Underneath the Broken is the Unbroken

This past week has felt very heavy and heartbreaking and I have found myself struggling with my emotions. On Tuesday morning I was reading distressing news on my phone and crying when my son came out of his room for school. He asked me why I was crying and when I told him I was sad about what I was reading he said “Why don’t you just stop reading about it?” I told him that sometimes we have to be with the tough stuff and not run away. 

That is our practice, to be with it all, to hold the sadness and the joy. If we “turn ourselves off” to the pain then we are also “turning ourselves off” to joy. That is how it works. If we numb ourselves from difficulty and discomfort we feel numb and we miss the joyful moments as well. Underneath the difficulty is the potential for such beauty as I was reminded by this poem I shared with classes this past week. 

 The Unbroken, By Rashani Rea

There is a brokenness out of which comes the unbroken, a shatteredness out of which blooms the unshatterable.

There is a sorrow beyond all grief which leads to joy and a fragility out of whose depths emerges strength.

There is a hollow space too vast for words through which we pass with each loss, out of whose darkness we are sanctioned into being.

There is a cry deeper than all sound whose serrated edges cut the heart as we break open to the place inside which is unbreakable and whole.
No matter how broken our hearts feel, there is an unbrokenness there as well. It is our unshakeable resolve that allows sorrow to lead to joy. With all of our emotions together we are whole. 

When I arrived home from dropping my son at school I pulled into my driveway and I saw at least 15 green parrots in a tree in my neighbors yard. I just watched them, their bright green feathers, their continuous chatter– it was like a kiss from nature, a reminder to look all around so not to miss the joys. And then just a few minutes later they all flew off together.. to another tree, in another place to bring joy to someone else who needed it.