I am on my usual morning walk with my puppy Mollie. She leads me to where she wants to go as I allow her the freedom to sniff and explore to her little heart's content. She teaches me to be present and patient. It becomes a walking meditation for me. Without fail, the beauty of nature awakens something deeply inside of me each time I choose to walk mindfully. Daily I am shown the way to live a life that is full and giving.
This morning the beloved found me and entered my inner world as sweetly and gently as the sun rising above the trees. My heart was filled with love as I looked all around and felt held in the presence of a power much greater than I. It always humbles me.
It was an ordinary day yet with my heart wide open I was experiencing an awakening. No phenomenon, just being swept into a moment of rapture. I stood still, hearing my heart beating and I felt at home right then and there. Home was right here within my heart and there was no searching. It was illuminating everything I gazed at. I saw the details as if someone was shining a spotlight on the world around me. I could hear sounds as if nature was amplified and in that holy moment I remembered that this is who I am. I was okay and there was nothing I had to do to arrive here but to receive it. Drinking it all in, I was filled with a love that seemed infinite. I realized that just as Mollie was guiding me to this presence, I was the one who allowed myself to just fall into love. The divine waits for me to be open and present to all that is right here.
I stand by a tree right with a woodpecker just an arm's length in front of me. Wearing his red helmet, he looks right into my eyes. I didn't spiral into the past thinking of missing Steve, instead, I gaze into this bird with my heart wide open. I am filled with appreciation for all that life has brought me. All the ups and downs and ins and outs of day to day living seem to stop and give me the answer I have been waiting for: Be right here and see beyond the image. The mind softens and in the quiet presence of the moment I receive the rhythm of my own life. All my senses seem to be more alive and become the pathway home to my heart. I choose to be in the stream of consciousness instead of the mind of thinking. I feel at home in these familiar surroundings of Anna Maria Island and yet in that moment it wouldn't matter where I was. I am deeply with the divine that is close and intimately within and outside of me.
The longing for the beloved isn't a faraway place to get to. It beckons us toward the journey that brings us deeply into our hearts where we are home. When we arrive, it radiates through and joins us with everything that exists. We begin to see the precious gift of life that offers comfort as the world becomes the messenger, giving to us the feeling of belonging.
To be in love no matter what the conditions are outside is easier said than done! But if we can trust enough to let go, to surrender, this river of presence can fill you up. We are enough and worthy to drink from this cup of living waters that flows from within.
I make my way to my friend's home and Mollie runs to the door knowing what is waiting for her. She jumps up onto the laps of Pat and Rob wagging her tail in excitement as she brings love and is loved right back. After getting treats and strokes, she parks herself in front of the screen door. She sits, fully alert and focused within, gazing out into the garden where she watches in stillness. Mollie is home wherever she is. She is happy and content just to be the receiver of life's gifts.
Frannie Hoffman (c) 2015
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