“As I looked up, above the water, in my broken body, I saw an ethereal woman above me saying, “surrender.” – Margo Coates Huddleston

Surrendering

“I love to be on the water.”  Margo Huddleston said to me as we looked out of the large south facing windows of her living room out across a shimmering lake and on to the Oquirrh Mountains.  Below those same windows, anchored in that same lake, Margo and her husband Laron have a couple of boats tied to the shore.  While absorbing this tranquil setting one could assume that Margo has sailed smoothly through life.

Margo does sail on the water.  Yet, I was there visiting because I knew she hadn’t been sailing effortlessly through life for quite some time.  She’s been battling some health issues in earnest.  So, I when I had a strong feeling to stop in to see how she was doing, I followed that feeling to her house.  Happily, as she came into her living room to greet me, her eyes, voice and smile were still sparkling, just like the sunshine bouncing off the water before us.

“I’m going in for more back surgery.”  Margo said as she graciously perched on the arm of a small couch.  “I don’t think I’ll be back out sailing anytime soon.”

Her torso was covered in a large, black back brace and she shifted slightly as she talked so she could make adjustments to the straps holding it in place.

“I’ve looked worse!”  She beamed, before continuing, “I was really banged up once from a sailing accident!  Have I told you that story?”

She hadn’t told me that story, so I answered her query with a quick, “No.”

“We were out sailing one day when strong winds began to buffet the boat.”  She continued.  “I was thrown overboard and as my head came up out of the water the first thing I saw was the boat tumbling sideways toward me.  I knew there was nothing I could do.  It was going to pummel me!”

And, just as she thought, the boat cartwheeled directly on top of her.  It churned and churned until every part of her body had been beaten, just as if she’d been in a butter churn.

“You should have seen me!”  She said.  “My face was swollen and my entire body was bruised or broken.  But, that’s not why I’m telling you this story.”

At this point, I was hooked like a fish, caught by a skilled fisherman.  I was breathlessly waiting to hear more.

“As the boat was thrashing me, I remember thinking, ‘This must be my time.  I’m ready to go.’ And at that moment I looked out of the water toward the sky. And, as I looked up, above the water, in my broken body, I saw an ethereal woman above me saying, ‘surrender.’  That’s the moment I knew I’d be alright, that I could surrender to the moment and the accident, without worry.”  

Margo finished talking with an expectant smile, her blue eyes riveted on mine.

I’d had the feeling to stop, hoping to offer some encouragement.  Yet, here was Margo, offering me dramatic encouragement and a valuable lesson instead.  Surrendering doesn’t have to mean giving up.  It can also mean that it’s an occasion to allow faith and hope to grow inside, by trusting that great good can flow to us, like water; come from others who freely offer their love, care and nurture.

“I love to be on the water.”  Margo Huddleston said to me as we looked out of the large south facing windows of her living room out across a shimmering lake and on to the Oquirrh Mountains.  Below those same windows, anchored in that same lake, Margo and her husband Laron have a couple of boats tied to the shore.  While absorbing this tranquil setting one could assume that Margo has sailed smoothly through life.

Margo does sail on the water.  Yet, I was there visiting because I knew she hadn’t been sailing effortlessly through life for quite some time.  She’s been battling some health issues in earnest.  So, I when I had a strong feeling to stop in to see how she was doing, I followed that feeling to her house.  Happily, as she came into her living room to greet me, her eyes, voice and smile were still sparkling, just like the sunshine bouncing off the water before us.

And, she taught me another, important meaning of surrender.