That’s How the Light Gets In
10 Nov
“And I listen and I think. Time doesn’t seem to pass here; it just is.” – Bilbo Baggins
Silence called to me from a special place. A place, that like its name, conjures up images of forest and faeries.
Like Bilbo, it is there at Rivendell that I find myself most able to think, to hear the thoughts and ideas bubbling up as though from a wellspring deep inside.
The sacred space, the silence, allow me to turn off the busyness of my life. My heart expands and I breathe deeply.
New thoughts emerge effortlessly as old thoughts play themselves out. It is easy to be at Rivendell; it offers itself up, a gift to unwrap slowly. An opportunity to treasure each moment, each thought that arises.
- What is it that I am truly offering?
- What is authentically, gloriously mine?
These are the questions I hear as I walk the labyrinth.
I remember a line from a Leonard Cohen song,
“There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.”
Time after time I return to the silence to heal, to restore myself, to let the light in.
At night I read Rumi, letting his words lull me to sleep, so beautiful they reach out to touch me as I dream.
“All day I think about it, then at night I say it. Where did I come from, and what am I supposed to be doing? I have no idea. My soul is from elsewhere, I’m sure of that, and I intend to end up there.”
I walk. I rest. I wait.
Patiently I wait, I am in no hurry here.
The view from my room calms me,
helps to quiet the angst that tries to creep in as I let myself think and question.
- What am I ready to let go of?
- What is waiting to be birthed?
I walk. I rest. I wait. I am in no hurry here.
At Rivendell I am like Linus, securely wrapped up in his blanket. I long to keep this place in my heart, a touchstone to ground me when I am home.
While there, a friend passes away, leaving a community inspired by her life. There is sadness, but there is also peace.
“There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.”
She leaves a legacy:
1. Love everyone
2. Acknowledge everyone
3. Forgive everyone
4. Be compassionate
If I let them, her words to live by, will break open the crack and the light as always, will shine through.
“There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.”
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