Memorial Day reflections from our Founder: On belonging May 27, 2024 – Posted in: Uncategorized

Coming Home to Ourselves

At Stono Creek this Memorial Day, we are reflecting on what it means to belong.

When I belong,

I am whole. For however long, just a fleeting moment when I forget whatever it is I’m grieving, lacking, yearning for. Belonging means I have everything. Need nothing.

Just being here = belonging perfectly.

I am sturdy in my stature, and calm in my body. I laugh without thinking of a future where I might shed tears instead. Or if I cry, I am held in the knowing that I am accepted and loved just as I am.

It is said that true belonging begins with the self. Full acceptance and love of the inside where all feelings, thoughts, and experiences live. Including the agony of loss, regret, shame, guilt, and fear. The shattered pieces of dreams that will not be. The mental attachment to a future that could never be.

We belong to ourselves as much as we belong to each other. In a world where we often abandon what we love and cherish within ourselves, it becomes crucial to re-collect and re-learn the pathways that bring us back to our sacred whole. This journey of self-belonging allows us to share our complete selves with others, embracing both the healed and still bleeding parts.

Belonging doesn’t happen in isolation. It’s something we bring out in each other through unexpected ways: laughter, movement, touch, and creation. Experiencing the mess of life without asking ourselves or others to be perfect. It’s embracing the loneliness and longing that shows us how much we truly need to belong. And trusting that as we find more belonging, we will still yearn for more. And that this is okay, and maybe even good.

This Memorial Day, as we honor and remember those who have sacrificed for our country, we also reflect on our own journeys of healing and belonging. At Stono Creek, we believe in supporting your journey to belonging and wellness.

To you,

Dee

Founder, Stono Creek Apothecary