December 2011 - THE ABC's OF WHOLENESS
Each of us is moving toward wholeness at all times, whether we are aware of it or not. To become aware of it is to be able to tend and nurture that process.
~ Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D.
Peering out the car window at the first flakes of snow sparkling against the night sky we feel the pull into a new season. There is a rhythm and wisdom in nature that gently but decidedly gets our attention in Minnesota and calls us firmly into the reality of the next season. We wake up one morning and feel that first deep chill in the air and we quietly grieve the loss of sun as night settles in earlier each day and holds on later each morning. The lush gardens of summer and the magnificently colored trees of fall are pushed from our memories as we ready our homes, our bodies and our spirits for the coming months of snow and cold. As we become aware of what is happening around us we make the changes we need to shift from the warmth of summer into the sparkle of winter.
Like nature, life has its own wisdom that pulls us toward new patterns and priorities. As Dr. Naomi Remen reminds us, we are always moving toward wholeness whether we are aware of it or not, but awareness allows us to tend and nurture our process. A sense of wholeness gives us the ability to stay balanced as life moves and changes unpredictably around us. A sense of wholeness lets us stay connected to the deepest parts of ourselves and those we love despite the multiple demands of life that can make us feel fragmented and cut off. A sense of wholeness moves us toward our holiest longings and intentions when the world pushes us toward surface desires and momentary satisfactions.
Wholeness, then, is as simple as remembering our ABC's ...
