My wish for you
is a homecoming in this life.
A coming in out of the cold;
a drying off the icy rain’s touch.
In the holy reliquary
of childhood memory
may you find there the unshakable truth
of your preciousness.
May you remember the cool and padded graces
of your wet feet against stone.
In the middle of a long night,
a single burning light
serving as your peace,
may you fold back the pocket
holding your slights,
your jilted times,
your feelings of betrayal,
and discover small diamonds there,
created from the crushed coal
of your hates and rage.
May you taste resurrection
without the need of dying for it.
by Frank MacEowen
A heartfelt wish, these words by Frank MacEowen, the author of The Mist-Filled Path. Although it’s summer now, the memory of icy rain – whether it’s the kind that’s fallen from the sky or a more emotional one – is real, and the wish for everyone to find a homecoming feels close for me too. And with so many receiving quite the opposite of a message of preciousness during childhood, how wonderful would it be if we all knew this as an unshakeable truth!
I realise how important this hopefulness is for me, that even when we’ve not received generous loving as children, when there’s a long journey of jilted times, betrayal and loneliness, it’s still possible for something new to take root. For new habits to grow, for insights to lead to more joyful chapters, for the giving and receiving of love to become more possible. And there are so many paths in the world leading in that direction, and I’m very grateful to have found this one of mindfulness and compassion! May we all find a way out of the cold, may we all find a true homecoming in this life…
PS And traveling an uphill path together makes the journey feel less steep, and I’m sure that also goes for practising mindfulness! So if you’d like to practise together with others, there are new courses starting regularly, see here for more details…
Photo by AHMAD BADER on Unsplash