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Remember you are not alone. Ever. Feel the truth and blessing of your belonging. You are part of an inextricable web of connections, always enriching, supporting, serving your well-being. Notice the ways in which you are surrounded and supported by care.
Can you allow the strength and integrity of the web of interconnection to hold you?
Should you be inspired, please leave a reflection below…
Enjoy the full seven-day The Little Things practice.
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I lost the sense of connection with humanity while homeless and have never regained it. Intellectually I know I am connected but I do not feel like it. Especially now with my journey into gratefulness. I feel more cut off than ever. Even though I am cut off from socializing, it is not that which makes me feel isolated and alone. It is that I seem to be so different from everyone else. A new reality to adjust to.
I enjoy the comfort of knowing got all of humanity call of nature around me and support me. Same time it inspires me to stand tall in times of trial and look for opportunities to help others. In all of this, I am reminded that by myself I can do so little but with God nothing is impossible. I offer my prayers and share my love particularly with all of those who offer their Reflections today.
yes, it is a comforting and enveloping thought for me, in these dire times.. to be told this, and to remind myself that I am not alone, I am all part of everything…. the universe..
I love the interconnectedness of the life and the world. The more we are aware of how we are each connected the kinder the world is.
I never feel alone when I think of Jesus and God being with me and us, I’ve felt supported so many times from simply thinking of this and asking for help. I feel very grateful for this.
I spent a few hours sitting at the beach today and couldn’t help but to think of this morning‘s message. As I sat on my towel, the moisture from the sand soaked up and it became damp. And I thought… And I’m that too…the sand and the sun. It most definitely created a different perspective as I watched all of the people so elated to be both basking in the sunshine and jumping in and out of the waves. And perhaps it sounds silly… But I wondered for a moment if that much joyful energy jumping about would feel like being tickled. And I could help to get up off my towel to put my feet in the water and laugh.
Sometimes it is easier to be present to others in challenging times than accept their support when we struggle. It is a gift to allow others to hold us when we need it. We are both blessed.
When I feel sad or upset, I don’t ask for help, at least I don’t ask immediately. But then, in the following difficult moments, I know. My family is a milestone, but also my sisters, my relatives, friends and people I know here, especially in the Lounge.
The world is a good place.
I hardly ever do that, Anna, and it is a wise move on your part.
I have felt inspired by this thought all day and thinking of the poem below by Francis Thompson:
All things by immortal power,
Near or far,
Hidden
To each other linked are,
That thou canst not stir a flower
Without troubling of a star
With love ?
Nancy,
I love how the poetry inspires – and music ….
I hear/feel the hymns of my youth come, and they are a comfort. The whole idea of “giving is receiving is giving,” us so evident.
Thank you for the verse. It is new to me, and very beautiful.
May blessings abound.
How perfect, Nancy Ann. I had never heard that before and I’m saving it. Thank you so much.xx
I’m not the type to share my thoughts or leave comments. But I am trying to connect, to get out of myself and connect. Little steps.
It’s so much safer to be invisible… but when someone really sees you, it is so incredibly heartwarming… and the only way to be seen is to take the risk to connect. Little steps, indeed. You’re on your way.
thank you
… may you feel safe enough here to leave more thoughts over the next few days….
For me, a fear of being alone sometimes has been in the back of my mind. What happens if I cannot truly connect with others? Trusting one’s neighbor is difficult, but trusting God, that is one of the hardest parts of human existence. I cannot say that I have truly mastered this struggle yet, but I continue to better myself on it day by day.
Christopher I think that we all struggle with trusting. After all, if there is certainty, do you need to trust? But there is no certainty…
Absolutely! Therefore, the trusting is that much more difficult, but also that much more important once you accomplish it! 🙂
I appreciate the connections made on this site, especially the Lounge, but also those on the daily question who have been there for awhile. I appreciate more than anything my family connections. Longtime friends, as well. “Hold me” is in general not my terminology …
Dear friend!
Thanks to your comment I just discovered the Lounge. This is so typical for me, skimming through things, people, and even, life. Just realizing this and putting it into words is kind of painful, but I am so grateful to be able to do it.
Dear Pilgrim: As has so often happened since I became a member of this site a few weeks ago, you speak my mind… a phrase that I learned here as being used by Quakers.
As a member of any body (including the physical) I participate in the life-blood coursing through it. A dismembered limb is just a chunk of flesh. It is for this reason that people entering 12 step programs are encouraged to join and participate in a group and not be simply someone who attends meetings.
The acts of service I make give me the feeling of connection.
I love the thoughts shared…reflecting on the word “trust”
I agree with you! Trust is one of the hardest things to accept, implement, and, interestingly, to enjoy, in life. May we trust in ourselves and in our Creator alike!
When I did some hospice volunteering I found a special bonding offered to both the dying and the volunteer by simple presence. We need to foster such supportive togetherness outside of hospice situations, letting conversation slowly evolve supported by simple silence, sometimes just communicating with the eyes or a gentle touch.
I agree Michael. Our culture undervalues silence, but silence also has a voice.
I’ve had the opportunity to spend a lot of time safely visiting my back alley way neighbors. There is a support system we’ve built for each other. Two of us sing w the 31/2 & 1 1/2 year olds several times a week. We shop for the 80 yr old. We adults talk values & are developing a trust we’ve never needed before. It’s good to belong to a budding community.
In our society it is so difficult to allow others to hold us. Even my closest friends rarely show vulnerability themselves, even to me. And we are life-long friends. So it is hard to let myself do that with them. We tend to just laugh it out together (at least we are together) rather than be really honest and say how much we are hurting and need each other. I wonder how true that is for others.
Katrina your comment is correct. Especially for men, vulnerability is shunned, so we risk a lonely existence and the possibility of unbearable pain. I am fortunate to have an opportunity to share deep feelings with family and friends.