On the Minister's Mind

with Rev Laine   

As I was traveling in Washington, D.C. last week I had an accident that resulted in a fractured ankle.  We were there to celebrate a special occasion, with several restaurant reservations, tours booked, and outings planned.  It was supposed to be a lovely Spring trip to enjoy some cherry blossoms, eat great food, and see monuments and museums.

The accident happened on our very first day there, so everything we thought we were going to enjoy was quickly cancelled, replaced by an urgent care visit, and calling wheelchair rental companies. We contemplated coming straight home, but realized there was nothing more that could be done for my injury over the weekend back in Sarasota, so we decided to stay and amend our plans, but still try to see a few things.

The entire experience was an emotional rollercoaster of pain, vulnerability, regret, confusion, disappointment, embarrassment, anxiety, worry, shock, and anger. But, mixed into all those emotions I also felt gratitude that my injuries weren’t much worse, blessed that my wife is a nurse practitioner, humbled by the numerous strangers that generously made difficult moments a little easier by helping, and tremendous love that poured toward me as I shared the news that I had gotten hurt.

Throughout April, we are exploring the concept of “gentleness” as a spiritual practice, and this entire situation brought me to that practice over and over. I had to handle myself with compassion and gentleness when I wasn’t perfect. I practiced gentleness in communicating with others who could have prevented this accident. Gentleness toward those who unintentionally made my pain worse. Gentle communication, gentle touch, gentle thoughts – what a perfect time to practice! 

Many times, I had to remind myself to surrender to the moment and accept the situation at hand. Many times, I turned inward to recenter myself in prayer and solitude. Many times, I had to fall into wondering what gifts this situation would bring to me, anticipating blessings and positive outcomes. 

Spiritual teacher and author, Pema Chodron, wrote a book – When Things Fall Apart.  It’s a perfect book to pick up in such times.  Here is some wisdom I found –

"The trick is to practice gentleness and letting go. We can learn to meet whatever arises with curiosity and not make it such a big deal. Instead of struggling against the force of confusion, we could meet it and relax. In the middle of the worst scenario of the worst person in the world, in the midst of all the heavy dialogue with ourselves, open space is always there"

What this paragraph said to me is - No matter what circumstances we are in, we have the opportunity to find that open space within ourselves where we can surrender to gentleness, and get curious. Spirit kept meeting me in that space within, and It is there for you too.

In the most challenging moments, I often turn to songs.  One is the old hymn – “It is Well With My Soul” and one is my favorite Beatles song – “Let it Be”, where Paul McCartney wrote a deep truth - 

"When the night is cloudy, there is still a light that shines on me. I wake up to the sound of music speaking words of wisdom, let it be."

So, when I see you Sunday in my very fashionable moon walking style boot, know that I am grateful for the prayers and well-wishes!  And, I might be humming “Let it Be!”