Yesterday words were foreign; I knew not how to read and my speech slurred. Today, words are my companion; eloquent my speech for I am now learned in verse. In my youth I could not decipher direction let alone articulate language, my world was dark and desolate. As I wandered I learned that my heart would provide lessons, it would speak and I would listen. In my listening I realized that I had heard a voice before but pushed it away; funny, no matter how hard or cleverly I push it away, it remained. Lessons, familiar in voice, versed in truth, began to bombard me...
Love, unconditionally it is offered, unconditionally it is to be accepted and unconditionally to is to be surrendered to others. Love is at the core of our being, who we are, who we claim to be, stems from love for love is the affection of tenderness, of kindness, of acceptance we offer to self and others. There is no greater virtue than love for love epitomizes the Father when we act selflessly, holding the needs of others above our own. Love means providing a home, a safe haven in which others may rest their heart, rest their weary soul. Offered perfect love from the Father, we are to model this love for others. And so, it is with open arms that we walk this earth that we may ease the pain of those we meet by offering them genuine love, no strings attached, just true love. Directionally challenged as I was, love took the reigns and a path appeared through the rough. Tentative my steps for the unfamiliarity of venue had my mind cautious, to say the least. Recognizing my fear, the heart saturated me with love until I felt safe, until I felt protected, until I felt solace. Peace, a new offering; thus wholistic transformation from an unsettled, fearful mind to a calm, serene being. In the stillness of discovery life became silent and I once again heard the familiar voice which overtook my being as I rested in gratitude, rested in love. Though I had traveled, I had not grown weary, I had not grown troubled; rather my being flooded with joy as I gazed back as the path chosen by the heart in all its beauty, all its grandeur, it was completely breathtaking. The branches I thought to be thorns, standing guard as to prevent passage, were merely branches grown together in perfect harmony, now coexisting for one another, budding in magnificent beauty. A marriage of a red and white flower now emerges from the center of the branches. Its majestic hue catches the eyes of many who gaze at its vibrant color wishing for such simple beauty. Humility gifts this flower for though it sits atop the branches, it flaunts not its beauty; rather it takes in the sun, resting in its rays. Silently it sits, growing in the glory of God for in its beauty God can be seen, His grace felt as I, too, rest in the rays of the Son. Words flood my heart and I quickly find myself bombarded in song. The melody unfamiliar but the words echo in my soul..."I bring you here...hear and experience beauty, experience the truth of your soul. Let your soul blossom as the magenta flower has blossomed, let it take flight and soar among the beauty of this land. As you do this you will discover that I am with you in every moment, with you in every happenstance of your life. Fear not this experience, fear only that which you can not let go, it holds you back, it interferes with your sight, with you heart. Come, be in this moment, grow in this moment and this moment will shall never pass." The idea of the moment never passing intrigued me and so as I walked, as I took in the wonder of the tree lined mountain, as I breathed in the freshness of the air, I gave way to my heart and the mind, still silent, followed. The sights were somehow different, more crisp, more beautiful, more inviting and so I wandered with an open heart and a silent mind. The shadowed shapes which once had me running with fright now call my name. My exploration lead me to an understanding that God is every movement, God is every breeze, every breath is God. My entanglement in fear is quickly deemed an absurdity. God alive in His creation, God living among His creation...what is to fear? Wisdom in the moment, peace overtakes the moment and fear unveiled as the mind's play toy. The experience of "the moment", now spanning countless time, reveals truth versed in God's Word now felt in God's presence. Awakened by the rays of the Son, I become aware that life is not a culmination of years, it is not the passage of time that creates for me my existence; rather my existence is created in the breath of my soul intimately connected with God. I will walk, I will wander, I will wonder but never will I be alone, never will loneliness penetrate my heart for my heart is God's resting place...His voice the lullaby to my soul and I rest. God has shown Himself to me in this world; the chirp of each cricket reminds me of the pulse I share with God; it beats in unison with the Father that peace, not fear, may petrify my being. My need for immediate gratification is slowed by the promise of joy in an everlasting moment and so I trust, patience my companion and hope my confidant. The seasons change and bring with each a lesson. The magnificent hues of green cascading along the hillside speak the truth of the Father's presence in this world, inundating me with love as the blue jays sing a song which mesmerizes the heart and tempers the mind. Love follows this season just as I must follow this love. Permeating the hillside, joy settles in the valley as the leaves transform into golden and amber beauties. It is as though the world is set ablaze, set ablaze with love for, as the moment continues, love omnipresent and strengthens in awareness of faith. The hills on fire for all to experience, for all to witness as God's call to a resolute belief in His words. Nothing more powerful, nothing more truthful than the words of God residing in our hearts. Ah, the moment continues still and love act as an insulator to the impending cold. The wind blows, the trees sway, most lose their leaves and the hillside almost barren. In the silence of winter I hear the now familiar melody calling me to listen, listen with my heart to the voice of God calling in my soul. Frozen ground prevents not growth, no fear is what prevents growth, and so I toss aside fear, I toss aside the hauntingly dubious thoughts that I may become one with my surrounds, one with God, Himself. My breathing slows, the snow owl replaces the chirp of the cricket and again I find my pulse, beating in sync with God and I am home. Love my blanket and faith my shelter, life breathing in this still moment, resonating in the cool air. Darkness subsides as the rays of the sun peek through the clouds and the hillside begins to bud once again. Hope in each bud, wisdom in each flower, understanding in each bouquet for God...this hillside God's gift to me as a visualization of our connection; beauty in the majestic mountain covered in clouds silhouettes me in God's arms. The land presented to me is holy ground, its beauty reflects the beauty of God of which we are intimately connected thus we, too, are beauty, we are hope, we are peace, we are love, we are joy, we are faith. This is who and what were are though how we act, how we treat ourselves and others is a direct reflection of our acceptance of this truth. To quote Saint Thomas Aquinas, "To the one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To the one without faith, no explanation is possible." As promised, the moment has not extinguished, the moment is faith, its connection is love. I did not become versed in the language of the heart overnight for the language of the heart is not learned like that of scientific matters, this language requires not a degree, it requires only faith. With the heart opened and the mind silent, faith now permitted to embody my being that I may see the beauty of God, that I may experience the love offered by God, that I believe in the longevity of the moment for my understanding of time, of God, of self no longer manifests its self in human connotations but is solidified in the verbiage of the heart. The world, this life, need no explanation for I am forever carried on the wings of faith in "the moment" of my lifetime. It is not with human understanding that I follow my heart; rather it is with passive wisdom that I walk these lands and patient understanding that I place my trust in the Father for His love spans time, heals wounds, reveals truths and carries me through this life as I feel His very presence in my soul. The world which surrounds me is possible because of the Father's love. The world which surrounds me is beautiful because faith unmasks fear and the childish toy of the mind is tossed aside. The seasons change but the moment remains...this moment, a lifetime, a connection with the Father to ease our struggles among the fabricated commotion of time, of language only acting as barriers to truth. Truth is, the heart speaks, it offers love, it offers hope, it offers joy...truth is if we become the faith we claim we transcend time for we live connected to God, enveloped in love. Lessons of the heart may perplex and aggravate the mind yet it struggles cease for it knows truth as discovered in the glory and majesty of God. The mind cannot fight when the moment is accepted in love and reconciled by the heart...words of the heart, the voice of God, the language of our soul.
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