconditional with our selves as well.

Being a person people confess to and share their fears with is always a sensitive space to hold; one I have been honored to be in. Holding others as they die, comforting families, discussing why suicide, seeing yet another person with cancer, hearing of the death of a child, the struggles of our young men, the pain of being a teenager, the unraveling of marriages, the ideas of what some people do to others, the idea of abuse, emotional turmoil and the list is some days down right infinite. During the holidays is traditionally a challenging time for many. Our emotional baggage is on display for others and our selves to see. Our pains and our joys are triggered with an immensity beyond our human intelligence. Our hearts are opened through the love which embraces our world during this season of darkness and light. And now, in this time of our human journey, we are seeing from the inside out, rather than witnessing the pain and joy of others, many are feeling the lifelong journeys of their own souls discomfort, here in this human body. What worked for us for years, as in jobs, purpose, work - and what we thought were our desires, our dreams, our needs and our wants; is all disintegrating,  dismantling, draining away from us, through us; preparing us for new.

I deeply believe we are in this thing called Life together; and we need one another. I recently read an analogy of each person being a drop of God - and like a symphony, each singular instrument is lovely; but together they are a breathtaking sound of glorious majesty! We each are drops of Godness, and as we come together in this journey we become more than we were apart. When we find love, we are more in partnership through commitment than we were alone. I do believe this is why people seek love of another, rather desperately at times; in order to become more with more Godness, than they were without it. We who love God, who have personal relationships with God know of this love. We know that when we sit in the quiet of a room, void of distraction of our humanness; we can become aware of God, of the greatness of the universal Life force of Love - and it can redeem us - it can rejuvenate us to a state of peace. We who are aware of the love of God know this when we sing out loud in praise & worship. We who know the love of God know this in the quiet moments of holding space for another soul as they leave their human body and travel home to God. When you know the love of God a precious moment of that love can take place at the grocery store, with a stranger asking for help, with a gift of a few dollars to another human in need, or when you watch a child see the magic of the holidays. God is in all things at all times; it happens everywhere. ...that moment, that breath of joy when all else falls way. When we know the love of God through an undeniable and unexplainable faith; one knows that the human spirit is God stuff goodness; and we prevail.

My favorite book of the Bible has always been REVELATIONS. The symbolism is grand, the story of good vs. evil is played out in a movie like largeness, with drama and leading roles. Rainbows, seven seals, seven angels, crystals, jasper, carnelian, emerald, trumpets, seas, 24 white robed elders and fire.  As I look at the bible as the spiritual allegory for mans journey, I have always seen the final book as the crème de la crème. What this book supports for me is that our human journey, no matter how painful, how difficult, how challenging; is worth it.

So, here we are. Some of us like myself, having had work we loved for 30 or more years and all of sudden, it stopped. Ceased. With no human explanation. Obviously something greater than i at work here. So here we are, like myself, with dreams and intentions not being seen after having done everything one knows to do. So here we are, like myself, having asked for support but not receiving it in the way I had imagined. So here we are; letting go of the old, or rather watching it through our faith in that which has not yet been revealed be removed from our lives; and trusting. Trusting the journey of renewal; of letting the old go by, creating space for the new. Trusting - that when the molting, releasing, peeling away of previous and present personal constructs is complete;  we shall be at PEACE; made new, restored.