Friday, October 4, 2013

Standing Sacred

I recently had the pleasure of watching a video featuring Ray Buckley, a Native American author and speaker.  In the video, Mr. Buckley said that as part of his Native American heritage, everyone with whom he meets is considered "Standing Sacred in Front of Me."  Standing sacred in front of me.  I couldn't help but wonder how many times I have been guilty of not seeing the person in front of me as "Standing Sacred" and what might I do to change that.  My mind wandered to some occasions when I have witnessed such encounters.  I thought back to a man I once saw whose clothes were dirty and disheveled and it was obvious that he hadn't bathed in a while.  Yet, when he approached a nearby woman, she indeed treated him as "Standing Sacred in Front of Me."  She saw through his appearance and saw the sacred person that he was standing there before her and she treated him accordingly.  Then, I thought of the woman who, in her state of dementia, was combative and angry, unable to communicate the source of her frustration.  Despite the outburst, the caregiver spoke to her in warm, loving tones, treating her fully as "Standing Sacred in Front of Me."  Every single day, we stand sacred in front of someone else and they in front of us.  Drawing upon Mr. Buckley's words and the examples I witness of those words being put into action, I will strive to see each person before me as the sacred being that he or she is.

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