Our Hearts Are Growing

Earlier this week, my family and I experienced a challenging moment with my dad. He is currently physically handicapped due to an illness. My brother, mother and I  assist him as a team. On this specific day he became frustrated with himself and began to weep. A loud painful sound. My brother began to cry as well and I held him in my arms. “It’s okay to cry, it’s okay to express yourself, I know that this is hard,” I said in an understanding tone. I’ve learned to cry through my poems. I let my hands and my pen transform my heart’s pounding into rhymes that calm me down and soothe my soul. As I looked at the tears running down my brother’s cheeks, I thought, “these are his poems, this is his heart and he’s so brave and pure to wear it so vulnerably on his face.” We talked about illness, we talked about death and we took a few deep breaths. Something came to my mind after my last exhale: 

Our hearts are growing. 

That’s what pain does. It expands your heart and makes more room for compassion, understanding, love, empathy and kindness. I thought about the pain that babies go through when their little teeth are piercing through their gums. They don’t know it but that pain is creating something that will soon be so beautiful and so useful. Growth hurts. And when you experience a pain that makes your heart ache, that’s just a sign that your heart is growing. It’s excruciating and wonderful. It’s hell and it’s heaven. It’s the kind of pain that keeps you grounded, knowing that every breath, every workout, every hour, every minute of health is worth more than gold. 

Our hearts are growing. 

The more I live, the more I understand that the ultimate purpose of our existing on this planet. It is to love. So, it’s a good thing when our hearts grow because we are then able to look into a strangers eyes and see them as a child who yearns for acceptance and love. As our hearts grow, we are able to look up at the sky and let rain fill up our eyes, as we thank the creator for such a sight. As our hearts grow, the details become romantic and we carry this gift of life with fragility, honor and care. As our hearts grow, we serve our loved ones with enthusiasm and joy. As our hearts grow, we experience the kind of freedom that inspires those who see us. As our hearts grow, we understand God more, which leads us to understand ourselves. So, my friends, the next time you experience pain and your heart aches, please remember that it is changing into a different shape. A bigger place, a wider space that can give more than it takes and love more than it hates. 

Our hearts are growing. 

And it hurts, I know it. 

But we are returning to the original design. 

Pure, Light and Divine.