The sun and the clouds danced so long this morning it was high in the sky before I got a clear view.
Happiest day, beloved Joy Train Rider! Bless you. I hope your life improved in some way since we last rode together Monday. Mine certainly has, and it’s said “If one wo/man can do it, all wo/men can do it.” I thrive on that belief and it’s one reason I am so deliberate in sharing that happiness can be a choice, and helping nurture it.
All week the memory of a long-ago conversation has been tickling the edges of my mind. It involved someone telling a group of us that some ancient peoples believe that the entire sky is light, but it’s covered by a blanket. The light we see comes through holes in the blanket. I like to picture that possibility without trying to figure out the science. I conjure it in my meditation time when I want to indulge feelings of the deepest connection to cosmos.
Then it occurred to me that people are often shocked when they learn that there is a historic luxury hotel on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. If you think of the Grand Canyon as a big hole in the ground, you wouldn’t picture El Tovar which “retains its elegant charm and is widely considered the crown jewel of Historic National Park Lodges. Located directly on the canyon rim, El Tovar features a fine dining room, lounge, gift shop, and newsstand. El Tovar offers guests full bell service, and in-room dining for breakfast and dinner. El Tovar is a world-class travel destination.”
Similarly, hiking in nearby Bryce Canyon National Park, the word on the lips of everyone in our party was, “Wow! This feels like we’re on Mars or something. Who would ever think this is Planet Earth?”
Though far more earthy (and provable) than the idea of an all-light sky, both of those scenarios may be hard to conceive until you actually see it.
Today I’m taking you on a trip down memory lane, back to the neighborhood where I was born. It’s a bittersweet event, as most of my family are gone. When the opportunity arose to go back with my beloved Godsister Monica I briefly thought about staying home and nursing unsettled feelings, but I nixed that and embraced it. She goes back almost every year while I was there last in 2018, so I look forward to a more intimate experience.
Our first stop at the home of our childhood friend immediately catapults me 60 years back in time. This is how I remember living rooms looking like back then, when everything was secure and comfortable in a loving atmosphere. The big screen TV on the wall and other upgrades fit right in and do not intrude.
She’s making us carrot and beetroot juice, bemoaning the fact that we didn’t give her enough notice so she could make us saltfish fritters. The atmosphere was so familiar and foundational, it feels like falling back into the womb.
Her younger sister who lives near us in Kingston concurs:
“Oh yes my dear. When I go home I have everything I could ever want.”
What a luxury! Can you still have that experience of going literally back to your roots? For many people that thought might be similar to the idea of having a light-filled sky!
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