Suncoast Hospice Director of Spiritual Care Jim Andrews
Virtually any conversation these days leans inevitably towards all of the challenges we have faced so far in 2020 and all of the challenges that lie ahead of us. Many have voiced exhaustion and discouragement and an overarching feeling of disorientation. These are very real feelings and we need to allow ourselves space to feel them. We must also make room in our hearts for gratitude and for joy when and where we find them. Poet Rainer Maria Rilke says it this way,
Right in the difficult
We must have our joys,
Our happiness, our dreams;
There against the depth of this background
They stand out
There for the first time
We see how beautiful they are.
Whether you find your source of joy and gratitude in the innocent smile of a grand baby or the warm nuzzle of a pet friend, or the long embrace of a partner or friend or the explosion of beauty and color at sunset over the beach, or in the stillness of quiet meditation – may these moments stand out against the background of this time and leave us awestruck by their beauty.
Have a great week, everyone!
Jim
