Wisdom for dark days

So please don’t ever mistake

my silence for indifference. 

Don’t ever think my determination

to keep living my life

as fully and bountifully as possible

represents cold nonchalance.

And please don’t ever assume

that my cheerful silliness

is flagrant disrespect.

This is just simply me

choosing hope in the midst of despair,

choosing light while the dark is creeping in,

choosing good despite evil.

This is me choosing life.

Because that’s all I know how to do.

- Stacy Brown
April 18, 2013

Pandemic adventure

For the first time in five weeks, we got in our car.  

We drove out of our neighborhood and on nearly-forgotten and nearly-empty streets... 

...to buy dinner at a take-out window.

’Twas a glorious adventure.

We were almost giddy.

And the food is SO yummy!!!

We might want to do this again sometime!

People

I’m disappointed in people.

• When people are reckless and irresponsible in ways that put other people at risk, I’m sad and disappointed.  When people are defiant and nasty and hurtful…
• I’m disappointed when people are mean and call people names.
• I’m disappointed in myself when I get mean and hurtful.

Thank goodness not everybody is mean and nasty.

And thank goodness that most people are nice at least most of the time.

• When people are kind and compassionate, I am comforted.
• When people are generous and helpful, I feel grateful.
• When people take time to check in on others, I feel encouraged.
• When people check on me and then take time to listen, I feel loved.
• When people spread good news, I’m hopeful.
• When our kids were hit with COVID and there was nothing we could do to help and other people generously brought them meals…  I was and am grateful.

I am gratified by the people who work so hard to make things better during this terrible time.

I am proud of my neighbors…

I am astounded by people who put themselves in harm’s way to save people’s lives.

I can’t help but admire people who take time to turn something bad into something positive.

I am inspired…

Pandemic respect

So many things make me sad today

Break my heart

Name-calling, finger-pointing, blame and shame, put-downs and blatant disrespect.

Good grief, guys!

Give it a rest, will ya’?

People are hurting

People are dying here, for Pete's sake!

People are grieving

Let’s find ways to help rather than add to the hurt.

On the other hand, so many people ARE doing things to help.

Things to make people smile.

Finding ways to help people.

So, so many helpers

And really so many ways to help.

Beauty, compassion, kindness, concern

RESPECT

Humor…  gentle humor

Sensitivity

I must choose where I look today.

I can and must choose my focus.

Life and love

I celebrated Easter as an "insider" for nearly 6 decades.
I have now celebrated a dozen more Easters as an outsider.  
Landing outside those religious walls came as a total shock to me and a source of great sadness. But then I began sorting and soul-searching and seeking for truth and figuring out what I really believe and which things are worth building my life on... 

Jesus ends up at the top of my list.  

I want to follow his words and his example. 

I want to love like he loved.  
I want to be a person of grace.

I had just been pondering something I wrote during those years in exile…  about the fact that I often find myself stuck "in the middle" between friends at opposite ends of the spectrum.  Sure enough this pandemic where we currently find ourselves is one of those times when lines have been drawn and I find myself with friends on both extremes.  

In some ways and at some times, the middle is a good place to be, but there are other times when I might need to lean one way or the other.  Sometimes it's tough to know which way to lean.

Naturally I tend to err on the side of caution.  

But I hope that I also err on the side of love and compassion and kindness and grace.  The side of life and love and health and healing.  That's the direction I want to lean.

I guess you could say that is my religion.

That's how I want to live my life.