Sanctuary through the Storm
Is it possible to find sanctuary, even in a storm?
I think so — maybe even more so because finding sanctuary is what helps us get through a storm of any kind.
Some storms are hurricanes, like the devastating Hurricane Ian that visited us in Naples, Florida this past week. It was a doozy. Some storms are a result of sudden news — an unexpected health diagnosis, the loss of a loved one, the end of a job. Some storms are initiated by a colleague, partner, friend or family member. They say something or do something that creates a stir and the storm begins. But regardless of the type of storm we face, cultivating that peaceful center that we can carry within us through every situation that life offers us is pure gold.
I’ve written many times that creating peace around us inspires peace inside us. It truly does and through years of testing and research, I have found this statement to be consistently true.
It’s the tenets of sanctuary that hold firm when the winds blow and the storm rages:
Calm
Harmony
Strength
Presence
Creativity (in thinking and problem solving)
Resilience
It’s really that last one, resilience, that is truly magic. Resilience is how we cope, it’s how we respond, it’s how we process the vagaries and traumas of life.
And so here we are, in the aftermath of the storm Hurricane Ian, having survived heartbreaking losses in our community, uncertainty during this stressful experience, surveying the landscape of our life and business from the pilot seat of sanctuary. What do we feel and see? Gratitude for being spared the flooding and loss that has surrounded us this week. It always comes back to gratitude.
What else?
Opportunity for sharing the abundance and resources we have around us. And out of that space, we respond with hot meals for our colleagues who have lost much. We employ an outreach through our community ties where we give blood, carry debris and help restore hope for the future. And we grant ourselves gentleness and compassion as we cope with our own dismay and grief.
Because I’ll admit that this week has not been easy. I have wept. I have mourned. I have worried and I have raged as I’ve processed my own emotions and concern for the future.
But sanctuary. Always sanctuary.
Today as I mopped my eyes and pulled myself out of the abyss of fear and worst-case-scenario, I ordered ice, battery operated fans and a case of fresh resolve (aisle 4 at Publix). This is where the rubber meets the road. This is where we walk that talk and shine the light of sanctuary into the world. Down here, that’s saying something, because a lot of us are still without power and it’s DARK at night.
The interesting thing about having it be so dark at night is that I can see the stars, the planets and the moon in a way that I haven’t for the past months. As life has ramped up to a higher and more fervent pitch, I’ve been too tired to go outside and marvel at the glory of the cosmos. But now? I can catch a cooler breeze and escape the confines of hurricane central.
Can we find sanctuary in the storm? Not only do I say yes we can, YES WE MUST. Sanctuary has held me together, once again.
If you'd like to share, I'd love to hear how you're coping — whether it's with the aftermath of Hurricane Ian or whatever storm is raging in your life. Among the comments you'll discover how deeply this sanctuary community cares.
With love and gratitude,
Lisa
P.S. For those of you wishing you could lend a hand and help our community, click here for the Collier Comes Together Hurricane Relief Fund.