It's a warm, breezy September day and at this moment, I am enjoying the quiet. I feel nature's slowdown pause, a signal to breathe in and out. My thoughts are inspired by a single word, wholehearted, which is this month's Spiritual Journey topic. Ruth Ayres, writer, author, and researcher is our host and offers various questions for us to ponder before writing. Since I am recuperating from the medical trauma of surgeries and infections, I want to learn more about wholehearted living.
Ruth asked, What does it mean to live wholeheartedly? Since I didn't understand what that entails, I did research. Noted author, researcher, and professor, Brene Brown, speaks on the issue of Wholehearted Living and offers 10 signposts. "Wholehearted Living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the Courage, Compassion, and Connection to wake up in the morning and think, no matter what gets done and home is left undone, I am enough." I admit I have oodles of paperwork stacked in my office so I often feel I cannot finish what I set out to do each day. This bothers me and leads to frustration and anxiety.
One of Brene Brown's signposts attracted me. "Cultivating calm and stillness and letting go of anxiety as a lifestyle". When I calmly stay in the moment of stillness, I feel refreshed but during the next part of the day, other feelings may interrupt and lead to anxiety. Therefore, I need to cultivate calm, pause, and stay in a moment.
My garden is a restful place but during the
summer the season offered heat waves and turbulent rainstorms. I did not spend much time in this tranquil place. I patiently waited months to see my ornamental grass sporting beautiful wheat and purple hues alongside butterfly bushes and two specimen magnolia trees. When the end of August and early September brought different temperatures and soft breezes, I spent more time admiring the outside patio. The sight of my gardens and a song, Wholehearted, energized me to write a Golden Shovel poem. The line from the song that I used is "I need grace. You give it wholehearted." Grace would help me see life in a better framework.
"Whatever you do, do it wholeheartedly ..." - Colossians 3:23-24
My goal for September is to be enthusiastic and mindful, to open my heart to positivity, and not let worry overwhelm me. I will start now because I just returned from the doctor's office. Instead of telling me I have an allergy or upper respiratory issue like my husband, I heard the word COVID. I was surprised with the outcome but knew I had to wholeheartedly accept the new detour on my spiritual journey. I am thankful that it appears to be a mild form of the new COVID virus. Maybe, now, I will have more quiet time to understand the cycle of life and wholehearted living with my one word, pause.
My Commitment:
I choose to fully engage in life during the next season and walk the spiritual pathway with faith knowing that my heart must be open and giving.
"Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." Corinthians 9: 6-8
Thank you, Ruth Ayres, for bringing your one word, wholehearted, to our attention. I look forward to reading what other members of the Spiritual Journey community write from their cheerful hearts. You can link in to read other posts here.
