Years ago I read a book by Henri Nouwen, THE WOUNDED HEALER. It is a small book with a big message. Nouwen talks about making our own wounds available as a source of healing for others. I bought that book because I knew it was true just from the title.

As important as it is to bind up our own wounds, it is just as important to open ourselves and be vulnerable to others who have their grief and sorrow. This is what I ask support group members to do. There are other words we could use to name our human condition, like alienation, separation, isolation and loneliness. How would you describe your own brokenness?

What are your wounds? Have you ever been willing to share those with another on this journey through life? That is a gift all of us need; just a safe, non-judgmental presence so we can speak our truth. To paraphrase a poem by Oriah Mountain Dreamer, "It doesn't interest me how you came to be here or where you live or the color of your skin or how much money you have. What I want to know is if you will stand in the fire with me and not shrink back."

Being a Wounded Healer means being able to touch the center of our own sorrow and still remain present to another hurting soul. It means being able to sit with pain, your own or someone else's without moving to hide it or fix it. Being a Wounded Healer is knowing what sustains us from the inside in the dark night of the soul when all else falls away. How blessed are those who are able and willing to be Wounded Healers. And how blessed are those who come into your presence.

Next Month: Living with Loss, Using Good Memories to Heal Your Grief.

Next Month: LIVING WITH LOSS:

You can contact Becky Watkins at the following e-mail address: becky.watkins@christushealth.org