“Have a Blessed Day!” “I am so grateful.”
When I was younger, I thought these phrases were a kind of affectation, an expression of spiritual superiority. Maybe in some cases it was and is, but not much is binary and those things that are; well, they’re not very good for the human condition. To wish someone a Blessed Day in the Christian sense might well be a wish that they move on to their Maker. Isn’t that the way most Christians look at life – not as spiritual beings living a human existence, but as human beings striving for a spiritual one? That mangles a quote attributed to the Jesuit priest de Chardin.
The truth is that – I now welcome any blessings that come my way. I wake up in the morning and look out on the beauty of nature that surrounds me, think of my family, and my home, and make sure whatever I have, however small that day, that I give thanks. That is a life-giving practice. It makes us aware that we have been blessed, are not “without”. We may be in a place where we don’t want to rest forever; but we have enough. There are those who don’t, and they’re probably not reading this column.
There has been a lot of loss during the past years since Covid. That’s a point in time most of the generations now living remember. I read the other day that there are eight generations living now. That is kind of amazing. With that many, it’s not surprising that we knock against each other’s sensibilities occasionally. The tendency is to be negative about our times. There is reason for concern but looking at generations – there was loss and concern during WW I, WW II, Viet Nam…the list is infinite. The ability of the human spirit to pick itself up and keep moving forward is inspiring.
Over the last fifteen years, when I have some time, I’ve worked on family genealogy. Over those fifteen years technology has made searching into the past easier (though you have to double check the info that shows up). The stories of those ancestors from the past are full of spirit, resilience, and grit. They must have given thanks every day they survived.
They came – some fleeing troubles, some running toward something, but in about all cases they had to leave behind family, home, and culture to board a little ship crossing a big ocean and travel to a place they’d never seen. I can’t imagine the courage that took – not to mention physical strength, spiritual faith and fortitude, and mental discipline. Whomever of our people we are talking about whether colonists, slaves having to leave home and family behind and face a terrifying future without choice, or the Native Americans who gave up their lands over and over again and lost their way of life… all had to let go and look forward and turn to the future or fail.
Living – thriving – is not just a matter of physical effort though that plays a big part. It is also a matter of mental discipline that keeps us moving forward to the future while doing what needs to be done in the present, and the spirit that lets us find joy in small things – faith that there’s really land across that vast ocean.
I am moved by your insights and the talented way you expressed them. So much of what you shared I see in my life’s journey. I am blessed to share this life’s journeys. Love, Patty
What a treat to be able to read this today! I actually started backwards but I have read all of them and I love the perspectives you have and are sharing with us.