A Love Story Renewed

Once again I was reminded of the beauty of nature as lush flowers surrounded the site where I enjoyed a weekend of renewal and deepening of my T’ai Chi Chih form. The time was June 12-15, the place Kokee State Park on the island of Kaua’i. Four of my students attended this retreat hosted by Noel and given by Ed, and they invited me to attend it with them. During a longer break, I spent some time alone walking along a path when I discovered a lovely blossom called White Ginger, whose large flowers emit a strong fragrance very similiar to Honeysuckle.

This sparked a memory of several years ago when I was asked by a fellow sister to drive her and one of our nursing home residents to visit her son who had been ill. When we arrived, I noticed a lovely vase of honeysuckle sitting on the kitchen counter. Surprised to see it in bloom, I inquired about it. Jim had told me he picked it in the back yard to surprise his wife who was away, because she loved the scent. That one statement ripped my heart, for I, too, loved honeysuckle, but had no one in my life to surprise me with a vase of them.

That evening and into the following day I was feeling quite sorry for myself and very alone. Mid afternoon I decided to go outside in our beautiful, airy park to do my T’ai Chi Chih practice. Halfway into the practice, I noticed a gentle breeze and before long, the scent of honeysuckle surrounding me.

At once I remembered that it grew along our Motherhouse property…not only a vase, but climbing fences, with its sweet fragrance filling the air! The TCC form brought me back to my CENTER.