Lifting the Veil

 

One moment I believed my Self

A victim of circumstances

Unworthy of love

Dying by my own hands

Not wanting to die

But not knowing how to live any other way

When an angel appeared

Dressed as a mere mortal

Engaging me in conversation

Asking questions that I hadn’t dared to ask my Self

Listening with his presence

Dropping seeds of wisdom with his words

He walked away

But remains with me

A part of my hero’s journey

As this nameless friend

Lifted the veil

So I might see

The warrior I was born to be.

 

I was having dinner when I heard a soft voice ask:  Is this seat taken?  I turned to invite him to sit down and was surprised to see this gentle giant before me.  His physical stature exuding outward strength that matched all that lay inside of him.  There was a rare sweetness circling him so we were instantly friends.  His name is AJ.

The fierce rains forced him to detour into Nashville.  He is on a cross-country road trip riding his motorcycle from New Mexico to New York where he is stationed in the Army.  He will leave for Afghanistan within 90 days and feels a deep sense of duty and pride in serving our country.  He shared the hell tales of boot camp and all the doors within him that he wasn’t aware were sealed until they opened, discovering the warrior he was born to be.

Just a few years ago, AJ was 400 pounds and dying.  He knew he was dying and didn’t know what to do to save himself.  He felt trapped in his life unable to cross the bridge from where he was to where he wanted to go.  One day, a man engaged him in conversation asking what he wanted to do with his life.  He expressed his desire to be in the military and the angel disguised as a man looked past the story of AJ’s 400 pound body and saw the soul, the truth of who AJ is, urging him to join the ROTC at his college.  The angel lifted the veil so AJ could see the possibilities for his life.

With 150 pounds shed from his body and possessing a depth of wisdom that guides his life, AJ is alive, his spirit free to be, to dance, to ride his motorcycle cross country, to be the hero he is, to express all that lies within him.  Living the passion within him, he is blazing a new trail and inspiring all who experience him.

The invitation this day is look beyond the veil, the curtain, the story that appears to be there, obstructing the truth of who you truly are and who others truly are.  Living your truth, you help others remember their truth.  Acknowledge the hero within you and within all.  See the warrior you were born to be.  Free your Spirit and let it soar in ways that you have forgotten are possible.  When you rise, we all rise.  Your passion ignites a chain reaction!