Like the unforeseen and unavoidable forces of the avalanche that wounded this mountainside, life delivers its own set of deep wounds that leave all of us barren and scarred. And when this happens, we are sure that no good can ever come from it and for a while, that seems absolutely true.
But behind the scenes of all wounding, deeper forces are at work mobilizing the recovery process. For the mountains in Colorado, aspens are summoned to infiltrate the scared mountainside bringing with them new energy, beauty and healing. Their mission is not to erase the wound. Instead, their work is to transform the wound into an unimaginable and inspiring beauty from what was barren and scarred. And clearly, they do.
For humans, a similar opportunity exists to transform wounds into ways never thought possible. But like the mountainside, we cannot do it alone. All of us need the aspen-like forces of love, friendships, nature, animals and community to infiltrate our lives and do their magic. As important, this transformation doesn’t end with us.
At some point in our wound recovery, we come to understand that our suffering has given us a unique authority, empathy and responsibility for those who have sustained similar experiences. And with this insight, our journey of personal transformation suddenly expands into a divine prelude for coming along side others who are in desperate need our support. What had once left us barren, scarred and hopeless becomes a “sacred wound” that brings hope, courage and comfort to those who need it the most…
I am always amazed at how the things we need find us at exactly the right time. This beautifully written piece is on of those things. Surely the hand of the divine is involved. Thank you David for sharing your insight and your gift of the written word.
Lovely thoughts. Thanks David.