A Meditation in the face of loneliness

2019.3.3 A Meditation in the face of loneliness

Spirit of Life, God of Love, Great Mystery of this Universe—

Some of us come seeking quiet and solitude this morning.  To simply be here together, to be able to pause in life, one individual among many.

Some of us come seeking the known and the familiar, to see a kind face who knows a bit about my life and will ask, how is it today?  Tell me about it.

Some us come tentatively, seeking something, not sure what, but a yearning so clear to be with others, to not be alone today.

Some of us arrive with ease and joy, without a second thought. 

Some of us arrive, finally, after a very long journey, after starts and stops, and detours through other lands, through islands of loneliness.

Some of us arrive with help, with encouragement, after someone found our lonely island and said hey, do you want to come visit a bigger place?

We come aware of our separation, of the differences among us, nervous about how we should act or whether all of who we are will be welcomed.

We come wanting love, wanting recognition, wanting to be seen for who we are.

Some of us come wanting human touch, a hug or a hand shake, because most of the week we don’t have that.

Some of us have children crawling all over us all of the time and just need to feel like a separate person for a while.

Most of us, all of us, come needing to feel safe and in control of our bodies, needing clear boundaries and consent for that hug or handshake. 

We come with all of our invisible “stuff” – all of our hopes and expectations, our personalities and egos, our sorrows, joys, frustrations, quirks, gifts and flaws. Our loneliness.

And here we are, together.  Unique human beings who are both utterly separate and always connected.

What is visible is shallow compared to the invisible: the deeper self we want to bring forth, the sacred and silent pull towards love and acceptance, between you and me.