
month, that meant roses and hugs and clear blue winter skies and the gentle warmth of the winter sun. As usual, the mind only can go so deep, grasping only the tangible things that it has already linked to ‘warming the heart’.
What I learnt this month was so much deeper than that.
A friend of mine went into a coma this June and due to the miraculous world of Facebook, a group of friends were able to be (somewhat) involved in the tough journey that his wife had to go through. We received daily posts and in turn were able to provide our support, even though most of us were so far away. A request for 4-hourly healings was conducted by many, each finding their own way to send support and unconditional love. I was touched by the miracle of connection in the 2 weeks before our friend finally was proclaimed out of the coma ‑ seeing people take just 15 minutes from their busy daily lives to send him healing, the supportive posts, the amount of people willing to be woken up in the middle of the night if needed.
This reminded me of teary times in my life during large national disasters, such as the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami or the 2011 Brisbane floods. Not because of the deaths or the loss of homes and services. It was joyful tears --- of the humanity and compassion that sprung to life to help people in real need. People giving up their time and resources to help each other, provide support and connection, when only days before were just strangers who wouldn’t even give each other the time of day. Through real disaster (not delusional self-involved dramas), there seems to be a breakdown of self-proclaimed barriers, the ‘I, I, I’ or ‘what about me’ --- and instead an opening of the heart.

faith in humanity (click here to view). And yes, it brought tears to my eyes. What was the key? To me, it was the connection – connection between sexuality, between religions, between generation gaps, between species, between each other. The human heart has such a beautiful capacity to love. It also creates connection across all time & space through the vehicle of love.
Real connection stirs the spirit. It often bubbles laughter up from the soul or brings tears to the eyes. It is the deeper warmth of community, of people dropping barriers and opening hearts, of sharing resources, of love shared across the country or the world –regardless of race, religion, sexuality or any other society boundaries founded on the illusion of separation.

I am alive – we are connected – this is what warms my heart.