This morning Rod and I walked to Ah Cacao for a morning beverage. I unexpectedly came down with a fierce flu for a few days, and now I am trying to recover.
Our conversation together was tender, tear-filled, and full. Under the same outdoor canopy sat a lovely, lovely older-than-us couple also enjoying a moment together.
The gentleman kept looking over at me with tender eyes. He was aware of my presence and my emotions. As we stood up to leave, he waved me over. As I approached him, he took my hand in his and said: Are you French? His gaze was so full of attention and interest, I most certainly began to tell him my stories about feeling French with absolutely no idea why, the french naming of our last house and my inner feeling of french chic. He smiled so tenderly and ran his hand across my cheek, and I was completely at home with him. Maria, his wife, was equally tender and tearful with me, and for each of us, we shared a very real, very living, very heartfelt moment. I could’ve stayed forever, holding hands, sharing stories, being bathed in their love and genuine interest in me, and I for them.
At one point, Maria said, he suffers from dementia, and I felt his heart yearning to stay connected to the realm of the heart, the heart of humanity, to my heart, to her heart and it was such a gift. His face crinkled, as he heard her words, into tears and he said: I am from Croatia. And I felt that what we were sharing was where we felt we belonged. For him, the present moment was his belonging, and in so many ways it was mine too. I belong to wherever the heart opens in tenderness and trueness. The three of us belonged to this moment, to this heartfelt connection, to holding hands, to speaking spoken and unspoken words of love and deep understanding. I’m sure all three of us, at that moment, needed this love, this understanding, this touch in to another reality, and we were comfortable there, grateful really. Although, his mind might not have been fully present, he was in a different dimension. One I could easily find him in as he continued to say I am from Croatia, I am here, I am here with you. I am here for you.
It was hard to leave them, but as I took leave, Maria said it is so important to share, to feel the strength, to carry on. I also knew this deeply, and I took her hand in mine and we smiled looking into each other’s eyes and lives for a moment longer. Somewhere we all knew what was being asked of us, and we figuratively fell into each other’s presence, welcomed each other into a sacred space, that allowed each of us to feel true love and seen along the way.
He saluted me as I turned and said, I was a soldier. I turned to him hand on my heart and said, I am a poet and he cried.
Namaste my dear new friends. I am from where you are and we are heading to the same place, with different journeys. Namaste my dear friends. I love you.
Beautiful <3 <3 <3