“Where does this go?” That was a question I sent myself when I started this blog, wondering if emails would be sent to the correct place. Perusing the old inquiries made me realize that I did not receive all of them, that they had disappeared somewhere in cyberspace, only to be discovered far too late to answer them.

But it’s never too late to answer the Heart, as Kathy of Lake Superior Spirit has dubbed all that is Holy in her quest to end 2020 with a spiritual journey. Recently, I have seen myriad comments on social media by people who are ready to be finished with 2020. Most humans are weary, and the reasons for this may vary. Though I am ready for a new year, I have been trying not to dread this year, rather to embrace it, and dig deep into myself to find the Heart, the Holy Spirit, whatever you want to call that which is the connection to the Divine on High that can be found within oneself, the part of us that is created in the image of God. So yes, the Creator, the Universe, Benevolence, the Heart, the Soul – God. He who sheds light on a dark soul, a dark world. With an unlatched heart, one can live fully, as she was intended to live.

If I go back forty or so years in the past, I find a teenaged girl who was searching for all of that, with a very tightly latched heart. (Still gets locked and unlocked, locked and unlocked. One must never abandon the process.) So, this girl discovered another prog rock group, Rush, who unlocked her heart, or tapped into the part of herself that still had a heart (or hope). Neil Peart was the drummer for Rush. He passed away in January 2020 (oh, will this year never have mercy?) at what this writer of a certain age would consider young. (He was 67.) Well, if not young, then at least too young to die. Is there any age that is not too young to die? Don’t answer that.

More important (to me) than being Rush’s drummer, Neil was their lyricist. He didn’t write “silly love songs” (to quote Paul McCartney) or “woe to me” songs. He dug into his heart and wrote about injustice, objectivism, self-reliance, a person’s worth. Things that resonated within a young girl’s searching soul. Because even in the face of wrongs that can never be set right, or humanity that will never shed its flaws, a person has a “soul that can be saved” (to quote Eddie Vedder). As long as a person has a soul – and a way to reach it – all is not lost. And therein lies God.

Neil and co-writer Peter Talbot penned the following words in Closer to the Heart. Tell me if you don’t think they speak the Truth, that they don’t direct one to Benevolence. No, don’t tell me.

And the men who hold high places must be the ones who start
To mold a new reality
Closer to the heart.

The blacksmith and the artist reflect it in their art.
They forge their creativity
Closer to the heart.

Philosophers and ploughmen each must know his part
To sow a new mentality
Closer to the heart.

You can be the captain, and I will draw the chart,
Sailing into destiny
Closer to the heart.

You see, Gentle Reader, the human heart ebbs and flows. But the Divine Heart does not.

The girl who listened to Rush has grown up and sometimes forgets the Heart. Life piles up and she needs to do this or that for this one or that one and somewhere in all of these moments of this and that, her humanity takes hold and she gets aggravated or overwhelmed or angry or saddened. (Forgive her for her foolhardy nature.) But because the Heart does not hide from her or life or the world, she seeks again with purpose, for He never went anywhere. She is the one who got lost. Preoccupation with details leads to separation from God, therefore, from living life fully. Henry David Thoreau called this frittering away one’s life. No, silly, he didn’t mean to sit around doing nothing. Rather, do something meaningful. Not necessarily large, just meaningful. Drink almond milk as the doctor said in order to take care of your body. Take a carton of UHT milk to the food bank because they have none left to give mothers in need. In essence, refuse to erect a barrier around your heart. Be yourself, wholly. Live life, fully. Unlatch your heart and then listen with it.

How does one unlatch her heart to listen to the Divine?

I’m no philosopher. Sometimes I just drink the stupid almond milk. Often I go outside, listen to some music (sometimes Rush, sometimes Mini TFO) and pick up worms. You see, even in October, days are warm here in Louisiana. The worms surface during the night in a feeble attempt to cross the asphalt driveway. If the sun catches them before they complete their journey, the asphalt heats up and stops them in their tracks, where they will eventually perish. So, in the mornings, while having my almond milk (still yuck) latte, meandering hither and yon with the canine and the child, I stoop to rescue worm after worm, tossing them back to the cool earth to save them from certain death. I’m no saint, either, but I find God in the worms. Those slimy creatures bring to light the Divine within my heart. And God in my heart means I have hope.

Worms and music make a good prayer: Sailing but not rudderless, moving on the waves, closer to the Heart.

What are the worms and music of your life?

(Thank you, Kathy, for inspiring this post. XOXO)