Today’s meditation was written by Cathy Self, Senior Vice-President for the Baptist Healing Trust.
The wealth and values that have been spoken in this week’s journal cannot be bought, and prove again that Love is priceless. To gaze upon the deep colors of a cloud painted sunset or the fragile and intricate veins of a deeply hued flower are indeed windows through which we may glimpse the sacred texture of the 
soul. And, as Erie Chapman has so eloquently framed Love’s impact, as our lives are broadened and deepened, our souls are enriched. To stop and look and really see, to listen and truly hear, to walk alongside and feel the breath and gentle touch of the one nearby are gifts that cannot be purchased and fall into the place of the extra-ordinary. Beyond being with each other, the soul also longs to be with itself in solitude, silence, quiet, and hiddenness which serve to broaden and deepen life when we are willing to rest there. When I speak of hiddenness, I am not speaking of hiding from but as an intimate means to being with.
For example, I’ve been paying attention to recently to being with as I take in nourishment. Some traditions consider the vibratory nature of foods for determining what is benefitial, calming, stimulating, or hamful when taken in. Other traditions believe what we eat gives rise to actions and thoughts in very tangible ways. The idea of being with in what some regard as the ordinariness of eating instead taps into deep hospitality in the Hindu and Indian traditions. Awareness and welcome of those who are sharing the meal, expressions of gratitude, and mindful attention to the texture, temperature, color, and myriad tastes that are embedded in each bite all help create a profound connection between our physical world and the world of our souls – a place of sacredness and Love.
Hiddenness may express itself in being with one’s physical self, simply paying attention to what is. To sit quietly with focus on the breath, to notice where tension is being held, to rest completely into the support of a chair or bed or a grassy knoll offers another thread in the sacred texture of the soul. It is a thread that many have woven into their lives through discipline and practice, but for others remains an elusive or fleeting experience. At the end of every out breath there is a moment of complete rest, of non action, and it lasts but for a nanosecond. The vast majority of those precious pauses are lost to our consciousness. Yet the pause is there, silent and still – a place of sacredness and Love.
Being with the heart and mind is at the core of the purpose of these pages. Compassionate care, presence, and healing all emerge from our willingness to be with our own heart and mind. We cannot give what we do not have. Being with others in ways that meet need with Love demands we first know the hiddenness of being with ourseslves. Henri Nouwen speaks of the discipline of the heart as the one discipline we give up most easily, encouraging us instead to enter solitude and stand in the presence of Love. This discipline requires an intense commitment and belief in its inherent and ultimate value. Being with is a place of sacredness and Love.
May today surprise you with moments of hiddenness, and may your soul rest in those places of sacredness and Love!
Journal of Sacred Work 
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