What does it mean to feel whole, to be whole? It’s a word and a concept that indicates completeness, a circle, continuous and perfect. It’s a word that, to me, radiates more than momentary contentment, a feeling I am not certain that I often feel.

I had the joy of taking part in a sound healing class this afternoon. It was a beautiful experience, using various types of singing bowls throughout a guided meditation that was 90 minutes long, but felt like it went by in an instant.

The meditation took us on a journey of opening ourselves to growth, with imagery that invited each of us to let go of anything holding us back and embracing our own possibilities. There were a number of instances that revolved around being whole, feeling whole and letting our hearts be whole.

And the word whole gave me pause. It made me think about my focus on our hearts being full and to recognize that full and whole, for me at least, are not the same.

Can our hearts ever be whole if we have experienced loss? If I envision my heart as a circle, there are gaps, there are broken spaces in the line, places where those I loved, and still love, are no longer with us. Can our hearts ever be whole if we have known suffering or pain or anguish?

It seems to me that we can fill our hearts and hold family, love, passion, compassion and so much more. And that our imperfect, never truly whole, hearts make that every more vital, that, in spite of all the challenges we have endured, in spite of the pain that will never fully heal, we can continue to strive to fill our full hearts.