Sweet Voices of Love

Rainy day in the Green Mountains.....a wonderful time to sit quietly with a cuppa coffee and muse.

Last night, I returned to my northern home in the woods after a long day of travel. Boarded a train in Cleveland at 5:30 a.m. and miles later, drove into the Glover dooryard at 9 p.m.

The past month has been heavily scheduled. Returning from Florida to Vermont and full time work, I've had lots of demanding tasks, people to see and projects to complete. While such efforts feel good and give me satisfaction, stopping today and looking back is essential to Meaning Making.

Working in America's most heavily regulated field...long term care...(we are always told there is more government oversight of our operations than over Nuclear Power Plants!) it is dangerously easy to get fully engulfed in regulations and protocols. When I am swallowed in "compliance issues," I can miss the very joys and beauty that called me tenderly, to the work.

One of the residents of our old age home recently brought me back to the basics. A lovely gentleman, he is sweet and earnest, with no no no ability to remember the present. He can recall his past, but anything that happened recently is unretrievable. So, after I was away for a few days and returned to walk in the hallways, he saw me, smiled and said, "I can't remember who you are, but I know you love me."

Such is the preciousness of life, huh? I can mistakenly think regulatory paperwork and reimbursement policy define my day, but thank God, a sweet voice of love tells me otherwise.

P.S. Another way I stay conscious and in the present is through yoga. As both a teacher and a student, I find yoga quickly grounds me in the goodness of the moment, tuning my ear to the sweet voices of love. Here, Jack and Doe, two students, enjoy their gorgeous garden just before we begin an outdoor class.