Be Someone's Sanctuary

I want to share a song/lyrics that capture the essence of what a sanctuary is. It is a song that was on the TV show Nashville. It is called Sanctuary written by Sarah Siskind, Jill Andrews and Gary Nicholson and performed by Charles Esten, Lennon & Maisy Stella.

These are the lyrics:

Turn the light off, go to bed
Tell me all about the day you had
Lay beside me, it's time to rest
You can close your eyes, you've done your best

Let me be your sanctuary
Let me be your safe place to fall
I can take away your worries
The refuge from it all

All this time
We have together
Is our shelter from the rain
I will share the weight you carry
Let me be your sanctuary

We have weathered through the storms
Taking comfort in each other's arms
When the dark clouds come again
I will lift you up and take you in

Let me be your sanctuary
Let me be your safe place to fall
I can take away your worries
The refuge from it all

Oh, this time
We have together
Is our shelter from the rain
I will share the weight you carry
Let me be your sanctuary

I will share this weight you carry
Let me be your sanctuary

The lyrics to this song really resonated with me. I've gone through periods of ups and downs in my life, like most have. But in my lowest parts I forgot that I was loved and beloved. There was a person who I had occasionally talked to about the inner anxieties on my brain and how that translated to the feelings of my heart. I had a hard time being vulnerable and I still do sometimes. This person was showing up for me, despite it being at random times and not always in the clearest words. They said, "I want to be a light house for you. A constant. Someone who can sit with you and be present with you." It wasn't about solutions or advice, although there was that too, it was about being a sanctuary, a safe person to talk to. Someone I could be myself to regardless of anxieties, depression, all of it. That was huge for me, I used to hide. I would put on a smile and put on a front and say "everything's great," even when it wasn't. It wasn't that I was getting unmet needs, or that I didn't trust others. I had been hiding so long most of the time I  believed what I was saying. It was the little things, my authentic self, peeking out asking for help that caught this person's attention. For that I will be forever grateful. I am here. I am me. I'm not done yet.