By: William Wordsworth
"Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting;
The Soul that rises with us, our life's Star,
Hath had elsewhere its setting,
And cometh from afar;
Not in entire forgetfulness,
And not in entire nakedness,
But trailing clouds of glory do we come
From God, who is our home."
..............................................
I've always found deep solace when reading this
Wordsworth piece. How often it is we forget who
we are and where we come from. How often it is
we dwell in the negative, the fearful, the things
we have no control over. How often we ruminate over
mistakes and failures, imperfections and inadequacies.
But alas, when we take a moment to pause and recognize
what Mr. Wordsworth describes as our true "home" suddenly,
suffering begins to subside and peace begins to take hold.
I remember going to a little hermitage cabin for a silence
retreat and a little placard was sweetly placed on the desk.
It simply stated: Child of God, you are Welcome Here.....
At this time in my life, I had strayed away from knowing,
remembering, and recognizing "home" -- I had been existing
in struggle, facing adversity -- and I cannot tell you
the welcome into loving arms experience I had at that moment.
I dropped my suitcase, began to weep, and peace filled me.
I realized my true "home" and began to laugh at myself
because it was here, ever-present and available to me
all along, I just didn't notice. I now believe that
the only way we separate ourselves from this reality
is though our own lack of awareness and tendency
toward suffering. And the antidote is as simple and
as difficult as remembering.....
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