Kiss the Caterpillar Good-bye
Sitting next to the Courthouse Road pier in Gulfport this morning, drinking coffee and drinking in the soft sounds of lapping waves, I savored the quiet. No roar this morning. A few gulls almost still. Dolphins surfacing very near. Then a school of fish jumped, creating brilliant silver white images in the air.
No little toy cars or dismembered dolls or little boy Sunday shoes on the beach this morning like I saw on those days after the storm so long ago. Not a single sign of that wind and water that roared and took family treasures into the Gulf. Not a single sign of violence, destruction, trauma. Only peace, stillness, quiet – an invitation to ponder wind and water once more.
In Katrina’s Grace I ponder wind and water – always my soul’s source, then as force of destruction:
“Water gives birth. In the waters of baptism, we experience God’s radical Love and Compassion, Forgiveness and Acceptance. Water cleanses, transports, thrills as it falls over waterfalls, and stirs as it trickles down a Northeast Georgia mountain stream. Water woos the mood of the watcher. It is the first element named in the Creation….
“Next to any body of water, the best moments are those when the wind stirs and lifts and roars, when the wind transforms the water. In the beginning, the story goes, the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:1b KJV), and ever since the wind has determined the nature of the face of the waters – reflective as a mirror when wind is still, shimmering and dimpling when gentle breezes blow, peaking waves when wind is more energetic, and crashing dangerous waves when wind is roaring…. Not only does wind moving over the waters begin the creation story but human life begins when God breathes life into the first human. Somewhere I read that in thirty-four different languages the word for breath and spirit is the same word. Surely God was infusing humans with both physical breath and Spirit.”
Today has been a day for me to ponder wind and water again. Maybe it’s a good time for you to do the same. If you live near the shore or a lake or a stream, maybe you want to go to the water’s edge to listen and observe, to notice how you feel, to go where the water draws you. If you cannot sit by a body of water, maybe you have a recirculating fountain. Or maybe you can fill a beautiful bowl with water for your quiet time today. Feel the water on your hands and face. Drink water and experience it as living water flowing through your body. Stand in the shower and feel it cleansing, soothing, washing your soul. Focus on the stillness or movement of the water. Ponder the meanings of water in your life. The waters of birth. Rain. Baptism. Flood. Cleansing. Transportation. Inspiration. Destruction.
Maybe you want to simply savor. Maybe you want to write in your journal or draw. Breathe deeply.
As you ponder the meanings of water in your life, may your soul be washed in deep connection, your spirit energized to follow your path more fully, and your Heart Wisdom rise to consciousness.
See YouTube video: Pondering Wind and Water. Sandra Lynn Price
Related posts
