People fear what they do not understand. A flower appeals to our senses because it is familiar. A tree, the gentle curve of a woman’s smile. …there is a soft beauty within this tenderness. And yet, there is also something utterly compelling about the honest expressions of a deeply human soul in all its vulgarity, struggle and pain. We all grapple with pain. It is a gift, without which we would surely die from either physical, spiritual or emotional injury/illness. Is there no place to honor this life-saving element of the human experience? Is there no beauty within the “grotesque,” “animalistic,” dark or disfigured? Why must the passionate be tamed? Jesus Christ himself cried tears of blood, overturned tables in his rage and loudly criticized his enemies. He was passionately human, yet fully God, and we hung him on a cross for this treason.

We hide beneath stoic masks, knowing that society cannot abide the reality of loss, abuse, violence or struggle. Humanity needs to reawaken to the divine, the spiritual, the heart of what compels us to act as we do.  If we do not reclaim the lost art of grieving, listening to our bodies and embracing, rather than suppressing our feelings, then we risk death. Death of body, death of soul, death of spirit; for we cannot love if we cannot feel. Do not be afraid to plunge into the depths of what makes you who you are, for in doing so there is great freedom. We are all unique. We are all beautiful and there is hope for even the darkest of souls, should they choose life. The tides of despair may inundate your body for a spell, but you will resurface, for ultimately, we cannot heal what we cannot face. If my life’s work serves as a catalyst for change within even one wounded heart; then my work is complete.

Jennifer Peters