A bud in the foliage!
A rose bush became a flowering plant !
The plant fulfils its purpose !
In the book, Falling Upward- A spirituality for the two halves of life, Richard Rohr has this to say about stages steps and stages of life: " It was Carl Jung who first popularised the phrase, 'the two halves of life' to describe these two tangents and tasks. Yet many other teachers have recognised that there are clear stages and steps of human and spiritual maturation" (p8).
There is a time to bear leaves and another season to bear buds and flowers.
Richard quoted Carl Jung: "One cannot live the afternoon of life according to the programme of life's morning, for what was great in the morning will be of little importance in the evening and what in the morning was true will at evening have become a lie". Richard went on to illustrate this further: " ...the task of first half of life is to create a proper container for one's life and answer the first essential questions, 'What makes me significant, How can I support myself and Who will go with me'. The task of the second half of life is, quite simply, to find the content that this container was meant to hold and deliver" (p1).
The plant forms the stem, branches and leaves in the beginning of its life and later, it bears buds, flowers or fruits.
I am in the latter part of the second half of my life! It is therefore a question of interest to me to ponder upon, as to what I am 'meant to bear and deliver'!
I had a telephone call from a parent who lives in Dubai, concerning his son who suffered hypoglycaemia on the third postnatal day, ending up in epileptic encephalopathy. At four years he has considerable developmental challenges and multiple medical needs. During that conversation, I realised that what he wanted was a listening ear and empathy. I come across this expectation from some who call me to be a listener !
Being a listener is one way of 'delivering' companionship!
The second half of life for many is this way of attentive and participatory listening, to bring a relational dimension to initiate healing conversation in 'steps and stages'!
M.C.Mathew (text and photo)
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