Make peace with the world and find your way home to God. Soften your eyes, your heart, your thoughts, your very being and watch the world soften. Look for the beauty in the sunrise, the morning dew clinging tenderly to the soft petals of a flower, the laughter in an old mans eyes, the joy of baby’s sudden surprise, the wind softly caressing its formless fingers through your hair, the warm embrace of a dear friend, the sweet sureness of a loved one—there is so much beauty all around you and within you. You don’t have to go far to find God, to find the beauty of creation, look inside your own eyes. Experience the miracle of your own existence. Whatever the question love is the answer…
 Blindfolded or not, love will find you…

This is a story of a man and his journey towards God. He was a man of great depth and deep feelings, but he could not accept the darkness of life, or of himself. He shook his fists at the world, angry at war, at violence, at sickness, starvation and all the other sufferings and sins of mankind, both inside himself and in the world.
Everywhere he looked he saw the pain, misery, depravity of mankind. Love seemed absent from the world. Such was his disgust that he decided to put a blindfold on and walk in darkness. At first, he found great comfort in the darkness, but in-between his angry thoughts, in the silent spaces where he could not hide in darkness, a deep and hollow sadness consumed his soul.
Determined and strong in his conviction, he stumbled around, banging into walls, falling down stairs, and bumping into others who also had blindfolds on. Walking with outstretched arms, he held back his tears and the loud scream at the back of his throat, keeping everyone and everything that he encountered at a safe distance.

When occasionally, his hands would tremble and he started to waver on his decision, wondering, if perhaps, there was a better way to live than utter darkness. But these moments of trembling were fleeting as he justified himself, pledging that it is better to close ones eyes, put up walls, and create safe boundaries, rather than to be swallowed by the shadows of life.

Days past, years past, the entirety of his life past in utter darkness, and now, an old man, with crippled limbs and a hunched back, he found himself sitting alone on a park bench. Sadly content in his decision, but weary of the darkness of his life, he sighed and said a silent prayer—“God, show me the way home.”

In the distance floating on the breath of the wind, came the sweet sound of children laughing and singing. They were so joyous, so alive, so full of hope and happiness—so full of life. Though his eyes were still covered and his life was still dark, a spark of light flickered in his being and something changed as the corners of his mouth lifted slightly with a new found hope that had somehow been lost in darkness of his determination.

The sweet laughter of the children was like music to his soul, nourishing, life-giving. It was the light of life joyfully laughing and singing in the mist of the dark slow death of his world. With gnarled trembling fingers and the bravery of valiant soldier, after a long lifetime of dark determination, he slowly unraveled his blindfold. At first, the light was so bright that it hurt. Sharp biting tears seeped out the corners of his eyes as he hid his face in the palm of his hands, peering through his gnarled fingers, dazed by the brilliance of the light, but serenaded by the sweetness of the children’s laughter.

After many years of darkness, his sight was blurry and everything was foggy; including his thoughts. Only the children’s laughter was clear, radiant and alive. As he adjusted to the light, there were moments when he was overwhelmed by fear and tempted to put his blindfold back on, but the sweet music of the children’s laughter sang a song of hope that was so pure, innocent, and vibrantly alive it permeated the core of his existence, touching the soul of all “that is.”

Once his vision returned in its entirety, he was shocked to see the sweet children whose songs of laughter had brought him back to life were weak and frail and sick and crippled. Some could barely walk. Others were missing limbs. Still others had no hair and their skin was pale as ash. Others could not move at all, but sat peacefully in their wheelchairs smiling and laughing along with the other children. Sickness had weakened their frail bodies, but not there spirit. They were full of such joy, song and laughter. So much life. Breathing as if each breath were to be their last breath. They were vulnerable and strong enough to allow themselves to fall, to rise, to dance, to sing, to cry, to scream and laugh, to experience all the many colors of life.

As the weary old man sat watching, his eyes filled with tears. It was not sadness or pity that flooded his eyes, but the utter joy of watching life find a way to express itself fully at every moment, and in every thing, and in everyway possible. These children were at home in their bodies and in the world. They were joyously at peace with the innate imperfect perfection of life.

The old man wiped his tears away and then hobbled over to the playground. For hours, days, months and years, he danced, and sang, and built sand castles in the sand with the children. Sometimes he picked them up and other times they picked him up as they joyously embraced each other.

With time the old man’s hands stopped trembling and his eyes grew soft and there was a sudden sweetness to his own existence that he had never before experienced. The old man was amazed, what had once been so unbearable –war, sickness, depravity—now was just another simple step in the beautiful path of life, leading home, leading to God.

Each day, as he journeyed home, the old man was astounded by the multitude of others that he saw walking in utter darkness. But now, instead pushing them away, he embraced them fully, with a heart full of love, kindness, compassion, blessing them as they too made their way home.

At the end of the old man’s life, surrounded by the very children he had once played with in the park; now grown and holding his gnarled hand as he had once held theirs, he understood the true meaning of life, of love. Before he closed his eyes for the last time, he looked around the room called each child by their name and said: “ In the dark and in the light, life is always blossoming, but when we are ready, blindfolded or not, love will find us—it is as inevitable as children’s laughter.”

I love you all more than you can imagine…

Namaste

All my love

Chrystal Rae