October 6th - Day 140 (139.5) - ‘There is one spectacle grander than the sea, that is the sky' V Hugo, Les Misérables

To complete the quotation used in the title, ‘there is one spectacle grander than the sky, that is the interior of the soul.’ I can’t remember hearing this before, even though I am presuming it also appears in the film and there’s nothing better when you need a good sing along and a cry within the same experience, to watch, ‘Les Misérables’ for another time.

There was something about the sky this morning that makes the sense of ‘grander’ clear but also somehow brings home a sense of the ‘interior of the soul’. I suppose there is something about the ‘interior of the soul’ that speaks to me about integrity and love. Perhaps we only let a few people see that interior but it is our actions and thoughts each day and the way we relate to friends and strangers, rich and poor, that may never make it grander but at least might make the content or nature of our soul have an impact on the world around us, in the same way a beautiful seascape or sky can do.

As J K Rowling said, ‘Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.’ If anyone has the right to say that, it is probably her but she speaks on behalf of many of our clients and many people in our society. If we as individuals and as the community of St Wilfrid’s Centre and beyond can help to change an understanding of rock bottom into a strong foundation on which we help people to build lives, then we not only heal the interior of souls for the weakest and neediest in our societies but surely we heal and grow our own souls in the process.