12 Apr Her Alters
Her Alters
‘Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark.’
Rabindranath Tagore
Faith is one of my favourite words – it has been for a while. I love the vibration of it – it extends out as far as the edges of the universe. Faith to me feels powerful, potent and unending.
Over the last week or so my family of 5 made a trek down to NSW to stay with my mother-in-law who has been unwell. We had been meaning to make the trip for a while but with Covid and Dads health, we just had not had the opportunity. Just so you know a little about Joan, she is 84 years young and has an incredibly infectious, vibrant and strong willed personality. She is also forthright, honest, stubborn and completely her own person… even when she is a ‘little off’ – I can hear her chuckle as I write those words.
While we were with her, my husband, who shows his love throughout acts of service, was very busily attending to a number of ‘jobs’ that needed doing around the house in order to make things a little more safe for her to move around using her ‘wheels’. While he did that, I pottered around making cups of tea, chatting and helping out when he needed an extra pair of hands. The kids were fantastic, sitting with her watching the footy, asking if she needed anything and all round being great kids (not kids anymore at 21, 20 and 15!).
So we have had this great week with her, hanging out, cleaning out a few cupboards and just generally spending time with her. It wasn’t until we were doing a few of those ‘jobs’ in the kitchen that I noticed in each room Joan has created alters – that is what I call them – she might not. There right above the kitchen sink was an image and there in the hall was another and another in the bedroom and I found it all quite beautiful.
During our stay the girls and I went for a little op shopping jaunt where I spotted an old National Geographic magazine with the words ‘The Healing Power of Fatih’ emblazoned on the cover. It got me, I bought it for a whole dollar! It wasn’t until the drive back that I had time to read the article – a little on that later.
So there we were pottering on one of our last days with Joan and there was a knock on the door and it was ‘Father Someone’, he was a jovial man who very obviously had known Joan for years as there was a beautiful and easy banter between them. Joan hasn’t been able to go to her usual church service so he came to her. How lovely is that! Her community which she had been a part of since birth now comes to her, now that she is unable to go to them – just so lovely. He sat with her, spoke to her, laughed with her, spread good cheer through the house and then left with the promise to be back next week. After he left I could see Joan was visibly happier and quietly content.
So fast forward a couple of days, we are on our 15 hour drive home and I pick up the NG mag to read this article that called me. It was filled with words, impressions, research that I already know in my bones and heart. There is a powerful healing effect when we trust, have faith in and believe. The article spoke of the theatre of medicine, of shamanistic practices, of belief in a higher power. But what really got me was a paragraph about a clinical practice. Christopher Spevak is a pain and addiction doctor and when he sees new patients he doesn’t ask about their injuries or their medical history, instead he asks them about themselves. He learns about them, what they loved in childhood, a favourite tree, smell, sound – he gently prods them to find out what stimulus they will respond to and when it comes time to take their medication, the patient links the sensory response with the medicine. After a while the medicine is cut down and the patients brain can go to ‘an internal pharmacy for the needed drugs’. Yes there was a lot more info in the article than I can go into here but once again it reminds me of the immense power our brain has over our body and whether an experience is perceived as positive or negative, that too has a powerful impact on the body will respond to that stimulus for years to come.
And so this quick visit left far greater impressions on me than I expected probably due to a multitude of reasons. Joans connection to spirit is of great comfort. And the simple things like having a cup of a particular type of tea can create loving moments of comfort that lives on the memory for years to come. The deity we choose to pray to all spring from the same universe. And love really is all that there is.
When I remember that I am connected to ‘that’ something larger than what I see physically, think mentally or feel emotionally, I feel held here on earth by a force which I cannot see but I know is within me and all around me. I feel braver, act with more care and kindness. Life simply feels sweeter
Prays are never left unanswered. We can enter a church to whisper them or quietly turn inward in a moment of reflection to ask our God for help and when we do we remember this vastness that we are each an incredible part of. A quick visit – a great remembrance – a heart opening gift. Thank you Joan for having us and teaching us about what is most important – I will now go and attend to my alter, very much altered by you.