Cry On

“Don’t be afraid to cry. It will free your mind of sorrowful thoughts.” Don Talayesva, (Hopi) from Words of Power, edited by Norbert S. Hill, Jr. (Oneida)

Somehow, some (or perhaps most) of us have learned that we are not supposed to cry…especially in public. We have been told or have come to believe that we should ‘stuff’ our emotions, keep them under control, look away, not admit to them. The emotion of sadness, we learn, should be one that is let out only in solitude…in the safety of our room. Even there we have learned to not let it out…to not cry too loudly lest we be found out.

Well, today I am sad and I want you to know it. Sadness crept in yesterday and has not yet left. I am apt to cry at any moment…remembering what has been but also in feeling grateful for all of it. I sing a song in my mind, begin to write a ‘thank you’ card, imagine how I will miss the routine of my life of the past year, feel the immense love and appreciation of all who looked to me as a spiritual leader, friend, even reverend. And today I will cry some more.

These words from Don Talayesva are a comfort to me. They remind me that with the release of tears, the emotional healing will begin. They remind me to be gentle with myself, to not rush the process, to be kind, to accept where I am. They remind me of the importance of release in the process of a clearing out and beginning again.

It is okay to allow the mind to be occupied by sorrowful thoughts. It is comforting and empowering to know that tears…and release…will make room for the next powerful, amazing and inspiring thought to emerge.

Cry on, my friends.

With deep love and appreciation.

Paula