Invitation

“Invitation”

 

“Hope and fear cannot occupy the same space.  Invite one to stay.”

Maya Angelou

           

The other day I was so concerned that I would not have enough to do when school was out.  It’s laughable to me now because since I turned my final in on Tuesday, I have somehow managed to keep myself occupied.  I will say that I have done a good job of being balanced so far so before you shake your head in my general direction, there has been some good self-care in there and time with family as well.

I have had the flexibility though to jump in and do some spontaneous twelve-step work with other addicts and alcoholics that I would not have normally been able to do and that has given me such a spiritual boost.  My gratitude meter has shot up exponentially this week despite struggling with a few personal issues that reminded me of my very human nature.

To be able to go and talk to someone battling with the concept of a higher power and just let them know I battled too.  To share a meal with them and normalize the struggle and take them to a meeting.  To hear them say they tried praying and they don’t know what they are praying to but that they feel like things are starting to shift in their life.  For them to call you and tell you about the “weird” things that have been happening and that they are starting to feel just a little bit better.  That is hope right there; hope dawning out of darkness.

To see that rising out of the desperation on the face of another human being when I know the kind of purgatory they have been living in is hard for me to describe.  It is the stuff about which poetry and songs are written. 

I would not have guessed that these sorts of interactions would bring me such joy and comfort, but there it is.  This is the connection that makes me whole and sees me healthy and right-sized.  To watch another human being start on a journey of self-discovery that will lead them to accepting themselves for who they are and were meant to be all along; to stop fighting but loving their ownness.  This is what I wish for all my fellows, friend and foe.  For people to feel a sense of inner peace. 

I get to be a part of that today.  I get to watch that in others over and over and over again.  It is the most wonderful re-birth to witness, a metamorphosis of the spirit that I will never tire of seeing and will never cease to be in awe of.