A blessed downpour of rain has just fallen across the valley where I live after five days of sweltering heat and humidity, which called for Environment Canada to issue heat alerts for all five days while the humidex climbed close to 40.
I’ve just finished preserving jars of tomato sauce from the harvest of my small garden and the coolest, most beautiful refreshing breeze is blowing in through the windows and balcony door, all of which have been madly flung open after these long days of non-stop blasting air conditioning.
It was also the first day back to school yesterday, with Labor Day signalling the end of summer for another year.
You may wonder what any of this has to do with love being a unified language, so I’ll get to my point.
I worked those scorching five hot days in a row…then I had two days to rest…then I took my daughter back to school…then summer felt over…then I bottled up the last tomatoes from my garden…then it rained and took away all that heavy humidity…then my heart had room to breathe again….and then I cried….and cried some more.
Through all of these endings and closings and beginnings and openings, I have been watching the heart -breaking and heart opening videos of the Syrian refugees. Those who have been welcomed with open arms of late into Germany, Sweden, and Greece – a symbol of a world awakening, and unbearably, those who didn’t make it, in particular, the little boy who was washed up onto a beach – that image…a symbol of separation, fear, power, and money…in other words… a symbol of war.
Being a highly sensitive empath, I’ve had to learn to go through life with my radar turned way, way, down so I can make it through the day, that is until I learned how to hit the ‘do not absorb’ button. Still, sometimes I feel like I’m an ostrich just burying my head in the sand and denying what’s going on in the world, and believe me, many others have accused me of such, but in truth, in order for sensitive empaths to do their real work in this world, which is to to remain grounded and centered enough to listen, look, and feel…but not take on, we must remain detached yet compassionate, an empath’s true gift. Way easier said than done at times.
This doesn’t make an empath special or holy. It mostly makes us crazed with the longing to live a “normal” life where we don’t feel the responsibility of the mission we know in our hearts is ours to the end – to live in as much love, peace, harmony, freedom, and beauty as we can create for ourselves and others.
Somewhere around 29 countries have opened their doors and their arms to the Syrian refugees, some of them tiny countries compared to the US or Canada, and some of them not even close to having the wealth of countries such as Israel, Saudia Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, who are refusing to take any refugees. The numbers and countries are changing daily so it’s enough to just say that perhaps there is still hope for us as a humanity, whose world heart is slowly opening up to each other as brothers and sisters of the same family.
This was the cause of my tears this morning….with my heart relaxed and wide open, I could feel both the tragic loss and the overwhelming gratitude of the now four million refugees, and at the same time could also deeply feel the outpouring of love from the selfless, everyday people who have made a stand to be on the sidelines of roads, beaches, train stations or airports to welcome their fellow human beings with food, clothes, kindness, and open arms.
As a Canadian, I have always been so proud of my country, but at the moment I am saddened and shocked that our numbers are so low with a country as large and healthy as ours, (about 2,500 registered Mideast refugees) and the USA numbers are even lower. This compared to Sweden opening up to approx. 40,000 and Greece at approx. 88,000.
I want to be one of those everyday people holding up a sign that says, “Welcome to Canada!” I want to be handing out clothes and food and opening my arms to the untold burden of pain, loss and confusion they must be holding in their hearts.
Not because I want to be a hero, but because I want to be a kind human being.
I certainly know that if the tables were turned, I’d be down on my knees in gratitude to be welcomed and accepted by my fellow human.
Back in 2009 I wrote these words as the conclusion to an article,
“Wealthy or impoverished, our true freedom will remain an ever-elusive dream as long as there’s a single human suffering or struggling for the dignity and basic right to thrive, not just survive in this world. When we as individuals begin to understand the true meaning of love, and begin living from this place, we will automatically give up the drama of our current existence and begin paving the road to freedom for all.”
May it be so….may it be so.
With much love,
Heather xo
Heather – your words brought tears to my eyes. There are times I have to switch off as I cant bear to feel the pain any more but then feel I am betraying my fellow human beings… I look and get mad at the pain men inflict on their fellow man because of greed, but I know my anger only pains me and will not help those in need… The wonderful pictures of people lining the streets to reach out with love to strangers was so uplifting but it was not long before the backlash ‘Those refugees will be smuggling terrorists in their midst….’ made me feel sick. But the great show of love we witnessed is a sign that people are at last able to show their compassion for each other openly and that it is there in great numbers in all countries…so take comfort and reassurance that things are changing for the better….
Thanks, Lorna. Maybe in our lifetime we will actually witness a humanity coming together as One Love. Regardless, I’ll never stop believing that it is our ultimate destiny and whether we get to witness it our not, I know in my heart it will be realized one day. Warmly, Heather
I share your tears my dear! …and yes, I too have been accused of shutting myself down just to be able to function….if I allowed it, I would most likely spend most of my time sobbing in agony for the suffering that is going on in this world….I don’t know, maybe that’s what I’m supposed to do, but, it doesn’t seem very productive to me. The Moss Hill Foundation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRw0-_kpDhc seems like a better solution to me….but even that doesn’t take away the remorse of knowing how badly we’ve treated each other on this planet, whoever might be to blame for taking us down that road! In Truth, Simplicity, and Love.
The ‘do not absorb’ button is crucial if we are to offer any solid sense of compassion and deep care to those who are suffering. It took me a very long time to not feel weighted down by the mass consciousness of this world and always felt like I was truly failing in the mission I knew I was sent here for…to be light and love and share it with others. ..but yet I pretty much felt the opposite most of the time. The only place where the truth came out and felt pure was when I was writing…but once I figured out that it was not my job to take on the darkness of this world…everything changed. The Moss Hill Farm project will add joy to the world and to all the people connected to it….and joy is what it’s all about my friend….still…at times…I can feel overwhelmed by an image or a global situation and I will cry..yes…but I always know now that our strength comes from our joy..compassion…kindness..and love…and none of that can be given or received if we feel loaded down with the weight of the world from absorbing everything as our own. Onwards we go, Steve…lighter…freer and scattering joy wherever we go. Wishing you every success with Moss Hill Farm. Warmly, Heather
“A blessed downpour of rain” may soon be forgotten, its extent misunderstood, its effect diluted in chaotic daily living. Not so your blessed downpour of words. These guarantee permanence to your feelings; a way to share your views of an event to others. In this beautiful piece on Love you have allowed me to examine, compare and contrast my own feelings on a great number of issues. You convince me that I matter, and that I should seek to be heard. I respect you as a “kind human being” as well as a “human doing” .I expect to read much more from you.
I am humbled and honored by your kind words, Larry.
I have always hoped that maybe in our lifetime we might see humanity uniting as One.
There are more and more signs of this happening each day, despite what mainstream media would have us believe.
I like to contribute my little part in this coming together of hearts by writing down a few words here and there.
Thank you for your eloquent and humbling comment.
Warmly, Heather