I had never really given this question any thought until this week when I got a call saying that my brother, 56 years of age, had suffered a heart attack. A couple of years ago my father had open-heart surgery at 76 years of age, and my grandfather died of a heart attack at 72 years of age. So on the one hand it was not a shock, and yet for my brother to be only 56 years of age was disconcerting.
Much of this week I have thought about the heart and what it truly means to "listen to my heart." So often we hear talk about paying attention to what is going through our minds, listening to our thoughts, but how often do we really focus on what our hearts are saying to us? Sure, there are lots of stories that remind us to stay focused on our hearts and that we love from our hearts and that our hearts are our center and the seat of our emotions. But really how often do we stop and listen to what our hearts are saying?
Last evening I watched Grey's Anatomy, and I thought it was rather interesting how one of the doctors was performing a surgery in a dim light as the power had gone out at the hospital and she suddenly she stopped and said she just could not proceed. Well, another surgeon suggested that they turn the lights out completely so that she could listen to the patient's heart and that she would be able to hear instinctively where the problem was. Now, I realize that this is a TV show, but how thought-provoking for me and for you to stop and listen to what our hearts are saying to us.
How often do any of us take the time and just sit or lay and listen to our own hearts beating? Isn't that a miracle in itself? After all, we can actually hear the heart, but we cannot hear the brain beating. We give so much time and energy today to our thoughts and so little time to our hearts. Maybe it is time for us to pay more attention to the first organ that is formed in our bodies, to begin to listen and hear what our hearts are saying to us.
I find it fascinating that the heart is the center of the chakra system; three chakras above and three below. The heart is the bridge or the connector between how we interact with the world and how we interact with God. Interesting how when I was a small child growing up in the Baptist church I was taught to invite Jesus into my heart. I wasn't taught to invite Him into my brain or my stomach, but rather my heart.
This week, my brother's heart attack was a reminder to me to continue to nurture my relationship to my heart, to be consciously aware of the importance of listening to what my heart has to say to me. I believe that my heart is my connection to God. So, this incidence has caused me to stop and ask myself and now I ask you. Are you listening to your heart? Are you listening to God? Are you aware of your relationship to your heart and to God? A relationship to our heart, our center, to God is the foundation for building healthy relationships with our loved ones and others.
With love and grace,
Trina
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