Bliss… that’s what we had last week… bliss… as we breathed in fresh air, languished on sunny beaches, meandered along country lanes…
Yes… you heard (read!) that right! SUNNY beaches. In Wales, in the UK. For weeks before we went, the weather was wet and cold, so that’s what we expected and went prepared for all weathers. The week we were there, it was lovely and sunny. OK, some days it did not get sunny till noon, but we had sun every day. EVERY day!
You can tell I have been in the UK for some time… discussing the weather has become a way of life. It’s the first thing I am talking about here and indeed the most important thing about our week away was the weather. Friends from Wales are emailing, re-iterating how pleased they were for us the weather was dry, warm and sunny. Back at home the first thing we’re asked is ‘how was the weather?’
Every Englishman it seems has a sorry tale to tell about a well earned holiday ruined as a result of the weather. At least they (and we) are alive to tell the tale. That is something the family from Surrey, shot whilst on holiday in the Alps in France, will not be able to do. What a tragedy. Those poor girls – brutally orphaned at the tender ages of 7 and 4. What will become of them?
They say every cloud has a silver lining. There are times when, as a human being, you are hard-pressed to see the silver lining. I am reminded of the story of The Little Soul and the Sun*, a parable written by Neale Donald Walsch, author of the Conversations-With-God books. In this story, the little soul is eager to experience himself as special.
‘There are many parts to being special,’ said God. ‘Which part of special do you want to be? It is special to be kind, special to be patient, special to be forgiving. Which part do you want to be?’
The little soul decides he wants to be forgiving. He wants to experience what it feels like to forgive. And God replies ‘That is a bit of a problem, there is no one to forgive’.
‘You’re God,’ says the little soul. ‘Think of something!’
Eventually a friendly soul steps forward and says ‘I will do that for you. I will do something bad, something terrible, so you can forgive me and feel what it is like to forgive someone. Just promise me one thing. When I do that bad thing, when I smite you and strike you down, in the moment I do the most terrible thing you can imagine, you must remember Who I really Am.’
‘I will! I will remember Who You Are!’ exclaims the little soul excitedly and so the agreement was made.
And here we are… we all have tales of woe, our own wound, people and circumstances we find difficult to forgive… things we can only shake our heads at, things that defy human understanding. Perhaps then is a good time to remember this little story. To remember Who We Really Are. And to remember as God reminded the little soul, ‘Remember I have sent you nothing but angels.’
*The complete story of The Little Soul and The Sun is beautifully told here at the Pearls of Wisdom website.
