We all have moments in our lives that seem to transform us and make it possible to experience our lives in a new and more satisfying way. These precious moments are gifts that allow us to see and even feel things from a new perspective. Some may call it divine intervention or just an “aha!” moment. In any case, these events are life changing and awaken us to something that may have been previously outside our awareness or understanding.
I was blessed with one of these moments a few years ago as I was taking a walk with my six-year-old son. At the time, I had been contemplating where my life, marriage and career were heading. I seemed to be in a dark tunnel, searching for some light and wondering if this was as good as it gets. Some may have called it depression. Instead, I thought of it as a space in which something new was to be born.
My son and I were enjoying some alone time on an evening stroll with our lively Golden Retriever while I searched intently the moon and the stars. Feeling peaceful in this precious time we were sharing, I felt the urge to tap into my son’s sweet being. I gazed at him and asked, “What is love?” His unexpected reply brought me deep personal growth and sent my life in an entirely new direction.
Without hesitation he answered, “Love is Spirit.” I wasn’t even expecting an answer, so his response completely surprised me. I immediately opened my heart to listen to this little teacher beside me. “Spirit?” I said. “Yeah, Spirit that is in a prison kinda, not a bad prison, but in your body,” he confidently explained.
Instantly, something opened inside of me. The dust had been stirred and some bright light filtered through. “Ah, how do you know it is in your body?” I asked, completely intrigued.
What followed was very simple, yet so powerful and profound. “You have to talk to someone you love and trust – like you Mom – and then you feel it inside,” he continued matter of factly.
“Hmmmm,” I sighed. “So you know love when you talk to someone you love and trust?”
He agreed and I asked, “It’s kind of like the spirit in your body is unlocked, set free, and lets you feel loved…and then you can love others?” He nodded.
I had the sense that there was more, but words were breaking down and we just needed to walk and let the experience shine through. I truly felt as though someone had come inside me and washed the windows of my soul.
I looked deeply into his eyes and thanked him for teaching me something so beautiful and pure. He was a little shy and couldn’t believe he was really teaching his mother anything. My heart warmed at how deep our love was for each other and I realized I had always possessed the ability to reach into that unknown space deep in my soul to access spirit.
Accessing spirit can happen when we feel safe enough to allow ourselves to visit this unknown space. We can visit in meditation or prayer. Spirit can also be accessed with someone that has the ability to be in that space with us. In that unknown territory where there are no apparent answers, we can just listen together and gradually become aware of a guiding presence that is always there despite our thinking and doing.
This supernatural event is always ready to ignite, filling us with the experience of harmony within ourselves and the universe. This divine harmony is what ultimately heals us and makes lives rich and fulfilling.
I was so genuinely moved by and have revisited this life changing conversation many times over the years. What my son so simply and soulfully described is a phenomenon that has been contemplated for thousands of years and I was blessed to be able to tap into his infinite wisdom.
When the student is ready the teacher will come.
