Gombey Dance

reflections from bermuda #3
The gombey dancers spin and twirl bringing color and life back into a day that has been clouded with conflicting emotions and gray skies. Paradise. Heaven. Will there be both dark and light in heaven? Are we in reality already living in the heaven or hell of our very own making?

Choice. We get to choose how we will be but sometimes the choice feels out of our hands. Old hurts and childhood (often childish) responses get in the way and even when we want to respond otherwise, we hold tight to the preferred reply of the moment—hurt; anger; bitterness; confusion. The clouds appear too thick to see the sunshine. We can only hear the thunder roaring in our ears.

Yet still a piece of our heart reaches for the light. The heaven that lives inside our soul. The light that is as old as time. Created in the beginning. “Let there be light.” We struggle. We push. We yearn, but we are stubborn—strong—proud. And so the battle goes. Hang on. Let go. Hang on. Let go.

And then as if by magic you begin to hear, to feel a different rhythm. A soft pounding of drum and heart. It is slow at first (possibly even annoying) but soon you feel the pull to follow the new rhythm. You are drawn to the beat. Two hearts—multiple hearts—sounding as one—spiriting joy into the world. And then the crowd parts and the dancers spin and twirl bringing color and life back into a day that has been clouded with emotions and gray skies.

The skies are blue again. The light shines all around. Your heart leaps and you begin to smile and dance for this you know is heaven. Music. Color. Rhythm. Life. Young and old. Mother and child. Husband and wife. Friend and friend. Unity. The world spinning and twirling as we choose to experience heaven on earth.

7/26/07

photos by lucy