Close Your Eyes and Listen

Today I am grateful for the stars in the sky and the sparkle of frost on the ground. I am grateful for the eyes to see both and the reminder of my place between the two-the expansive sky and the stable ground.

I am also grateful for the opportunities to listen. I would like to think I am a good listener for others-family, friends, fellow recovering alcoholics. It's an important part of my profession. Listening to students, parents, colleagues. Where I have felt less proficient is in listening to myself.

Years of drowning my own voice in alcohol and feeling unworthy have not been undone overnight. That effort continues today, but practice makes progress possible.

This quote is fitting:

"Listen to your life . . . touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it, because in the 

last analysis all moments are key moments and life itself is grace." 

(Frederick Buechner)

Sometimes the best way to listen is in the dark, with eyes closed. There are fewer distractions and there is more of a sense of looking within.  This morning I closed my eyes as I ate a few bites of my fruit and oatmeal. It changed my awareness and the experience of eating. It can be that simple. 

Closing my eyes and listening within helps the light of my heart and soul come through. It allows me to experience the moment and the grace that resides there.