Dear Friends

dear Friends and Companions in the Struggle,

Since the election I had been feeling a numb, vague sense of doom, a helplessness. Everywhere I went, people I saw had a similar sort of look in their eyes, like we all had been traumatized.  I tried various methods to counteract this including sporadic avoidance; not watching news or reading social media, focusing on the bigger picture;  trying to hold myself to the belief that the arc of history can not be bend away from justice with one or two elections and rooted myself to my faith. Writing helped. Hours and hours of daily prayer helps as does the occasional  game of solitaire…   These all help, but only a little.

Friends, friends, listen. Especially now we need to work extra hard at keeping ourselves grounded. Do whatever sort of intentional healing works for you; along with writing and prayer I make soup.  Even just lying in bed in meditation, that’s okay too.   Still, a vibration of undefined panic has been in the air. Many, myself at least, had been having trouble figuring out which way to turn, which way to move to be positive and effective,  Things seem like they have shifted dramatically, tragically.

What came to me during the blessed times of quietude is that there are things we can and should do. Not only could it help push back the wave of intolerance and isolation but also the waves of our own despair.  

We have the strength and courage to embrace mindful, ethical, compassionate living, and do it together.  While we’re at it, we can be gentle with ourselves and each other.  None of us is perfect, we all are fabulous and flawed. We are really not in a hole but part of the whole, holy.

Posted with Hope for Understanding, Peace and Healing,
Rachel