Aug 9, 2024

'In Hardship, Choose Bewilderment Over Cleverness':

In grappling with degenerative autoimmune disease, I often wished for a speedy redemption, for something meaningful to come out of my pain and suffering. But every time I tried, I’d be humbled by exhaustion and confusion.

One day, I received the following dream: I dream that a tree of great significance is struck down by lightning. A bolt from above splays the giant tree in a star-like pattern. It is a numinous event which stops me in my tracks.  Before I can take in what’s happening, men come efficiently and quickly to buck up the tree into firewood. It all feels too fast and unfeeling, as if the grandeur of this loss isn’t being properly recognised. One never imagines one can be struck down by lightning, but such as it is, disease is indiscriminate. An intervening force from nature shatters our deeply established way of life. It is swift and unforgiving, and ... [Read more]

Seed questions for reflection: What has helped you bear witness while facing a fog of confusion? In times when you haven't been "hasty to make events of heartbreak meaningful", what new lessons did life reveal? Share a time when you fully grieved the grandeur of a loss, and felt bewilderment in returning home after a long exile.