Can I Come Closer to Being Whole

A poem

As the years fled by With a limited number of future ones remaining The end on the horizon It has helped to focus me Striving for success by the world’s standard No longer a concern Fretting about past missed opportunities for growth Recognized at last as fruitless Accepting both my strengths and my limitations The question still arises Can I become my true self Fulfilling the purpose for which I was formed

Paradoxically the answer lies in Not in acquiring anything else Nor in accomplishing a noteworthy achievement As the lasting hallmark of my tenure here on earth Even charitable endeavors by themselves, not the pathway But rather I must empty myself Ridding myself of much of the baggage Accumulated along my life’s journey Diminishing my ego Ceasing my anxiety about the future That might never arrive

Immersing myself in silence Practice being still Listening Not just seeing but perceiving Engaging all my senses Giving free rein to my emotions Reaching out with this heightened self To touch life in all its manifestations Above all else love myself Let the love flow outwards to those who are part of my life In turn, allow love to enter Cherishing the accompanying vulnerability

This is so painful Contemplating tearing down the defenses That “protected” me Breaking apart all I have built over my entire life That image of myself that I held dear That was the source of so much pride It is frightening to contemplate I will need help I must learn to ask for it from my personal village And from Her

For it is Her voice The Source of All Being Whispering in my soul She it is I seek Her divine light and love Always there awaiting my opening to Her flowering within me Now is the time to surrender to Her grace Trusting that as I decrease She will fill up the space with Her abundance I will then be more the one that I was destined to become Simply my true self A person for others