"Out beyond ideas of wrong-doing and right-doing, there is a field. I'll meet you there." - Rumi
For the past two weeks, I have found Valentina´s shoe in the corner. It is dirty white, no larger than the palm of my hand, and there is always just one. I thought little of this at first, until it kept showing up: same spot, same foot. Later I saw standing in its place a plastic, purple and pink high-heal--the kind that Barbie wears, only made a couple of sizes larger to fit 3-year-old Valentina´s left foot perfectly.
So each day, for the past two weeks, Valentina has teeter-tottered around the room at the daycare, one heal two inches larger than the other. It throws her a little off balance, often causing her to stumble and, on occasion, fall down. Regardless, every morning there is a little white shoe in the corner, and it belongs to Valentina.
**** **** **** **** ****
Over five months have passed since my arrival in Comodoro. Holidays have been celebrated, loved ones have been born, spanish has improved, laughter has been shared, friends have died, friends have been made...it is no wonder they call it a roller coaster.
The new year marked a new beginning in my life here. I moved into an apartment connected to the pastor´s house (meaning that I have the greatest neighbors a gal could ask for), enjoyed the company of three dear friends from the states, and went backpacking in southern Chile. The time away spent surrounded by a close community of friends, endless mountains, clear lakes, and an occasional glacier, reminded me of the goodness and grace of God. It is indeed a powerful realization to know that the same hands that created all of this beauty, created you and I.
As a friend recently wrote in a letter, now is the time in my abroad experience where I have "stopped redefining what it means to live, and instead started living it." All of the expectations and ideas I entered into this with have fallen away, and I am instead focusing on just living. And I am loving it.
Valentina´s plastic and pink high-heal requires me to ask which shoe am I failing to put on because there is only one, or because I will walk a little crooked while wearing it, or because I will be more likely to fall as I walk? These past five months have taught me that our human brokenness and vulnerability can be the bridge between us if we allow it. It is a lesson I am still learning.
**** **** **** **** ****
Today, like every other day, we wake up empty and frightened.
Don´t open the door to the study and begin reading. Take down a musical instrument.
Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.
Rumi
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment