By Sister Doreen, SSJD
“Standing on the shore of the river flowing, damp, sad, letting the winds of healing from the eastern lake heal me, so I can look my neighbour in the eye. So I stand facing East towards the ancient heights, looking up at them fresh with the winds of healing on my face. Mature now with the evergreens on the left, the meadow, the mountain, with the wind of healing on my face, steady, facing East.” (Poem by Allison Holt, Associate, SSJD, who died March 4, 2025.)
As I read Allison’s poem, I thought of all the times I have stood outside in the wind and allowed, actually welcomed, the wind on my face! There is something indeed that is healing about the wind in one’s face. I know that standing at the lake at Cherry Beach in Toronto – there with the wind in my face, it is like the cares and occupations of my life seem to be gathered up and with the wind blown away, or perhaps, in a sense, diluted, made manageable when mixed with the wind! There is something very soothing letting the wind hit one’s face! Any number of times after a good stand in the wind I have felt put back together again, and from the inside felt a sense of being restored – a renewed sense of finding again that green and juicy spirituality of soul and new life that was buried under accumulated sludge. In a healing sense, I find myself much more ready to face the world in which I live.
I am reminded of Psalm 51 and the verse “wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.” That psalm begins with the words “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.” There is something so refreshing and so wonderfully joyful about this tremendous energy of God – unfailing love and great compassion – such good news – washing me and the world clean: refreshed. The healing wind on my face and the wash me thoroughly become a strong place that I can lean into. It is from this strong place, that we can turn and meet all our neighbours – all the broken and fragile world that we live in today – with renewed energy and commitment.
These are powerful truths about God’s unwavering love and forgiveness, especially after failure, whether that failure be personal, communal, or on the world-wide stage of life. Like the healing wind blowing in my face, it creates moments of honesty and clarity, it allows me to come out from behind the cloak of human denial and see the truth about myself, about others, and about the world in which we live. It opens new eyes, a breakthrough of seeing, of seeing from the heart.
In many ways, standing with the wind blowing in my face, it becomes a prayer from a broken heart. That same psalm in verse 6 in the Message translation says “What you’re after is truth from the inside out. Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life.” I find that it is easy to become overwhelmed by the world news, the wars, the lies, the hatred and violence – the overwhelming difficulties of living together with differences, the brokenness around me. There is the temptation to look away, to become numb, to begin to accept all the brokenness as inevitable … all this protects one’s soul in a false way. The healing wind calls us to a surrender – to a truth – that makes room for something more: for courage, for compassion, for a love that is bigger than evil. The healing wind takes away the cover and exposes truth and the sacredness of every human life.
So, with Allison, I too can stand …” on the shore of the river flowing, damp, sad, letting the winds of healing from the eastern lake heal me, so I can look my neighbour in the eye.” The Rev. Allison Burns-LaGreca wrote a very profound meditation that has stayed with me. I share the ending part of that meditation which is a Prayer for Holy Tuesday with you. “Christ of the troubled soul, you who stood at the edge of violence and did not turn away, stay with me here. When the world hardens, keep my heart soft. When voices justify harm, anchor me in truth. When I am overwhelmed by grief, remind me that love is still at work. Hold the children. Hold the families. Hold all who are suffering. And for those who wield power without compassion, turn their hearts or restrain their hands. And for me, when I do not know what to do, teach me to remain. Troubled, awake, and still rooted in love. Amen
A hymn I often sing when standing on the shores of Lake Ontario with the wind blowing in my face, I share with you to close this reflection. Common Praise, Anglican Church of Canada, #408 Wind Upon the Waters: text and music by Marty Haugen:
“Wind upon the waters, voice upon the deep, rouse your sons and daughters, wake us from our sleep.
Breathing life into all flesh, breathing love into all hearts, living wind upon the waters of my soul.Showers from the heavens, water from the earth, gift so wholly given, source of every birth,
Joy of every living thing, making all creation sing, shower down upon the dry earth of my soul.Rock and hill and garden, wood and desert sand, prairie, field, and meadow shaped by Love’s own hand,
Love that fills the world around, springing up from barren ground, grow your love within the garden of my soul.Blazing light of wonder, flame that pierces night, burst the dark asunder, fill our souls with light,
Lord of glory, fill the skies, make an end to hatred’s cries, be the blazing sun of justice in our lives.Wind upon the waters, rains upon the sand, grace your sons and daughters, newborn by your hand.
Come, O Spirit, and renew all the life that comes from you, send your winds upon the waters of my soul.”
Yes! Yes! “Arise shine for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.” Isaiah 60:1.