My memories of childhood are tenderly scripted on my heart. Written with the poetic brush of a gold-leaf pen. I was raised on the words of Walt Whitman, Emerson, Thoreau, Goethe, and T.S. Elliot. Every morning my mother wrote a poem on the chalkboard in the kitchen, and I would eat my breakfast and feast upon the depth of beauty found in lyrical verse. When I would ask my mother the meaning of the quote or verse, she would respond, “That is for you to discover.”

 

In my child’s imagination, our Living Room became a sanctuary of symbolism. On the altar (otherwise known as a coffee table) were a pair of praying hands. I was captivated by the simplicity of those veined, silent, holy hands. I asked my mother, why she placed praying hands in the center of the table? Her beautiful words sculpted my life. She said, “Deborah, hands are to be used in service to our heart, to our loving. Your hands, when connected to your heart is how healing will occur for others.”

 

Reaching the threshold of adolescence, I read the words of Khalil Gibran, “And what is it to work, with love? It is to weave the cloth with threads drawn from your own heart, even as if your beloved were to wear that cloth. And he alone is great who turns the voice of the wind into a song made sweeter by his own loving. Work is love made visible.” A vow was made in my heart that day. I knew nothing, other than: I was called like that wind to become those living words. Living words from my youth formed a yearning to communicate through healing dialogue with others. The art of communication dissolves artificial walls between people, and offers an authentic relationship with self and others. Presence, and love that manifests in communication is communion.

 

Each of our lives is a story. An adventure story, love story, a drama, a tragedy, a comedy, a story of inspiration, courage, a story of faith. It has been through story, that I have found inspiration, and have inspired others through the daily experiences of my lived life, that create stories that I share with others along my journey.

 

How is your life like a story unfolding? What does that story tell you, and how can it serve as a guide for growth?