The people we meet along the Way
by Mary Hudson
Each of us are on our own journey
Each of us with wounds, pasts, pains, personalities, egos…
Our paths cross with others and we are changed
We are stretched
We are bothered
We are torn down
We are lifted up
We are celebrated
Sometimes we’re seen, other times we’re given a label :
Sweet
Good
Not good
Honest
Liar
Cheater
Pretty
Loud
Quiet ….
To be set aside, judged as one thing, and not seen as more— I believe we have all felt like this at some point in our life.
It bothers some of us more than others. I don’t like the way it feels but it’s a part of being human:
Being misunderstood.
I have had to look at this in my own life honestly and realize that I was still, in some ways, looking outside myself for approval, acceptance, understanding… instead of being secure in who I am.
My mother passed away this past December. It’s been a year of trying to find my footing in a world where she is no longer physically present. She was a force! Glamorous in appearance, a lover of life and people, boisterous, strong willed, opinionated, but also, behind the scenes, sensitive, very private, and very protective of those she loved.
Watching her, how she affected people, how she acted on the outside and what joy that brought others, was impactful to me since I was a little girl. Being able to see her at other times, behind the scenes, sometimes a very different version of what she showed the world, has helped me to understand that everyone has different sides. None of us are one thing. We are complex, always so much more than what’s on the surface.
My mother and I were quite different on the outside but there was a deep connection between us, at the heart level. The love was felt, and I feel it still. I’ve experienced this idea that we never can truly lose people we love. They go with us, strengthen us, help us see and know things , that, on our own, we may have missed.
Her death has made me want to live my life more fully. To love others with an open and (constantly) forgiving heart. Love people where they are. Show up as I really am. Sounds simple but it takes a lot of courage.
You can count on personality differences, egos clashing, being misunderstood—all the things that make “community “ not as easy as it sounds.
Sometimes it doesn’t work.
Sometimes we need to give people and ourselves a lot of grace and keep trying.
Bread and Wine has been a healing space for me.
We come together, as we are.
Flawed and broken
Awkward and wounded
Full of doubts, anger, and the sorrow that lies beneath.
We meet in a barn
listen to the birds,
To the wind,
To each other.
We listen with our hearts for what we need to hear and then carry that with us when we leave.
Each of us seem to share this desire to take time, make space, honor,
listen to,
learn from
God and one another.
There is no one who has it all together.
We are all very different and the more time we spend getting to know one another, the more we find connections. We are seeing past the outer.
As we continue on this journey, may we see past what’s on the outside and keep being curious about what’s underneath.
May we see people in the moment, with an openness, a curiosity.
May we know, no matter how we are seen, that we are all known fully, understood fully, and loved fully, by God.
Artwork by Michelle McKenzie