“Yes, I know what’s true
In my heart of hearts, I know.”
Back to Illinois to visit my son, and while I am there, we meet in Circle.
Since COVID hit in March, we have kept meeting in Circle. Outside.
But now it is 30’s in Chicago,
So we meet in my son’s apartment.
The three who come have already had COVID, and we are carrying antibodies.
So odd to be in a home with those outside my immediate family.
Nice. ‘Normalcy’ seems a lifetime ago.
“There’s a path through the darkness,
With her love She will guide you.”
I have been watching Call of the Midwife, and I find when the nuns sing in their daily Compline, it is so very calming.
Those nuns. Wow. Strong, compassionate, kind.
That is what we are doing in Circle.
We come back to Center.
We slow down. We become ‘present’. We breathe a little deeper.
We sing.
“With Love, Sing”
It has been years since I have lived in an apartment. I try to be respectful of our upstairs neighbors. The walls in this old apartment are paper thin, and I quite clearly can hear their conversations.
But I think fondly of what of what they must be thinking while listening to the three of us Sing.
I think we need more of that.
Not just in the car or the shower, but with others.
The Circle is small. It is intimate. It is safe. I have sat in Circle with these women for years. We know and accept each other. An added bonus, we hold no ‘roles’ in each others lives and therefore fail no expectations as Partners, Children, In-laws often do.
We simply sit and listen to each other.
“With Truth, Speak”
What a joy it is to be truly ‘listened’ to! In Circle, you give 100% attention to what the other is saying. You do not try to fix. You do not judge. You just listen. Perhaps you share a story of your own, but you let them come to their conclusions. You respect it is their path to walk not yours.
“With Strength, Act”
I make the frequent trips to Illinois to support my sons who are becoming men.
My son tells me, “I do not call myself a Republican. I do not call myself a Democrat. I will not call myself any of it. I am disgusted with it all.”
Yes. They are wrong those who say these new generations are not worthy. They are. They see it. They just do not know what to do with what they have been handed. Yet.
I tell him,
“I refuse to believe that intelligent, compassionate people with different opinions cannot sit down together and communicate, compromise and problem solve.”
That is the sign of a grown up world.
It will come.
That is where we are going even if it may be a bumpy ride getting there.
Through Circle, I have learned how to be a better Mother. I share with him my stories. I tell him you do not need to see the end game, you just need to figure out the next step.
And in your heart of hearts, you know.
“With Peace, Be”
- Song is from ‘Yes, I Know’ from Libana. I just found them, thank you Lucy Pearce! and am loving their music!
Other Posts from my Journey to Find a New Circle in Alabama
–The Last Circle: Stories from a Catholic Witch. Part I. The End is the Beginning.
–Finding a Women’s Circle in the Divided State of Alabama Part II
–You Get What You Give. Part III on Trying to Find or Start a Women’s Circle
–Finding Your Sisters in a Women’s Circle Part IV
