Well, I must say, what a week! It's felt really quite humblingly intense. A number of really emotional events and that has continued into today.
Earlier in the week, I met a family and one of the sons effervescently nicknamed me Charlie. Of course, because of Charlie Chaplin. Now, mum's prognosis has changed and I've been supporting them through this painful transition. Meeting one of the brothers was quite interesting today. Not just because of the really meaningful and poignant conversation that we've had, but also because he seemed to genuinely believe my name was actually Charlie.
I had to keep a straight face amidst the very serious topics of conversation, where he would say things like, “so you see it's like this Charlie!”
Even my daughter was amused when I told her, earlier.
So, this morning was the morning after the night before. We were all waking to the result of the general election.
In response, the authors at Writer's HQ (WHQ), sent out this snippet as part of an email.
“Today there is something more important to consider.
That true power lies not in our great institutions, but in our communities and the people around us. In brief hellos in the street. In offers of help. Jokes told in passing. The sharing of food. In the rituals we share, the gifts we swap, the stories we tell.
All the power we have is bound up in the connections we have to each other. That’s not to say that politics doesn’t impact every single area of our lives. It’s to say that the writing of stories, the telling of stories, the dissemination of stories, the sharing and togetherness is the ultimate expression of that connection and is never, ever a frivolous act. It is, in fact, a necessary act.”
Sarah & Team WHQ
Hmmmm. Deeply thought provoking, I believe.
Talking with the chaplain, for some people wrestling with significant life events is in itself, a necessary act. It was for this particular relative today. And, as we talked, I really felt the significance myself. It left me feeling really open and connected. Vulnerably free. It was very profound.
For some time I've been really challenged and interested by the ideas around true power. As we wake up to a new season with a new Prime Minister in power, I'm even more aware of what this means for us. How all this works. These lines seem to capture some of what I've been feeling in these encounters.
“That true power lies not in our great institutions, but in our communities and the people around us… All the power we have is bound up in the connections we have to each other.”
Sarah & Team WHQ
I have shared in those connections today. I helped people to think about the connections that they were part of.
In keeping with the goings on over the last couple of days and my experiences, I've once again felt a real openness to spiritual things. A longing and a yearning within people to connect with the divine. To know and feel a greater meaning and purpose beyond the here and now.
As I continued to interact with this particular family, I had put down the mug I use in the hospital. On it, there are the words, “God is with you.” Words taken from Isaiah 41:10. Amusingly, I went looking for it and asked the consultant if she'd seen it. Smilingly, she asked me what was on it. To which I duly smiled back and said, as the irony dawned on me, “God is with you.”
I relayed the story to the family and we laughed a little together. But, in all seriousness, I've really sensed a search for God. A real openness to these things. And it's not an endorsement of organised religion, as I referenced yesterday, but a deep connection to the maker. A pure heart connection.
I pray that I might open myself to this also. I feel this invitation, in fact. God is with you, Charlie.
Whilst this might all sound very rosey and beautiful. It's fraught with pain and doubt and deferred hope as well. It's not a utopian wonderland of all sweetness and light.
Another relative was really closed off and resistant. Or, perhaps more accurately, just dealing with things in a different way. I can understand that, just as much. It's still a connector. And one with boundaries and respect. On reflection, also a dose of reality.
Thin places are also fragile places. Earthy places as well as ethereal.
In this state of openness, you're also exposed to your vulnerabilities and insecurities. And that's not a bad thing. Just something that's delicate. I know that I must find a way of grounding myself, before I head off for the weekend. Before, I'm unable to balance my emotions in a healthy way. I think I've mentioned before about experiencing the highs of mountains of transfiguration and the subsequent place of the valley in that story.
In chapter seven of her book Rising Strong, Brené Brown talks about Claudia who says,
“It's so hard to be facedown on the arena floor, but if you open your eyes when you're down there and take a minute to look around, you get a completely new perspective on the world. You see things you don't see when you're standing tall. You see more struggle —more conflict and suffering. It can make you more compassionate if you open your eyes and look around while you're down there.”
In analysing Claudia's story, Brené Brown notes,
“… it takes courage to share a story that's still in process—to say, “I'm still in the rumble, still trying to figure out what's true and what's not.””
Rumbling makes a lot of sense to me. I'll keep rumbling along.
A truly powerful day, eh?