“Training is everything. The peach was once a bitter almond…” — Mark Twain
A few months ago I discovered a new song; It is a collaboration between Dinah Washington and Max Richter called ‘This Bitter Earth and On the Nature of Daylight,’ and together it bridges a 44-year-old gap between the two recordings.
In the song, she says, ‘And if my life is like the dust that hides the glow of the Rose, ‘What good am I?’
These words struck a chord in me, because the truth is, if I am not living an authentic, passionate life, and if I am not able to express myself fully with others, then ‘what good am I, to myself, or the world?’ And if I’m not able to do this, then how will I receive the fullness and abundance that life has to offer me?
And so, the question is, ‘What is hiding my authentic nature and truth?’ Is it fear, anger, injustice, or ancestral or childhood trauma? And although this earth can feel bitter and difficult to move through at times, when I give myself permission to feel these wounds and heal them over time, I am given the opportunity to bear beautiful fruit, and to share this with everyone I meet.
LIVING IN THIS MOMENT 
Yes it is through our healing and rising above our past that we are able to comfort and encourage those struggling that are placed in our paths. It is as you shared when our true authentic self is unmasked, and yes we continue to struggle yet in the midst of all that, beautiful fruit emerges to bring light and love into the lives of others and ourselves as we share it.
Thank you Ash. It’s true. May we all continue to trust this beautiful fruit Is within us all. 🍋🟩🍇 🙏🏻
Beautifully written. Thank you Karen for shining the light into the dark ✨🙏🦋
Thank you Val and for your beautiful light in this world
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Thanks Karen. So glad we reconnected. You had dropped off my WP reader. ☺️
Worthy ponderings, Karen. I struggle with expressing the darker sides of human nature. They beg release, but they are frowned upon by society. One can only journal, I guess!
I think most of us do Eliza! 🩵
It’s Childhood conditioning! And expressing these feelings through journaling or finding the courage to speak our truth is a practice for sure. 🧡
Indeed Karen. It may be hard to see in the beginning but, as matured fruit we can see the changes and us becoming something very profound and beautiful as time goes by. And like everything else down here, there is always an opposite to measure and appreciate them in what we experience so that we can ‘see’ what we are becoming in those changes. Great post kind lady, may we all ‘see’ and understand us 🤗❤️🙏
It does take patience to grow this precious fruit Mark and to understand who we are and often we become frustrated when we can’t see the results from all our efforts, but like nature, it all happens in the perfect time and place and it’s always worth the wait. Thank you 🧡☘️🙏🏻 🍇
very good points, as we mature and have more life experiences, perspectives change as well
So true Beth. Discovering our authentic nature is found through a life time of experiences. 🩵☘️🩵
Important questions- for daily reflection. So good, Karen. Thank you. 🙏🏻💜
Thank you Carrie. It helped me too. 🙏🏻🧡
Thank you! I relate so much to this and will be seeking out the accompanying music! 🌺💖🙌🌷🌻 I also wish to be free, and am willing to dust. 🌟✨Wonderful share. I am grateful for you taking the time to post your experiences today.
Thank you Ka! 🌟🙏🏻🧡 When we dust and free ourselves from these old burdens, we liberate our authentic nature and this ripples out to everyone around us! Blessings to your inner work and your light in this world 🌟☀️🧡
Love and hugs, Karen!!! 💖🌟💖🌟🫂
Excellent points made Karen.
All our shortcomings originate from fear.
“No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.” – Matthew 5:15
In the bible passage above the light is the light of Christ. Also, the light can be your light, the essence of you as graced by God.
The lyric quoted, ‘And if my life is like the dust that hides the glow of the Rose, ‘What good am I?’ is so true.
The rose can be taken as your unique talents. And what a sin it is to limit your capabilities for those around you and possibly the world itself. All the less are they for not having the complete you.
-Alan
Thank you Alan. Your comment is so true. And I love the words from Matthew 🙏🏻🧡
I think in childhood we learn to hide our authentic nature and truth because we want to be accepted and not have anyone see we are vulnerable. We continue this through most of our life because the world loves strong capable winners. As we age wisdom comes into play and we desperately want to find and be our true selves. Such a great post, Karen. This gets us all to reach in deep and pull out who we really are and accept ourselves.
Beautifully said Michele. That is exactly our ongoing journey, and as we learn to do this for ourselves, we in turn encourage each other to dig a little deeper. Thank you 🙏🏻🧡☘️🧡
Such honest, courageous, and profound insights, Karen. We all need to be compassionate toward ourselves and others in order to uncover and heal the deep woundedness we carry. Thank you for sharing this crucial, timely message. 💜🪶
I agree Carol. Facing this deep ancestral wounding is never easy, but it is the gateway to our freedom and our connection to all life. Thank you so much for your beautiful comment. 🧡🙏🏻☘️
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I love the insights you share, Karen, and this one especially. The idea of how our “dust” of old wounds can obscure the glow of who we really are. It seems that it’s an instinct within us (or perhaps society teaching) that makes it hard to face fear and ancestral pain, even though it’s exactly what allows our authentic nature to ripen and be shared. Thank you for naming this bittersweet path so beautifully.
It’s so difficult at times to change and transform the patterns and beliefs within us! And you are right, it’s exactly what allows our authentic self to ripen! Thank you as always for being here. 🙏🏻🧡☘️