A special vision

I am thankful for my imagination and ability to picture things so clearly in my mind. There are times when it can make life hard (worry is harder to shake when you can see scary things in your mind) but there are times when it can make life very beautiful and the pictures turn to visions. I remember the first time I was made aware that I could close my eyes and still see things -- in second grade, my teacher had us all lie down on the floor as for a nap, but instead of sleeping, she taught us how to relax with mind pictures. With her calming voice, she guided us onto a green grassy hill under a blue sky filled with puffy white animal shaped clouds and a bright happy sun. I'm sure it's easy to tell what a revelation it was to me that I can still picture that scene when I close my eyes some three decades later!

Anyway, today I was blessed with a particularly wonderful experience while I was getting my (dreaded) acupuncture done. Normally, it is very hard for me to relax and I feel quite claustrophobic waiting the required thirty minutes lying still with the needles in place. I usually listen to my beloved Taize chants (look into it if you've never heard of it) and today while I was listening to the soaring soprano voices, a very clear picture came to my mind that brought me great peace. I was sitting in a small wooden boat in some pretty tumultuous and foreboding waves, watching the gorgeous billowing storm clouds move away with cracks of orange sunlight streaming through, when I noticed the water all around grow very still. I was looking overboard at the beauty of the glassy water when I turned back and saw that Jesus was in the boat behind me the whole time and I hadn't even realized it. What I remember most was focusing on his open arms and how it felt to melt into them -- strong and comforting. I can't quite do it justice, but it was very moving. And I remember thinking about the story of the woman in the bible who had been tortured by what is called "an issue of blood" sickness for twelve long years, and she thought if she could only touch the hem of Jesus' garment, she would be healed. She did, and she was. And in my vision, I just kept thinking, all she had was a hem to hold and here I am wholly wrapped in his cloak as if they were a mother hen's wings around her chick. Well, I can tell you, my head and neck weren't the only things to experience healing today...my heart needed that hug very badly, and I am so grateful for it.