You start to feel an aching in your arm, you unbutton your sleeve, and you notice a cut or an abrasion on your skin. Dealing with the shock you begin to ask yourself, how did this happen? What did I do or didn’t do? After the discovery of your wound the first thing you reach for is an antiseptic to cleanse it, to limit the chances of infection. The wound then must be periodically watched and cared for to help the body’s healing mechanism respond. Over the course of a week or two the wound starts to heal and the scar begins to fade. Then one day, lo and behold, you look at your arm and see nothing where the wound once was. Sometimes a scar does remain, perhaps to remind us of what happened so that the same thing doesn’t happen again.

Why is this important? Because whether we like it or not, the wounds of life need to be handled the same way. Unexpected things happen to us all the time…some can be avoided, others not so easily. It’s how we treat those problems that determines the level of healing that occurs. Someone once said that we are all basically “wounded children looking for ways to heal”. Yes, some of us do have wonderful childhoods…but why is it painful memories from that period echo throughout our lives, even in the happiest of childhoods?

In many cases, the lack of healing of the wounds in our lives brings about addictions, and other forms of abuse. Wounds on top of wounds. After awhile the original wound becomes invisible. Eventually the scab must be removed to see the foundation of the infection. From there the real process of healing can begin.

Blood, hair, flesh and bones…this is what physically we basically are. But, who is in control of this body of ours? The thoughts, the dreams, the hopes? That, I believe, is the Soul. To me the Soul provides the energy that flows through the body, and sometimes our Souls get wounded and need healing, too. The Soul needs the input of Faith, Love and Hope.

In life, it is important that we take care of our physical needs. We all need a roof over our heads, and food to eat. But without the caring of the Soul, we become nothing more than ships adrift on an endless ocean. No port or harbor to shield us from the storms.

Take the time to heal,

Jennifer Avalon
© 1998 Jennifer Avalon