For this Sunday, January 2nd, the focus for our meditation will be on Brokenness. A few years ago, I learned of a woman named Shirley Raines who started a non-profit organization in Los Angeles to serve the homeless. A beautician by trade, she initially offered haircuts and makeovers and would set up shop on a sidewalk in Skid Row, one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Los Angeles. The work slowly expanded to offer donated food, clothing, toiletries, and other needed items. Her band of volunteers also expanded, and a local motorcycle club even “adopted” her to help provide security when she is there. Last month Shirley was named the CNN Hero of the year. What I find fascinating about Shirley and her story is that she is no saint; she is not a perfect person by any means. She daily gets by with the help of Prozac, loses her temper, uses profanity, cries, and essentially behaves just like the rest of us. Shirley’s Brokenness initially resulted from the tragic loss of her son when he was just two years old. She quickly spiraled into a severe depression, and it was not until her sister convinced her to attend church with her one Sunday where they asked for volunteers to help hand out items for the homeless that she found her calling. She says when she went to Skid Row and met the people struggling to survive there that she recognized they were Broken just like her. Rather than reject them, she embraced them and acknowledged their humanity. In the process, she turned her Brokenness into a strength. All too often we want to deny our own Brokenness. We are afraid of what others might think if they discovered our Broken parts and realized we are not always the shining examples we pretend to be. Yet, we must first acknowledge our Brokenness in order for us to be healed. As we proceed into a brand-new year let us use this time in meditation and prayer to examine where we may be Broken. Let us ask to be gently guided to those aspects of ourself that are in need of repair, and may we find the courage to honestly accept ourselves and others despite being imperfect and often Broken.
In our efforts this month let us also continue to use the energy of our prayers and meditation to amplify the light that covers and fills this nation. As we perform our meditation let us begin by re-energizing the brilliance and power of the light we create. Just as before, begin by forming a concentrated ball of light that is so bright it is almost impossible to look directly at it. Raise this sphere of light up high over the nation and then let its rays cascade down to create a solid, impenetrable dome of light that completely covers every inch of our country. From shore to shore and border to border let the entire continent be filled with this brilliant, dense light that will serve to magnify the best and highest qualities of our country and the people who live across its vast lands.
Please follow the same practice as before: Get centered in your body, ask to bring in your guides and others who are there to assist us and connect to the circle of others participating in this project.
Ask yourself what do I feel in my body when I have honestly acknowledged that I am sometimes Broken? How does it feel in my body when I am able to accept my Brokenness without judgment? Then send the energy and intention of those feelings to the nation.
Be sure to disconnect from the circle at the end and express thanks for those who have helped us in this effort.
If you have feedback or experiences you would like to share,
please let me know via e-mail to kmiritello@gmail.com
(To learn more about Shirley’s charitable foundation, please
go to https://www.beauty2thestreetz.org/)
