Saturday, October 13, 2012

Home to the Soul

In one of my study groups, we have been reading together Compassionate Woman: the Life and Legacy of Patricia Locke (which I highly recommend, by the way), written by John Kolstoe.  In the portion of the book where he talks about Pat wanting to move to the Reservation (actually the Standing Rock Reservation, home of Lakota Indians, spanning North and South Dakota), when asked why she needed to move there, Pat simply said "It's home."

Further explanations listed that she simply loved to be there, to let it serve as a natural balm for her soul, to hear the singing of the many birds, to watch the deer, to revive her spirit, and just to think.  It held great beauty, remoteness, simplicity, and tranquility.  I had to stop there in our reading, so I could reflect on how succinctly it expressed my own desire to be on Lopez Island.  Her expression of need deeply resonated within me.

And sometimes, I'm finding, it is absolutely okay to feed our souls and do what helps us to "be".

Compassionate Woman Patricia Locke cover

For further information about the book, please see:
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2012/02/12/compassionate-woman-biography-of-activist-patricia-locke-97260

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