I have reflected a lot recently on our offerings to the world amidst the current pandemic, and how we can be stewards of love and hope in our communities. In my personal circumstance, the possibilities feel limited sometimes, especially in comparison to essential workers who are doing so much to keep us alive, fed, and supplied with things we want or need to exist. In this new reality in our home, a roller coaster of emotions occurs throughout the day, especially among 5 humans and one canine, all of whom are grieving and lonely (minus the canine) despite the fact that we’ve never spent this.much.time.together.EVER. But this roller coaster, however challenging at times, also allows us a gift in heightened awareness of our emotional truths (for better or worse) and the possibility to view them as offerings.

Right now, there is NO CURTAIN to hide behind anymore. The “I’m fine” jig is up, and we are faced with the reality of our emotions unlike ever before. I can’t help but feel that this experience is an invitation to allow us to identify and understand how both the joy and the pain sources that exist in our lives can be gifts for ourselves and others towards growth if we’re willing to accept them. And nature’s growth outside right now is the perfect reminder of this possibility.

As someone who wears my heart on my sleeve and who has a highly sensitive nervous system, tears come easily. Until the COVID experience, however, I truly didn’t grasp the notion that they can serve as an offering. Not only can some of us engage in small and large acts of kindness right now to show love and to support those who need us, we can also share the gift that is tears.  I appreciate the emotional connection that can come from witnessing humanity through tears, as well as giving and receiving the offering of tears. And I truly believe that for some whose neurological wiring isn’t inclined in this way or who may not be in a place to connect with their emotional realities (for many understandable reasons) understanding our own need for emotional release through witnessing this offering from others can be a beautiful bridge towards both connection and self-awareness.

So often, we are conditioned to suppress and deny our tears from a young age or to feel as if we need to explain them or be ashamed. But when judgment is stripped away, the wonderful revelation of tears is the notion that there is a continuum of emotions in this life, and we are meant to feel them. If you are finding yourself or others you love crying tears of grief, anger, gratitude, or anything in between during this crazy time, perhaps in holding space and letting them fall, we can simultaneously appreciate the gift of this emotional release while also feeling or witnessing the effects of this salt water healing source.