“All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on.”
Exposure:
When we allow ourselves to see the ugly things He already sees (I think we sometimes unconsciously believe we are hiding things from Him when we hide them from ourselves), we finally get to watch the reparation that He promises He will do.
You can quote me on that.
one of my favorite daily rituals...
“Manifest plainness, embrace simplicity, reduce selfishness, have few desires.” Lao Tzu
“Experience: that most brutal of teachers. But you learn. My God do you learn.”
Congolese woman
“The threshing floors shall be full of grain; the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you.”
a culture of silence
We are often scared to listen to trauma.
The thought of listening well can be so terrifying.
We feel we can’t hear it because we are afraid we cannot bear
the thoughts,
the stories,
the pain…
But what about those who must bear it all?
Are they to be left alone?
In the silence?
Lessons from a 5-year-old (continued)
As we were driving to school this morning, my 5-year-old daughter heard them talking on NPR about the man who opened fire in a movie theater last year. Here's the conversation we had...
Her:Oh man, that makes me so angry. That guy is so, so mean. If I met him I would tell him not to shoot people.
Me:You're right. What he did is wrong. Why do you think he did it?
Her:I think he is just a really mean person.
Me:Do you think he was born that way?
Her:(pause)... You're right, mama. Maybe somebody did something really mean to him or hurt him and it made him sad. Instead I would say to him, "Are you okay?"
Me:(tearing up) That would be a great question to ask him.
So many pretty skies.
“Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind…”
“Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us - to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.”
So beautiful…