Today’s meditation was written by Cathy Self, Senior Vice-President for the Baptist Healing Trust.
The Dark Side of the Moon.
Hate is the dark side of the moon of love./ And I stood, shivering in the cold,/ Looking for hope./ I loved my brother amidst the bleak ruins,/ And the light from within me/ Illumined us both.
The words of the poem above were written by my 80 year-old mother, Dr. Norma Stevens – a discovery I made just recently as we labored through piles of paper, sorting and cleaning. Her words resonated with my spirit’s recognition that we all have the potential to stand, at times, in the dark of the moon until the heart remembers to draw from Love’s light. I wondered why I find myself all too often and too easily out of touch with Love’s light. What distracts me from the well of immeasurable Love? I suspect that my lack of tapping into Love’s waters rises from habits of refreshment and replenishment too little engrained and infrequently exercised.
Many have spoken of the need to develop habits that refresh physically, emotionally, and spiritually, even in the pages of this journal. The idea seems intuitive to a caregiver, yet many (if not most) caregivers I know struggle to place their own needs as a priority. A lasting love that does not give up and knows no limit to its endurance is amazing Love. And, wrongly, many of us greet each day as though Love’s reserve will be poured out without giving attention to our responsibility to tap into its artesian well. The warning signs are easily ignored as just "part of the work:" fatigue, both physical and compassion; feelings of inadequacy, impatience, futility; searching for that next "big" thing to fill our sense of meaning and purpose. Sound familiar?
It takes physical energy to care for others – even if only to listen generously! The habits we need to cultivate include rest, good nutrition, and regular exercise. Old song, sung over and over. It is a struggle that stretches back for hundreds of years. The Psalmist understood and wrote "It’s senseless for you to work so hard from early morning till late at night. God wants you to get your proper rest" (Psa. 127:2). For some of us solitude is the key to emotional capacity. One caregiver I know, in trying to emulate Jesus’ example when He modeled "Come apart from the crowds with me," said "either I come apart, or I come apart." Emotional refreshment may include re-creation through creative means or maybe just through shared laughter and enjoyment. Habits of the spirit may include meditation, reflection on sacred text, or prayer.
Whatever the means, we can only give what we possess. To give Love requires that we dip into Love’s well often and deeply. What are the habits of your loving heart? How do you keep yourself at the wellspring of Love?
Journal of Sacred Work 
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