Sacred Space

Happy New Year!

I love January.  I love the New Year.  It’s a clean slate.  I always feel like organizing and cleaning.  I must not be the only one since the magazines are all about organizing and cleaning.  Oh, and about how to get 6 pack abs. 

This year, it’s not going to be about diet or de-cluttering.  Although, let’s be honest, I will try to do better in both areas and will fail miserably.  Then I will be talking about them again in September (the other New Year) and buying all those magazines with promises of delicious low fat recipes and less body fat. 

Last year, it was about loving more.  I don’t know how I did honestly.  Sometimes I chose love and sometimes I didn’t.  It’s a continual resolution, to love more.  I can think of times when I apologized and worked to make peace which is good but I can also think of times I held a grudge and was passive aggressive which is not so good.  In an effort to be kind to myself (which I think is of utmost importance – self kindness) I will forgive myself for the times I did not choose love and I will move on.  It’s a new year after all.

I just got back from Hawaii and when we were there, we visited Pearl Harbor.  Honestly, it took my breath away.  When we were on the Arizona Memorial I was listening to the audio (which happened to be recorded by Jamie Lee Curtis) and she said, “You are in a sacred space”.  This really got to me.

I knew I was in a sacred space.  My body could feel it and my mind was telling me “this place is special”.  I cried.  My son asked me if I could “feel the spirit here”.  Whenever I cry, I believe it’s a sign of the Holy Spirit.  Okay, maybe not when I’m crying over a commercial or when I’m tearing up from cutting an onion, but you know what I mean…the goose bumps kind of tears, the tears that catch you off guard, the tears that seem bigger and more meaningful.  These tears may not last long, they may not even show to the outside world but you know that you have been changed.  Yes, I could feel the spirit there.

That experience has lead me to my New Year’s resolution.   In this New Year, I hope to look at all spaces as “sacred spaces”.  Okay, I realize the grocery store is not the same as a memorial but what makes something sacred? 

Sacred has many different meanings some of which are “regarded with reverence”, “associated with the divine”, and “holy”. 

Hawaii has many places that take your breath away – the ocean, the volcanoes, the rainbows, the waterfalls, the mountains, and the sky.  In the city and suburbs we may never see these things.  Even the sky looks different here because of light pollution.  What do we have?

Well, we have roads and stores and churches and schools and homes and neighborhoods.  We have neighbors and family and dreams and hopes and successes and failures and promises.  We have marriages and friendships and commitments and forgiveness and loyalty.  We have faith and love and doubt and questions and answers and insecurities and things we know for sure. We have libraries and parks and coffee shops. 

Anyone can go to Hawaii and feel God’s presence there.  It’s so obvious.  I’m very grateful that I had a chance to go.  Now the real work begins.  Can I see God in the everyday? 

Can I remember that everyday, wherever  I stand or sit or pray or talk or listen or think or read or write or sing or dance or dream is “sacred space”? 

What about you?  Where are you?  Can you feel the spirit there?

This picture is an example of Hawaiian graffiti!  Pretty cool, huh? 

©2012 Sue Bidstrup, Great Big Yes™ All Rights Reserved