“How strange that the nature of life is change, yet the nature of human beings is to resist change. And how ironic that the difficult times we fear might ruin us are the very ones that can break up open and help us blossom into who we were meant to be.”  -Elizabeth Lesser, Broken Open

This past weekend I spent some time with a brother-in-law that I have not really had any opportunity to know on a deeper level. We were out walking & he began to share how his family of ten siblings never talks about anything, they hide any dark secret, they don’t discuss any challenges or troubles…everything is hidden in a deep dark closet. He looked at his wife & smiled a big smile, “That is why I don’t tell her anything. If I did it would spread like wild fire throughout the family.”

Is your family OPEN, too open or do they HIDE everything from one another. Do they share things ‘through the grapevine’ or is it kept within the intimate walls of your home??

Something to think about…What do you think?? Is it healthy for siblings and family to know the intimate details of your relationships? Should family be involved in the conversations between lovers? Are they truly trying to help? Are some people too involved? Does more good or bad come from those situations? Every situation is different. You have and hold your own opinions.

This reminds me of the reality of who we are–no matter what!! Who knows what about you, who you were years ago, what you did last summer, the challenges, the change, the reality of truth vs secrets— no matter what, YOU hold the reality within your heart. Who you are determines how you feel about your life, how it affects others & the lessons held within. Whether people know your dark secrets or not—YOU know. You know if it is good or bad or helping you with the happiness within your life. Seek YOUR truth for YOU.

I have a friend who hid from the reality of his life for four years hiding secrets of drinking, bars, women, etc. when the cold, hard truth was found by his young daughter. His eight-year-old daughter was looking for a box of toys when she found a box of booze hidden in the basement. It has been a tough road for his little family, it has been a couple of years & they are still trying to deal, understand and figure out what will happen to the broken family. It is a hard reality to watch.

“May you listen to the voice within, the beat even when you are tired. When you feel yourself breaking down, may you break open instead. May every experience in life be a door that opens your heart, expands your understanding and leads you to freedom.”  -Elizabeth Lesser

I have listened to a lot of Elizabeth Lesser podcasts on Oprah’s network & I have fallen in love with the wisdom this woman shares. She has a book called “Broken Open” (which I need to read) that talks about breaking open the spiritual part of you.  On the Oprah show She mentioned not looking at life as something to get through but to look at it as a spiritual adventure of learning. To not waste time pretending because so many people go through life pretending everything is perfect instead of facing the fear that everyone has. Everyone has fears, they just get stuck pretending, they don’t look at life and go with the natural flow.   It’s like nature–nature is born, it grows, it withers, it dies.  If you get stuck pretending, you miss out on the natural connection that you can have with others if you share that vulnerability to show people that you have fears, that you are real—it will open them up to you.

I thought that was so powerful—go with the flow, life is ever evolving, changes happen, their is newness and possibility in many things, but eventually with everything it tarnishes, it changes, it eventually fades away. But, when you are able to find the deeper, spiritual part, you can go with the flow & not feel you need to cover up the tarnish, pretend to be something you are not to fix things, hide behind addiction to cover up the pain of growth or challenge. You are able to truly live, to find the essence of the life you are meant to live, you are able to look at hard things & see they were meant to break you open to a better part of you.

So, don’t be afraid to let go of your walls, to be broken open by the fragility of your heart, to understand that deep within you is a place that yearns to share peace, that wants you to go within to truly understand the life you are meant to live.

Peace to you today.  -Heather