Seeing Through Love

“The eye of the sea is one thing,The eye of the foam another.Leave the foam aside,See with the eye of the sea.” – RumiAbout twelve years ago in a busy pre-Christmas mall trip with my six kids, I watched a man with his two daughters go into an electronic store. He was a tall blonde man. I overheard his beautiful Irish or English accent as he passed me. Half of my kids went into the store to see the latest gadgets while I remained outside the shop with the three youngest ones. In one particular moment the gentleman inside and I locked eyes. He walked the isles and I stood there looking through the glass, following his every move, something I had never done before. I was paralyzed. His gaze went right through me. There wasn’t anything particular about him. He wasn't a Brad Pitt or Robert Redford extraordinary-standout of a man. It wasn’t anything ordinary in his looks, but his deep blue eyes brought (and took) me to place I had never been before.My children came out and we continued onto the next stores. We moved through the busy mall stressed with the holiday craziness. About an hour later, as I was going down the escalator, we crossed paths as he was going up. Once again, his eyes never left mine, bashful smiles exuded both our faces, and all that was needed was the film score to go with this magical moment. All I know for certain was that looking into his eyes was like returning home from a place far away. I have never been able to explain that moment or the feeling of loss that I encountered thereafter. This is how and why I understand Rumi’s words when he writes that to look into someone’s eyes is to see the depth of the world and the depth of the ocean. Once in a while a stranger reaches into the depth of ourselves and forces us to seek beyond the everyday. It is in those moments we recognize the connection of our existence. We are all in this together!Eyes are the windows to the soul. This is not only a cliché, it is a reality. Sometimes we see just the body. Sometimes we see the soul, the spirit, and divinity reflecting back to us. In one second the world can become a completely different habitat just by a glance. I take the presence of a stare, a look, and a gaze very clearly. The eyes are the unique place where our spirits transfer energy to one another without touch. There have been times, just like the one years ago, that have opened some secret compartment in me. It is difficult to hide our truths and our essence when we truly look into the soul of another.I notice in our society people avoid eye contact. I hope that we can get over the fear of allowing another to look inside. I am learning to allow another to enter into my world. I pray we can escape the trauma of vulnerability and stare into one another and witness the movement of the sea. It’s beautiful there. No matter who you are. Those eyes…let them see and be the sea to another. Let yourself dive into the depth of a stranger and feel the rocky waters, explore the shallow tides, and bear witness of spirit wanting to be free. Watch the omnipotence smile through the reflection of you. It takes one moment to change how and what we see. Experience the vastness and endless place of the universe through the miracle of our little passages…of our beautiful eyes and finally be free. Only through the eyes of love can we find the Infinite!