I so resonate with the attached story by Fabiana Fondevila, that I had to share it with you. In regard to her lack of spiritual identity she writes: I had a God-shaped hole in my heart that no cause or ideology could fill. Though I have never set out intentionally to find a spiritual practice, I have often felt that hole she speaks-of. Also raised in an intellectual household, I’ve felt a longing to put words or a definition around those times in which I’ve felt deeply connected to something larger than myself. All along I’ve known that my closest connection to spirit (call it God, Divine, etc.) is in the moments I get lost in my garden or feel deeply moved by natural beauty. I’ve known this since adolescence. While in California last week, with the backdrop of the Pacific Ocean crashing wildly against the rocky shore, the hole that Fondevila describes filled graciously and with ease. More to come on this topic.
Please link here to NPR’s On-Being blog to enjoy:
Not Conviction But Devotion: I Stumbled Upon the Ground While Looking for Faith
Wishing you a peaceful weekend,
Joan
Comments
Joanie, how lovely! I often feel similarly… the beauty and power of the natural environment all around us can deliver real balance and peace to us if we are available to experience it. I love how awake you are to the world around us! <3 R
feel the same.. i discovered this years ago on a drive to bluff utah through great red deserts and huge rock formations.. i was using mother natures land outside to relieve myself and i felt my heart pounding as i looked at the landscape.. i knew there was something bigger than myself.. and i didn’t need to name it.. i felt it.. and to this day i feel that space similarly… and when I’m by the greatest of natures wonders or when I’m doing something i love.. picking rocks by the beach.. swimming … i feel that bigger than…. California coast does it to me every time
Thank you so much for sharing my post with your readers, Joan! I don’t know quite how I stumbled upon your blog but it was a very nice surprise, especially since I also resonated with your writings. I guess we are kindred souls, living thousands of miles away. 🙂
Warmest wishes from way down South!
Fabiana
What a lovely surprise to hear from you Fabiana! I am honored. I only wish I were fluent in Spanish so I could read your blog. Thank you for stopping by. Sending heart-felt wishes your way.
Joan
I have a blog in English but I don’t update it much, but I did start writing (very) recently for the HuffPost, here is the link to the one article I have: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/fabiana-fondevila/dare-to-be-naive_b_7266416.html And soon I´ll start a monthly blog at Gratefulness.org, are you familiar with them? I think you might feel a kinship with them too. I do hope we have a chance to read each other from now on.
Thanks again for your kind support!
Fabiana