She walks with her Heart Wide Open. It is the only way that her spirit is able to Live....authentically. She finds joy watching and engaging with the precious life all around her, be it plant, animal, or human. There are lessons to be learned from them all, aren't there?. Though honestly, as of late, it has brought sadness to her.
Watching how people have been treating one another, the judging, the tearing down, the turning of backs on one another, and the total disregard out of greed or fear.....all seems to be at such heightened levels. The grief exists whether she is on the receiving end or witnessing it happening to another. At times it feels like her heart couldn't hold one more
ounce of sadness.
There have been many who have offered up unsolicited advice for her sadness....turn off the news...don't be an advocate...don't participate in social justice events...don't engage in politics...delete people from social media...delete people from your life...turn your back...turn the other cheek...let someone else help...keep your thoughts to yourself....bury your head in the sand....just worry about your own life...don't talk about the negative...grow a thicker skin...you're just looking at things wrong...Close Your Heart. ...
Sometimes all those things make her snort a half giggle. She thought how funny it is that as children we are raised to be thoughtful, kind, and giving human beings....yet when we are older we are told NOT to be.
She
is not going to change who she is. She will
continue to walk with her Heart Wide Open...to feel...to love...to cry...to laugh...to help...to give....to be fully Present for herself and others. She will continue to let her heart lead the way.
And in those moments when things feel a little rocky, when the sadness comes, and when the world seems disappointing, she will protect herself Spiritually.
She will close her eyes and imagine herself standing within the Agate Sunset....where the wide open sky looks like a painter's brush has spread magnificent streaks of magenta and fiery orange, dusty rose and splatters of periwinkle blues. She will hold close those wondrous Agate gemstones, gifts from Mother Earth, as they cleanse away the stress and stimulate her life force, those tool bits of spiritual protection. She will come to this space every night and she will come here as often as need be...to remember who she is...to remember that we are all Perfectly Imperfect...and to continue having the Strength to Walk with her Heart Wide Open.
{As an aside, how perfect that at the end of writing this little bit about the Agate Sunset, I made myself a cup of Honey Lavender Yogi Tea....and the sweet message on the tea tag said
"Your great happiness is based on the warmth of your heart" }
( I shall never change :)
This darling, Heart Wide Open, is an Original Sculpted Folk Art Doll Wall Hanging, Appalachian Art by Jeanne Fry. A printed copy of her story here accompanies her. You can find her on my website here
OOAK Folk Art Doll Cloth and Clay with Agate Gemstones