Our friend, Denise Krebs hosts
the March Spiritual Journey reflections.
Denise asks: It’s just that I don’t always feel whole. How do I bring all the various parts of me to the table of my life?
Join us this month,
as we share our thoughts.
You can find the links here.
Today is also Poetry Friday! You can find a respite from the world in the form of poetic goodness with our host this week: Margaret Simon.
unbroken
a continuous stretch of coastline
a record of winning games without a single loss
uninterrupted sleep, a whole piece
…of glass intact, a mirror uncracked
a sealed package, a heart opened
unrealistic for these to remain
unbroken –for now, a glimpse
of wholeness
Is this ironic? Hole refers to an empty space and if we add one letter, the word becomes complete. Whole.
As a state, wholeness –feeling complete, feeling unbroken– feels a bit like bait and switch. Something we forever aspire to; but it remains beyond our grasp. Imperfection, incompleteness is part of the human experience.
Still, I have lived moments of wholeness.
As part of my work with children in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, we pondered the time when the fullness of God’s plan for creation would be complete – a time when God would be all in all. The Greeks referred to this time as Parousia. Six-to-nine-year-old children would offer their own ideas of what this might feel like:
“when everyone is full of God’s love”
“when peace finds us”
“when my body is happy”
It is unsurprising that a sense of wholeness eludes me today given the upheaval in our country. So I look to other moments that –for a brief time—leave me with a glimpse of wholeness:
the beauty of Mt. Whitney’s towering spires on my drive north on US395 last week
a still, gray-blue Lake Tahoe welcoming me home
words of wisdom to my niece, a mom-to-be, as a celebration of life and motherhood
giggles spilling out of my grand-niece as she played with her grandpa
silent awe watching two eaglets pip their way into the world
Patricia Franz writes picture books and poetry. She believes children, dogs, and sourdough have a lot to teach us about life, joy, and wonder. She has raised two boys, four dogs, and holds a master’s degree in Theology with a focus on children’s spirituality. Patricia, her husband, her Bernese Mountain dog, Bonny, and her sourdough starter split their time between the Arizona desert and the Sierra Nevada mountains. 
Patricia, whole is such a big part of our lives, yet we fell the hole where something is missing. We are pulled in so many directions. There are so many conflicting thoughts swirling around in our minds. We find it difficult to be wholly present. We look to our faith to bind us and keep all those pieces of who we are together as a whole being.
Patricia, thank you for your honesty about not feeling the sense of wholeness. Yes, I can relate, maybe that’s why it has been on my mind and heart lately. I love those glimpses you captured and a reminder to look at them with eyes of appreciation, sustenance in the darkness. Reading the posts today, reminds me that we also need to embrace the brokenness and imperfection, as well as each other in order to be whole. Thank you for this rich post, as well as your comments on others’ posts. I appreciate your wisdom.
Patricia, I appreciated the observation that one letter turns “hole” to “whole,” empty space made into something complete. Every glimpse of wholeness that you found and shared is linked, I think, to the simple yet awe-filled journey through this world, knowing that something greater has been set in our hearts, something we long for: God. If we would be made whole, He alone has the power. Gorgeous, lyrical post – I am grateful for your words.
In the midst of brokenness, you have lived moments of wholeness. Thanks for your poem, your words, and those glimpses of wholeness. Your words are a gift!