Headwaters; Our Connection to the Source

Once upon a time, not so many decades ago, I had a cabin at the Eastern Continental Divide a few hundred yards from the headwaters of the French Broad River in North Carolina.

I made my way several times through laurel thickets up the babbling stream behind Touchstones (the name I gave my little house). Water came up through the rocks from deep within its Source. There has never been anything sweeter that crossed my lips. Even below the headwaters, the pure water was like no other.

Unviolated by humans or cows, the taste and sounds of my stream will never escape my memory. I learned from natives to "tune" the stream by moving smooth rocks around beneath its surface. The nuanced melodies brought soothing knowledge that each of us plays a role in the Great Composition.

Life cannot be experienced fully unless one is able to make the journey upstream and down deep in search of the Source. Short of that, the beauty of creation and our part in it can only be self-centered and one dimensional. In order to survive without acknowledging the company of a power greater than ourselves, it is necessary to keep one foot in the past and one in the future. Savoring the present moment is too dangerous when thieves and pirates might come to take away your treasures at any turn in the road. The notion of being at one with each other and creation can only be transitory and might even feel threatening.

Being-on-the-way to God isn't always a conscious effort or even a continual process. It's more like hunger and desire which leads us beyond what is happening to what is meaningful. Beyond personal growth and change, this being-on-the-way is transformational. We will uncover True Self in God. This enables us to reach out and connect with a universal oneness.

“When we get in touch with our Essential Nature, we can use our unique, authentic gifts for the good of others and the world. ”

— Richard Rohr

On Wednesday, many people who practice Christianity will observe Ash Wednesday. It is a unique start to a season of prayer, fasting, and renewal which leads up to Easter and a celebration of new life. What is particularly appealing about this ritual is that it makes room for getting in touch with what Richard Rohr calls our Essential Nature. It's a time for listening to that wee small voice where your truth is being whispered.

Whether Christian or not, setting aside 40 days for discovery, new beginnings and reconnection is well worth it. Once the path has been found, it might appear that the only way is the one that led you there. But there are as many ways as there are individuals. I can’t travel by yours nor can you get there by mine. What we can do is to share our experience, strength and hope with fellow travelers.

What we will be empowered to do is reach out meaningfully to those who are poor, struggle, and suffer without measuring the personal cost of our generosity. It can become the springtime of the body, mind, heart, and soul. For what bubbles up from the spring of your headwaters is a pure manifestation of the Source.

The New Year; A Path to Reconciliation

"Ring out the old, ring in the new. Ring, happy bells, across the snow: The year is going let him go; Ring out the false, ring in the true." ~ Alfred Lord Tennyson

A celebration of this New Year of 2019 gives us the unique opportunity to reflect.  We have experienced triumph and defeat, joy and sorrow, abundance and loss.  Our personal lives have been changed.  We are a bit older and more experienced.  Our reminiscences of the year should include both the good and the harm we might have done. This is a good time to sort it all out. It will give us a chance for reconciliation and new beginnings.

Sometimes we leave damage in our wake despite the best intentions. People have feelings that are hurt because we were somehow thoughtless or reckless.  We have done or failed to do things that have hurt relationships.  This creates a need for making amends. We must first admit our wrongdoings, apologize, and then proceed to set things right. By so doing, we make ourselves vulnerable and take down the walls that separate us. Finally, we pledge to refrain from repeating the damaging behavior in the future.

A Path to Reconciliation

The healing that springs forth from reconciliation is beyond our greatest expectations. We begin to live a life without regrets. Trust and harmony become the cornerstones of our relationships. We find ourselves as the benefactors and recipients of love and compassion. We build coalitions instead of seeking isolation. Diversity is no longer frightening. There is always a path to reconciliation.  Nothing is so important that it should stand in the way of this miraculous process. What a terrific way to turn the page to a new year. Let’s do it...and set the stage for a Happy New Year.

“Le present est gros de l'avenir.” (The present is big with the future) ~ French Proverb