Valuing Uniqueness

Years ago when I was much younger I was fortunate to have a child born to me that loved to sing.  Her sister would be in school and she and I would have the day together and no matter what we would be doing she always would sing.  I remember her standing on the long bench seat of our car (pre-seat belt era), standing beside me, hanging onto my shoulder as we drove and she would sing.  She learned songs from her family, church, radio, records, etc.  Much time has passed and many experience have come and gone, some joyful - some not, and she is still a singer.

As I was pondering what to write about this week she came to mind with the memories of her finding her voice through singing and sharing it with those in her world.  It seems that it has been in part her way of finding her unique expression, connecting with others and even at times a way of finding healing and balance.  This clearly is not her only gift, but one that seemed to be so visible as to be an example of unique gifts.

I believe that we all come into the world with unique gifts to offer and it is an inherent part of our journey to recognize, develop and use these gifts to the betterment of our lives and those around us.  Our personal gifts may not be outward talents like artistic expressions, but may be in our ability to bring people together, to bring order out of chaos, to love and embrace people, build bridges, to have great dedication and commitment, to be the peace-maker, to have clear logic or a myriad of other gifts, traits and talents.  It is in the development and use of our gifts that we grow and become more than we were when these gifts lay dormant.  In recognizing our particular gifts we can come to love and honor ourselves for our uniqueness.  Perhaps even give up the notion that we must be like anyone else and give ourselves permission to be perfect just as we are.

My life, and perhaps yours too, has seemed to unfold in segments - childhood, then young married adult with children, to years of employment, then becoming an empty-nester, and now a self-employed healer / practitioner, wife, mother and grandmother.  While I believe we come with all the gifts, talents and inherent traits that we need to accomplish our life journey, they may not all be needed, used and developed all at once.  It is through the entire journey that the fulness of gifts become apparent.  Like a flower slowly evolving from bud to full bloom that our gifts open, develop and become fuller expressions of all that we came to know and develop in ourselves.  It is a process, it usually takes patience and time.

In choosing a specific life with it's unique set of experiences we learn to call on the inherent gifts that we possess and come to use them to solve life problems or express our passion.  The most difficult experiences may force us to find strengths that we would have never known that we possess.  Through this process we grow and become - deepened, richer and fuller with each significant experience that life presents to us.  Without life experience in all its range of possibilities we would not grow and evolve into our fullest potential.  In having our particular set of unique characteristics we grow and become as only we have the potential to do.

Like my lovely daughter, we each possess inherently unique gifts, talents and strengths.  We each are an expression of Source energy experiencing itself through each of us.  It is not our job to judge or compare - it is our soul work to embrace, use, develop and be grateful for these gifts and use them for our good and for good of all humanity.

"There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action.  And because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique.  And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and will be lost.  The world will not have it.  It is not your business to determine how good it is or how valuable, or how it compares with other expressions.  It is your business to keep the channel open."  Martha Graham in a letter to Agnes DeMille.

In peace...............Margie