Tag

Adversity

Browsing

March 12, 2020

Dear Journal,

My heart pains 💔💔 to see videos of China, families separated from each other, superhighways completely deserted, streets empty and factories closed. Beautiful Italy under lockdown, Schools closed, Cathedrals closed, Universities closed, Stores closed, Tourists trapped, Locals without food or toilet paper. Cruise ships stranded unable to dock because there is disease aboard the ship. Dreams dashed to nightmares.

Thoughts of our brothers and sisters around the world are with millions, every moment as we hear hour-by-hour updates of devastations and losses.

🙋‍♀️YOU MIGHT CALL ME CRAZY… but I can’t stop believing that even with all this suffering, there is still something MAGNIFICENT in the world happening right now!

Isn’t it in the very threat of loss, that we have a chance to consider our most sacred priorities? Our highest missions, our most important relationships? Our deepest desires? Our loftiest goals?

Shared adversity somehow has this incredible way of entwining our lives with those we walk this path with, binding us irreversibly together. 

I look at the news, I scroll my social media accounts and all I see everywhere is strangers praying together, sharing together, giving to each other, crying together, thinking about each other, sending aid to each other. Religions, languages, beliefs, and borders are no barriers for the 💗love💗 that is being poured out upon the affected countries of the 🌏 earth right now.

😷 A physical, global, disaster can be blessing for so many of us! For those who are  not prepared physically, it can remind us that it is wise to have a small storage of food, water, and money for a situation such as this one. 

👣 For those who are prepared physically,  it can be an opportunity to give, to be generous to and serve. It can provide a chance to withhold judgement of people that aren’t prepared, and to exercise compassion for those that can’t afford to be prepared. 

👴👵🏽 This can be our chance to review spiritual and emotional well being. And focus on being ready should they or someone they love die tomorrow. 

👩‍⚕️This gives our governments and communities and hospitals a chance to get ready for times ahead that could bring greater sickness. 

👩‍👧‍👦This gives families time to stay home with each other and opportunities reach out to those around us. 

🙏This gives us all a chance to mourn together, to pray for each other, to celebrate together.

🌄Today I can see a lot of silver linings in this storm, and although there is uncertainty and despair in the future, I am in awe of the beauty all around me right now.