I saw the label, and my mind jumped back to decades past. I was sitting at breakfast, enjoying a coffee with a stunning view of the Ngorongoro crater. When I asked about the origins of the coffee, I was told that it was locally grown. The label in front of me took me back through memories, relationships with my children, and our discovery of something extraordinary. The whispered commentary in my mind has lingered on into the beginning of today, leaving me guides that point me in the direction of my ideal heart.
Life offers moments to understand and experience. This discovery of the coffee’s origin opened a doorway to awareness and clarity. It was as if I could hear an echo of an old man’s advice across the generations: “Since a king’s word is supreme, who can say to him, ‘What are you doing?’” (Ecclesiastes 8.4). This was not about why! My questions were about the how and what. How did the ecosystem influence the coffee? What were the priorities of the growers? How did they nurture and harvest the trees? What was the process of roasting and coffee preparation? The experience that followed etched itself on my heart. I realise I have an opportunity to repeat this in multiple ways with each step.
Life offers pearls within the chaos and the pain. Many things were less than perfect. I cannot help remembering the sense of loss, uncertainty, and doubts that dominated my life in the months and years since that first cup. As I shared the label, I also experienced the love and relationship that was shared then and now. Divinity offers a first-love experience of being unconditionally accepted, embraced, and filled with hope. In the moments when darkness seems to be dominating, the awareness of being embraced returns, along with the offer to restore and recreate what has been lost within. You are I are Divinity’s beloved.
Life’s offer is completed with my acceptance. Care and kindness are the beginning. There is more. Compassion and unconditional acceptance come with the embrace of Divinity.
