I sometimes think that I’ve given you entirely the wrong impression.
That I’m strong, brave, and always optimistic.
Truth is, I’m a recovering coward.
There have been times in recent years when I’ve felt completely weak, unwise and pessimistic.
Times when fear turned my insides to mush and great challenges brought me to my knees.
But as one friend says: “While you’re down there, you may as well pray”.
Sometimes, I had to pray several times before my insides finally returned to normal and I remembered: “All I need to do is put one foot in front of the other. And trust.”
Sometimes, putting one foot in front of the other meant writing a funny or optimistic post on my blog. Trusting that you’d read it, smile and be uplifted.
And sometimes it meant just going back to my bed. (And while there, perhaps reading a few of your own updates to cheer myself up.)
All of which may prove that the great philosopher Soren Kierkegaard was right when he said: “The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays.”
Thanks for being there. These flowers are for you.
I end this post with a blessing from a Margaret Mair poem:
May the day hold you gently
In the softness of its hope
And the sun guide you surely
To where you find yourself
Contented and free
In the kindness of its light.
~~
Photos courtesy of Hamlin Grange.
Cynthia Reyes 