Ask for Grace

Called to Endure

“We are called to love even in the loneliness, worship even in the tears and follow even in the darkness.”

Pete Wilson

          I went to a beautiful spot to walk yesterday—Moss Rock Preserve. One doesn’t exactly walk there; it’s more of a hike, because it’s all up hill and down, around giant boulders of sandstone, and across crystal clear water with little fish swimming in it. I went early so few people were there, and I stayed many feet away from anyone I encountered, including my friend Sharon who showed me the way. Springtime in the woods is so enlivening, and as John Muir said, “The mountains are calling and I must go.” Being in the woods is worship for me. The trees, the hills and valleys, the flowing water form a beautiful cathedral for rejoicing.

          Last night, I joined a Fairytale Group on-line to consider the tale of Hansel and Gretel. They too lived in difficult times; a famine was on the land and food was scarce to non-existent. These two little children were taken into the witch’s dark forest and left so there would be two fewer mouths to feed. Through their masterful beguiling of the witch, and because they helped each other, and trusted the guidance of nature in the form of birds, they survived captivity and carried home enough jewels to power their family through the famine. These little children from another time and place have left some pebbles to light our path. We will get through this period of isolation, this captivity if, we trust nature, help one another and apply ingenuity—creativity.

I watched another of Caroline Myss’ videos this morning. She talked about how we create our reality with our words and inner self-talk. Words, she said, “sculpt our reality,” especially the words we tell ourselves. We have for many years now, been speaking a vocabulary of divisiveness and competition; one that is not helping with the healing of our current situation. It’s tribal, and possessive. We’ve even witnessed hoarding of essential supplies. These are neither the language nor the actions that lead to healing. What we must do, according to Caroline Myss, is to learn to speak a holy language—the language of the soul. One word she recommends praying for now is endurance. “I need the grace of endurance, and I need it now.” When you pray for endurance, anticipate change in your ability to cope with isolation.

There are experiences in life for which we need each other, and this is one of them. We cannot go it alone. Like Hansel and Gretel, we are in this together. We must help one another and find our way out together. Endurance is required. Let’s pray for it today.

                                        In the Spirit,

                                        Jane