It has been a tough week. Without commentary or even the ability to see the challenges others are facing, recent events have touched me in a way that saps my strength, challenges my resolve, and creates big barriers to stepping forward. I do not think I have been particularly singled out. I am painfully aware that I am fortunate in the light of the casualties all around me on life’s battlefield. Having said that, I am finding it is hard to see beyond the emotional barricades that are right in front of me.
There is a glimpse of light in the darkness. A friend has an ability to always gift me with a smile. I am not sure why. I have no idea of the how. The result is clear, tangible, and magical! If you told me that the same individual “turned the rock into a pool of cool water, turned flint into fresh spring water,” (Psalm 114.8) I would believe! Those actions are less difficult than the miracle I have been gifted within.
One of the greatest comforts in life is a listening ear followed by a gift of beauty and a smile. It is in accepting each other and where we are, that beauty works its best magic.
It is hard to refuse or block an unconditional smile, snapshot of wonder, or glimpse of beauty. Each has an ability to permeate emotional barriers and dark walls. When time correctly, a miracle is born within us that can only be stopped by our unwillingness to let it continue.
When one can see beyond the wall, stepping through is possible. We always have the power to take that step but at times it is nearly impossible because we cannot see what lies beyond.
In addition to great tragedies this week, I have been gifted with magical friendships. Each is an individual with willingness to listen, to be present, and to walk along with me. It is in each step that magic begins. My debt to them can only be repaid by sharing the same with others.
