Sunday, October 23, 2011

Dear God,

How is it that you can take an adverse situation and turn it into a life lesson? What is the key to transformation?

This morning I read a tiny book entitled, Two Old Women, an Alaskan tale of two elderly women left behind when their starving people had to move on in order to find food. The chief had a difficult time making the decision; however, those who took care of the needs of the older members of the tribe needed their time and energy to hunt.

At first the 80 something and 70 something women sat stunned. Then one woman stood to live. Although they were complaining elders who had given up their independence long before, walked with a cane, and did little to contribute to the group, they had to find ways to survive the harsh snowy winter outdoors. Not only did they survive; they became thriving strong women who a year later had gathered, hunted, and fished enough to store up food for many. When their own people went looking for them in the vast woods and found them comfortable having made everything they needed, the two women provided enough food to save the people from starvation.

This story, written by a native Alaskan woman who had heard the story many times, may have been a mythical story. However, it does illustrate how we can discover many resources within ourselves when we face very difficult situations. We do not have to remain paralyzed and stuck in our condition forever. We can stand to live and start the process of healing and renewal.

As I consider the lives of women I know who have taken their tragic circumstances and moved forward toward change and wholeness, I know there are more forces at work than one’s own determination and will to change their own lives.

You are
the source
and power
to change
and transformation,
dear God.
You provide
hope and courage,
placed within us
when we
were but
a tiny seed
in our
mother’s womb.
When foul
winds blow
and stormy
weather threatens,
that seed
takes root
and like
a sponge,
soaks in
the divine nutrients
that are
the essence
of your
miracle work.
It’s possible
and available
to everyone
by your grace.

Grateful, Andrea