This is a turning point.
The autumn, yes.
But also life.
We are called to do our soul’s work. It thrusts us beyond our comfort zone.
Over and over again.
We are asked to be brave, even when we don’t feel resourced.
We are asked to take a step— to follow a breadcrumb on the trail— even when we don’t want to.
When we are kicking and screaming inside.
But when we take a step on our path, even when it is full of trepidation, signs reassure us.
I’ve been afraid to share my voice for a long time. I’ve been called to do it for years.
I did a little bit on social media— in the ways my nervous system could handle. And yet, I knew I was supposed to do more.
On Tuesday, I shared this new publication for the first time— my heart shining and brimming with fear simultaneously.
Three things happened:
I pushed “post.”
I got sick.
I went outside and picked the last rose petals of the season.
In my palm, the petals were papery, fragrant and crimson.
Later that night, I put the those rose petals on the nightstand…and went to sleep.
I dreamed of being curled up on a wooden church pew with a thick mustard-colored velvet cushion. I was snuggled in a nest of blankets. After the service, there were massive pots of yellow rice and fragrant meat. I woke up smiling.
Then, I walked outside to a red sky.
Next, an eagle.
My heart.
It's fall.
The trees have shed their leaves. Except for the green of cherry, willow, autumn olive. My heart is soaring at the generosity of everyone who has subscribed and is reading this.
I’ve been crying tears of joy.
You see, I’ve been afraid to share my voice.
And yet here we are.
I can already feel tightly corseted threads within myself breaking.
New green growth where it’s long been hard and woody.
It’s going to be the most remarkable journey, friend. Yours and mine.
How do I know?
The extraordinary happens when we follow the breadcrumbs.
And we are all called to take a step.
We shown the way, one breadcrumb at a time.
Always. Even when it doesn’t feel like it.
And following the breadcrumbs of our path allows us to exhale.
When we do that, our heart expands
like a slingshot
like a rock skipping across the water
like the ring of a bell
We’re rippling out far beyond ourselves.
What is waking up in you this autumn? What’s a breadcrumb that’s asking to be followed? If you feel called, share in the comments below.
Thanks for being here. I'm profoundly grateful.
-Rhonda Linn
What is waking me up this autumn is healing. I find myself healing through the ripples of questions I hear, searching for answers within and without myself. Questions from clients, questions from my counselor, questions from readings, questions from changing roles of my aging parents. It is a huge time of change, and yet also of connections, nourishment, and enrichment.
Thank you for following your calling. My day has started out well because your actions/writing/voice, and the question prompted, caused some of my own thoughts to gel.
Ripples.