As I watched the celebration unfold, I realized I was slightly disconnected. My initial confusion gave way to a self-awareness that I was physically exhausted. There was little left in my emotional reserves to support anything more than the current engagement level. To be blunt, stretching the fuel tank metaphor to its limits, I was running on fumes. The one benefit in this state was the ability to see, observe, and reflect. In this condition, life’s whispers in the moment included the following.
Experiencing and saying thank-you for life’s blessings happens when one knows it was and is God as well as when one is unaware. For the individuals who see it clearly, their voices and thanksgiving say more than they intend; “You’re my God, and I thank you. O my God, I lift high your praise.” (Psalm 118.28) To those less aware or even for the ones in denial, the acknowledgements come in the brotherhood that can never be broken, the support one knows will always be within one’s grasp, and the trust that lingers long after the times together have ended.
Love, compassion, and community are not defined by the words we use. When experienced, we know, even if we do not know how to describe what we know with our hearts. The missing element is the awareness that our experience that reveals what the words really mean. When one is finds this understanding, the words that seemed lofty and ideal often fall short in describing what we see with our hearts and souls.
When one experiences a life leading to trust, hope and courage are strengthened within. One may have missed it for years, even decades; yet, when reconnected, the fire is reborn! One may have stepped away for a time. When brought back into the circle of community, the wrestling that dark nights always seem to bring, our spirts the stakes in context between self and community, evil and divine forces, begins.
We are live a battle for our hearts, minds, and souls. It is good to know someone has my back.
