Speak Your Truth is what resonated the most for me from my spiritual retreat with Neale Donald Walsch, author of Conversations with God.
Since we are on the subject of truth, I must confess that I registered for this event because it’s been on my “Commitment List” of things to fulfill. You see, since the moment my eyes made contact with Neale’s words over 20 years ago, I had a burning desire to meet him. It was deeply important that I followed through on this as I felt it was part of my spiritual journey to do so.
I had real life questions that needed to be answered. I felt as if this part of my life would somehow be reconciled and I would find peace and resolution to some of the most challenging aspects of my life. Therefore, I had certain expectations of what I thought I would be receiving from this event.
Was I ever in for a surprise.
The child within me wanted nurturing and understanding. The adult me was looking for deeper wisdom to practically apply into my professional and personal life. These are the things I wanted.
Instead, I received something much more valuable, at least that is my opinion. Or should I say, at least that’s my truth. I ended receiving what I needed.
Neale was quick to remind us that we were not here to learn anything, but to simply remember. Although, we as a species occupy space here on this planet with people of diverse backgrounds and distinct differences, I remembered that outwardly we may appear all different, but the truth is that we are all one – we all come from the same source – God. Hearing this again brought a sense of peace to me.
Yet, I was still hungry for answers. It wasn’t enough for me to simply accept some of what I was supposed to be “remembering” opposed to what I was learning, as Neale would say. There was a part of me that just wasn’t fully leaning into it all. I wanted to but yet, I found myself struggling. I wanted more.
To say the least, I felt disappointed and I could not get an accurate pulse on what it was really all about. All I knew was that I wasn’t receiving what I was seeking. I felt let down.
But, life can be funny. And God does have a sense of humor.
What I came to realize is that I arrived at the retreat with something in “mind” and left with something in “hand.” What was now in my hand felt familiar, real and, in some ways, home. It made me laugh, feel special, and accepted. I guess you could say, it simply felt like I found me all over again.
Effortlessly, as if it was all destined to be from the beginning, I reconnected with my soul friends. Yes, I say reconnected because even though we had physically never met before, from a spiritual place, I knew better. Their eyes were the windows into my soul that woke me up and said, “Hey, you over there, I know you and you know me – Remember?”
And indeed I did.
As kids, playing on the playground of life, we enjoyed each other’s company. We laughed, we cried, we had intense conversations and light moments – all with ease and the innocence of a child. As we said our good-bye’s and parted ways, we knew that it didn’t mean forever. It meant until next time and this time again.
You see, this whole time, I thought I was looking for hard and fast answers to questions about life that really didn’t have answers. But what I came to find out was that I was really looking for meaningful relationships with people that would last a lifetime. I needed people to connect with, to form the same bonds as from childhood.
Even though I didn’t know it at the time, I got exactly what I needed: understanding.
When I arrived home from this spiritual retreat, I opened my vision box. It’s a special place where I keep all my hopes and dreams. I pulled out one of my hand-written notes: It is my heart’s desire to form bonding and loving relationships with family and friends and to find a new best friend for life.
If I am going to speak my truth, I found more than I bargained for. I found what I needed. God is Good!
1. Decreases Stress
