"None knows the weight of another's burden." ~  George Herbert

Now and then I find myself in situations or conditions that surprise me. I'm pretty sure we all do. Some delight us; others disturb us. 

There are potential gifts, blessings, and opportunities to heal and grow in both the delighting and the disturbing ones.

For the past two years, I've been experiencing a disturbing one. For a time I judged it, and myself, negatively. But recently the clouds began to clear. And once again I am amazed and appreciative at how life leads us toward advancing ourselves spiritually.

The condition has to do with weight.

My Grandmother Maksymwicz was obese. In my youth, I was sometimes embarrassed by her. I was also concerned for her health, especially when I saw her struggle to walk up and down a flight of stairs. I felt frustrated that she did not just make up her mind and loose the weight. 
 

Over the past few years, after undergoing a double mastectomy, I gained weight, not just five or ten pounds; I gained a lot.

And, by carrying an extra 40 pounds around, I got a sense of what it was like to walk in my mother's mother's shoes.

Even though I am not carrying as much extra weight as she did, I have experienced some of the difficulties and discomforts that come with weight gain, such as trouble tying my shoes, crossing my legs, and walking fast. And "just making up my mind and loosing the weight." 

Yesterday morning, the lesson became even more clear.

Don't judge. Just love. Don't judge a grandmother, or a sibling, or any relative, or ourselves, or a friend, or neighbor, or stranger, or anyone because of his or her weight, or color, or politics, or religion, or any orientations. We may dislike certain conditions, but we can still love the person, every person. We don't have to like them. But we can choose to love them, everyone. 

All the judgments we carry weigh heavily on our hearts and souls. And we don't know what hurts and worries are weighing upon others. We all carry extra weight of some sort at times. 

Whether it's body fat or any other kind of weight, let's seek to understand the lesson.

Once we do, we can release the weight and retain the wisdom.

With love and joy,
Charlene

THE TENTH GIFT IS WISDOM. Wisdom will lead you through knowledge to understanding. May you hear its soft voice. - from The Twelve Gifts of Birth