this past weekend the beauty of orchids filled the space I was visiting while leading a retreat. I was moved by incredible delicacy of the inner petals. And I reflected on the journey I’ve been on to live with an open heart and how open-hearted living connected with these beautifully opened up flowers.
In this new album soon to be released, i am she…a soul’s journey home, there is a song called I open my heart. The lyrics begin……..‘it’s not easy letting go, of shattered hope, broken dreams….it’s not easy for the heart to be free, to free….but I open my eyes, and I open my hands, and I open my heart.’
what does it mean to live with an open heart? I’m learning and stumbling along this path. I’m learning that to live with an open heart requires me to take the risk of loving others and not know if I’ll be loved in return. It means risking looking foolish, stupid, crazy, and possibly being misunderstood. It means being seen in my fragility, my nakedness, my vulnerability – and being ok with that. It means allowing you to see me bloom without covering up or wrapping my flower petals so tightly together that you cannot see my interior.
It means allowing you to see my interior and knowing that no matter your response to me, I know that I am OK, loved, cherished, and celebrated deep in my core by the One who made me.
I get lonely, get scared of telling the truth, and get afraid of not being understood. But I’ve become more afraid of not being free. Being free in the soul is what I must sing about. It is the truth I must live. Being free in the soul means risking it all – telling the truth of my heart no matter what the consequences. If I truly want soul freedom, I have to let go of the past, I have to grieve my lost dreams, and allow my heart to open to what is right here before me. If I truly want soul freedom, I must allow my heart to be seen – over and over again without fear.
Because what I have learned, is that at the centre of my heart is a great beauty…the rich resource of love. And that by exposing my heart to you – I access the deepest value that I have, the Source of Love. And that by opening my heart to you, I can also love you with a love that is from this Source.
When I open my heart to you – Love has a chance to show up ….and create a little magic…like the beauty of those orchids….reminding me to keep opening up and allowing my heart to shine.