The 11th Hour!

As the sun sets, I am reminded that all things come to pass. They may not come when or how we envision them. They may seem like mountains that are too tall to climb or oceans to vast to swim. And, in some cases they are indeed out of our control, not to be redeemed or corrected. But, in some rare instances, the world hands us a very thorny bloom. When handled carefully, it provides the sweetest scent. 

Today was an 11th hour day. Best described as gut-wrenching, gnarly, traumatic and truthful. A day that reminded me of a dark period in my childhood, when I realized that people can be mean and do make assumptions about each other with very little truth. Discrimination at its finest. The haves and the have nots. The feeling of being judged by being the customer. The feeling of being small and rather disposable. 

I am grateful.

Today was an 11th hour day. It provided a very sweet scent from a loved one. The truth about their personality. The truth about their constitution, regardless of the situation. Their nervous, happy, sad, concerned. loving, open and honest self. The warm ocean waters that envelope me and make all old wounds seem to disappear. The knowing that even in my small, little child mind and child hurts, they are 'steady as she goes.'

 I am grateful. 

Today was an 11th hour day. When all seemed dark and without solace, a dear friend, nudged me to stay the course, do not give in, do not give up. Get into the SUN, she urged me. Remember where you were and where you are now. Look hopefully and happily into the future. Take these challenges as a sign that I am strong and worth it. Friends are those people that really get into your pile with you and hold you up. Held up to the truth, in whatever form it may come. Whether pretty or not, that friend loves you. 

I am grateful.

Today was an 11th hour day. It brought certain resolution to two good things. Decisions made, thoughts made real, dreams secured and that 12th hour is now an easy one. This 12th hour is meant to relish in the new beginnings. It is meant to bring soft comfort and freedom. 

Thank you my oppressor. Thank you my love. Thank you my friend. 

This 12th hour is "Resplendent like the noon day sun." 

It is warm, comforting, soothing, easy, refreshing, renewing, and carries me. 

I am warmed. 

The Re-Entry Process...slowly...

Touching the Sun!

Re-Entry... my dear friend and fellow Florida native, Darlene, recently said upon her return from Florida. She was going through the 'Re-Entry' process to North Carolina and the mountains. 
I, still being in Florida, could understand how she was feeling. But, when I returned, the re-entry feeling was palpable. 
We talked about this strange, happy, sad, interesting experience of knowing the love of the beach and the water. Sitting and watching into forever, while the warm water laps on our feet. The immense and warming sun, wrapping around like a blanket, to sooth away the day and melt into a warm evening. 
In sharp contrast to the majestic mountains that surround us in Asheville, NC. Bold, beautiful, endless and all encompassing. The mountains have a way of wrapping around us like a cool summer breeze, bringing shades of deep green and blue into our eyes and soul. Our feet dipped in icy mountain waters that come for miles to meet us at the rivers edge. 
And yet, the re-entry, to either spectrum can be overpowering. One extreme to another in less than a day by car. Another world. 
How do I love thee...both my beloved Florida and my adopted home in North Carolina...
And so, I am in the re-entry phase of the mountains, wishing for warm salty ocean water, the sun in my face, that brilliant and blazing sunset and the look into forever. 
And so, today, I will walk among the tall soft grass of the mountains, dip my feet into the cool waters and embrace my mountain home. 
Home, two sides of one coin. Home, where there is safety and love and growth and quiet too. 

Touching the Earth...