Safety

Few of us had safety growing up,
Safe to be ourself,
To express our truth,
To have our 'no,'
To be angry,
To have all our feelings,
To be authentic,
To honor our needs,
To be a mess,
To be received in all of it,
To want what we wanted,
To create,
To play,
To not be judged and shamed,
To make mistakes and learn,
To not be violated emotionally and physically,
To not be used by others for their purposes,
To know that who we truly are is loved,
So we can bring love to ourself now.

Not the faux safety of turning away from the truth,
Of pushing down what we are feeling,
Of pretending that what we're experiencing isn't happening,
Of avoidance,
Of frozen comfort.
That's not safety,
That's denial.
Something we had to do,
To survive as a child,
An old friend,
That no longer serves us,
That exacts a steep price,
It's now needing to be redeemed,
So we can be whole.

Safety allows us to connect with our essence,
With who we truly are,
With our heart,
So our body can relax,
So our nervous system can be calm,
It connections us to the Source of goodness,
Inside and out,
It allows us to give it to ourself,
So we have it to give to others,
It connects us with gratitude.
As we are held in a universe that welcomes and cherishes us.

I am feeling compassion for the way it has been,
For my striving to 'get it right,'
For those I have hurt,
And for those who have hurt me,
I am feeling compassion for us all,
I pray for grace as we each are evolving.

May we create true safety in this new year,
May we listen more deeply from our hearts,
May we connect compassionately with ourselves,
May we give safe space for others to discover themselves,
May we open to our connectedness with all beings.
May it begin with me,
May it be so.