You’ll notice things have been quiet on this blog for a little while, which almost never happens. I took a week off at the end of the year and decided I really needed to be off – offline, off work, off blogging.
Walking to work on Tuesday, I was stuck in that slow transition back, trying to get the gears turning again – I could practically hear them moaning, I could feel the need to stoke the fires of motivation.
And then.
Two hours later I got a real scare that sent me into a tailspin. Thankfully, the ground is mostly back under my feet again – at least it seems to be.
It was amazing in those first few hours how desperately I longed for – ached for – the chance to have mundane worries, anxieties, and fears; the chance to have all the important things in life be in place.
Two friends sent me notes with words of strength, reminders of the beauty in the world, the reality of hardship, the wisdom of ancient words. Whatever your faith, whatever your beliefs, there is a power in these words.
Morning Poem, by Mary Oliver
Every morning
the world
is created.
Under the orange
sticks of the sun
the heaped
ashes of the night
turn into leaves again
and fasten themselves to the high branches —
and the ponds appear
like black cloth
on which are painted islands
of summer lilies.
If it is your nature
to be happy
you will swim away along the soft trails
for hours, your imagination
alighting everywhere.
And if your spirit
carries within it
the thorn
that is heavier than lead —
if it’s all you can do
to keep on trudging —
there is still
somewhere deep within you
a beast shouting that the earth
is exactly what it wanted —
each pond with its blazing lilies
is a prayer heard and answered
lavishly,
every morning,
whether or not
you have ever dared to be happy,
whether or not
you have ever dared to pray.
Mi Sheberach
May the One who blessed our ancestors, Sarah and Abraham, Rebecca and Isaac, Leah, Rachel and Jacob bless (insert name here) along with all of the ill among us.
Grant insight to those who bring healing, courage and faith to those who are sick, love and strength to us and to all who love them. God, let your spirit rest upon all who are ill and comfort them.
May they and we soon know a time of complete healing, a healing of the body and a healing of the spirit and let us say: Amen.
Sasha – Some beautiful words there. Glad to hear the ground mostly back under your feet. Every best wish to you and yours.
– Vinay
Our perceived foundations are but shifting sand. Trial gives us the unique yet painful opportunity to recognize what ultimately matters most – heartfelt concern for others, love motivated by faith in the human spirit, and recognition of higher power that reminds us of our place in the world, and how fleeting that place is. Every trial is a gift, if we choose to see it that way.
Gratitude and Healing have been recurring themes in my life as well this holiday season. I hope this helps you know how connected you are, not just to your friends and family who are reaching out to you now, but to those thousands you are helping through your work, most of whom will never know your name.
Sasha, thanks for sharing, these are beautiful words that have a lot to tell all of us. And I’m glad that the ground is back under you and those you care about.