Hansen/Benson family reunion 2014 |
I’ve been in a period of what I refer to as the dark
night. It happens gradually, and I don’t
always realize its downward spiral immediately.
It’s something I’ve grown to expect in winter--a seasonal affective
disorder plus. My energy fades, my
social skills diminish, I am irritated, angry and sad. Colors dim.
Things that normally brighten my life appear dull and gray. But Life always returns.
This spring and summer did not
bring the usual resurrection that I expect and summer has dragged on in shades
of gray, though I recognize and welcome the sunshine, beautiful days, blue
skies that I know objectively are there.
I’ve felt lifeless even among family and friends—and worse yet, I’ve
felt grumpy, crabby, and just plain rude—talking and not listening—focused primarily
on me. I’ve not been able to meditate or
read. Little ability to concentrate. God seemed distant and unavailable.
Being sick
this last five weeks was the culmination for me. At first I only had energy to sleep and sip
water and tea. I recovered enough to
attend our family reunion in Cheboygan—something I’d been looking forward to
for months. I was a fairly passive
participant, taking my crabbiness and anger out on my sister the first couple
of days. I’m not good at saying “I’m
sorry”, but I saw clearly what I was doing and prayed to change my attitude and
enjoy as much as I could and not ruin it for others.
As the waters of Lake Huron, the
laughter and joy of grandchildren (mine and my sisters’), short walks with my
sister, Carol, family time around meals and bonfires, began to work their
healing power, even as my night coughing kept me awake and exhausted. I learned again that there are some things I
can’t control (my cough and exhaustion), but with awareness and grace, I can control
my attitude, not always perfectly, but once aware, I can change my focus to the
Love and beauty that always surrounds me when I open my eyes and heart to it. Surrounded by love of family and nature, my
depression lifted.
Back at home, I continued a bit of
a rollercoaster ride, as healing took a bump I now find humorous, but was no
laughing matter at the time. According
to an article one of my doctors found on Google, I may be one of a very few
people in North America to have ingested a fly egg which grew into a larvae
which I coughed up. (They documented the
specimen and that seems to be the end of it).
I’m undergoing many tests, checking out all systems and so far
everything has returned to normal and is in fine shape. My cough, however, persists—a puzzle and an
annoyance. My energy is returning and I
am walking long walks and bike riding again.
The sky is bluer, the colors brighter, with only momentary cloudy times,
as when the clouds pass over the sun. I’ve
been able to meditate again and a friend suggested a new book on the Monks of
Mt. Athos—a book about pilgrimage.
Today I experienced another miracle. Following meditation, I was reading about
pilgrimage, I read, there are “Some places in this world where eternity touched
the earth…” By going there some people “are able to reestablish contact with
the eternal element within themselves.” Knowing
that at 76 years of age, I will not be climbing mountains nor will I be going to
a hermitage, I asked myself, “Metaphorically, what is that place for me?”. In asking the question, the sky became bluer,
my spirit lifted, and I felt a joy I had not felt in months.
On my computer a while later, I
checked e-mails and Facebook—our family’s way of staying in touch that has been
even more valuable to me since our reunion.
On FB, was a post of my nephew’s wife, Jill, singing in public for the
first time since recovering from throat surgery. Tears flowed and I smiled as the joy of her
beautiful soprano voice flowed over me—“You’ve got to wade in the water…God’s
gonna trouble the water.” I laughed as I remembered that I last saw Jill
three weeks ago. We waded in the waters of
Lake Huron, as we celebrated our extended family, our lives, and the beauty of
God’s world. Yes, “God’s gonna trouble the water” and
invites us to wade in it. I have my
answer for today, and the sun is shining bright, both inside and out. The water is waiting.