Search This Blog

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Love in The Looming Shadows

There’s a bit of enchantment in the air. It could be coming from the trees, dressed in scorching colors, tossing acorns and apples — shamelessly showing off, or from the cobalt sky as it poses behind the flashy trees, my two pretty sisters, vying for attention. Or perhaps the universe is feeling generous; directing the angels to make haste — sprinkle the magic!

I imagine it’s all of the above, plus a little more: I believe I’ve finally embraced the reality that grief and grace are partners, one taking while the other gives, paradoxical lovers brought together by brokenness and sincerity — I get that I’m actually equipped for this bi-polar journey, where hope rises like the sun, giving birth to the light, and then drops below the bruised horizon, plunging my soul into darkness — for a season. I finally understand that there is a place within my being which grasps the great mystery —that we are timeless spirits, kin to the divine, and that we have within ourselves the resources needed to not only persevere, but to see the invisible, and embrace the eternal.

I experience this magic when I invite Love to guide me through the looming shadows, ministering to me through nature and nurture, sending me serendipitous messages like a secret admirer — a random song pouring like a poem into my soul, subduing me like a strong martini. All things are needful, motivated by love for love. And my path, although strewn with thorns and often blanketed in gloomy skies, is somehow a place of safety…a wayward home away from home.

Ah yes, I speak these things while the sun is high and the calming sway of the martini lingers in my blood. How bold of me to speak so plainly of this enchantment, knowing full well that the ordinary will soon revisit me, leaving dry heaves and dead leaves as the only evidence of the magic…yet still, I will believe.

28 comments:

Marie Loerzel said...

Ah, you may wish for the ordinary, but you Leah are extraordinary! Such a joyful pic of you.

Cperz said...

"that grief and grace are partners, one taking while the other gives, paradoxical lovers brought together by brokenness and sincerity"

You never cease to amaze me with your artistry. You paint with words, the way others paint with brushes.

stephen Hayes said...

I agree that this is a magical time of year. A final burst of seasonal energy before the big sleep of Winter.

Debbie Maxwell Allen said...

Love that: grief and grace are partners. You can't have one without the other.

~Debbie

Debra said...

"I believe I’ve finally embraced the reality that grief and grace are partners, one taking while the other gives, paradoxical lovers brought together by brokenness and sincerity…"

Dear Leah, how beautifully you personify grief and grace and unify opposites (light and dark, divine and human) instead of widening the schism. True healing only comes when we embrace the bi-polar nature of life, as you so vividly illustrate here. Holding the tension of the opposites, the divine and the ordinary, the sublime and the mundane, this is an art to be mastered through Love, the ultimate teacher.

Martha Jane Orlando said...

Once again, Leah, your thoughts and words enchant me . . . I am transported into that place where "grief and grace are partners", and the light would be nothing without the darkness.
Thank you for so vividly revealing to us what true living in this world looks like.
Love and blessings, my friend!

Anonymous said...

This is so very lyrical! Oh, a great read!
-Portia

Leah Griffith said...

Thank you Marie! How's that book coming? Try not to over think things;)

Leah Griffith said...

Thank you for your beautiful compliment Cheryl. It's amazing how words can create images and feelings. That's why we write...it's such fun.

Leah Griffith said...

Stephen, I intend to high tail it out of here and head for sunny Florida before the big sleep of winter. LOL!

Leah Griffith said...

Tis true Debbie. Lord knows I've tried but the shadows always catch up with me.

Leah Griffith said...

Debra, indeed—love is the ultimate teacher, as is fear, which chases us into the arms of love.

Leah Griffith said...

Hello sweet Martha, yes real living is a messy thing. Pass the martinis! LOL!

Leah Griffith said...

Thank you for your visit Portia, I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Karen Wojcik Berner said...

Beautiful post, Leah, about the extreme changes we face in life on a regular basis. Very nice comparing that to the season and the autumnal trees, my friend.

JIM said...

I have never heard grief explained in such a hopeful manner !! Sometimes I think we do need grief to appreciate the grace of life and love !!

JANU said...

A treat to read your blogs.

Irene said...

You are an enchantress, Leah. A big tight hug to you as you experience grief. And may Love always bring you to that magical place. ❤ :-)

Galen Pearl said...

This was really a beautiful post. What beauty woven into pain. Raw indeed. And exquisite.

Dangerous Linda said...

Lovely, Leah! I especially love the bright photo of you amidst the somewhat melancholy memoir. You are beautiful ;-*

Melissa Tandoc said...

I come back to this post after a long time and reflect on the same theme that makes life worth living...

Thanks God for the resurrection.

I 'feel' for you as you go through this... lots of love and prayers ~ always!

Leah Griffith said...

Thank you Karen. Being here has inspired me in so many ways. The sadness held against such a brilliant back drop of foliage has brought me to a place of acceptance. I have no idea how this has come about but I'm hoping it sticks and that I can carry it south to the land of green and blue.

Leah Griffith said...

Jim, I do believe that grief causes us to appreciate what we have here...life, love, adventure. Knowing that we have a limited amount of time somehow makes life more precious. Indeed!

Leah Griffith said...

Janu, thank you for telling me that. I love that you're listening.

Leah Griffith said...

Irene, you are sweet! I love being an enchantress! Your spirit is so very generous and loving Irene. I'm honored that you visit and speak.

Leah Griffith said...

Thank you so much Galen. It seems when we're rubbed raw to the point of bleeding we become really honest and our eyes are opened to the beauty which remains.

Leah Griffith said...

Lovely Linda, Indeed I am in a melancholy place...but I love it. It's teaching me stuff;) I found that feather when I was raking leaves and I stuck it in my hair. Can you tell what type of feather it is? I'd love to find out. I'm thinking it's from a hawk. Love!!!

Leah Griffith said...

Sweet Melissa, the resurrection reassures us that we too are eternal. Life teaches us so many things...over and over again. I'm learning that we all die, but it doesn't end there. This inspires me;)

Post a Comment