A Little Synchronicity

okay so...my blog title has the word "synchronicities" in it. i should devote just a little time talking about this topic huh?

when i really get into it i will have to take a deep breath and be prepared to stay awhile...there is a lot to say.

but for now i will give you just an appetizer.

what is a synchronicity exactly?

well...for me the word means: a meaningful coincidence. and of course this presents a conundrum because one doesn't normally associate meaning with coincidence. but i do. i have lived some years now and i am much more open to the possibility that seemingly random happenings have some purpose and meaning to our lives. i think the trick is to allow yourself to find meaning where you can find it.

i am not a religious person...meaning...i don't go to church much or to any religious meeting ground. i don't read the bible. i am not well versed in any doctrine. i am mostly ignorant of any religious practices or dogma but i have had my experiences ...like anyone else. although i am not committed to any one religion, i do enjoy reading about spirituality. i do enjoy listening to people talk about what they believe and what matters to them.

one of my good friends is a devout Catholic. she got me turned on to reading about the saints. i read the Autobiography of a Soul...the story of little saint therese of Liseux and i found such comfort in her life and words.

one evening i was sitting here at my computer, completely cheerless. it had been a really difficult day with my son who has autism. and i was in need of something uplifting. so i was searching. and i did find an article written about saint therese.

i was reading along when my eyes halted when i found this passage:

"If Thérèse has a message for us today, it is to offer us encouragement in our own dark times when it seems all that we see is the worst in ourselves and in our society. The Harvard psychologist, Charles Verge, speaks of the difference between Cure and Healing. He points out:

Cure seeks change at the level of the problem. Healing is a change of perception which can only happen from the depth of the divine self and it comes as gift, as grace. It is not necessarily a change in the circumstance (the problem) Rather, healing requires a change in focus away from a view that demands changing of the circumstance or that the circumstance be removed. Healing requires a change in perspective that embraces the circumstance from another inner source.

Thérèse did just that. She could not change the dynamics of life with erratic Mother de Gonzague nor could she do away with what today we might call, her own wounded child. She changes what she can through her instructions to her novices and her letters of encouragement to her blood sisters in community, she befriends what she can not change, including her personal limitations. It all becomes the stuff of her relationship with God grounding her in daring trust.15 Thérèse teaches us not to be overcome by difficult, unchangeable life circumstances, such as the need to care for an aging parent, an ill spouse, or an autistic child.. We too can pray to see life and other people through the eyes of God. Our own limitations and those of others need not have the last word. Something deeper invites us forward."

the author is basically talking about accepting what you cannot change.

of course anyone could have stumbled upon that particular passage such as someone with an ill spouse or aging parent and had the same synchronicity is knocking at the door moment. but...it just seemed to me...that just when i was looking for something...something spiritual to heal me...it was right there and very personal.

it was as though God was sending this personal message to me at just right time when i needed to hear it.

i don't know what provoked me to read about saint therese that night. but i did. and i found words which were meaningful to me. coincidence? absolutely. but meaningful? yes...that too!

and there it is...in such a simple example... of that ability to be open to tools and messages which can help you through challenging times. this is the true meaning of synchronicity to me.

ahhh but this...is just a mere appetizer of synchronicity. there is so much more and i am almost afraid to spill the beans because if i look at it too closely i just might run. it is some powerful stuff for sure.

more on this topic in the days to come...