Fortified with Love

“Let’s see what love does.”

Sister Julienne, Call the Midwife

I’m a devoted fan of the midwives of (the fictitious version of) Nonnatus House in East London. I even own a book … okay, two books about the series and its wisdom. Whenever I watch an episode, for, like, the fifteenth time, I keep a notebook handy so I can write down the lines that speak to my soul. It’s almost full.

One of my favorites is spoken early on by Sister Julienne – who, incidentally, I want to be if I grow up. She’s helped a woman bring her (if I remember correctly) 17^th child into the world, a baby whose chances of surviving a premature birth are slim. The family has chosen to keep the infant with them, rather than send him off to an incubator in hospital. 

Jenny, the newly arrived midwife, questions Sister Julienne’s support of that decision, but the wise nun simply smiles softly and says, “Let’s see what love does.”

I hear those beautiful words in my head often. I can’t hear them – and follow them – often enough. None of us can.

As we enter our last week of focusing on this month’s question – “Who travels with you on your inner journey?” I suggest we do just that. See what love does.

Far from passive …

Of course the family in the story doesn’t just park the tiny being in a basket and see if love does its healing thing. There is much feeding, drop by drop, and holding and singing and warming. Everyone, including the smallest still toddling around, takes part in fortifying their newest member.

And he thrives. 

Here, we’ve each gathered a family of sorts to make the soul journey with us. Hopefully, we’re part of each other’s way as we interact on Facebook. We’ve chosen those who believe in us and see us and have the ability to speak to us without words. They come from lifelong kindred spirits, those who have passed on but still whisper to us and those who are new – and surprising — to us. We’ve even considered people who don’t share our political or religious beliefs but might somehow share our center. 

In that community we realize two things:

One, we now need to nurture it. With real conversation. With honest – and discerning – transparency. With our authentic selves.

And not just for us …

We also realize that in meeting for coffee and saying, “I’m struggling,” we find ourselves asking, “How about you? How is it with your soul?”

We discover that in tentatively describing a dream we’re almost afraid of, we find ourselves nudging out the other’s hopes. 

When we sit back and breathe with the knowledge that we’ve just been heard on a deep level, we see the same body language in the other because they have been heard by us.

The community isn’t just about me – or you — it’s about all of us as one.

THIS WEEK’S QUESTION: What can I do for my traveling community  … and then see what love does?

Me? The word “encourage” comes to mind.  I’m not the person who takes a casserole or a batch of cookies or offers to clean someone’s house or water their plants. (Trust me, nobody wants me to do that!) But I can say those authentic words that might get you off the couch. I’m here for ya!