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Dear TSJ Friends,
I am filled with enthusiasm this week for being part of so many of your journeys. Your emails, your texts and coaching chats here at TSJ headquarters inspire and convince me that each of us lives with a constant awareness of the difference between who we want to be and who we are at the moment.
How disturbing or discouraging that gap can be between what we want to be and what we actually feel right now. We frequently feel out of harmony.
Yet in this space of inner tension lies our highest potential.
But we are not meant to travel alone through the gaps of our journeys.
One of our dear TSJ people sat down in my office the other day and declared wisely and emphatically, “Everybody needs somebody!” Yes, we do.
My short story today has its origin in my childhood. It is a bit of a religious story, but no matter your religious background, I promise this leads to a topic very close to my heart of late and one I believe has universal implications for all of us!
Starting today, we will begin to unpack the topic of Harmony –
What Harmony is,
What Harmony is not and
How can we find it or restore it when it is lost from our spiritual sight
A couple of weeks ago I was working around the house and an old Sunday School song ran through my head. In fact, I remember when I was a child, my mother would often sing this song when she was doing things about the house and in a good mood.
It was the refrain of this song that came through loud and clear. “In my heart there rings a melody with Heaven’s Harmony. There rings a melody of Love.” Hmm…it seems as love is the melody and heaven [God] is the composer.
The full lyrics may be familiar to some of you who grew up going to church and Sunday School. Though It was the refrain that went through my head the introduction verse reads: “I have a song that Jesus gave me; It was sent from Heav’n above! There never was a sweeter melody. Tis the melody of love” Then the refrain repeats itself. ( Written by Elton Roth)
As an adult with hindsight vision, I am thankful that my mother sang such songs around the house even though things were often lacking harmony there for me.
However, The truth is . . . all parents make mistakes . . . and yet we still can carry their best messages in our hearts forever. We can allow that which is good to nourish us.
Solomon just tapped my shoulder and said, “this fact alone is well worth parents and teachers remembering! ” Yes, wisdom comes in our experience of life itself and often emerges out of disharmony – like a piece of music that carries some discordant notes by which the composer creates a tension that leads to a powerful and beautiful resolution.
Harmony: What is it? Is it a state of alignment with what is right (what is good, true, and beautiful)?
After remembering that child song I was inspired to re-read a small but richly packed philosophical booklet (In Emergency, Ask Question) – based on Socratic methods of thinking and problem solving.
Once again I began to remember that quite possibly harmony itself is a universal longing for human beings and for all of life on Planet Earth.
To understand what it means to feel out of harmony it helps to remember what the writer (Lable Braun) says, “When our lives are in Harmony with the universe that surrounds it, we feel light.”
Can you remember a time when you were in a state of bliss or when you were so focused and aligned with your purpose you were “in the zone?”
“The quest for harmony drives every action and every reaction in the physical, psychological, and spiritual universe.
The moment we lose this state of harmony, we seek to regain it. It is the driving force in all Creation” (Braun)
I say, “Wow.” I invite you to contemplate on that for a bit. I have been doing that myself.
So for starters today let’s just think about those tough moments in our lives.
What about those moments when our stomach tightens, our shoulders feel heavy and our head aches as we sense our world is spinning madly out of alignment?
What then is the most compelling thing to ask? Braun says at such times the most worthwhile question of all:
“What is out of Harmony
(and how do we restore it?)”
“What is out of Harmony?” Sometimes just asking the question helps us stop and face the feeling rather than race on. And sometimes it is more difficult to ascertain than we realize.
But is it enough? Clearly the next question is essential too.
“How do we restore it?” We often find this difficult to answer.
As a coach and seeker of harmony myself, I find both questions challenging. There are many levels of disharmony we will be exploring together..
This week when you feel unrest ask yourself the two questions: What is out of harmony? How can I restore it?
Never despair. We all grow into what we and our Chief Shepherd envision possible slowly and incrementally. And We grow by moving through the gap where the tension lies between what we are experiencing and what we want to experience! Between who we are and who we want to be.
It is fertile ground for the soul’s expansion. Your coach knows. She is on the same journey..
With love,
Margie and Solomnon (her muse).
PS. Need encouragement or support at times? I am a phone call or text away. We can talk on the phone or email each other at marg.m.cole@gmail.com or chat in the TSJ office. There are options!
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