For me, writing is my healing. It is so much more than simply giving a voice to my feelings; it is cathartic and comforting deep within my soul. It is my alone time, wrapped in deep thought, in tune with the whispers of my heart, and intimately connected to God - the ultimate source of love and healing. It is my 'me' time, my reflection time, my self-love. It often takes me from a place of darkness to a place of Light. It often takes me from the despair of grief back to hope. It reminds me that I am exactly where I am meant to be, doing exactly what I am meant to be doing, at exactly that moment in time (it always feels right!!). It reminds me that I am so much more connected, so much more knowing, and so much more worthy than I have heretofore ever allowed myself to believe. It reminds me that the answers to most of life's questions are already within me, and the ones I don't know will be provided to me if only I still myself enough to allow the answers to enter into the realm of my conscious thought (hence, writing!).
This week, while jotting down a few words I wanted to later write about, in what can only be described as a sudden, profound epiphany, I understood what I had not before: If I can heal myself through self-love, I can help heal the world with this same love. This sounds almost ridiculous on the surface, but the more I thought about it, the more my tears revealed to me the truth in this revelation. "Heal thyself, heal the world," are the exact words that came to me. If I am capable of healing myself through my writing, then am I not capable of helping to heal others as well, not only by being a better everyday version of myself because I give this needed time to myself, but also by believing in myself enough to forge ahead in sharing with others the thoughts and words that have helped me to heal? Though there is a part of me that has always known this on some smaller level, the magnitude of how far reaching I could be hit me like a bus! And if those people I touch then go on to begin to heal and become emotionally healthier, and they too lovingly share my words with others also in need, and those people with yet others, am I not then touching and helping to heal the world through love, a love that started with loving myself enough to make healing time for me? There's no telling how widespread one act of self-love can be in its healing power! Wow!
During my crazy busy childrearing years, my mother always told me to find time for myself. "You are no good to anyone if you don't first take care of you," she would repeatedly tell me. Her theory was that you must come first, because you can't effectively and lovingly take care of others if your physical and emotional needs are being ignored, or shoved to the bottom of the list. Your spouse comes second, because if you don't nurture that bond and relationship, your marriage will struggle and then you'll be no good to anyone, least of all your children. And your children come third, not because they come last in your heart, but rather, because you love them enough to be your very best for them, which means first taking care of you. As a perfectionist, caregiver, and people pleaser, I struggled with this all the way until my parents died. I still do on a lesser level, but I'm getting much better about finding time for me and what I love. And the older I get, the more my mother's words ring with truth in my heart. She was so very wise!
Think for a minute about the truth of self-love and its powerful ripple effect. If we all approached life this way, taking care of ourselves first so that we radiate with happiness and love and self-care, imagine how much more love we'd all be putting forth into our everyday encounters and therefore into the world at large!
How can I possibly not make more of an effort to do this if I now understand the magnitude of the domino effect created by first loving myself? By loving myself enough to heal my own wounds, I help to send love's Light and Hope into the world! I can think of no greater purpose than helping others know they are not alone in their struggles, and helping to move those suffering from the darkness of despair into the hope and promise and love that is the Light. This has been my journey of the last 6 years (at least!), and it has lead me here.
"Heal thyself, heal the world." This is now my purpose. It is a gift given to me, by God, and now meant to be gifted to you, the reader, who will then ripple it into the world. This is the basis for my blog and poetry that I now give to you. May you be enriched in ways small or large by something you read here, and may you find the peace, joy, and gratitude that comes from having the courage to take the journey into healing your wounds. ♥
So much love,
Chris
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