There are those dark days that can take so much from us.
There are seasons that strip us bare, that steal the fire from our core and leave only ashes behind.
There is a grief so deep is renders us speechless, even our own name gone from our lips.
But out beyond the small circle of our shame, the earth offers up a thousand invitations of remembrance.
The sea in summer, washing your soul clean in the waves.
The sky on a clear night, brimming with the fires of a million distant stars.
The morning sun, coaxing you awake to a new day fresh and golden.
The touch of skin, pulling you closer to to the heart of someone who loves you.
The symphony of birds, the smell of the grass, the blue mountains covered with white clouds…
All of it speaking in a voice quiet and clear:
Remember.
Remember that good heart beating in your chest.
Remember the light you’ve always carried.
Remember how bright your fire burns when you do what you love.
Remember your name and how sweet it can sound on your own lips.
Call to yourself, like you’re calling yourself home, until you walk right out of all that darkness…
And remember who you are.
- Matthew Fole