Valleys

With every mountain there is a valley.  For many, including myself, valleys are critical to understand the context of the mountains and everything in between.  Metaphorically it is not required to go through a valley to reach a mountain summit, yet it seems natural.  Tough times sweeten with a break of clear air, sunny skies, and a sense of hope.  Rough situations somehow seem less so when one can see spring on the horizon.  Even disasters are not as bad as they could be when the hope of a fresh creation sits within reach.  Valleys, no matter how deep, long, or rough, are the stage that great events and life long memories stand.
One might think that it is important to get through a valley as quickly as possible.  Recent experience suggests that this is exactly the opposite of what you and I should do.  Painful experiences are a great opportunity for learning.  Difficult situations often present windows where working with others helps.  Even disasters form a foundation for growth.  Every situation demands our attention.  Each moment is the one that we live in.  As problematic as it might seem, now is what we have.
Yet the present is often very ugly.  Candidly, “like the blind, we inch along a wall, groping eyeless in the dark.  We shuffle our way in broad daylight, like the dead, but somehow walking.”  (Isaiah 59.10)  We think everything is going to get better but it does not.  Bad things happen to the innocent.  Ugly events strike individuals without consideration for who they are or what they represent.  Even when others leave us alone, we, I, often find my actions destroying my soul and self.
I find this to be my reality and I suspect that it is yours as well.  We are in this together, struggling along life's path, hoping we hold onto Hope.  In it all, remember what God reminded me of today.  The Spirit is always with us.  You have a personal angel, as do I.  We are never ever alone.  Divinity resides within.  God is with us.